The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-11-18
CONVENTION
HAS COMMENCED

lContinucr from Page Fivc)
and told OF the contribution OF over
$4,000 TO the public schools. ana over
$4,000 for schoo houses. This was
done at Colonel ~Cuningham's suggestion
by Col. John G.. Terrell.
Colonel Cunningham then offered a
medal for the best essay on Public Edu-
cation in North Carolina. 10 De COM
peted for by the count superintendent.
This proposition met with great APP
plause.
Colonel Cunningham next called atten-
ton TO the fact that Person county had
a splendid school house in every district
and a fund Of $50. 000. In addition there
was an institute in the county. the
Bethel Hill Institute. started BY Rev.
Mr.. Beam.
The idea Of local taxation. he said.
was gaining ground all the time in
Person county, and he agreed with Supt.
Ragsdale in his belief that the people
between the ages Of y and 20 were the
ones that needed education.
The speaker closed with a warm
eulogy on the school governor and his
able lieutenants.
Supt. Joyner expressed the sentiment
CT the conference Of sincere gratitude al
his generous offer. He considered it one
Of the brightest spots in the whole
movement that laymen, as it were,
should realize the Importance Of the
work in hand.
Supt. Clements, of Wake, then discuss
cd briefly THE School Law and Sug-
gested Changes" He said he favored the
changing of the constitution SO that no
child should be placed upon the census
sheet until he was seven years old. This
sentiment met with considerable APP
plause.
He was for having the board elect
teachers; if not. then a committee OF
three in the township, but never a COM
mittee in one district. This idea was
also applauded.
He approved Of having one person take
the census, and paying him for it. Sec
ton 81, giving the superintendent the
right to hold private examinations
should be revised. There We're too many
private examinations. Section Al, re-
curing detailed district reports, he
thought, could not be complied with.
AS to salary of superintendent, he
thought the per diem ought to be done
way With, and that a stated salary of
not more than 5 per cent. of the school
fund should be paid.
The section regarding rural Libraries,
be believed, ought to be changed. The
number of libraries should not be uni
form, but should be apDortioned accord
ing to the number OF school children in
the different counties.
Supt. Joyner did not agree with this
suggestion. He thought the larger coun-
ties should be satisfied with six from the
State, and then. if they want more, they
should provide them for themselves.
COMPULSORY SCHOOL LAW.
Continuing, Supt. Clements said: Il
DO hold that North Carolina needs a
mild compulsory school law" Cap
plausc.) If the law has a right to say:
You shall pay the school tax" it ought
TO have the power to say also: You
shall send your son to school"
1t has been argued that if you have
attractive schools. no compulsory law
is needed. But look at the splendid
school system in Raleigh, five school
houses, splendid superintendent and
teachers. and yet statistics show that in
the rural districts Of Wake county 63
per cent. of whites and 66h per cent. of
colored attend the schools, while in
Raleigh, only 53A per cent. of whites
and ~ % per cent. colored, are en-
rolled.
| 1t had been stated that the people We're
moving from tho country into the cities
in order to take advantage of the better
schools. But the speaker gave it as his
opinion that this movement was being
made by a large number of parents SO
as to place their children in the cotton
mills and other factories.
This statement was applaudcd.
Supt. Clements concluded with an elo-
quent plea for a mild compulsory school
law.
DR.. Buttrick, who was compelled to
leave in the afternoon, expressed his
thanks for the conference. and for the
coming so far of many of the superin-
tendents. This he did very gracefully
and with deep feeling.