The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-04-28

5
cc- delighted ;hez1 with stories - ths
var. I kn~w such = teacher. htk 81 bsArt
aud brave as u llos. wno LETT a leS az
G~~ttysburE. who was opc % the most
popular teacher IN his conmuastyt lie
knew haw 70 maintain disc slt1c. ~ could
teach-aud teach thorouEhIy-up to par
&lal payments au1 ~ could describe a
hastlc With such graphite WV aaess as ~
sa-k~ the hair ~ bis - Is stand or end
ITu- - . month. for three uortn@ ,a
to yca-. i6at noble soldier ~as tbe
fDlourcv post br1lrm header IN public c3a-
cation in his rc. Ehho-hooa lie would rot
sf.ac IN a Teacher Institute hat -
taught the Ta1iaaeHts thoroughly and sow
i tho seed from wh : thss generation
IS reap+ag The short terms and thc lo~
salaries have not encouraged men al
w-orLec 10 become teachers. bat the call
10 teach has n every year been heard aai
needed ~ thousands who have Found 4
compensation thar IS priceless in the ioyr
and gratitude 81 their students ma so
though the .ay has bcsa small. the
schools have been manned ny teachers
worth ten times the sal1ry that they re-
ccived. Better normal i1st-ncio on has
provided hotter teachers. the grow uE
prosperity has multiplied graded schools.
NA.th nave otteFcd bfkt'F Inducements -
teachers. ana thls ohsia6l" 81 the lack q
Trained teashtFs : SsaE ~ ycaF Gisaf
Pt"t4hS
IL.
People who Ike in compact commu-
nit IS. can have Ht,ic appreciation 81 de-
obstacle 10 adequate pubs. school. To be
found in i sparse population In he
mountains anu IN the lsv couatr. Is,
population IS Widely scattered ana +.
whore III people live farthcst apart Is.
least progress has been made. Bu{ even
where the environment make
strongest against progress. tho people are
becoming aroused rs tho mecca
sitv or better schools and longer terms.
and are bridging sWamps anil
climbing mountains 10 give their aoas
and ~daughtcrs a bcttcr chance ii ufc.
-
So much for the obstacles. You may
think l have dwclt too much upon thcm
and left too little time 10 give tho dc
tails OF progress. You are alrcady-tha
world is already-familia with the sta
I~tistiCs OF ilitoracy, the figures showing
appropriations Tor schools. ana the gen
eral spirit OF enthusiasm and hope that
perVades the south. / have dWclt upon
the serious obstacles because have
often thought that III some quarters the
South has been too harshly Judged by
men who read nothing except statistic.
am somewhat skcptical a.
: to some OF the figures that are so
often paraded. The conditions are better
!, than these seem to Indicate. 1t is not al.
: ways well to accept statistics as the
fnality. Carroll n. Wright wasn't 50 very
far wrong when he said there are three
!, kinds Of liars in the world just the sim
!, pie. plain, everyday liars, d-n Lars, and
statisticians.
, | am more familiar with North Caro-
i, Ilina-its Improvement as indicated by Of
fetal figures and in the changed and i'm
!, proved and improving public sentiment.
!, and will confinc myself to the develop
mcnt in that State which has the distinc-
: ton OF being a leader in this and other
progressive educational movements. The
story OF North Carolina fairly tolls the
story of progress of all the Southern
States. / conino myself. therefore,. to
! that one State.
| can remcmber-(and | am still Young
: enough to be counted among the boys'D
when there was not a single city. town.
n -,
Carolina that levied a special tax for
public schools. And at that time the gen
+ cral school tax provided a fund that af-
i, orded only the most inefficient short term
schools. The first town that voted a
:, local tax for graded schools was Greens
boro in 1874. Today there are IS local tax
districts that support their public
schools by public taxation, quite a mum
: Der of country districts arc doing SO. and
:. within the past year, a large number of
towns and school districts have voted a
: local tax to establish graded schools.
! The Legislature OF 1908 passed more
special acts for establishing graded
!, schools and erecting public school build
ings than ever before in the history Of
, the State. But these figures
in themselves do not adequately convey
!. the real progress. Many school districts
have been consolidatcd-that work is 90
ing on every month, wisely aud rapidly