History of Dakota Territory, volume III, Part 127

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1146

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In November, 1910, the people at the polls voted in favor of leasing the school lands for farming purposes. An agreement had been entered into between South Dakota and the Federal Government, whereby an exchange of school sections in the Black Hills national forests for other tracts of more compact areas elsewhere was effected; and while much work had been done the exchange had not wholly been carried into effect. Congress had enacted laws for the opening of Mellette and Bennett counties, for the opening of portions of Rosebud and Pine River reservations, and for that the selection of about fifty-eight thousand acres of "lieu lands" that were necessary to indemnify the state for losses occasioned by the allotment of school sections to Indians. All the desirable lands in the unopened sections of Pine Ridge Reservation had been taken or applied for by the Indians, and therefore it was necessary to make "lieu selec-

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tions" of Government lands elsewhere within the state to indemnify the schools for these losses.

In 1911 Mr. Brinker, who desired important changes made to remedy these defects, brought pressure to bear upon the Legislature for a complete revision and codification of all the school land laws. The matter was referred to a joint committee and a bill to regulate the leasing and sale of common school and endowment lands was introduced. It provided for the apportionment and invest- ment of the common school and endowment land funds, arranged for the sale of timber and coal, and repealed certain laws relative to these subjects; this bill became a law. Under it the commissioner at once eliminated the old uniform rate of rental for all the lands within each county, and adopted the plan that all the lands should be classified and appraised and that the rate of rental should be a certain per cent of the appraised value. During the summer of 1911, in order to carry out the provisions of the new law, two groups of men were placed in the field and kept at work during the remainder of the summer and fall to complete the classification of counties and twenty-two were thus finished. As a result of this work, the official appraisers managed affairs so that the rental received from the common school lands for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1912, amounted to $329,371.96, an increase of $52,798.74 over the preceding year. This excellent result was rendered more conspicuous because the season was unusually dry and leasing conditions were very unfavorable. In addition, the decrease in rental from sixteen different counties in the western half of the state amounted to a large sum, and 22,460 acres of the most desirable lands were sold.

Under the provision of the new law, which permitted leasing school lands for farming purposes, 7,327 acres were leased for farming purposes for the aggregate sum of $17,630.58. All of this land was first class for agricultural purposes and located in thrifty farming communities, the minimum price per acre being $2, with an advance payment on the rental. The commission in 1912 believed the present term of five years was too short to warrant the lessee in putting on permanent and substantial improvements. He recommended that a constitutional amendment should be submitted to the next session of the Legis- lature providing that school lands for farming purposes should be leased for a period of twenty years or longer.

In 1911 the Legislature also modified the law so that the commissioner could not offer for sale less than 50,000 acres nor more than 150,000 acres in one year. Under this provision he sold over nineteen thousand acres in 1911 at an average price of a little over fifty-two dollars an acre; and sold 22,460 acres in 1912 at an average price of $47.23 an acre. The average price at these sales, owing to the large sales in the counties where the tracts were located, was less than the average price in other counties. In 1911 and 1912 all the land offered was care- fully examined and appraised, and several tracts of inferior and low-priced lands were sold. The commissioner believed that the sale in 1912 was the most suc- cessful ever held by the department.

Ever since 1889, the title to school land sections within the Black Hills had been a matter of dispute, owing to the minerals contained in several of the tracts ; and after the creation of the Forest Reserve in 1898 the Government held that the state had no right to the lands within the boundaries of the Forest Reserve.

View of campus from Ladies' Hall

Administration Building Ladies' Building

BUILDINGS OF THE NORTHERN NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, ABERDEEN

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In January, 1910, the state and Government agreed that the title to several sec- tions which had been surveyed prior to the creation of the reserve should pass to the state, and that the other school sections, ninety-five in number, should be exchanged for other forest lands within the Black Hills, to be located in such manner as to exclude them from the national forests, in order to correspond as nearly as possible with the school sections in value as well as in area. The com- missioner found upon careful examination that the tracts which were planned to be exchanged for the Forest Reserve tracts did not correspond in value with the former school sections on the reserve. He thus was obliged to measure up an entirely new "lieu tract" or to go entirely outside of the Black Hills for a portion of the school lands. He finally determined on the latter step, and in the end accepted a tract of 12,212 acres in the Short Pine Hills in Harding County. But this selection was strenuously opposed, not only by the Forest Reserve officers, but by the people of Harding County, who succeeded in enlisting a portion of the South Dakota delegation in Congress against such disposal of the lands. This obliged the commissioner and his assistants to go to Washington, D. C., to settle the matter. In the end he was wholly successful, and the above tract was passed to the school and public lands of South Dakota. The proclamation of the President to this effect was issued February 15, 1912, and the filings were made for the Short Pine lands at Belle Fourche on May 9th, and for 47,937.65 acres in Custer County and Rapid City later. Thus the matter was setttled. The acquire- ment of these two tracts of timber land necessitated the creation of a state de- partment of forestry. A thorough examination of the new acquisition showed that in the Custer County reserve tract there were over 200,000,000 board feet of merchantable timber, besides a large quantity of young timber. As these forests needed care and protection, the commissioner asked the Legislature to provide means for the necessary agents. The revenue, he said, to be derived by such care would be far in excess of any expenditure that might be involved. In the summer of 1912 there were pending between the commissioner and lumber dealers contracts for about half of the mature timber on the Custer tract.

The law which provided that "lieu selections" for school sections should be made elsewhere in the Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations in the proposed Mellette and Bennett counties, specified that they were to be made in the town- ships where the loss occurred. As in several of the townships nearly all the land had been allotted, the South Dakota members in Congress were asked to make other arrangements, and succeeded in having the law so amended before the opening as to permit the state to make selections anywhere within the respective reservations. Under this law 30,646 acres were chosen and filed on in Mellette County. In Bennett County the commissioner was not so lucky and was com- pelled to take 27,328 acres of land that was too sandy for farming purposes, but was fair grazing land. It was stated by Charles H. Bates, special allotting agent for the Pine Ridge reservation, that there would be a shortage of at least a quarter of a million acres of desirable lands for the Indians, and that when the allotments were completed very little, if any, good land would be left. The commissioner thereupon determined to make "lieu land selections" elsewhere in the state under the general indemnity law, which permitted such course before the reservation had been opened for settlement. The commissioner learned at this time that the remaining unallotted lands in the Rosebud, Cheyenne and

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Standing Rock Indian reservations were chiefly grazing lands. He thereupon prepared to select "lieu lands" instead of filing on tracts within these reservations.

By June 30, 1912, there had been sold of the common school lands of the state a total of 396,096.76 acres for the aggregate sum of $9,037,755.90. The sale of endowment lands aggregated the sum of $1,106,075.33, making the total permanent school fund of $10,143,831.23. Of this amount $3,916,874.87 was still outstanding as deferred payments on land sold and was drawing interest. The balance, $6,226,956.36, was all loaned out. Thus the entire school fund was drawing either 5 per cent or 6 per cent interest annually. At this time not only were all school funds loaned out, but there were on file applications for several hundred thousand dollars more, which could not be supplied for lack of funds. The commissioner at this time believed that the common school fund of over $10,000,000 had a decided beneficial effect in keeping down the rate of interest exacted by private loaning concerns of all kinds.

The apportionment of the interest fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1912, gave to each child of school age in the state $4.48, or a total of $780,705.38. This was the largest amount ever apportioned in one year to date. It was over $178,000 more than the amount apportioned in 1910. In addition the endowment funds apportioned to the educational and charitable institutions amounted to $82,144.10, making a total of $862,849 collected as rent and interest from the proceeds of lands sold. At this date a grand total of $7,374,901.76 had been thus apportioned since 1889 when the state was admitted.

At the legislative session of 1913 there was introduced a bill for an act enti- tled "An act authorizing school corporations to provide for medical inspection in the public schools." While this was pending there were received by the Legisla- ture several petitions opposing the measure upon the following grounds: (1) It was unconstitutional; (2) it bridged the rights of the pupils by compelling them to submit to inspection when it was not necessary; (3) a large sum of money would be spent unnecessarily; (4) it would render the school system subservient to the medical trust.

In 1913 an important problem again before the Legislature was whether to unite in one large institution the educational schools of the state or leave them scattered as they were. A. E. Hitchcock, president of the Board of Regents, favored consolidation, but with the understanding that each institution should remain where it is. This measure occasioned a severe contest in the Legislature; and generally throughout the state many persons actually favored centralization because they believed it would increase efficiency and decrease the cost. But the ₱ Legislature refused to take any decisive action on the problem.

In the spring of 1913 the subject most discussed in the state was the move- ment being made by the Board of Regents to referend the act just passed by the Legislature whereby a second South Dakota State University was to be estab- lished at Aberdeen. This action of the regents would postpone the creation of such an establishment at least two years, or until the people could be given an opportunity at the polls of judging whether they desired and needed another such institution. The circulars sent out by the regents to be signed recited the manner in which the Aberdeen normal was changing the course of study outlined for a strictly normal school to one more suitable for a college or university. The legis- lative bill covering this subject became known over the state as the Aberdeen

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Course of Study Bill. It provided that in addition to the normal course the studies should embrace the arts and sciences and permit branches of learning equivalent to the studies given in the first two years of a college course. This was regarded generally as a movement by Aberdeen to secure a second state university.

In May, 1913, President Gault, of the State University, was asked to resign his position. He had been engaged in educational work for thirty-three years and had spent nineteen of these years as college or university president. When he took charge of the State University about one-half of the students were in the preparatory department. In 1913 at the time of his resignation there were registered 424 students, of whom nearly four hundred were pursuing college courses. Up to this time a total of 607 had graduated from the university, and of these 342 had graduated under the presidency of Doctor Gault. Great im- provements had been made to the institution during this time. From 1906 to 1913 he remained at the head of the university, building up every department, widening the courses of study, improving the standard of instruction, and ful- filling as well as possible the splendid destiny which the people prayed the insti- tution might soon reach. He did this in spite of the fact that he did not possess sufficient authority to carry into execution invariably his own orders as university head. A small faction of the faculty failed to support him and tried to put into effect their own plans and schemes which the law permitted them to do. At last came the straw that broke the camel's back. He was asked to resign. Accord- ingly he sent his resignation to the regents. Among the improvements made under his presidency were the following: Erection of the law and library build- ings; establishment of the heating and lighting plants; twice had East Hall been remodeled ; establishment of an independent light and water system; a new chem- ical laboratory had been authorized ; a college of medicine and one of engineering had been founded; state health laboratory had been established; also the state department of food and drugs; to the College of Arts and Sciences had been added a department of philosophy, public speaking and education; the library purchase fund had been greatly increased; the total amount for salaries had been raised from $40,000 to $70,000.

The following resolution was passed by the Regents of Education soon after they were informed that Dr. F. B. Gault had resigned the office of president of the state university :

"Resolved, That the Board of Regents of Education, in behalf of the State of South Dakota, tender to Doctor Gault an expression of kindly good will mani- fested by the pleasant relations existing between the board and the president ; that the board of regents, in behalf of the State of South Dakota, express its appreciation of the efforts made by Doctor Gault to improve the general condi- tion of the institution during the past seven years. The attendance at the uni- versity has doubled in the last seven years, despite the elimination of the Pre- paratory Department, and practically all students now registering are of college grade. About two-thirds of the alumni body of the university has been graduated during this period. Splendid material advance had been made by the institution during this period, including law building; heat, light and power plant; the entire renovation of East Hall with extensive additions, and the appropriation by the last Legislature for a $75,000 chemistry building to be erected during 1913-14.

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The State Health Laboratory and the State Department of Pure Food and Drugs have been established in connection with the university. The number of uni- versity graduates teaching in the high schools of the state has increased more than three-fold, the standards of scholarship and instruction have been greatly advanced, the athletics have made unusual progress, and scientific equipment has kept pace with other improvements. The growth of the institution during the period has been marked and decided."

It is believed that Doctor Gault did the university as much good as any presi- dent ever connected with it . The results he accomplished were well known to all who were sufficiently on the inside to understand the meaning of what was going on. He was so clean in character that he chose to resign finally, rather than to continue longer to be a mere factotum.

In 1913 attention was called to the fact that the United States, particularly South Dakota, was passing through the elementary state of the new education just as Germany and other European countries had passed through it many years before. Germany, by 1913, had surprised the world with the efficiency of its vocational training system, particularly in progressive agriculture. It was known that when the schoolmaster there first began to advocate industrial spe- cialty, domestic science, manual training, progressive agriculture, sloyd and other handicraft for the schools, he was assailed with charges of "fads," "bread and butter courses," "commercialism," etc. It was shown now that America was passing through precisely the same experience. In 1913 similar questions were put in South Dakota and the same sneering remarks were made. Domestic science for girls, progressive agriculture for boys, were at first considered "fads" in South Dakota and are in some sections yet, just as they had been so considered years before in Germany.

The Legislature in 1913 passed an act giving the Northern Normal School at Aberdeen, permission to include a two years' college course. This was the first decisive step to transform this institution into another state university. At this date there were seven prominent and useful state educational insitutions receiv- ing support from the Legislature. They were the university, agricultural college, school of mines and the four normal schools at Madison, Springfield, Spearfish and Aberdeen.

The State Educational Association met at Sioux Falls in November, 1913, there being present over one thousand four hundred educational supporters. C. A. Christopherson delivered the welcoming address to the association. Supt. B. Andrews answered on behalf of the association. State Supt. C. G. Lawrence, delivered his annual address, which embraced two important points: To keep the schools out of politics, and to have health inspection in the public schools. He also favored the teaching of sex hygiene and greater improvement and expan- sion in the training of teachers. President Perisho addressed the association at length. Dr. Charles Zeublin, of Boston, rendered an interesting lecture on "Democratic Culture." Prof. B. L. Lick delivered a stereopticon lecture on "The Panama Canal."

In the fall of 1913 the State Teachers' Association strongly urged a non- partisan election of state and county superintendents and the formation of a new and general educational policy for the state. Dean Elwood C. Perisho, of Ver- million, president of the association, favored this movement. In one of his

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addresses he gave the following credit in classified form to the pioneer educators of the state: (I) Establishment of a public school fund from land grants; (2) development of the rural school system; (3) establishment of the state edu- cational institutions; (4) provision for high schools which now numbered about two hundred; (5) establishment of independent school districts; (6) supervision and standardization of high schools by the state educational department; (7) preparation of a state course of study ; (8) examination and graduation of eighth grade pupils by the state; (9) opening of the high schools to eighth grade grad- uates; (10) legislation to establish consolidated schools; (II) passage of a school library law; (12) providing for a state reading circle; (13) certification law for teachers' certificates; (14) introduction of vocational training in the public schools. He spoke particularly of what, in his opinion, was needed in the common schools of today. The great question was, he said, what to do with the 95 per cent of all children who never went beyond the high schools, and what to do with the 85 per cent who never went beyond the eighth grade. He presented the following startling facts to the association: The schools lost in round numbers, 20 per cent of the pupils at the end of the first year of the graded schools, 40 per cent at the end of the second year, 50 per cent at the end of the third year, 60 per cent at the end of the fourth year, 70 per cent at the end of the fifth year, and over eighty per cent at the end of the sixth year, leaving only about fifteen per cent to finish the seventh grade. The big problem, there- fore, in the country school must be to improve the course of instruction so that it would be far more attractive and far more valuable to the rural children. He recommended the following: (1) Removal of state and county superintendents from politics, particularly the latter; (2) more vocational training in the com- mon schools; (3) teach the rural pupils progressive agriculture; (4) better care and observance of the health of children. He noted that statistics showed that one-twentieth of the children had spinal trouble, one-twentieth defective hearing, one-twentieth defective eyesight, one-twentieth tubercular trouble, one-fourth were weak in nutrition, one-fourth had throat troubles, one-half had defective teeth; (5) establish social, industrial and educational science in the rural districts by means of consolidated schools. He recommended the appointment of a com- mittee to report on the most feasible plan to establish vocational schools ; pro- vision by the Legislature for the formation of rural aid and educational centers to be consolidated as a part of the common school system; the selection and adoption of a definite and well matured common school system which should be well maintained and divorced wholly from politics.

At one of these meetings State Supt. C. G. Lawrence said, "There is more dissatisfaction with the public school system than ever before, and there is a greater number of unsolved educational problems than ever before. But this is entirely in accord with the spirit of our times." He declared that the marvelous changes in social and industrial life made vast changes in school needs and methods imperative. During the past decade, he declared, the following improve- ments in South Dakota had been effected. The average rural school terms were increased from 5.9 months in 1902 to 7.2 months in 1912, and in towns the term . had increased from 8.5 months in 1902 to nine months in 1912. Since 1907 over nine hundred new modern school buildings had been erected in the state. The law of 1907 required that plans for school buildings should be approved by the

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superintendent of public instruction. In six years about one thousand modern heating and ventilating plants had been installed in the rural schools. From 1902 to 1912 the value of school property had increased 260 per cent, while the total annual expenses had increased only 109 per cent, and school property had increased only 25 per cent. The law of 1911 required that the course in the normal schools should lead to a state certificate or a life diploma, and Mr. Law- rence now advocated that this law be extended to two years beyond a four-year high school course, and that in normal schools there should be instituted two and four-year courses beyond the eighth grade. This would result in raising the standard of teaching in the state and in turning out a larger number of profes- sionally trained teachers. Now the great question was, how to improve the teachers for the rural schools as well as how to improve the schools themselves. This could not be accomplished until there was an entire change in the adminis- tration of such schools and until adequate provision for their management and advancement had been made.

He said, "In many districts there is so little interest taken in school affairs that it is very difficult to get the most competent persons to serve on a school board, and this results very often in those being elected whose only interest in school matters is to keep school taxes as low as possible." He recommended a much stronger school unit, that of the county possibly, which should be in the hands of a county board upon nomination by the county superintendent. He stated there should also be uniform school taxes ; but above all he recommended the consolidation of country schools whereby the high school course spe- cially provided would accomplish more than all else put together. The great object was to give the children a chance to obtain a good education at home with- out having to go to the towns and cities. All this could be easily accomplished by the consolidation of the rural schools. There should be superintendents of township units; also superintendents of county units. There should be consoli- dation of from four to ten schools. Each county should have a city or town superintendent and a rural superintendent, because the schools and their require- . ments were so vastly different. It might be best not to have a county superin- tendent of city schools. Place city, town and village schools in charge of the principal, and put a county superintendent qualified in charge of the rural schools.

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History of Dakota Territory, volume III, Part 127

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920 Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1146