346 RURAL CALIFORNIA 



character as in the populous cities. It is the idea of 

 a generous state that one child is as good as another, 

 no matter where he happens to dwell. The expense 

 of all this does not fall upon the parents of the 

 children or upon the residents or property owners 

 of the local district. It is provided by the general 

 tax upon state and county property. 



"In towns, villages and well-settled fruit and 

 farming regions . . . beautiful school houses dot the 

 landscape everywhere. High schools, normal schools 

 and other higher institutions abound. One of the 

 strikingly original features of the California school 

 system is its plan of furnishing text books to the 

 children. It is the only state in the Union which 

 manufactures its school books in a state printing 

 office and distributes them free to the pupils." 



Having reached such attainments in a state sys- 

 tem for general education in elementary and secon- 

 dary branches of learning, California during the last 

 two decades introduced into school work practically 

 all the connecting links between academic studies and 

 industries which were held to impart useful knowl- 

 edge to the pupil and to promote his sympathetic 

 interest in the character and opportunities of his 

 environment. However, none of these seemed to 

 reach ultimate desirability as conceived by parents 

 and by progressive teachers. This conviction led 

 to the reorganization of school initiative and control 

 by providing in 1913 a State Board of Education 

 consisting of citizens who are not of the pedagogical 

 profession and empowered them to appoint experts 



