The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-01-15

ducate, not one here and there, b,
every child in the State.
"A compulsory law at the beginniu
would probably have to encourter ditl
culties in its enforcement, but the tin
is ripe for some thing to be done, Q
every one must admit when he COZ
sders the per centage of enrolment I
the children of school age, vspeciall
in the rura. districts.
All the principal countries of Eu
rope, in fact all the principal civilize
countries throughout The Id, an,
two thirds of the States and Tcrlitorc
OF our own country, have adopted SOM
system of compulsory edacaton. Ii
many OF tie other States it Is beins
agltated and urged
According TO the census of 1890 tn,
per cehtagc of whites III South Caro-
lima over 81 years of age who cou!t
neither read nor write was Is 65; o
negroes G5.23. In 1900 the censu.
figures shows the percentage of whites
q, and of negroes 547. These
figures need no comment. The per-
centage of iliteracy among the whites
mas decreased in ten years 3 per cent.
| hSSoiOSo 1000 pei CCuI.
The status of the public schools is
about the same as it was at the time
| OF your last session. Tho average
schools term for the past year for the
wLite schools, according to the State
superntendcnps report, was 81 weeks,
exactly the same as the one for the
year previous; for the negro school
the term was ii weeks, one week less
than for the previous year. 1t may be
remarked thaj the State supernten.
dent reports that in few of the couu
ties there arc 81 many inaccuracies in
The report submitted to HIM as to the
average number of weeks as well as
the other averages and totals, that the
reports in his report cannot be abso
lut ly relied upon.
h>t year: The importance of levyiug
an additional tax for the support of the
couutry schools cannot be to- strongly
urged upon cur people. This wi en-
able them TO employ competent teach
ers for longer terms; it will enable |
them TO give their children elem antary
and preparatory training at home; and |
1t will tend to check the abnol ma! flow
of pnpula ion from the country to the |
town; 1t will be beneficial from ever, |
point of view. While it Is possibl |
for the graded schools to become too |
mechanical aud inclastic, the irregu. |
laiity in attendance at The country |
schools renders it impossible 10 have |
graded instruction of systematic work. !
rhc character Of the supervision of the !
schools i'll the country is very poor in
of the inadequate salaries
paid fol the County Superintendents,
who must give large port of theil
time to other w TX than that of super.
vi>ing the schools.
Some provision should be made to
secure more permanent boards OF trus.
tees and county boards of education.
The tenure of Cilice in The boards of
trustees is two years. Most of these
bvai ds not being sure Of their conhnu-
aLce IN clliCc are unable to employ a
teacher for more than one year-a
very unfortunate system Of affairs, a.
there can be no continuous school
work from, year to year without some
pcrmanence of tenure. County boards
should be elected by the people in
WV ~ 'OO to hOI w ClJIICly dl
one time; and the boards of trustees
should be ,lected on somewhat
similar plan.
The STATE superintendent calls at
tchtion to a plan for securing better
school houses. This should be given
most careful consideration, because
The best results III training children
cannot be obtained in shabby and un.
comfortable school houses.
Enc total expenditure for
the year for whites was :. $726,s25 a
For negroes. cs.......... 2l1,287 Sc |
Total. 49," ............ 1898 113 co
thc total expenditure for
the year for whites was. $693, ,807 6 |
F1i negroes ............. 900 033 45 |
Total. ...... ............ 1896. S41 05 |