The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-03-05
BETTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Orange Co N. G.

Much has been said abont -,
lie schools and as the spubiect i h. ~
discussed and agitated in the TomT
ture, I would contribute o'
thoughts and give a little exDari.s'
There is much being said and Nv
for higher education, endowino .1
leges, universities, etc, and vet o4
all this, higher education is no nos,.
the boys and girls of the Door s,.
middle classes. It seems that :,
appropriations, endowments, gi4~
ETC., to these colleges, 90 into A.
buildings, halls and memorial cb.,
els, and but little to give aid to ma.
but deserving young men and =,
men, IN the way Of free tuition an
board.
Higher education is all right o,,
has our approval, but the great nes
of the day is better public schools D.,
rural districts, longer terms and Ia
changing Of teachers. In fact. III
impossible for the country bow !
Cir to be prepared to enter the cd
leges and universities from couD1
public schools. And one cause h
these colleges have raised their stan
dard of scholarship so high. mn
boy or girl must first spend two
three years in some village aCaden
where there is some good, practia
man as principal, and this will cod
almost as much as a course in higha
colleges, and which the averag
country boy cannot pay. Therefo
when his time is out in the publ
schools he must betake himself b
the corn field, having but little iia
of what an education consists. Now
if we had longer terms of country
schools, good, well-educated, pra>
tical men as teachers have nOt
word against female teachers; ID
fact, they are more suitable for th3
little ones, but I am writing in the
interest of the boys and girls i1
their "teens"-then they could b
prepared for college at home and
have some idea of what educationA
and have an aspiration to have aCd.
legiate education. And if he is
boy Of promise and trying to make
something of himself, there will bel
way by which he car get to an!
through these universities.
Now the question arises, how cal
this be done? The only way is moF
and larger appropriations to rura
schools. For no man, competent
a teacher, can afford to make teach
ing his life work at the low salar7
paid at present, and employed on!
four months in the year. But LEI
salary be say $50 per month and
employed ten months of the veal
and you will see young men prepa'
ing themselves as teachers, just a
they do now for medicine, the MIL
istry, for law and business in otha
fields of learning.
And now the question is asked
"Where is the money to come from
Ways have been pointed out tina
and again. Let railroads, corpor@
tions, combines, trusts, ETC., oeD
their share of taxation, for the"
have been the main cause Of pre-
venting the poor farmer and VOTE
ing man from educating his chlIdrS'
himself by reducing the prices OF n'
products, while they, the trusts, ell
dow colleges and yet do the poor boy
no good, as only the rich and well
TODD can send to the colleges.
"'Full many a flower is born to 0Ia'D
unseen, -,
And waste it's sweetness on The
desert air"
If our Legislature would lnc"'
porate in the new law a section P'r
viding for taxation by vote OF eau
school district, or when they taH0,
to tax by vote, if one, two, or a.,
of patrons Of the partlcuD,,
school will contribute a cer'a.
amount, the State, in addition to -,
regular school appropriation, doD'r
to said school as much as they 70
or contribute themselves, it W0U,
aid very much in bringing aO0'
needs mentioned above.
Press this matter before the 0oD
mittee on education and the Ley"
lature. W. P. Lyon
Granville Co., N. G.