The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-12-01

ter every four recitatiOns, devoting about
four minutes to the little fellows each
time. Miss May held that frequent reci-
tations and short periods were necessary
Recess: One hour.
First class: Eggleston's History u. So.
Second class: Barnes History Gu. So.
Third class Moor9's History IN. @.
Fourth class: Spencer's History IN. CO.
Fifth class: Physical geography.
4 Sixth class: Political geography.
Seventh lclass: Elements Of geography.
Eighth class: Writing for the whole
school.
Recess: Fifteen minutes.
Glass in A b C's.
Physiology.
Civil government.
Three spelling classes
Dictionary class.
Here is work for at least five teach
ers: yet Miss May does the work so
easily and is 50 well satisfied with it
that she will be candidate next year
and if she is not reelected she feels
that she is not appreciated and she will
always feel that she has not been treat
ed right. Look in one of the books; for
instance, North Carolina history Observe
a page or two. You will, of course, see
the old-t time question at the end of each
paragraph in the lesson and you will find
the answer to that question nicely marked
off with a. lead pencil. The teacher sug-
gested this because it aided the pupil in
learning the lesson.
Miss May was something of a musician,
too, and after school she gave music les
~ 20, of he. lie W
dismissed her school at 4:30 in the after
noon with a feeling of relief. She studied
none whatever, unless there was a prob
lem that was not solved during the day.
She left school cares at the school room,
and they did not bother her again until
she assembled the school next morning.
She was teaching out the money This
year she began where she began last
year, because the children through eight
months had grown little rusty" and
next year she will begin where she ce
gan this year for the same reason. The
children wear out their old books, and
new ones are bought for the purpose
of going over the same ground. They
feel that something is wrong. that there
is some thing greater beyond the school
room, something that they ought to have.
and their attendance is irregular and their
work drag, and by and by they stop;
and who can blame them? The greatest
good accomplished is to give the chill
dcen association one with another and
to give them little practice in writing
and in figures The boys learn to trade
knives and possibly this lays the founda-
ton for a larger trader-possibly
horse trader. -s4 nNs
The next weakness, in the county
school system. as observed in Clarendon
county and compared with other counties,
was the County Superintendent of Public
Instructions.
The county superintendent in North
Carolina must possess a few general
qualifications, which every North Caro-
linian. who is of good standing in his
community and can read and write and
work arithmetic to the double rule of
three possesses. | believe the last Leg
islature did say something about this Off
GERS being practical teacher, but the
term practical teacher" is as ambiguous
and as capable of as many constructions
as 1.-THE elastic clause in the Federal
Constitution. 1t is well though to have
some qualifications. Until recently the
salary of the superintendent Of Clarendon
county ranged from $3.50 to $3.50 per year.
Here is the field of operation before the
consolidation of schools. There were la
different schools in the county-S6 white
and 2S colored. There We're to be edu-
Gated 1871 children, 1850 whites and B.
Ill colored. There was appropriated by
the State $15,2S6 for this purpose-114
schools, 10191 children, $15,2S6 Now,
what is done? The average county pays
some man about 5000 year to look after
this vast amount of work-114 schools,
10191 children, $15,2S6 Even the very
shrewdest financier and educator COM
bined could not accomplish very much
under existing circumstances. But what
kind of man is generally employed. Take
a few from Clarendon county:
James H. O'Reily. a practical farmer.
In his report Mr.. O'Reily says he made
four addresses before educational gather
ings that he visited twenty schools aud
found the work very encouraging He
states further that out of ia teachers
employed, fifty-two whites and thirteen
colored hold first grade certificates. He
advises the board to tear down the log
school houses and erect frame ones in
stead Mr.. OReiiv found time to make
eighteen bales of cotton on three horse
farm during the year. but he says in his
report that he found the schools in good
condition, and SO far as he knew, left
them in good condition. Mr.. O'Reily was
paid SIG month-114 schools, 10, 1871 chill
dren, $15,2S6. A good farmer did the
whole thing for SIC per month. Surely
these North Carolina superintendent are
geriuses, else the work is not done Then
why throw away the $40 month? But
wait.
H. H. Giles, Esq, was Mr.. O'Reily' S
successor. Mr. Giles was elected because
he came from a good family. He was
young man, % years old, and having
just received license to practice law, his
friends secured for him this position to
give him a start. He was paid only
$1450 month, just about enough to pay
his board. But what about ia schools,
the TO- 1911 children the s15,2 Mr.. Giles
was an honest man, for the records show
that he disbursed all the money accord
ing to law and that is about all the rec
ords do show, except that in Clarendon
county there were ia schools, 10.191 chill
dren and SIS, 2S6 spent. Surely these dumb
figures would appeal to the next superin-
tendent, but read:
H. Jefferson Maynard. age II, salary
$40 month, practical teacher" Prof.
lovpard WAC poOd old man ono who