The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1902-10-23

most to get the term OF free school
extended are the ones who do not de-
pend upon the pittance allowed them
from the public school funds, but have
q fixed salary for q definite time. But
I sometimes wonder that all the teach
ers don't get to work to get q tax.
levied to lengthen the term or raise
the salary, for the public school
teachers in Mississippi are the poorest
paid class in the commonwealth.
And they are known wherever they 60,
not always because they have dis
tinguished air and learned appearance,
but more often because Of their care
worn countenance and hungry looks.
Some one has said: 81 am sure that at
some time in his life Cassius must
have been a schoolmaster, or Caesar
never would have said, You Cassins
has lean and hungry look"
Some of the best teachers of this
state have organized state teachers
association, and spend, SO the Pro-
lessor says, about $1,000 year in
meeting to devise plans and discuss
methods of advancing the educational
interest of the state. The Professor
has the proceedings of the last meet
ing in his library. I was looking over
it the other day and find in the char
ter of incorporation this language.
1.-THE objects and purposes Of this cor
poration are to promote the cause of
education in Mississippi = to
increase educational advantages in
the state. And in the preamble to
the constitution find the objects are
three: ''To elevate the standard of
teaching, encourage professional ad-
vancement, and promote the educa-
tional welfare of the state. - The
president, in his annual address before
the association declares the third OBJ
ject "the greatest object. l find
that ont of about 400 teachers who
attended about 60 represented the class
commonly known as free school
teachers. - These men and women
do not spend their hard earned dollars
with any hope of receiving pecu-
mary reward. Their ambition is to
educate the children of the state.
Their salaries are fixed, and they, or
large majority of them, have schools
for eight or nine months. Their
motive is to elevate the citizenship
Of the state by educating the rising
generation; and they realize that this
must be done by the public school
teacher, for the large majority Of our
children live in the rural districts.
They look into the experience of his
tory and see that it teaches conclus-
lively that ingorance and crime in
crease in direct ratio, while intel.
ligence, virtue, and prosperity are
mutually inter-dependent. They re-
alize the fact that the present term of
public school is wholly inadequate
and must be heightened in order to
secure better results. The average
pupil will get but two or three years
schooling at best, which would be very
important if it were all together, but
with it strung out like GASES in a de-
sert one becomes famished and loses
strength between the stops. This
body of men and women has begun
to work for a longer term of school,
expecting as their reward prosper
Gus, educated, and elevated citizen
ship of a great commonwealth; and
they will accomplish their purpose.
For no other class Of people, except
the editors, has such an influence; and
the teachers and majority of the edi-
tors are cooperating in this noble
work
Since the civil war our country has
Experienced the most intense activity.
The United States, an impoverished
nation, and of doubtful rank among
the worlds powers, has stepped to the
front in the list Of nations. Her pro-
ducts, her mines, her science, her in
ventions, her push and energy are of
world wide renown. Mississippi has
kept apace with the other states.
Though she was devastated from north
to south when the ragged and hungry
soldiers returned to their shattered
fortunes to rebuild their homes and
establish their government; and
though they suffered period of car
pet Dagger rule and negro uprising;
and though they were taxed to the
uttermost, the indomitable Anglo
Saxon blood that coursed through
their veins proved it's invincibility
and they came out more than con-
querors, and, today, her northern
sisters cannot boast of their super
iority. She stands the peer Of the
noblest state in the union. And
while the other states are m aking
such strides educationally, Missis-
sippi is making greater efforts than
ever. The masses Of her people must
be educated, and in order to educate