Industrial Topics
A COUNTRY SCHOOL HOUSE .- No 1.

PROFESSOR W. J. BEAL.

IN many cases the location is a desirable one. situated on a slight elevation near a good road in a central portion of the district. In too many instances the house is built on a piece of low land, back from the main road, perhaps in the edge of the woods or more likely away from any trees. There is a little corner of half an acre, or less, cut off from a field. The lot is generally destitute of a fence, and open to the frequent visits of cattle, sheep, and perhaps swine. These animals keep the turf closely pastured, but otherwise damage the appearance of the yard. The land is rough and ungraded, just as Nature left it, except the removal of all or a part of the trees. The stones are scattered about, if stones are common in that locality. Stumps and logs are plentiful, unless the country is old.

Toward the rear of the lot are a couple of out-buildings much dilapidated, on account of frequent beatings by sundry stones and sticks thrown by mischievous boys. Several portions of the main building, especially at the front, are badly damaged by hard usage. In several places, scattered over the lot, are piles of stove-wood and numerous sticks are strewn about in great confusion. Good order may be displayed in a wood-pile as well as in anything else. A mud puddle is situated near the front door. An old board or two serve to keep the feet partially out of the mud. If we enter the room, we shall not be disappointed in finding that the inside corresponds with the outside of the house.

If the above description will not answer for most of our country school houses, it answers for too many of them. In a few cases there is an attempt to ornament the grounds by shade trees and other means, though even here usually no good design has been followed.

The effect on teacher, scholars, visitors, and passers-by is anything but inspiring. Suppose the ground were graded even a little. and trees set here and there about. In grading, the surface should be made smooth, but not necessarily level or formally graded down. If cattle run on the road, a neat fence should cut off their approach to the house. Let the teacher with the aid of the scholars, who will cheerfully lend a hand, pick up everything tidily. In summer there should be a few neat flowerbeds kept in good order. Shrubbery and perennial herbs should find suitable places. It is
no use to say the scholars would not help, or that they would destroy the plants after they were set out. Any one who has tried it knows better.

A word about the house. It is usually planned and built by those ignorant of the business, t least the plans are usually poor. The house is plain and almost always painted white, or sometimes red. I know of one case in which the house is red and the battens are white, or a part of each is white. White, for a country house, is too glaring and conspicuous, presenting too strong a contrast with all the surroundings. I know of many instances where the houses cost enough to be models of excellence. I think of one the walls of which were made of pressed brick. Every seat in the house is so high that hardly any one, except a "six-footer," can sit down squarely and rest his heels on the floor. On my visiting the school, the teacher said there was not a seat in the house low enough for the largest scholar. The seats were narrow and flat, not sloping backwards, and the backs straight up and down. In such places the children are required to sit with feet dangling midway between the seat and the floor, just because some one did not put brains enough into his plan for a house.
In most cases the ceiling is tight, a stove supplies the heat, and there is no arrangement for
ventilation except by the windows and doors. Sometimes there is no black-board, though generally there is a small one of poor quality in an inconvenient place. In some cases there is no wall under the sills. The cracks in the floor allow cold drafts of air to come up freely through it.

In such forlorn quarters, with no sign of ornament inside or out, children are banished for six hours a day, for several months of the year. Is it a wonder that some of them do not like the school? I hope the above picture is over-drawn, but in the majority of cases with which I am acquainted, I am sorry to say it is not.

Would it not be a good plan to put on a little more style? Why should not the inside of the school-room look as well as the church? This is the case with many of our city schools. Or, again, why should not the school-room be made as attractive as some of the village saloons? Through a poor streak of economy people are employing the cheapest teachers they can get.

When a boy, the writer hated school, but did not know why. It was not pleasant. To the best of his knowledge, the correct reason can 
be picked out of the foregoing account of our country school houses. There was nothing cheerful in the surroundings; the seats were uncomfortable; the hours were long and too many in each day; the air was impure, the  teacher overworked and unskilled in awakening an interest in the studies. The writer liked nature, but disliked books-at least such books as were accessible. The greatest needs of our country are educated voters and educated mothers. With plenty of these there is no danger that the Republic will fail. In future papers I shall try to suggest means for making our country schools more effective.
Agricultural College, Lansing, Mich.