The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-04-14
The Time for the Public Schools.
J. S. PERRIN,
Secrctar'

The Public Schools should be taught in the
winter season.
First, because the term for each year should
not be divided and there Is not time between
the closing of the summer lubors on the farm
and the gathering season to teach the yearly
term.
There are but few farmers who can spare
their children from the farm, and the most OF
them, generally get through their WORK from
the middle to the last of July, leaving aspace,
of from four to six weeks before the gathering
season. Now where the Public Schools run
from three to four months during the year,
how can the term be taught in the summer?
And again: We need teachers Of experience,
of more experience than most of us have had
and those who occupy the places OF teachers
should be those VINO expect LENA to make teacning
in the summer season, when colleges and otli-
er higher schools are closed, there is anumber
of students turned out who will flock to the
school rooms, simply because they want to
make a few dollars and have nothing else to
do, who never expect to make a teacher.
Some say the winter season is too rough to
send children to school. 1t is true, we have
some very unfavorable weather in the winter
season. January is generally the most unfa-
vorable month and there may be few days
that children cannot 90 to school, but there
ore few men who are very busy at that time Of
the year and when very bad day comes, they
they are small and let them get the benefit Of
the public money. 1t is true, small children
are somewhat exposed while on the road to
and from school, but after they reach the
school, if the teacher attends to his business,
they are less exposed than when at home
Parents, attending to their domestic affairs
cannot see after the children as the teacher
can do. Many times childrdn will stay at
home, because there is snow on the ground, or
because 1t is a rainy day and will spend the
day in skating or building ponds on branches
and the like.
There is no comfort in the hot days CT Au-
gust and September. What can children do
during such wrathcr? About all that they
can do is to fight gnats and flies, while some
of the smaller ones, perhaps. are over in one
corner asleep and occasionally falling off the
bench. OF course, all this Is very pleasant to
both pupil and teacher.
There is not schoolhouse in the county
that is not located on some church grounds,
or near enough for the pupils to attend reviv-
ais during the revival season. When the
schoolhouse is located on or near the church
grounds, if the teacher should attempt to
teach during the week that the revival Is car
ried on at that church, the school would be so
greatly confused, that little good would be ac-
complished. If the schoolhouse is not at the
church, it is near enough to some church. or
churches, for the children to attend and most
OF the schoolhouses are near to three or four
churches, and perhaps there will be revival
at each church, and the children must attend.
In this way the most of August and part OF
September is consumed.
Considering these, and other reasons, that
could be brought forth, can we not very rcadl-
ly conclude that summer Is not the time Tor
the public school? Z. l.. II.