The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-31
RURAL SCHOOLS
and Their NEEDS .[|ED
Mi. Brent Suggests How te
Make Them Better.
ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER
The Schools Should. the Experienced
Teacher Thinks, Be Put Further
Apar, and Made Larger and
More Efficient.

l have been asked to write an article for
Inc Times on what the public schools
have done. This is too wide field for
me 70 occupy. but If you will permit me
" 10 so, l shall endeavor to point out
some things that ought to be done for
the rural schools of the Commonwealth.
was born and reared in the country
under the shadow of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. and the roots of nv affections
strike very deep in the soil of nv native
Fieoinont virginia With your kind per-
MISSION. then' l will say something in
the direction Of improving the schools for
the country chil1ren-the children Of tha
men who till the soil and provide susie
nance for the rest of mankind.
The recent publication OF the Virginia
School report brought to light some in
terestiHg. il not startling. facts about
the rural schools. From carefully-co,n-
piled reports. made by the county super
intendents one year ago. it was ascer-
tanned that out Of $685. white schools in
the country districts. 2.65S, or fortythree
per cent. of them. had an average attend
ance OF less than twenty pupils each.
More than one thousand Of these schools
had an average attendance of less than
fifteen. and lti Of them had an averages
attendance OF less than ten. OF the
2,0S2 -colored schools in the country. 4as.
or about twenty-four per cent. had an
average attendance of less than twenty.
This unfortunate affair IS due to a
number of causes. but mainly to the de-
sire to place a school as near to every
mans door as possible. Such a condition
Of AFFAIRS has kept down the pay OF teach
ers reduced the average school session
in the country to about five months. and
made educational progress next to I'M
possible. In order to arrest the tendency
to multiply small schools In the country
districts the General Assembly enacted R
law empowering the Board of Education
to make regulations on the subject.
REGULATIONS OF BOARD.
In pursuance of this object, the Board
of Education enacted the following pro-
visions to be found on pages 80 and 81
of the Revised Edition of the Virginia
School Laws:
''o;; Legal Average Attendance-An en-
rollment of at least twenty pupils, with
reasonable assurance OF an average daily
attendance of that number. is required
to constitute public free school,
IA Reduced -lttendance-Boards OF
school trustees. when satisfied that there
is not n surrcient number OF children In
any school neighborhood to entitls them
to a school under the previous section.
ana tNat the geography cI tiic tiSliiSt I'D
such that no judicial Encouragement OF
the several schools can be so made as
to furnish the minorities proper school
facllltleS. may certify Il statement OF the
case with a diagram OF the section to
be accommodated. to the county superln-
tendenr VINO shall forthwith visit the
section in question. and II he finds that
the statemenst made are correct, and that
the contiguous schools are judiciously 10
Gated and cannot be so arranged as to
furnish the minoritles fair school racil-
lttes, he may authorize the board of
trustees to reduce the average attendance
of such schools to fifteen.
80. t'aetious Spirit, etc.-ln cases where
the average attendance is reduced by
reason OF a factious spirit on the part of
one or a few persons, or in consequences
O; the proper exercise OF discipline. prev
alenca of conta giouS diseases, or lack or
proper supply of text books. the dlstrles
board may continue such school. II they
deem it advisable to do so: provided, that
all such cases shall be reported to and
be approved in writing by the county
superintendent.
SMALL SCHOOLS INEFFICIENT.
From these provisions it will be readily
seen that a school having an average
daily attendance of less than twenty pt-
pills, is not. except in extraordinary cases.
a legal school. apart from this important
COISlCetdllOil, d Slildit SCllCcl 10 aiAto't'
from the nature of things, an Inefficient
school. AS a rule there can be really no
good teaching, no generous rivalry among
the pupils. no substantial progress IN edu-
alton, without the stimulus that comes
from numbers. It IS readily conceded
that in many OF the rural districts tho
white population is so sparse or the geo
graphical or typographical conditions are
such that the strict enforcement OF tho
regulations governing school attendance
would deprive many communities OF
school privileges. But the regulations
make ample provision for such excep-
tcnal cases. The fact is that we nave
far too many rural schools. The ten
del c.t to multiply them has gone on mt!
it is safe to say that fully one-third or
the rural schools are unnecessary Scnoois:
he great trouble is this: The state boaio
OF Education has been invested with ths
fuIu power to enact regulations to pre-
vent the undue multiplicity OF schoois,
but the board has no power 20 ENFORCE IT'S
regulations on this subject unaer the
new Constitution It seems certain that
this mower will reside in the Board OF
T,6,rcation after - shall have been organ
lied.
It is almost beyond comprehension that
the people in the country districts nave
permitted this rtlinous policy 10 preEali
among them so long. The salaries OF
teachers Ill the CCuhtiS eNV ~ s"~NS~>Ns
and the sessions are so short. that 1t is
a wonder that so many excellent teach
ers are to be found In ths country
schools. They are, however, FESTIVE I'M
4e, sI,eh urfavorable conditions. Men
have almost disappeared from the ranks
Of the country school teachers. and the
hest equipped and most ambitious OF the
fsmaIe teachers are looking for more
inviting and more remunerativa fields.
More than this. the country districts are
rapidly. losing their most desirable citl-
zens. who are moving to towns and
cities to ind better educational facilities
for their children; and the most enter
prising and Industrious immigrants are
repealed from our county districts for
the same reason.
CHANGE IN AGE LIMIT.
Another important consideration to ba
reckoned with is the fact that the new
Constitution fixes the school age at
from seven to twenty. thus cutting off
nearly one-fsth of our former school
populat ton. It is true that. according To
rrle decision OF the Acknowledgement the