ion ago; Chores and work; Value of work; Extremes; Yearly
routine; Disliked in comparison; Other hard jobs; Harvesting;
Threshing; Welcome events; Winter work; What the old days lacked;
The result; The backward rural school; Women's condition
unrelieved; The rural problem must be met; Facilities.

CHAPTER II. THE URBAN TREND 19

Cityward; Attractive forces; Conveniences in cities; Urbanized
literature; City schools; City churches; City work preferred;
Retired farmers; Educational centers; Face the problem; Educational
value not realized; Wrong standard in the social mind; Rural
organization; Playing with the problem.

CHAPTER III. THE REAL AND THE IDEAL SCHOOL 28

The building; No system of ventilation; The surroundings; The
interior; Small, dead school; That picture and this; Architecture
of building; Get expert opinion; Other surroundings; Number of
pupils; It will not teach alone; The teacher; A good rural school;
The problem.

CHAPTER IV. SOME LINES OF PROGRESS 38

Progress; In reaping machines; The dropper; The hand rake; The self
rake; The harvester; The wire binder; The twine binder; Threshing
machine; The first machine; Improvements; The steam engine;
Improvements in ocean travel; From hand-spinning to factory; The
cost; Progress in higher education; Progress in normal schools;
Progress in agricultural colleges; Progress in the high schools;
How is the rural school?

CHAPTER V. A BACKWARD AND NEGLECTED FIELD 49

Rural schools the same everywhere; Rural schools no better than
formerly; Some improvements; Strong personalities in the older
schools; More men needed; Low standard now; The survival of the
unfittest; Short terms; Poor supervision; No decided movement;
Elementary teaching not a profession; The problem difficult, but
before us; Other educational interests should help; Higher
standards necessary; Courses for teachers; The problem of
compensation; Consolidation as a factor; Better supervision
necessary; A model rural school; The teacher should lead; A good
boarding place.

CHAPTER VI. CONSOLIDATION OF RURAL SCHOOLS 63

The process; When not necessary; The district system; The township
system; Consolidation diffi