148 The State and the Farmer 



step farther away. The locality has lost some- 

 thing. It is a question, even, whether the 

 annual school meeting is to be lightly surren- 

 dered, whether it is not worth keeping as an 

 arena for the clearing of local differences, and 

 as a possible nucleus of a useful institution. 



I would establish an institution in every 

 locality rather than banish one from it. I 

 should like to see on every important four 

 corners in the open country four institutions, 

 an assembling place, as a town meeting hall 

 or grange hall ; a building that stands for the 

 products and history of the community, into 

 which could be gathered a local museum, his- 

 torical mementos, biographies of the inhabit- 

 ants, and in which there might be a useful 

 library ; on another corner a redirected rural 

 school ; and on the other a redirected church 

 that should strike its roots deep into the 

 native affairs of the community. 



I fear that much of the impulse for the consol- 

 idation of schools is a reflection of the central- 

 ized formal city graded school; but it is by no 

 means certain that these institutions are to be 



