Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-05-07
Miseeltat1eoas &eading.

|GOLD HILLS
| MODEL SCHOOL.
Story of Commencement
Exercises Last Week.
FINE, WORK BY THE PUPILS.
A Large Crowd of Visitors Is Pleas
antly Entertained-Addr by the
Hon. Jasper NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Facilities That Furnish Valuable
Object Lesson to Other Commu.
mites.
There is little doubt of the fact that
there is no other device that Is pos
sessed of so great value as means of
impressing the general public as what
are popularity designated as "object
lessons" and no better proof Of the
correctness of the foregoing assertion
is to be found anywhere than in that
part Of Fort Mill township. York coun-
ty, known as the Gold Hill neighbor-
hood" Conditions there are ideal, and
If other sections Of York county, and
in fact the entire Piedmont section of
South Carolina, would emulate the ex-
ample set Dv the Gold Hill people, the
next ten years would witness ss great
development of the agricultural inter-
ests, If not greater. than has been ex-
perienced by the manufacturing inter-
ests during the past ten years. One
of the most notent factors in the up
building Of the Gold Hill section has
been the unIoysof the people in promot-
ing every enterprise calculated to ad-
vance the spiritual, moral and mate
rial interests Of themselves as we'll as
others. Long ago. possibly as far back
as 1866, they saw that there was no
chance for the material prosperity OF
the "cottontot," ard commenced to
preach and practice the gospel Of hog
and hominy," or live at home: and 1t
is said that the farmer in that section
who depends on the western farmer for
the necessaries of life Is an exception
AS result Of their practical business
methods they have prospered in a ma
terial way. They have comfortable
dwellings,, fertile farms, and In fact
everything that one would expect to
find in contented. prosperous commu-
nifty, and while full value Is given to
material blessings that people fully ap-
preciate the fact that material devel-
opment is only incidental to happiness
and contentment. and without other
essentials the possessors are not in
position to receive the full benefits from
their labor, and that these essentials
are religious and educational advan-
tages. This neigporhood has long been
conspicuous for its zeal In matters
spiritual, all the different denomina-
tions-Presbyterian, Methodist. A. R.
Presbyterian and Baptist-having live
churches either in or near what is
known as the Gold Hill neighborhood;
but until within the past ten or twelve
years. the matter Of adequate educa-
tional facilities for every child in the
neighborhood did not receive the at
tention that it deserves, and to try
to tell something about the latter is the
object of the writer at this time.
Until about ten years ago, the peo-
ple of that section had been neglect
ing, or rather not giving, the subject
of education that attention which 1t
should receive from those who feel an
interest in the future welfare of the
children of their community. Previous
to the time indicated, it had been the
custom over there to depend almost en-
tirely upon the constitutional school
tax for what school facilities the chill
dren had. AS a result, there were per-
haps three or four schools in the neigh
borhood which were kept open from
two to four months. depending on the
amount of public money available and
how cheap a teacher could be secured
1t occasionally happened that the
school would be closed before the eX-
pected closing time because of some
grievance, imagined or real, on the
part of one or more parents in the
neighborhood. Finally, a few of the
more progressive citizens got together
and discussed the question Of the de-
STABILITY of doing away with all the
schools previously operated during a
short period each year, and all concen-
trating their patronage to one good
school to be supported with all the
money previously available for that
district, and to have the school open
ten months instead of a few weeks. as
had been the prevailing rule previous
ly. There was some opposition to the
new plan, but finally it was adopted
and Gold Hill academy thus came into
existence. After being operated a few
years, the superiority Of the new plal
over the old began to be appreciated
and further improvements were decid-
ed upon. BY a vote of the people, 6
special two mill tax was levied anC
more experienced teachers employ.
ed, until the academy stands to-
day as the peer of any public prepara'