The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-04

(, to stimulate local effort by taxation and
otherwise. The special task undertake
I en- by the Southern Education Board is
4 to secure during the next two years the
adoption of the principle of local taxa
! ton in as many rural communities as
possible.
/ The following copy of my report read
before the Athens Conference gives an
/ idea of the work undertaken and some
of the results already accomplished.
| SECRETARY M'IVER'S REPORT.
! l beg to submit, in accordance with
| your request, this statement in regard
! to my work as one of the district direc-
tos of the Southern Education Board.
| AS the Southern Educational Confer
| ence was held year ago at Winston
Salem in this State, / feel that the
members of the conference will be graft
! fed to know that North Cardinals edu-
cational condition is improving daily and
/ that the outlook is bright.
/ We have taken an honest inventory of
our educational possessions and needs,
and made a determination to improve
the former, and, wherever possible to
supply the latter.
For more than ten years there have
been in the State a number of active
workers and agitators in behalf of better
public school facilities. but the teach
ing profession has never been so well
united upon this point as at present,
nor has its opinion ever before COM
manded the general respect from all
classes of citizens that it doe stoday
Since the last meeting of the Southern
Educational Conference there have been
about thirty elections in the villages and
towns of North Carolina, and a half
dozen elections in the rural districts to
decide whether or not a special local
school tax should be levied. and in only
three or four of these communities has
the cause of public education been de-
feated
During the past year about four hun
dred libraries have been established in
connection with rural public schools.
One-third of the money for these libaries
has come from the State Treasury. one
third from local school funds. and the
other third from private donations.
Probably no other year in the history
of the State has witnessed so large a
number of donations to public and pri-
vate educational purposes
AS district director of the Southern
Educational Conference my work has
been necessarily confined largely to my
own State.
1t was the understanding at the last
session of the board that, if practicable,
vigorous educational campaign for the
Improvement of the public schools. of
North Carolina should be inaugurated
Knowing that it would be unwise and
useless to undertake such a campaign
except in hearty cooperation with the
educational authorities of the State.
laid our plans and purposes before the
Governor, Hon. Charles B.. Aycock. and
the State Superintendent of Public In
struction, General Thomas F. Toon, both
of whom gave their hearty endorsement
to the movement and expressed their
| appreciation of the spirit in which the
Southern Educationa Board desired to aid
in our educational development.
On account of the long continued ILL
ness of General Toon, it was impossible
to have conference with him during the
month of January; but on February 18th
he and Governor Aycock united with me
in calling to Raleigh a conference of
about forty teachers representing all
lines of educational work. Represen-
tatives of the State colleges and de-
nominational colleges, county superin-
tendents and city superintendent, repre-
sentatives of high schools and seminaries
of every class were present. The con-
ference made a declaration against ILL
! teracy and issued striking address to
the people of North Carolina. There was
perfect harmony in the meeting and a
unanlmity of sentiment that the COM
plned educational influences of the State
should be brought to bear upon the i'm
proVement of the rural public schools.
A campaign was inaugurated to secure
the consolidation of weak school dis
trlcts. the Improvement of public school
houses, and the adoption of local taxa
uon TO supplement the State school tax
Inc Governor. the State Superintend-
| ent and your district director. were
| made the executive committee of this
| association and the managers of the
| campaign. The address was unfinished
| by practically all the newspapers in the
State and copies were furnished to stu-
dents of colleges and pastors of all
| churches.
| special committee was appointed to
| furnish educational matter for the news
| papers from time to time. and another
committee to make a special request of
every preacher in North Carolina to de-
| liver to his congregation at least one
| sermon year on the subject of public
education.
From the beginning, this movement
| had the almost unanimous endorsement
| of the press of the State.
Soon after the Inauguration of this
| campaign, occurred the death of State
Superintendent Toon. The Governor
| called Mr.. James Y. Joyner, Professor
of English in the State Normal and In
dustrial College, to the State Superin-
| tendency. General Toon had not been
we'll enough to attend the conference in
| Raleigh, but wrote a letter suggesting
| a policy for the campaign. | should like
| to record here that the illness which