72                 THE WISCONSIN FARMER.



and money, than you can build a good house
without it.
  There are some few things absolutely essen-
tial in order to have a good schooL In the
first place, a good house, of ample size, pro-
perly seated, warmed, and ventilated; where
the children re not huddled together like
sheep, and without room to conduct the exer-
cises with either pleasure or profit. In the
next place, keep a school in that house from
nine to ten months in a year. Short terms and
long vacations will work the ruin of any school.
The evils are two-fold: As a general rule first
class teachers will not engage such a school.
They can do better. In the next place. a large
part of what the pupil learns in the school term
is lost during the long vacation, together with
the interest in their studies.
   There never was, and there never will be a
well-advanced and interesting school where it
is taught but six months in the year. Thepro-
gress of such a school is much like that of the
toad climbing out of the well, which, it is said,
climbed tip three feet every day, but fell back
two every night, to sleep.  That toad was a
long time, I am thinking, in getting out of the
well, and your children will be equally long in
getting out of the well of ignorance, if you
pursue this intermittent system of schooling.
   Added to this, you can hire none (with rare
 exceptions) but second and third rate teachers,
 and these will be sure to leave their mark-
 such a mark as a bungler of a tailor leaves or
 the cloth you furnish him to make a coat, such
 a mark as a third-rate mechanic leaves on your
 lumber when you employ him to build you E
 nice house.
    A stream will not rise above its fountain
 Grspes will not grow on thistles, nor figs o0
 thorn bushes; and second and third rate teach
 ers never teach first-rate schools.  But, sa:
 you, these latter should be encouraged to d
 better. Some of them should, while other
 should quit at once, having wofully mistakei
 their calling. But how can you encourage then
 to prepare themselves fully for the work, whil
 you will employ them for only half of the sea
 son and leave them to do something else th



other half?  The truth is that we must give
teachers longer employment and remunerate



them better, before we can ever hope to secure
permanently the services of that higher order
of talent necessary to make our schools what
they should be.
  Remember that the Teacher's art is the art
of all arts, that the highest order of talent is
not out of place in the teacher of even a com-
mon district school.  No skilled artizan that
ever put his hand to wood, or brass, or marble
block ever had so delicate and responsible a
work before him. Parents of Wisconsin, pon-
der upon these things, and act wisely.
                                   J. C. B.
  DAN"vLLs, Dec. 18c2.

       The Publis Schools of Wisconsin.
   The 14th Annual Report of the Superintend-
 ent of Public Instructien has appeared to us,
 after a somewhat careful examination, one of
 the most interesting and valuable hitherto pub-
 lished. It abounds in valuable suggestions
 from the able Superintendent, and embraces
 numerous reports from the County Superin-
 tendents--showing, altogether, more thoroughly
 what Is the condition of our common schools
 than any report yet published. Mr. Pickard
 has fully met the high hopes of his numerous
 friends, and is at once an honor the Depart-
 ment over which he presides and to the great
 cause of Universal Education.
    We shall quote from the Report before us,
Lfrom time to time, but in the present number
r have barely room for a summary of the statis-
atics which it embraces, as follows:
  No. counties reportingr. g              6
  No. towns reportinL ..............  ,    , 776
       1o. reporting .....................  2
  N.. wiole districts, ......................... . . slyly
  No parts  I.  ......                    1,76
  No. diost , reckoning  2k  parts  eal to  a
  wh- it distrlCt .....................7......  on
  No. districts not reporting .........4.........  I
  N  part tstrict tr otit g ............ lt17
o whole no districts unreported, ..  ......... .f0
  No mal children between 4 and 20 y'rs of we  157,136
aNo  famsie                             1"i '"        10,918
  Total number " is    "     "            i0910
EL  Z oess of msales ........................... . . r .220
  aInceesesneee bt report,.8,98."
m  No. districts maintaining s   re han
e      term .................0.......... ..070
  No. mae teahers empleoyd witer ten.2,249
      I    I-      "  summe r "  .......... -U418
  No. t-   "      A   windster "          2.i40
      0   s .   I n   e   esu"   ....     3 at u s2



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