The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-09-19
PROGRESS OF THE
EDUCATIONAL WORK
The Clear and Interesting State
ment Of Mir. Egg|eston.
PLANS THAT ARE PURSUED
Great Demand for Observation-Disclosures
Graceful Compliment Paid to Cows
ernor Montague and The Rich
mond Tmes-Interest Felt.
PLANS THAT ARE PURSUED

suits thus far obtained by the Southern
Educational Board in their work IN the
South It is very difficult to measure
growth, but it may be interesting 70 ire
readers of The Times to know what the
Board has attempted to do In heiplns
Southern educators to arouse greater III
terest among the people IN public educa-
ton.
The work has been divided into two
branches, that Of speaking and that OF
printing. The Board has secured the
active services of prominent speakers IN
Virginia North Carolina Georgia Louis
lana and Alabama These speakers have
gone before the people and before edu-
cational gatherings and have endeavored
1oimpress upon the people the Importance
of the education of the children.
great deal of very effective work mas oeen
done especially in North Carolina Where
Governor Aycock and DIR. Mclver nave
freely given their time and talents. The
effort is made to have speakers wherever
they cansecure an audience
WORK OF PRINTING.
The second branch Of the work-that OF
pEiNuL5-litS pe.ii otllC AAoiiA SAAS
vile office as a center. The bureau OF
printing and information, Of which DR..
Charles W. Dabney is the director, has
issued ard sent out tens of thousands of
circulars to newspapers. teachers and cttl-
zens, and is sending every two weeks to
sixteen hundred newspapers in the South
the Southern Education Notes. This lat
ter publication has. probably been more
influential in arousing interest than any
other publication issued by the bureau. II
is intended to be a Clearinghouse or
educational information for the benefit OF
busy editors and Ia issued in such form
that it can be easily used by neWspa-
pers that wish to advance the cause OF
public education. There is a growing de-
mand from county superintendent. cam
pagners and others for these Notes. The
circulation has almost doubled since the
first issue In March. They are sent
without cost to any one who wishes
them.
That the literature of tho Southern
Education Board has aroused a. great deal
of interest among teachers and others is
a fact TOO patent to deny. Many illus
trations might be given to prove this
Let one suffice. a young student in Van
derbilt University saw some OF the lite
nature issued by the Board and was
much impressed with the necessity for
better educational conditions in the
South and with his duty to do something
In behalf of public education. that he
wrote to the Bureau asking what he
could do during his vacation. a reply
was sent him that he could go into his
native county and try to arouse the peo-
pie to better things. .ITe has spent good
part of his summer going through the
county from homo to home collecting
money for public libraries for the schools
has plead for the consolidation OF the
smaller district schools into stronger
ones centrally located. and has succeeded
beyond his most sanguine expectations in
arousing the people to a determination to
have better education for their children.
This may seem like a small thing, but it
is never a small thing when a young
man gives himself freely to the public
service. and it may be confidentially pre-
dtcted that this young man for the rest
Of his life will be better citizen in every
way than he might otherwise have been.
It would be impossible to enumerate
the inquiries that come to the bureau
for information touching every phase
Of public education. a great deal OF pa
tent investigation has been carried on
by the bureau, and whatever information
has been gained is freely given Many
Of the. letters have been cues to point
the way to needed investigation, and
it is the purpose of the bureau to issue
some valuable literature in the near
future.
MIND BE IN SYMPATHY.
The Southern Education Board recog-
ntZes that its work has been, and must
be, done in sympathy with the leading
educators Of the South. It has seemed
to many of these educators that the
board could not have chosen more
suitable moment for coming forward
with an offer to strengthen and uphold
the hands Of those who for years have
worked under adverse conditions and
have at times been almost in despair
over the Indifference and opposition that
has been shown towards the public
schools. A new spirit has been infused
into southern education. This has been
accomplished by the mutual hand-clasp
Of southern educators and statesmen
and the gentlemen from the North who
have with such exquisite taste and so
beautiful a spirit won our complete con-
fidence There has been, OF course.
good deal of misunderstanding as to the
purpose Of the Southern and General
Education Boards. Most Of this has
been removed. and there is no educator
in the South to-day of any standing and
no newspaper OF any great influence
which is showing active hostility. In
fact, the hostility existing to-day could
hardly be dignitied by the word OPPOSE
ton.
Leading papers like the Baltimore Sun.
Richmond Times. Raleigh On. CD News
and Observer, Columbia IS. CD State, At
lanta Journal. New Orleans Times-Deno-
GRAFT Chattanooga Times, Knoxville jour
nal and Tribune and many others have
given their hearty endorsement to the
movement Literally hundreds of week
ly papers throughout the South have free
~ opened their columns to help i'll this
great work, and it would be impossible
to measure the influence that has been
exerted by these country papers.
This is neither the time nor the place
to state where the work has met with the
heartiest response, or where it has been
received with any degree of GOODNESS. 1t
may be stated however. that North Caro-
lima, Georgia and Louisiana are showing
in interest In the improvement of the
schools that amounts to a genuine revival
In fact the movement in North Carolina
surpasses anything Of the kind that has
ever been seen in the South. This is ow-
ing to the long and patient work of ag-
gressive young educators of the State,
started fifteen years ago, and led by