Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1900-06-29

ooar0, OF "hieh he IS president, wei
coined the teachers. Mr.. Taylor has
few equals as logical, interesting
and brilliant orator He has a won
derfai feeling in his speech and one
cannot resist listening to his attrac-
tive flow of language. Among other
things Mr.. Taylor said: "While our
people are proud and happy to haYe
with them these educators of the
youth of our state, yet there is one
distinguished member of your asso-
citation who by reason OF affection
IS absent and upon sick bed at
ho-.e. Who is he, you ask? Our
Pine Bluff boys remember him as
Mr. Jordan. our grown up citizens
as Prof. Jordan, the people of Ar
kansas as one Of the state officials,
Hon. Junius Jordan, and now one
of the faculty of Arkansas great
University, he is known as Doc or
Junlus Jordan. His afflictlon and
failure to be with you here, saddens
the hearts Of our people, and you
will be deprived of bis wise counsel
and matebless eloqaenee.
Hoa ]. L. Buchanan, of Fayette.
vile, on behalf of the Teachers
Association, responded to Messrs.
Young and Taylor with brilliant
address. He IS scholarly gentle
man and his address was one Of the
leading features of the day. His
oratory is Of the highest type and
he was enthusiastically appIaoded.
The program began with a discus
sion on Needed School Legisla.
tioaa This topic was taken up
under several minor heads. The
discussion was participated 10 by
sssessrs. ]. H. Reynolds. ] L Hol-
lowaY, J. 4, Eiaem9n, J. R r sht-
sell and j. Doyne, truly al aggre.
CATION Of brainy educators The
discussion was full Of interest and
some valuable suggestions we're
made
Prof. Reynolds, who opened the
discussion, sad ia part: "The
committee of twelve in the classic
report of rural schools said that
the first essential to the material
improvement Of The rural schools OF
the county is the provision OF
reyeoue sufficient for their ad quate
support: The economic question is
Fundamental in any rational propos
al to improve public school eondi-
tons. Adequate revenue is an
absolute prerequisite to progress.
All other reforms await this. The
average length Of school term in
Arkansas decreased from rs Gays in
'91gto 68 days 10 90. The average
length Of school term for the United
States was 40 days; the average
length of term for each child eA-
rolled in '98 was Il days in Arkan-
sas as against 81 for the whole
country. Why these humiliating
figures? Lack of money
The remedy for this is ta) eonsoli
dation. The district system is a
curse to our educational interests.
It needs larger taxing unit. The
little district with fifteen or twenty
or mayhap, thirty pupils, cannot
support "a school. Consolidate a
district and make the civil township
the unit of school taxation and
administration this will do away
with some of our greatest Irregular
tiles aud will give US larger taxing
unit. Fewer schools and longer
terms would result.
(B) State observation-disclosures i
laboring under constitutional INIT
tat ons imposed by reactionary'
II patriotic. spirit against errpe'
bag extravagances. The cause fof
these limitations is buried forever
in the reconstruction. Progress
therefore, demands their removal
Raise the limitation of the legislat-
ure to tax for school purposes from
two to four mills add authorize an
inheritance tax for such purpo 'es
Then adont ,;.o nlan of distrlb.