The School Fair

The fact that approximately 15,000 people attended the School Fairs during the month of October is sufficient evidence of their success. From every quarter of the county come words of praise for the teachers who had the ambition the courage and the energy to take up this line of work and carry it to a successful conclusion.

There is no doubt in our mind about its effectiveness in stimulating interest in rural life and rural industries. We believe that the rural school must more closely ally itself to rural life if the boys and girls are to be trained to live on the farm. Clarion County is largely an agricultural county. Three fourths of our pupils live in rural communities and the rural schools of to-day that do not make an effort to enrich the lives of their pupils, to increase their opportunities, to brighten their homes and to foster a desire for rural life with its manifold advantages and blessings, is not living up to its highest possibilities.

Therefore, we cannot commend in too high terms those teachers and directors who helped to make October 22nd the greatest day in the history of rural schools.

This year there were three distinct types of School Fair. First, that type in which all the schools of the township met at one central place. We believe this type to be the most effective and beneficial, where the townships are not too large and where none of the schools is more than six miles from the meeting place. This type of fair was successfully held in the following townships and places: Beaver, Wentlings Corners; Highland, at the High School building; Licking, Easton; Limestone, Greenville,; Monroe, Reidsburg; Piney, at the County Home in connection with the Licking Valley Agricultural Association; and Salem, at the High School building.

Reports and pictures from these fairs indicate splendid results. We are sorry that some of the districts were not able to supply us with pictures because they had no photographer, but we know that these were up to the high standard set by the others. Our finances will not allow us to use all the pictures sent us. We picked from the number those which seem to best illustrate what we are trying to accomplish in order that the doubting Thomases may see and believe.

The second type of Fair is that in which several schools of the same district combined but not all of the schools. The best example of this type is found in Perry Township. In this district the schools met at three central points instead of one. One at West Freedom in which six schools participated, one at Black Fox in which three schools took part, and one at Dutch Hill, where three schools joined forces. Their Fairs were well attended and successful. This is, possibly, the best type for the very large districts. Other townships that followed this type are Farmington, Porter, Toby and Richland. In Toby and Richland only two schools joined.

The third type is the Fair in which the individual school participates. There were many of this type and the results were equally as good as in the other cases, but it does not foster the community spirit that is desired. We would recommend this type only when the first or second type