The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-04-26
Report of Pres. Mclver to
Educational Conference.
CONTINUED from Page 81

where valuable tQAAdAsbndi WIN NehH So
ing on and then to use the means 1t
placed at my disposal to intensity and
multiply the force of that work, rather
than undertake to inaugurate new
schemes or independent campaigns or
wage any warfare upon individuals or
movements that did not meet my APP
proval or the approval OF those / was
representing. 1t is worth more to The
cause of universal education to strength
en- those who are fighting for it than
TO fight those who are pulling the other
way. Truth needs nothing but agitation
in a fair, open field.
In addition to the work of the speak
ers in the campaign. three or four hun
drcd dollars was spent in preparing and
disseminating educational literature
through newspapers and SPECIAL tables of
local statistics bearing upon the subject
of taxation for schools. consolidation of
school districts, and the improvement Of
public scnool buses.
III. woMEN's ASSOCIATION FOR THE
RETIREMENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL
HOUSES IN NORTH CAROLINA.
Just before the close of the past col
lcge year / undertook to organize through
the students of the State Normal and
Industrial College woman's movement
for the Improvement of the public school
houses of the State, 1t is the women
rather than the men who have made the
churches in the town and in the country
attractive and habitable. Men have had
the exclusive management of court houses
and largely the exclusive management of
school houses, and upon both the marks
of masculinity and neglect are plainly
visible.
This organization called the Woman's
Association for the Betterment of Pub
lie School Houses in North Carolina in
cludes now, not only students of The
State Normal and Industrial College, but
representative women teachers and 9TH
crs in various sections of the State.
About twenty counties have good or
CARNATIONS, and literature has been sent
to all the other counties The purpose
of this association is to organize small
clubs or branch associations around each
public school where there are three or
more women who will volunteer their ser
vices to improve each year the school
house and grounds. There is no member
ship fee. except that the women having
decided that may become associate men,
bers if they desire to do so by paying an
annual fee of 81.
We held a meeting of ten or fifteen wo
men, including the officers of this asso-
oiation last June at Morehead City dur
ing the session of the North Carolina
Teachers Assembly. In addition to furn-
fishing literature, agreed to pay the eX-
penscs, to limited extent, of ten work
ers in the field. SO far the entire eX-
pepse of the association has not reached
$200 In the meantime, it has secured
the cooperation of the Youths Com
RAMON which assists in furnishing litera-
ture and sends pictures as premiums to
those schools that take steps towards
identifying their houses and grounds. The
newspapers of the State have been ex-
ceedingly generous towards this organi-
zation, as well as to the other movements
in which 1 have participated as District
Director of the Board.
The association has decided to join
the Federation of Womens Clubs in the
State The President of the Federation,
Mrs Lindsay Patterson, of winston
Salem, is one of the most effective work
ers for school Improvement | am thor
ovghly satisfied that every dollar invest
ed in aiding the 1000 members of this
wcman's association will sooner or later
weld a most bountiful harvest of good
to our cause.
GUILFORD COUNTY.
1 have thought that you would be
especially interested to know the pro-
gress made in Guilford county, beginning
with the conference held in Greensboro,
the county seat, on April 3rd and Attn,
1902 This was the first of our confer
ences after the Raleigh meeting for or
Eanzation. 1t was the first meeting at
tended by the county superintendent IN
large numbers. 1t will be remembered
that by private subscription $4,000 was
laised at this conference to promote the
cause of public education in the rural
districts of Guilford county and that the
General Education Board duplicated this
amount, making the total fund $S,oOO
which amount was afterwards increased
few hundred dollars by various sub
scriptions.
The local board appointed at the con-
ference TO manage this fund imme"-.---
~ offered to aid any rural school district
that would vote a special local school
tax to supplement the present State and
county fund In the meantime, a steady
campaign was begun to urge upon the
reople the Importance of voting the lax
independent of outside help. So far nine
districts have voted this special tax ami
have received or will receive aid from
the Greensboro Conference Fund. In no
instance have we lost an election, though
in one case our majority was only one
vote and in another only four votes We
hope to carry every district in the county
within two years from the date of the
Conference, but if we do not the fund
Will so to those districts that vote the
tax.
Our committee has proposed to give
81 900 to the first of the fifteen rural
townships in the county that votes a
three-mill tax, or 80 cents on every hun
dred dollars worth of property in the en-
tire township and 80 cents on each poll.
This vote wherever carried will increase
the annual school fund nearly 100 per
cent and will more than double the et-
fciency OF The schools. At the same time
by actual count, four sevenths of the tax
payers of the fifteen rural townships
would pay less than 30 cents property
tax OF the special tax so voted, as four
of hn faN Al assessed