The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-12-22
STUDENTS AMP PUBLIC
SCHOOL.

present condition of The public and com
mon schools. Mi. r. =. Curtis @as eject
edachairman and Mr. w T. Islcy was
elected Secretary of the meeting. The
following programme had been arranged
and carried out with interest;
Mr. c. G.. Weaver read a paper on
"1'he Origin and Development Of the
Public School system in North CaroIina. ~
I'c traced the development Of The public
schools from the first steps under ,thc dj-
rcvtion of Judge Murphy till the present,
Tie public schools reached their Highest
point of efficiency in North Carolitra Just
before the war when the school tern was
four months The war destroyed the
public school fund Since then we; have
slowly advanced in tie direction of. long
terms; but the constitutional provision of
four months has not been reached. ,The
reason of this is that il has been held by
the courts to be impossible to go beyond
the limit of &c 2-3 cents on 500 va .ua-
ton in leyying taxes.
Prof. Dowd spoke on the Comparative
Statistics Of Public Schools" He spoke
Of the European system where the central
authority naturally directed and the 90
cality put into operation the school sys-
tenn. In Paris the per cent Of illteraey
is very small, less than / per cent En-
the Northern States the system is that Of
State supervision and local management.
In the West the locality has almost entire
control. In the South the States usually
gives what is given. There is local COM
troll. The South has the largest per
cent Of white illiterates in the world-and
North Carolina has the largest in the;
South. One cause of this is the lack of
the spirit OF local government Another
cause is that our press has discussed ma
tional problems more than local problems,
and too often in the spirit OF partisan
politics. He saw hope for much improve
ment if the churches would take up the
matter.
Mr.. II. f. Harrison read paper on
methods Of Improvement" The great
est trouble is that the schools have fallen
into the hands of county politicians.
The management has not been chosen
with wisdom. More money is absolutely
necessary School houses should be
larger and the grounds around them
should be beautifed. He advised the ap.
pointment of an advisory board consist
ing of the presidents of al the colleges
in the State which should report to the
Assembly OF each meeting ample methods
to improve the common schools. Methods
of our city schools are better than those
of our county schools. Extend these to
the country.
Mr.. J. A. Sharp read q paper on the
Relation Of Public Schools to Immigra-
ton and Material Development" Intel.
ligent labor in every line is more effective.
There is always demand for it. Ignor-
ant farmers cannot expect but to be be-
hind in business. They do not keep up
with progressive agriculture elsewhere.
Manufacturers say that laborers that
have received a general education are far
better than ignorant ones. They take
better care of machines and work more
intelligently. There is no reason why
farmers here should not be as prosperous
as they are in States like Pennsylvania
and Ohio. Immigration will go where
there are better schools. In 1870 the
New York commissioner Of Immigration
estimated the value of each immigrant at
81, 125. This was not too high. If We
do not make our State attractive to inn
migrants they viii never come to us.
Mr.. w. X. Boyd read paper on the
Relation of Public Schools to Litera-
ture." The literary life of a nation is n
necessity to its progress. 1t is the en-
during part of its development. The
south has usually been the birth place Of
literature, but not in America. The New
founded public schools at the
beginning. Out of these grew great in
telligence, and out of this grew literature.
In the South men did not care for public
schools. The few educated their sons
well; the many were uneducated Our
literature became amateurish, because it
was left to our idle classes. The war de-
stroyed the old A new regime has come.
Page, Craddock, Coble and Lanier, are
are indications of what we may do
North Carolina is having her revival. Our
writer's have begun to write, but they
find no popular support. Mr.. Stockard.
whose verse is welcome in the offices OF
Northern journals, cannot find enough
in North Carolina TO enable
him to print volume of his valuable
poems. We are now at crisis. We must
decide whether or not materialism shall
oyerturn our intellectual progress. If
we have a literature we must have a
feduiHS pubic 10 ueIlduu ilteTdluIe-
After this-paper DR.. Few spoke few
minutes. He said Literature is the flower
Of learning 1t grows out of a love that
reaches all mankind. Literature is not
aristocratic or clannish. 1t must have
basis as broad as all the people. It
must have the desire to carry great
thoughts to all people. Literature has
always been at its best in ages of great
popular movements.
DIR. Kilgo spoke of public Schools and
Christianity" The States educational
idea is the Interpretation OF the State
life. 1t can never put into use more than
it sees in us. Christianity has more
vital interest in public schools than the
State. 1t grows out of the love of the
people. Christ was one of the masses
and his object was to upbuild the masses.
So it was with Paul, Luther and Wesley.
Harvard was inspired by the church. We
can not develop our schools until we