The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-11


power and influence of public education;
a majority of their leaders were at
heart opposed to the entire system OF
public schools. For private education
there were practically only two high
grade academies in the State. The
church colleges were attended by a mere
handful of students. and their faculties
were growing lean upon unpaid promises
of meagre salaries. Not college endow-
ments, but college debts were increasing
annually. The University, after almost
century of noble work, stood silent and
deserted. It's halls were empty, it's doors
closed, its buildings exposed to rain and
storm and its campus grown up in weeds
and bushes. a pasture for swine and
CATTLE"
Turning to the Thirty Years of Educa-
tional Growth, he gave an outline of our
progress during the last thirty years,
in these facts:
1.-Forty cities and towns in our State
today have more money invested in pub
lie school buildings and equipment than
the entire public school plant of the
State was worth thirty years ago.
2.-The same cities and towns spend
more money in annual support of public
schools than was spent by the entire
State thirty years ago.
3.-Today the State spends in annual
support of rural schools five times as
much as it spent thirty years ago.
4.-Today there are 373 libraries in
connection with the rural free schools
and forty graded school and teachers
libraries in connection with the city free
wi ad irt v
years ago.
5.-Today there is a great State normal
school and a normal department in the
State University for the special profess
sional training of public school teachers
where thirty years ago the mere idea OF
a professional training for teachers was
regarded as a mark of pedagogic i'm
beeility.
6.-Today at least a dozen public high
schools in our State are furnishing as
varied as thorough. and as systematic
education as was furnished thirty years
ago by the average so-called college.
To-day the State College of Agricul-
tural and Mechanic Arts is training
nearly 400 lads for skilled work along
all lines of manual industry, agriculture
engineering, cotton manufacturing and
mechanic arts, whereas thirty years ago
educated men were trained away from
manual industry.
S.-Today there are at least twenty
high grade academies in the State for
private education compared with less
than half a dozen thirty years ago. and
the city of Asheville alone has larger and
better provision for the academic educa-
nf ha xxhn tofo h ~ "
years ago.
9.-Today every church college in the
State has more students, more teachers
more buildings, more equipment. more
endowments, a more extensive plan OF
instruction, and a higher standard OF
| scholarship than its most sanguine friends
| hoped for thirty years ago.
1O.-Today Trinity College alone has a
larger equipment and endowment than
was possessed thirty years ago by all
the colleges in the State, including the
University
1.-Today the University alone has
more students. more teachers, more
courses of study, and larger equipment
than all the colleges in the State, in
Guiding itself, thirty years ago.
12.-Today two new colleges, not yet
| fifteen years old, the State Agricultural
and Mechanical College and the State
Normal and Industrial College, have
| more students. more teachers and more
equipment than was possessed thirty
years ago by every college in the State
including the University.
The following great principles of public
education have been established in the
| past thirty years
1.-The principle of State aid for the
support of higher education, and for the
maintenance of free schools at least
| four months in the year.
| 1.-The principle of local taxation
whereby each community may tax itself
practically to any extent, for the enlarge
ment and Improvement of it's own pub
| lie schools.
3.-The principles of technical and in
dustrial education, whereby the youth Of
the State may be prepared for Industrial
pursuits as well as for the professions.
4.-The principle of special training fol
| the profession of teacher.
5.-The principle OF educational super
vision, cooperation and unity.
| These wonderful improvements have
| been wrought in a single generation, anG
i OCoI VI al, tllOy nave Deeu Wrought Dy
North Carolina money, North Carolina
brains, and North Carolina character.
As to some of the demands of the flu
| ture. he said there were to be met by
instruction in rural science in the coun.
| try and industrial training in the city
Much has already been accomplished
| but our task is far from ended. Oul
present system of public instruction must
| be strengthened, enlarged and vtalizeC
| by the introduction from top to bottom
of industrial and practical training, side
by side with instruction in books.
| The time must come when the rura
school will embrace land, houses. ma.
chinery and apparatus for the introduce
tlon OF rural pupils to the study of soils
| plants, animals, tools and machinery
whereas farm lads will learn to observe
nature closely and intelligently and tt
experiment pregitably along all lines O.
| farm work
me introduction of manual trainin.
into our city schools is equally essential
We are far behind in this matter. 1t i.
the duty of our city schools to lead il
this direction. beginning can b,
made with small and inexpensive equip
ment; mechanical drawing, a few hant
FORCES, wood lathe or two and tool,