The new country school; a survey of development . ROCKY, GRASSLE TREELESS, FLOWEELESS. The roots of the school improvement campaign of The YouthsCompanion go back to that September morning, more thansixty years ago, when James B. Upham first trudged to theyard of Fairfax District, No. 17. Before him was the school-house, traditionally dingy and plain. Behind it, and on hisright and left, were open fields, which he and his fellows wereforbidden to enter. Beyond, to the north, the hills rolled away 10 to the Canadian line; to the southeast, they merged into arange of the Green Mountains. At the
The new country school; a survey of development . ROCKY, GRASSLE TREELESS, FLOWEELESS. The roots of the school improvement campaign of The YouthsCompanion go back to that September morning, more thansixty years ago, when James B. Upham first trudged to theyard of Fairfax District, No. 17. Before him was the school-house, traditionally dingy and plain. Behind it, and on hisright and left, were open fields, which he and his fellows wereforbidden to enter. Beyond, to the north, the hills rolled away 10 to the Canadian line; to the southeast, they merged into arange of the Green Mountains. At the boys feet was theschoolyard itself—rocky, grassless, treeless, flowerless. James found the inside of the building as unattractive as itsimmediate surroundings. The pail and dipper by the door wereboth rusty, and the water always tasted stale. What little learn-ing the master had he imparted generally by main undoubtedly gave James and his schoolmates more than hewas paid to A FLAG RAISINl ON THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. Then and there the dreariness of the school and its surround-ings so sank in upon James B. Upham that he made the resolu-tion that meant that his life was to be given to the patrioticcause of school improvement. Finally he took the stage forthe railway station, and so passed on into the world of activelife. In 1872 he joined the staff of The Companion, and in afew years became a member of the Perry Mason Company, itspublishers. In 1888, at his suggestion, The Companionlaunched a movement to place the American flag over everyAmerican schoolhouse. That The Companion should have organized its campaign forschool improvement in this way is not at all strange. TheCompanion realized that no campaign has ever been successfulunless the people most directly affected heartily support improvement that is real and lasting is impossible with-out the support of the boys and girls themselves. To arousethe enthusiasm of pupils, patrons, teachers and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectruralsc, bookyear1914
