Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-07-04

problem of bare subsistence? 1t is
true that improvements have been made
in the country schools, but in towns
and cities, Grammar Schools and High
Schools have sprung up. Special courses
i'm drawing and music. manual training.
and domestic economy, have been added
Large and imposing buildings, physi
cal laboratories. libraries, and work
shops have been built and equipped. In
the country-sm I'll buildings. no physi-
cal laboratories, little or no apparatus.
no work. shops. no special courses. no
High Schools Note the contrast. Is il
right: Is it Just BY active inquiry
have found that about forty per cent of
the pupils in the High Schools of the
towns on the Eastern Shore are from
the country This shows that the farm
ers want their boys and girls To receive
the benefits of High School training.
How is the country bow to receive the
same advantages that the urban youth
enioys: Strange to say, the people
most vitality concerned, the people who
will be most benefited by the solution
of this problem, the farmers themselves.
are making practically no effort TO bring
about satisfactory solution. School
men have given the matter thought,
and are agreed that the solution lies not.
as was the belief twenty years ago. in
putting school on every hill, and i'll
every valley, but rather in decreasing
the number of schools, by consolidating,
and uniting many small schools into
one large central High School. and pro
viding free transportation of pupils to
and from school.
Two years ago, the school men
brought before the Legislature, bill
designed to give To the county School
Boards the power to consolidate the
county schools. The bill failed to he
come law because the people had not
come to see the advantages of consolida-
ton Throughout the United States,
wherever consolidation of schools has
been proposed, opposition has come
from quarter where one would least
expect il, from the farmers themselves.
Then il is for Us, fellow teachers, to pre-
sent the matter To the people in such a
way that they will see that 1t Will be
bene fetal make the farmers sce that it
is the only way to bring higher educa-
ton within their reach; that their chll
dren will have a chance to attend Il
High School free of charge; that their
boys and girls will have AN opportunity
for thorough work in special branches,
such as drawing, manual training, and
in time agricultural instruction; that 1t
makes it possible to have larger and
better buildings, more comfortable
desks, better libraries. more maps,
charts, and laboratory apparatus. That
il does not mean. as many claim, that
farms in districts where schools are
closed, will depreciate III value; that 1t
does mean that the School Board will
provide suitable and proper conveyances.
will employ, as drivers, only such men
as are morally well fitted To watch over
the boys and girls on their way tn and
from school. That il is not IA new theory
| but an established success, and that IL
means, very probably. Il large saving of
money for the schools. II we can make
the people see these things. then when
we come before the law makers next
winter. we shall get what we want.
| The Both annual session of the Mary
land Teachers will be the most success
| full in the history of the Association.
The teachers have clear conception of
the needs of the schools, and we realize
that we must devise means to meet
these needs Our committees are al
I. adv at work We realize that we must
organize, demand what we want and
demand il i'll such IA way that we shall
get it. We may well follow the example
of the teachers of Washington county.
demand and obtain more money for our
schools look forward with pleasure