Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 February 1920 — COUNTY EDUCATIONAL NOTES. [ARTICLE]

COUNTY EDUCATIONAL NOTES.

The rural conference designed primarily to discuss the educational needs of Newton township was held in the west court room of the court house last Mon day afternoon. About 125 patrons and tax payers from Newton township were in attendance many of whom participated in the discussions that made the meeting interesting from the moment that the speaking began. The Hon. Geo. A. Williams of this city gave an instructive talk apprising the Newton township citizens of their statutory rights as appears from the various acts of the Indiana'legislature. Mt. Williams I i was followed by Charles W. Postill, president of the tenth district rural I educational conference. Postill | gave a clear and logical talk upon i an ideal rural school. This address was followed by Oscar H. Williams of the state department of public in-1 struction. He opened his talk by I extending congratulations from our I state superintendene, L. N. Hines. I Mr. Hines was unable to attend on I account of a fall he received two I I days ago while attending a confer- I ence of this kind in southern Indi- I ana. However Mt. Hines sent a I very agreeable representative of his I department in Oscar H. Williams. I Mr. Williams spoke primarily upon j the importance of the teacher in I the school. Mr. Rush, trustee of I Newton township, followed with a I talk clearly setting out that he had I

I been elected to serve the will of a majority from Newton township. 1 Mr. Rush expressed some of his peri sonal views of what Should be done. A map of Newtbn township had I been prepared to show the position lof the present single room shool houses, the present graveled roads I and the roads under headway for I the use in the near future. At this junction George Williams who was the first speaker, asked for the privilege of clearing some assertions relative to the law that he had made in his earlier remarks. It was in this closing speech that Mr. Williams reached his audience I

by citing his experience on the Rensselaer school board for twelve years. It was one of the most unbiased I speeches on the subject of rural education that has come from any {speaker on that subject in Jasper I county. He very ably and in a lawyer-like manner concluded that rural educational problems belonged to the rural districts and must be solved in the schools there. He emphasized the distinction between the city minded and the rural minded teachers and environments. Short talks then closed the days conference from Sherman Thornton, R. A. Yeoman, Everett Halstead, Gus Hilsher, Erhardt Weurthner, Chas. Postill, Oscar H. WiUiams and a number of others showing clearly that Newton township was going, to deal fairly with the boys and girls of that township and if possible give them equal opportunities with that of the city boy and girl.