industrial work in the grades and the high school is great work 

 for the farmer boy or girl", adds another, while an enthusias- 

 tic believer in consolidation underscores each word in his sen- 

 tence, "I am strictly in favor of the consolidated school". The 

 keynote of consolidation is sounded by one writer who says, 

 "You enjoy going to a large school more than you do a small 

 school." A girl who wishes to make her statement emphatic 

 says, "Any human being knows that a teacher can not teach 

 eight grades and do justice to each grade". "My mother was 

 saying just the other day that we were chums now with girls 

 we would not have known had we not been going to this (a con- 

 solidated) school", writes a young lady whose letter shows 

 that she has already learned to think. Whether consolidation 

 will remain is answered by the expression found in regard to 

 cost; "These schools cost money and they cost something to 

 run, but what is a few dollars compared to the education of 

 the children of the United States." "I am a member of the 

 High School. I am proud of it", may well be a fitting 

 close to the testimony of boys and girls in regard to consoli- 

 dation. 



The School as a Social Center. The purposes of the move- 

 ment to revive the school as a social center may be briefly stat- 

 ed as follows: 



First. To get parents interested in school work and in the 

 betterment of rural schools. 



Second. To further the spirit of cooperation by organiz- 

 ing the people to promote some movement for community bet- 

 terment. 



Third. To provide recreation and amusement. 



The meetings which may be held are of various kinds ; as, 

 for example, the school program held in the afternoon or even- 

 ing; programs in which the older people and the children take 

 part; farmers' clubs and farmers' institutes, at the meetings 

 of which topics of local interest may be discussed, and often 

 the children of the school may take part ; special day programs, 

 such as arbor day, Washington's birthday, etc.; school fairs 



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