The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-01-07

should be a county superintendent for
81. 900. But what would become of the
school?
Notice, S. 900 supervision; SIS, 2s6 teach
er's salary. Total s21, 2s6.
This would require a school tax of "a
cents on the one hundred dollars, as fol-
lows:
From the State ............... 1880
From fines, ETC.. SIS
FOL liquor license ............... tO
s1.50 tax on 1850 polls........... 6,225
35c tax on SO, 720, 900 county prop
eTtg -. -. 80. ..-........... lZ,o4o
o
1t will require @ 81 cents taX to run a
four months school under the present ar
engagements in the old buildings with
proper supervision. If you "a to m
| prove these buildings it will cost you
S11 400. If you wish to run your schools
for six months it will cost you 16 cents
more, and for eight months, 80 cents
more or a total Of &c cents. Still you
continue to subivide your districts, and
if you continue for a few years, it will
be almost impossible to run a respectable
school longer than three or four months.
1Au I1lSL a. all GhO Aoo Col AoS oloNS
constitution says:
Each county of the State shall be di-
yided into a convenient number of dis
%tricts, in which one or more public
schools shall be maintained at least tour
months in every year; and if the COM
missioners of any county shall fail to
comply with the aforesaid requirements
of this section, they shall be liable to
Indictment.
Here the burden is placed on the com
missionerS, yet only q counties out of
the 81 complied with the constitutional
requirement. This means that the com
missiOners of 20 counties are liable to
indictment. Somebody has neglected his
duty. Either the county commissions
or the grand jury. (See N. c. Report Of
Education for 1898-99). The reason these
20 counties do not maintain a. four
month school is because the appropria-
ton is insufficient for the number Of
schools. Still the board of education con-
tinues to subdivide the districts until in
some counties it is absolutely impossible
to carry out the constitutional require
ments without a high special tax, which
the people will not vote. This does not
mean an improved school; but the same
old school, with all of its defects cannot
run four months. The Supreme court has
held that education is not a. necessary
expense therefore revenue cannot come
under this head. To increase it the Ques-
ton must be voted on because they are
already paying up to the constitutions
limit Of Sc % cents. Now they have
twice voted it down. This does not exon
crate the commissioners. They 'shal.
maintain a four months school" There
l.. nplv ono thinr IN NO 1nrn. ,r5 tho
is to redistrict the counties in such a way
and by combining several schools, so ar.
range that the constitution can be obey
cd. It was not intended that the Legis-
lature should be the sole guardian Of the
public schools, and suspend every schoo
from one common centre-the State
Treasury: and if all the time and ex-
pense that is expended on the Legislature
was distributed among the differen'
counties there would be today a much
broader opinion concerning public edu
cation han exists at present in some
localities.
This committee from Clarendon count,
returned home feeling that the question
Of public schools involved more than
mere request for money. They ~realizet
the fact that a four months school i
insufficient; that the average county pub
lie school has no positive force for good
The surroundings are not such as t,
elevate the ideas. for as q genera
thing, the surroundings are worse a
school thar at home. The teaching i
not such as will give new ideas; for tn
teacher only hears in Il few minute
what the child has'prepared at home. /
the association of the children there is
general l~eveiing of ideas, the personalit
Of the teachers not contributing muc
either way. And if these schools shout
be continued for ten months Of what ma
terial benefit woul they be to the com
munity? The surroundings are worse a
school than at home. The teaching Of n
positive force, the teacher of no more pre-
else type. There are communities toda
where schools are maintained for eigh
months, still they are degenerating men
tally as we'll as morally. In one instance
the degeneration is due to the fact tina
the teaching which was good educate
the best people to leave the communit
without elevating the whole communit,
, This is frequently the work Of the sui
; scription school in the county.
Clarendon county contains some sc
square miles of territory, divided int
, ten townships for local government. Al
Continued on Page Eleven.)
ter conducting an educational campaig
for several months the people were pei
susded to believe that township grade
;, schools could be established and run fc
five and a half months with the sam
, money that ia schools are now run fe
four months. Ten township grade
schools, one for each race would cost &
follows:
0 One principal for white school,. s II
Four lady teachers, at $50 per
month. for 5k months. ........ g.
0 Three colored teachers at $25 per
t month for 5a months........ 412..
lotal '..-...... 81 AS,
! This is the maximum cost. paying GOO
. salaries. There will be some distric
= that will cost less. After computing II