The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-03-11
AN ANEDUcATIONAL CAMPAIGN.
Mr.. Mcdonald Furman makes one
in Prlvateer and tells about tho
Public Schools of that
Township.

Public Schools Of that
Township.
Mr.. Editor We have recently
been through ao Interesting campaign
of educatiou-commepcng on Feb. 10
and ending on Feb. 26, We visited all
the public schools of both races in Prl-
vateer Township Before We started
ont on the campaign, we had no practi-
cal knowledge Of how the public schools
we're DOW conducted 10 the township.
AS the subjocs will be of interest to
your Privateer readers, we will give
some account Of public education as
we found it, also the educationa! facil-
tiles.
There are twelve pvblic schools 10
the township. tho number being equally
divided between the white and colored
races. Following is list of the teach
ers, given in the order in which we
visited the schools-those marked
live 10 the township: Misses Manette
McCutchen, Helen Claim <. Una Wells
<, Mamie Spaun, Carrie Cain <. and
Laura Kee (wtite teachers); Bertha
Sasportes, Eliza J. Green. Henrietta
Green, Maud Chavis <, Julia Green
and Lizzie A. Ramsey (colored teach
ers The number of white pupils was
about 335.
Most Of the ahite school houses are
generally creditable to the township,
end one of them, called the Tindal
School, would do credit to village.
Another school house. the Providence.
is not at all creditable to Che township,
aud We understand that new one will be
buils-one is certainly needed. One
of the colored school houses, the Dwyer,
is iu much worse FIX than even the
Providence school house. 1t is 10 a
dilapidated condition, and new build
ing is badly needed. Three of the
colored schools are taught in churches
aud another, the Cane Savanna, is
taught in colored lodge room. This
school was ia Sumter township last fall,
but the school house was burnt. 1t is a
line school aud the pupils were from
Privateef, Sumter aad Middleton town.
shps-more than q third from Priya-
teer. This was the last schoo! we vls
tied. aad the most backward. The en-
rollmeat of pupils here was about 14O,
aod the average attendance about ITO.
We eAink this sehool should be divided
up, o teacher can do justice to such
Large number ef pupils.
Some Of the schools need larger
stoves and scme of them are defective.
Larger blackboards at some of the
schools woeld be ae improvement.
Some Of the colored SCHOOLS have DO
black boards.
Some of the white teachers, 10 coaversa-
ton with as, advocate ihaViog geogrphl-
cal cbarts, large maps of the United
States aad South Carolina, and also Of
the couasy., 10 the school roouas. La
one school house there was county
map. We thick these are,excellent sug
ges,ions. IT would certainly be we'll to
have laege Uoited States and South
Caroliae maps, if no 'oshees, in the
school hcuses.
The schools in this township are run
four months, and on one subject the
teachers of both races are unanimous
they think the school terms should be
louges-and iu this we agree with tbem
Three of the white teachers favor nine
months, and the eolored teachers gene
rally Favor six months. Ooe OF the
white 'seachers seld us that in four
months the childcen hardly get started
good "a their lessons Another white
teacher said by the time the childreo
get acquainted with their teacher sad
bookss the scheol closed Anot ler
white teacher said the children cso't
Iearu nuch if they 60 te school oulg
four tnouths. One of the colored teach
ers said that the children have a loag
time to forget their lessons and short
time te learn in. Another colored teach
er said that when the schools run a
short time, the children forget from one
term to another what they learn. AS
the question of .tAe school term is one
of much importance we have given the
opinioue Ct the teachers somewhat fully
on this point. Two Of the coored
teachers did not think it would do to
run the schools more than six months,
as the children weuld probably not at
ceDd longer than that tine.
We talked with the teachers 10 re-
gard to teaching singing in the public
schools and generally they consider it
unnecessary as lesson One of the
white teachers said it was Impractical 10
country free schools. and one of the
colored teachers said the children can
1o.,o - - tLo C,,5,r CobooI