The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-02-03
Hoods sr ns;'iis
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PROF. STREET BREWERS ADDRESS,
Delivered At the NJ Letting OF Supervisors In
Raleigh. Dec. 3Oth. 1897

Raleigh. Dec. 3Olh, 1897.
Mr.. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLE
MEN:
BY request Of our worthy State Su-
perintendent Of Public instruction,
| am before you to speak briefly on
the subject, "Grading Schools Of the
Township" Before entering upon my
subject proper | wish to congratulate
the assembly Supervisors, teachers and
friends Of education Of North Caro-
lima on some material and gratifying
advances which our State has made
within recent years. In the first place,
let US rejoice in the fact that it is no
longer nj cessary in North Carolina to
discuss the question of popular educa-
ton. This Is now res judicatd. IA an
original question it has been decided
by the court Of public opinion that it is
best for organized society to educate,
because it Is cheaper to prevent crime
han to punish the criminal, because
The safety of 4 republic depends upon
the enlightenment Of the voter, and
because 1t is the duty of govern
ment to instruct because it commands.
The common school is rich inner
itance from the fathers. This is all
conquered territOry-the fortified base
of all future advance. 1t may be nee
essary to keep it fortified and repel &C.
casiOnal attacks, but it will never be
necessary, in all human probability,
to make the conquest again. In the
second place, let us rejoice that the last
General Assembly of our dear old
State, though greatly divided and
much confused over the election of the
United States Senator and the ninety
nine-year railroad lease, did not for
get the educational interests Of the
State, but gave such aid to all our in
situations of learning as was practical
BILE under the then existing conditions.
In all of which we have cause to re-
joice, be thankful and take fresh cour-
age. But the most signal advance,
however, made during recent years,
and the one in which all friends of
popular education should specially re-
j"lce, is the New School Law" pas
~ed st the last session of our State
Legis!ature-the change from the lit
| tie One-hOrse school district system to
the "township system" 1t would be
| dng"rerOus, it would be upjust-it
| would b. to limited extent untrue-to
say that a mans confidence in the
"township system" is measure of his
| Intelligence as to school sy stems. But
there is not, and there never has been
another question Of school policy upon
which the opinion of those qualified to
Judge was so unanimous as it is to-day
IN opposition to the further existence
Of the little school district. The old
ast American educational idea was that
| of Massachusetts,, which looked to one
Elementary school in town containing
fifty householders, with a grammar
| school where there We're fifty more
| h0usehOiders. A somewhat recent but
more widely-spread was to have ordi-
| nary schools in every township, a
higher sch DOL for each county, and a
| college or university for the State
The township was the urit of the whole
| school system. The little district as
we have had heretofore was a terri
| f0rlal unit not only too narrow, but
Too variable to serve either as the ba-
Sis for wise distribution of school
funds, as for efficient supervision of
| he schools. Chance, caprice, some
times the interests of single family,
OF an insignificant village rivalry,
sometimes, also, the pre- judice or care
lessness of single man, would determ-
ne the fate of locality in regard to
It's public school. The old district
system has been tried it was not lib
erty, but chaos. That it has proved q
dismal failure no well-infOrmed, un-
o'ased mind will deny. Bnt it is not
my purpose in this paper to attempt
TO show all the benefits of the town
ship SYSTEM" but recently inaueurated
IN our State. The first condition OF
progress is the recognition of settl ed
issues. In wise minds debate precedes
decision, but never follows it. Hence
We conclude that the superior advant-
ages of the township ~ stem" is not q
debatable question, at least in this as
|emblaRe. [ have read of an old man
who replied to younger friend who
attacked one of his beliefs, "Sir, my
mind is weakened; 1 am no longer
tble to argue with you. But when my
powers we're as vigorous rs yours are
| studied this question carefully, and
l reached conclusion which exper
lenct has made conviction. I have
no skill to defend it. but I have faith
70 trust; I forget the solusion. but
am sure the answer is correct" Life
results in little to those who have not
something of this spirit. The algebra
Of human thought must have known
quantities. The man who can never
Gear either side of his equation from
KS will never advance. 'Tis true edu.
cation abounds in problems. Its ma
ture, its applications, it's methods are
matters of question in every DETAIL
No two of you would give the same
dennltlon OF education, unless you had
committed some ones else to memory
TOR use in an examination; and as an
assemblage of Supervisors and teach.
ers, you would be divided and subdi.
vlded If it was asked whether mental
arI' hmetic should form a special reci-
'atlon, whether spelling should b.
taught orally, or whether there should
De recess. And yet, well-read and
thinking teachers know that some
questions are settled; and therefore /
nope every County Supervisor 10
North Carolina is in full sympathy
with the "township system" and is US.
ing MS very best efforts to make 1t q
success. For, to be sure, fellow Sup
ervisors, no one could intelligently ex-
poet TO make any system q success un-
less he has studied it, has faith in it
and is fully in accord with it. I am
heartily glad that there are no fine
spun theories connected with the sub
Ject which has been assigned me. Nc
need of conception, perception, anper.
ceptlon, correlation of forces, nature
study, etc in "grading the schools OF
township" Ny purpose is to tell you
now we graded the schools of nv
county, what has already been accom-.
pilshed, and the advantages l claim
for the grading system"
70 my mind, there is no feature OF
the present school law upon which its
ultimate and sure success depends AZ
much as IL does upon the proper grad
ing of the schools. In fact. It ia the
"fulcrum" on which the whole struc.
ture Of the school law rests. Take
away the grading of the schools. and
1t is robbed of all its benefits. In order
to make a success of "gradipR.n the
whole matter needs to be judiciously
managed, and the administrator