The Burke County news., 1899-11-17
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
How They May Be Made Better-J.
A. Lackey Gives His Views on the
Subject.

Mr.. EDITOR: Having been on the
Board of Education for lie ,rly three
years, and it being neces sary that |
should give the matter of public educa-
ton more thought nan the average citi-
zen gives to the subject (but not more
than they ought TO give, l now desire
10 speak through your colmns to the
township trustees, district committee
men, and to all patrons and friends of
education, and when l say education I
mean public education, for it is the
public school that the mass of the erisinp
generation is depending upon for an
education, if they ever get it. The
great majority of the rising gener alton
have but very little interest in the
thousands of dollars of endowments
that are being bestowed upon our
already rich colleges, when there is
not a glirnmering hope Of even one in
twenty ever getting education enough
to be able to enter one of these institu-
tions. Oh for d philanthropist that
would put his money into an institu-
ton where the masses could get an
education at the very minimum cost!
But | am depressing. l started out
to say something about our public
schools, and to try to reason with the
people and see if we can't get at this
matter in a way t. obtain better results
from the limited means we have at our
disposal.
In order to popularize our public
schools we must raise the standard.
IN order to raise t;le stand; r we must
have the moral support of all friends of
education. These things arenecessary.
This is a progressive age in which we
live, and we must move up or we will
be left; and if any are being l ,ft they
ought not to think hard of us.
The policy of the present board, as
that of the former board, of which l
was a member, is, and has been, tc
improve our public schools, a Id Think
can see some improvement; but we are
powerless unless we have the co-opera-
ton of the township trustees and dis
trict committeeman. We he board
are too far removed from the schools a,
work. The policy of the board is fewer
schools and better schools, and the for
mer must come before the la t,r. My
policy is and has been all the while, te
consolidate two or more distr cts and
put two or three teachers in charge OF
the school, and run the same on the
graded system. We have urgej
this and plead with township officials
to do this, and have even appOinte1
some who had committed themselves t
excuse is, 1--WE have the school houses
and we can't afford to do away with
them About as much sense in thai
a. there is in a man saying he cam
afford to vote for stock law because he
has his farm fenced. Another excuse
i. that the law will be changed ano
throw it all back like it was" Abou
n much sense in this as there is in the
man who is now leaving his fence
Standing in a stock law boundary ex
pecting the law to be put black like i
vas" The consequence of all thl:
taplshness is that we have in ths
county of Burke 65 white school district:
and Is colored, when we ought not t
nave more than IS white districts o.
,hools and 10 colored. To illustrate
viii take the town of Morganton
hat is the use of having two school,
ar each race within the corporat