The Tupelo journal., 1904-02-12
EDUCATIONAL BUREAU


7 State live within the bounds of these
districts, and that over ninety per cent
OF our children have no such advant-
ages, 1T becomes manifest that some
provision should be made whereby the
rural youth might have similar ad-
vantages. | have been told on good
authority that a large majority of the
student body Of the university go from
these town schools. Our country boys
and girls who are in attendance there
could not be prepared for the first
class at public schools in the coun-
try, 4 1t was necessary for them
either at great expense to go to psi
vate training schools, or to go to q
town high school and pay tuition. The
artificial distribution of wealth, caused
by railroads and the location Of coun-
ty seats, has made it possible for
those towns to sustain by local tax
alton these high schools; while the
rural districts, on account of sparse
ness OF population and low taxable
values are LETT to their own efforts
and cannot maintain schools Of this
character.
Il hold that the sources of the
wealth of the State are, in the main,
oho Lila lC ldIS c IdA-
able values of h town are made DOS
sible by what they receive from the
country; that it is right that all OF
the property of the State should be
taxed for all of the children of the
State, and that it is the duty of the
Legislature to provide for a system of
free high schools, where the great
body OF our boys and girls can receive
| a pOn6 hIJcinncc odnoeTion ~ ;f thou,
desire, ca1 be prepared for our State
colleges. In my opinion, nothing will
SO bring the State University into the
affections of u rural people as the
supplying Of this connecting link be-
tween their present schools and the
university. 1t will also have the eff
feet of keeping a great many boys and
girls at home in the schools that other
wise go to the, Agricultural and Me-
| chanical College and the Industrial In
%stitute and College. thus crowding
these institutions with students pur.
suing preparatory work and material
ly Interfering with their regular work.
The trustees Of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College, because of the
Overcrowding of the institution by this
character Of students, passed a resolu-
tlOh uSAyl Ing dULllIldIlCG lltO lQG pre-
paratory department of that institu-
ton to any student who lives near a
school of sufficiently high grade to pre-
pare him for the first college class.
After a careful study of this propo-
sition, | am convinced that if such
schools are to be had the State must
help the rural districts, and l would
respectfully recommend that where
small villages or rural communities
will voluntarily organize themselves
into districts of not less than sixteen
square miles n containing not less
than one hundred and fifty educable
children, the power Of local taxation
be given them on condition that they
| provide a suitable house, elect compe-
tent teachers, levy a local tax, and
maintain a high school for not less
than seven scholastic months each
year. To encourage the formation of
such districts and the organization of
such schools. | think the State should
make an appropriation for the first
year of not less than 500, 600. 90, to be
distributed to these districts in
amounts, within certain limits, equal
to those raised by taxation, or sums
donated. Those districts should also
receive their part OF the regular State
appropriation direct, just as do the sep
arate school districts. After two years
the principals OF such schools should
be required to have professional IL
censes, and in the mean time a special
examination should be provided by
the State Board of Examiners for
them. Such a scheme will not only
provide rural high schools, but will
encourage by voluntary action the Goa
solidation of two Or more weak schools
with low curriculums into a strong
school with two or more teachers and
a higher curriculum"
1t might, perhaps, be wiser for me
to offer no further suggestions within
these columns at least, until time,
but there is one subject SO near to
my heart that | would feel untrue to
the interest and the comfort of the
dear little children who live in the
country if | did not seize the first pos
sible opportunity to beg our good and
great men for better school houses.
The present country school houses
are, as a rule, a disgrace to the State,
however great a triumph some of them
may be to the willing, but unskilled
hands that build them. | know, of
course, that it is a generally accepted
fact that the bigger the nan of today
gets to be the shabbier the school,
the harder the bench AID the fewer
his school years grow, as he looks
back over them. If we are to judge by
the achievements of most OF today's
rulers and heroes, it might be well not
to have any schools, or books, at all,
in which case the struggles of the
| youth, bent on educating himself,
would carry him to heights hitherto
undreamed OF.
But l believe l voice the sentiments
of most of the children of today when
| say, give us fewer struggles today
and less of fame tomorrow, and, in
the meantime, help u parents to
build slightly school houses, in pretty
| groves and to furnish them with cas-
Ter seats, better desks, and such &c
cessories (besides the regulation
blackboard, all battered and torn
and a map as will make the inside
of the house attractive to us, with
nothing but the trees OF the forest to
obstruct Gods blessed sunlight. Most
of our country school housese are dark
and gloomy. How could they be 9TH
erwise, when the oaly light is let in
through one-or maybe two-24x24
windows. AS for the heating system
adopted in these schools, l car find
no words. One must experience one
of those winter terms, during which,