Excerpt from Nineteenth Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Montana: 1926 "Growth is the law of life. When we cease to grow, we It begin to die. It is a matter of progress or regress. We cannot move backward the hands of time. Retrenchment is wise when conditions permit, but it must be shown that we are on the wrong course before we turn backward. It must be shown that the ship cannot proceed to her goal before we begin to throw overboard the cargo. "True economy is always wise, but the negro who conceived the brilliant idea of saving his oats by feeding his mule on greater and greater quantities of sawdust found that when he had reached the point of maximum economy, that is, when he fed only on sawdust, the mule died. If he had been a more observing individual, if he had checked up on his experiment from time to time, he would have found as soon as he started the mixture that the mule began to lose his power to pull. Economy that limits the activities of the school to the Three R's, that fails to recognize the individual differences of children, that neglects to provide healthful surroundings in which they may grow and work, that fails to recognize their mental and physical limitations as well as their points of power, that fails to provide equal educational opportunities for all the children trained at public expense, that refuses to recognize that it takes a longer time and more skill to perform a bigger and harder job, that allows educational energy and educational enthusiasm to work without competent direction, that permits any portion of our people to grow up in ignorance to be a menace to their fellows, is mixing sawdust with the oats, and the result must be disastrous. "Democracy must be founded upon universal education if it is to be permanent. Though ours is a representative form of government, more and more problems of greater and greater complexity are constantly being referred to the judgment of the people, and more and more influential is that judgment becoming in the councils of the Nation. "If all the children of all the people are to be educated, the cost of doing this work must be borne by all the people and by all their wealth, which in its final analysis is largely the product of education." - From an address by Dr. H. W. Holloway, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dover, Delaware. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of Montana, 1908 The school census of 1907 shows 73,269 children of school age, of which number 36,895 were boys and 36,374 were girls. The whole number enrolled during the year was 50,516 and the average daily attendance was 34,699. In 1906 the school census was 72,498, the number enrolled 48,744, and the daily attendance was 34,738. It will be seen that the comparison is not encouraging for general education. There is an increase in the census and an increase in the enrollment but a decrease in the average daily attendance. Montana can never achieve for education what she ought to achieve until there is a larger enrollment of census school children and a larger daily attendance. The compulsory school law should be so amended that the two and a half mile limit should not be a subterfuge for allowing children to remain away from school. Furthermore, the boards of trustees should insist on the provisions of the compulsory school law being carried out to the letter. Children of school age should be compelled to attend school until they have completed the elementary school or have attained to the age of sixteen. During the year 39 new school houses were built. Carbon county built 13. The value of school houses and sites is given at $3,645,343. There were 501 normal graduates and 154 college graduates employed in the schools. The whole number of teachers employed was 1,787,222 being men and 1,565 women. The average salary for male teachers was $85 per month and for female teachers $57 per month. There was paid in teachers' wages $1,033,560, for libraries $14,371.85. for apparatus $25, 349.24. The expense for all school purposes was $1,702,425.64. The census for 1908 shows 77,039 children of school age, 38,830 boys and 38,309 girls. The whole number enrolled was 56,637, and the average daily attendance was 35,422. In 1907 68.6 per cent of the number of census children were in school daily. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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