The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-20

| an average Of xlO.63, the Southern States | are spending for every child of school
 age within their borders s4.o6. It is no, surprising that, with such an inadequate iy equipped system of public schools, I there should be found also in the South the largest per cent of illiteracy and the smallest per cent of property on a per capita distribution of wealth. The cen- sus report for 1900 shows that twenty four per cent of the white population of the United States dwells in the South ern States that composed the Confed- eracy while sixty-four per cent of all white illiterates over ten years of age is to be found in these States. Hitter acy and poverty, intelligence and pros- perity travel together through the world. The one follows the other as effect fol- lows cause.
 Te Rural scooIa
 Second Between eight-ninths and nine tenths of the population of the South Is rural and agricultural. The great masses of the people of the South, there- fore. are dependent upon the rural schools for education. These rural schools then are the strategic point in the educational system of the Southern States. Farming is still the greatest in- dustry and the farm home Is still the greatest institution in the South. The preservation and improvement of its greatest industry and it's greatest insti- tuition depends upon the improvement of these rural schools. Because of the sparse population, the large territory, the bad roads, the geographical barriers. the small amount of taxable property and the small school fund, these rural public schools are the most poorly equip ped and most inefficient public schools in the South. Unless they can be made equal in merit to the best public schools of the towns and cities and adapted to educating farmers children for farm life rather than away from farm life. many of the best people In the country will continue to leave the farms and the disastrous drain upon the best blood of the country will be kept up until there may be left there only the poorest peas- ant population too Ignorant to know the value and blessing of an education and too indifferent to care to secure 1t Tor their offspring"
 Third-It behooves our people to face these facts with their characteristic courage, the courage that they displayed on the battle field when the forces or the world were massed against them, the courage. that they displayed In the darkest hour of the direct poverty that followed on the heels of bloody war, and that enabled them to repair their broken fortunes and rebuild their blast ed homes and re-cultivate their devas- tated fields, They are now beginning to have time and means to build up their public schools Purpose of Statement of Facts. Tourth.-Far be from us any intention of ridicule, blame or Encouragement m reciting these facts in regard to the educational conditions of the Southern States. To those familiar with the ob- stacles that had to be overcome-social and political revolution, destruction and reconstruction, poverty. robbery, mis- rule--the wonder is that these conditions are as good as they are. For a people l that have so heroicaliy and successfully surmounted such obstacles ana maue possible la one generation a new ana glorious era of industrial and education al development. we have only admira- ton. gratitude, commendation. We would remind this generation of Soutn- erners, however, that some sacrifice Tor their children is necessary and that with half the sacrifice that their fathers ana mothers made, Southern children can pc given such educational facilities as VIII enable them to begin the work or man hood and womanhood without handicap as compared with the children of other sections of our common country.
 Remedies to Be Applied.
 Realizing the defects of the public schools of the South. we beg co suggest out of our experience and observation some remedies
 il. At the foundation of every suc- cessfu, school system lies the pracu- cal problem of necessary physical equipment in houses, furniture ana grounds. This question of the char acter of public school house IS Tar more serious one than 1t seems to the minimizing. Nobody has any respect for anything. that is not respectable. A respectable school house with respect able equipment and decent surround ings is necessary for conducting suc- cessfully the business or pubic eau cation and is essential for command ing the respect of the community for that business. Men judge the charac- ter. of a business very largely by the character of the place of business Surely, then, the house in which this sacred work of training the children of the republic for citizenship and so- cjal service, a work that has to do with mind and soul and body, with the moulding of character and the cre- ation of ideals, should be place worthy in all respects of such a work, home, not a hovel; place of beauty not a place of ugliness; place Of conn fort, not a place of discomfort; place or clednneSbs HUI q pA"SS VI Nti cleanness. About 1t the grass should grow green and the sun bright, the flowers bloom and the birds sing and the trees wave their long arms, that the children, while listening to the les sons taught by men and books. may re- ceive also, from the potent, silence ln- fuence of proper environment, the sweet messages of peace and love and culture and beauty.
 Qualified Teachers.
 g. Houses and grounds and equip ment are largely dead mechanism with out the vitalizing touch or property qualified teacher. It Is, after all. the teacher that breathes the breath of life into the school We need better teach CTS and must have them before we can have better schools. But we are get ting better teachers than we pay for. With short school terms, small salaries, noor school houses unclassified and un- c1assihable schools and other condi- tions that render success almost im- possible. we cannot hope to command and retain hrst-class talent in this husiness of teaching the rural schools. After all, back of this question of bet fer teachers, lies the question of better nav. For meagre salaries, man and women cannot afford to put themselves into the long and expensive training necessary for the best equipment for this delicate and difficult work of teaching. With the short terms and the necessity of dividing their atten- tion between the service of two mas ters to make bare living, they scarcely work at the business of teach tno Iou1 enough to master 1t or to