would bring the supply. Salaries in the country must be higher
before we can hope to secure any considerable number of teachers as well
equipped and with as strong personalities as those found in the cities.
It may be necessary for us to pay more than is paid in the city; for if
a teacher has two offers at $65 a month, one from a city and one from
the country, she will, without doubt, accept the city offer every time.
True, she will have to pay more for room and board in the city;
nevertheless she will prefer to be where there are the most
opportunities and conveniences, with probably a better prospect for
promotion. And who can blame her? It is probable that, in many
instances, country districts will have to pay five or ten dollars a
month more than the city if they wish to secure equally strong teachers.
A country district can really afford to pay more than the city in order
to get a good, strong teacher; for taxation in the country is usually
lighter than it is in the city. In the city there is taxation for
lighting, for paving, for sidewalks, for police protection, and for
various other conveniences and necessities. The country is free from
most of such levies, and it could, therefore, afford to pay a little
more school tax in order to secure its share of the best teachers.

=Consolidation as a Factor.=--In the solution of the school problem
consolidation will do much. This is being tried in almost every state of
the Union and is working in the direction of progress with great
satisfaction. We shall treat of this more at length in a later chapter.

=Better Supervision Necessary.=--Not only must we have better teachers
in the country, but we must have more and better supervision. There is
no valid reason why country superintendents should be elected on a
political platform. It is the custom everywhere to choose city
superintendents from among the best men or women anywhere in the field,
inside or outside of the state. Such should also be the practice in
choosing county superintendents. Then, too, a county should be divided
into districts and more assistance given the county superintendent in
the supervision of schools. In other words, supervision should be
persistent, consistent, and systematic; visits should be more frequent.
In the city a superintendent or principal has all his schools and
teachers either in one building or in several buildings at no great
distance apart. In the latter case he can go from one to a