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Show in 11 in i in i.nttiriv i i Hi I KUAU3 AND EDUCATION. . I Consolldfttion of School Districts De-' pendent on the Character of the Hlghwny. One of the most Important problem! for our rural communities has been how I best to secure the benefits of n graded school system so ns to enable the farmer to give his children Instruction In tho h'lghcr branches of learning without leaving the farm. Tho writer helloves that tho policy of consolidation nnd transportation of pupils furnishes a no-tullon no-tullon of the problem If the policy can bo performed. Tho noxt nnd most Important Impor-tant question Is- how can this bo done; In what wny, nnd nftcr what preparation, prepara-tion, can a perfect system bo established estab-lished or made possible of establishment? establish-ment? Wo nro firmly of tho opinion ' that tho system of education outlined nnd which means so much for tho country coun-try will never bo perfected -and becomo a fixed policy until there Is national nld In the construction of good wagon roads, say nlong tho lino of bills Introduced Intro-duced In the house of representatives by Hon. W. P Brownlow, of Tennessee, nnd In sonato by Mr, Latimer, of South Carolina. In hearings on tho good-road subject bofore tho senato committee on agriculture It was shown that of all tho roads In tho United States there aro only C per cent, good, 10 per cent fairly passablo and 85 por cent, bad; that Is, stallers of teams In wet weather, nnd the creators of Insuffernblo dust storms In dry weather. "Fifteen per cent, are roads, tho romnlndcr more rlghts-of. wny." While striving after tho best results In Its own partlculnr field and studiously seeking Improvements undor functions that belong to It alone, that very Important Impor-tant branch of tho public service known as tho bureau of cducntlon has, In Its Investigations, gathered practical facts and detailed statistics that furnish Irrtv futablo argument In favor of national aid for good roads, because no government govern-ment can prosper save by tho enllghton-ment enllghton-ment of Its people. President Itoosovelr, In n Bpecch nt St Louis In 1903. declared that tho dlffcrenco botwecn tho semi-barbarism semi-barbarism of the middle nges and the civilisation which succeeded It was tho difference between poor nnd good means of communication. On Hedloo's Island In New York narbor stands Liberty Enlightening En-lightening the World "Go ye Into all the earth and preach the Gospel to every creature," means now, as when first communicated to man, that tho highways high-ways and byways furnish n fruitful field for Godly work Following tlio construction con-struction of good roads civilization expands, ex-pands, education Increases and Christianity Chris-tianity widens nnd broadens Its field of operation, nut education Is not possible and Christianity Is retarded whoro schoolhouBcs ennnot he reached, nnd where tho hlghwnyg nro not nt nil seasons sea-sons passable. No fixed policy of consolidated con-solidated schools will prevail until there Is apystematUod construction of wagon roadsand no fixed policy of road con-structlwi con-structlwi Is posslhlo except by federal cooperation with the states nnd tho political po-litical divisions thereof. Tho common or wagon roads aro the primary means of transportation nnd comruunlcntlon. The rnllroads havo their uses, nnd they aro Important, but people do not use them to reach church houses nnd school houses. Christian civilization and education call for hot-tor hot-tor means of propagation, Public school work goes hand In hand with tho spread of religion. It needs no nrgument to show that ovcry church Interest nnd every school lntorest Is closely connected with the question of putdlc road Improvement Im-provement throughout tho United States. We are a Christian nation, and wo are an educational people. The very life of tho republic depends upon tho Influence In-fluence of tho churches and the schools, for theso aro tho certain promoters of high Ideals In citizenship and tho Indicators Indi-cators of that lino spirit of patriotism which enables good government nnd sustains sus-tains It wherevor established. If there wero no other reasons why the government govern-ment should at onco adopt and put Into practlco a good-roads policy In cooperation coopera-tion with tho states, It should do so In support of public education nnd tho spread of the Christian religion. Wo repeat that the Unltod States bureau bu-reau of cducntlon. while working In Its own particular field, has supplied one of the most forceful arguments yet presented pre-sented In favor of national nld tn good roads, and we should much like to see ovory church nnd school Journal In the land tnko up the question and discuss It for the benefit of the cause In which they aro ongaged. |