COUNTRY COMMUNITY PROGRESS 



the grades ever enter the high school, or have any fur- 

 ther school privileges, we can begin to appreciate the 

 Importance of a school system that will shape Itself to 

 the needs of the masses. 



Interest In country life and country affairs can be 

 developed best during the formative period of the 

 child's life, or between six and fifteen years of age. 

 Why should there not be an endeavor made at this age 

 to develop Interest In the type of life and environment 

 that the larger number of country children are sure to 

 experience through life? Fortunately, we are begin- 

 ning to see our responsibilities and duties in this direc- 

 tion and are so modifying our plan of Instruction in 

 rural schools as to make It fit the life of the people. 

 Problems in arithmetic are now drawn more from farm 

 life and less from commercial city life. More problems 

 are being drawn from the daily business of the farm 

 and fewer from the banking house, based on stocks and 

 bonds that the child will probably never deal with. 

 More historical incidents are drawn from local life and 

 the work of our ancestors and less from the succession of 

 kings. More interest Is being developed in what grows 

 under our feet, and less In the products of India or 

 Australia. We rejoice to see the community endeavor 

 to interest the children of our public schools in garden 

 and shop work, in fruits and In flowers, such as has been 

 developed in Salisbury and Washington. One value of 



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