The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-06-23

make the salary of the division super
| intendent 4 per cent. of the school fund
in his district. Under this arrange
ment the average salary would be
| 81, $50 In this way the State would
have the services of twenty four active,
| strong men, who must be professional
! teachers and would give their entire
time to the work of education in their
respective divisions, instead OF the ser
vices of ninety Elk men OF all profess
siona, but chic fly not of the teaching
profession, or a small portion Of their
time each year.
If the efficiency Of the supervision
and the effect upon the school system
be considered, l do rot think that there
| is any question about the advisabiliUy
| of pureuing some such course as l have
| suggested. TIE chief advantage to be
| gained would be, as above indicated, IN
| having q thorough educational worker
| among the teachers and the people all
| the ear Besides the examination Of
| teachers, the new law should require
! that the Division superintendent meet
the teachers Of each county early and
| soend at least one week with them,
| holding institutes and giving inetruc
| ton in school subj. Cts, school manage
ment, and IN general matters pertain
! ing TO the public school work Of the
| State. O: course there should be g re-
! quircment in the Law that public school
teachers attend these institutes If they
| desire certificates to teach in the county.
| He ought to be able to present to the
| people Of each township the question
| OF local taxation fer improving the
| schools, which is the question that
must have the support Of the people
TEN of public education IN the S5cte as
| all good citiz9ps desire. He could dis
| tribute educational literature, and di-
rect the educational thought Of bis dis
trict thrc"@h the locel newspapers,
which haS ,waysehown a Willingness.
and generally an anxiety, to aid in the
cause of public education. When local
taxation is secured. t per cent. Of the
school fund would be enough to employ
a superintendent for each county, and
we would gradually come back to the
| system Of one or more supervisors il
each county.
From another standpoint the State,
while spending no more of it's public
| school fund than the old law allowed,
would be the gamer. When bright
young men Just graduating from col
leRe or bright, ambitious young men
who do not graduate from college, look
over the State to select g field in which
to do their life-wOrk, there are man
discour8gements &c their entering the
field Of education The highest educa
tional salary paid in the State is only
half the salary paid to Congressman or
| U S Senators, ard hardly half rs much
as is paid to the collectors Of internal
revenue or district attorneys, is less
than is paid to the Judges OF the SD
prem8 Court and the Superior Court.
and is less than is paid to the Governor
or the Stale Treasurer. Yet it will! be
conceded that it is more difficult to find
6 man who has the peculiar equipment
desired for the presidency Of a univer-
sity than it is to iDd a Governor, Con
gresham, y. s. Senator, or Judge of
the Supreme Court. The State also
places a badge Of poverty upon the pro
fessiOn and tempts its young men to go
into other work rather than education
al work, by paying it's State Superin-
tendent of Public instruction half
the salary that it does to ita Governor
ard State Treasurer, and just exactly
the same salary that it pays to the first
clerk in the T~reaeurer's Office. / be-
lieve that it requires more brains, cul
ture, and power to manage the children
of the State than it does to manage the
money of the State.
One reason Why educational progress
in North Carolina has been so slow is
that 70 few Of our strongest men have
been willing to devote their lives to q
work promising so email financial re,
ward as compared with the rewards
offered in other lines of work. While
the salaries of the Division Superin
tendent would not be large under the
scheme which 1 have proposed, yet the
fact that there were twenty-four add
tional positions in the educational work
of North Carolina, giving a man op
p%ortuuity to do good for his people anc
at the same time making a livins
, salary. would attract the Intention ~