Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-08-03
Rock Hill Educational Conference.


following invitation: off you will
come to Rock Hill to the conference
your expenses will be paid by the
Southern Board" This invitation
was accepted by club women, teach
ers, lawyers, preachers-and all will
return with a desire to improve the
schools.
We left Seneca at noon, going by
way of Blacksburg, and arrived at
Rock Hill between 10 and ! | o'clock
We bad a storm on the way, but
when we arrived at Rock Hill we
saw the beamipg face of Hon. O. b.
Martin, who was there to meet our
party. We were driven to Winthrop
College. While it was storming
without, all within was gay, for in
the hall was assembled the teachers
OF the summer school. The women
were very handsome. 1t was com
mon to hear it said, "The handsomest
women | ever saw" and they were
beautifully gowned. Cupid was
sending arrows all around the hall.
One speaker at the teachers associa-
tion said of these women that "Solo.
mon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these" The teachers
put too much stress on dress, and
thus kept many a teacher from the
State Summer School.
The Summer School was sus-
pended for the Conferences and State
Teachers Association. Miss Bertie
Smith, the treasurer of O. II. S. |. A.,
was the only Oconee teacher present,
but met quite number of teachers
who were once Oconee people. Why
do we let our best teachers go?
AT 10 o'clock, on July IA, the con-
ference began. Quite number of
the speakers were absent. The cen.
trail subject was "Nceds of Our
School System" l will give the
speakers and their subjects: Hon.
M. f. Anscl, "Physical Needs of
Schools" DR.. Thomas, "Consoli-
dated Schools" Hon. Julius E.
Boggs, Sentiment )" Rev. Bold.
ridge, "Libraries - Hon. Richards,
"Legislative Needs"
Prof. Hughes, of Greenville, had
his school band and the manly little
fellows furnished the music.
The conference met again at 5
O'Clock and such subjects as these
were discussed !: "Local Taxation"
"Better Houses" "Teachers," etc.
DIR. Mann made n short talk, which
was in time. He said that "Ihe
people depended too much on taxes
to keep up the schools. The way to
build up a school was to 90 down
into your pocket" In all my school
work | have never failed, where |
had consolidated interests, to in
prove the schools, even in the poorest
districts. What Oconee needs is not
consolidated schools, but the people
consolidated in the O. II. S. /. a.
Short talks were made by several
present, but Major Glass struck the
knN u,hn, h, IL Al
Superintendent of Education's Office
must be place of honor and an edu-
Gated man to fill it, who will have
control Of our schools as the superin-
tendent of graded schools.
Miss Lena Russell and Rev. Mr..
Moore told of their work in the cam
paign last summer. 1t was great
pleasure to me to meet my co. work.
ers, Miss Russell, Rev. Mr.. Moore,
Miss Whltmire and Miss McDuflie.
Miss Poppenheim told what the club
women had done and were doing.
She was loudly applauded.
One of the speakers said that ohe
wished the day would come when
the children of South Carolina could
be educated without blood money!"
May this day early dawn. Hon. NJ.
f. Ansel said, "We have gone at
this movement wrong. We should
have had conference in each county
and 60 among the people we wish to
teach" After the meeting asked
him if he would come to Oconee :?
"Gladly, back to my old home and
tell the good news" SO, trustees,
invite Mr.. Ansel over and have a
rally.
Thus ended the conference. met
so many nice people and heard so
much good speaking am at loss
to write l. up. And am sure the
editors will be glad to know that the
teachers were asked to put more
stress on spelling and will be glad to
have us, the correspondent, 90 to
school.
The afternoon and early evening
were spent in conversation. | met
Mr.. Reed, who had a lovely basket
OF bead work made by the children
OF his rural school. My greatest
pleasure was to meet Miss Ardelle
Mills, one of my classmates at Agnes
Scott.
| also met a charming woman who
was Daughter of American RevoIu-