The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-03
During What Season Should the Pub
lie School Run?
Spartan,


Should our public schools be opcr In the
winter or in the summere
Our public schools run about three (3l
months. They should be open at that time OF
They can do most good at that time of the
year in which the largest number OF children
can attend; in which the children can Mt.
tend most regularly; and in which the chill
dren and their teachers can be most confor-
table in the SchoOl-hOuSes.
In eur opinion more children would attend
school In a tcr:n OF twelve weeks. embracing
the latter part of June. the months OF Jul y
and August and u part Of September, than IN
q term of the same length in January and
February and March. Many of the children
who attend these schools-nnd who have no
opportunity to attend any other schools-are
small, some of them are not comfortably
clothed. many Of them have q long walk over
rough roads, In the city January, the atten-
dance of the pupils was about one.fourM n less
than it was during the good weather. These
children have, us u general thing, short dis
tances TO walk, good pavements TO walk on
and comfortable brick houses TO 90 10. III ull-
der such circumstances there Is aialling off
In attendance Of Twenty-Five per cent, what
falling OIL may we expect there to be In the
country, where the children have greater dis
tanGes to walk, rough roads to walk over anu
uncomfortable houses 10 go to? There are
one hundred and eight-hiree Qs3) school houses
in this county. Serentythree (I3) OF these are
log houses. or all the school houses in the
county only serenty.ser@rn @ EO are reported ,,e 10
enrolled last year was four hundred and tWen-
tv-ninc (429) less than the number enrolled the
Year before. Was this because efforts were
made to run the schools in January, February
and March?
There are other reasons which lead us to
think the public schools should run during
the summer. AS the days are longer then,
the daily sessions of the schools can be Ion
ger In summer than in winter a that time
of the year young men and young women
can be secured as teachers, who during the
winter are attending college. These do good
work in the schooi.room, and the money they
make teaching helps them to get through the
next term at college. II the schools run dur.
ing the summer, teachers will not have to
wait AS long for rheir money rs they have to
wait when they teach during the winter.
teacher gets u pay certificate in january and
gets his money on 1T in the next November
If he horrows money on 1t he pays ir terest
for eight or ten months. If he sells the paper
he has to do so at a heavy discount. If ne
were to get his certificate In July he Would
have to wait only three or four months for his
money. If he borrOws money on his claim,
he pays interest for Only three or four
months If he sells his certificate he ought
to realize more from 1t than he would have
realized six months before that time.
When should our free sch ools run-in sum-
mer or in winter? What say the teachers,
the trustees, the patrons, the people? The
more these matters are discussed the better
for the cause WM. >. MoliEGSON.,