The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-09-07
SOUTH CAROLINA COLLEGE.
Scholarships for Men Teachers.

teachers! That is one of the fruits Of
the educational craftsmanship of the
last Legislature. This Legislature at
its FIRST session in 1908 established in
the South Carolina College forty-one
normal scholarships and at its next
session doubled the number of these
scholarships, making two from each
county. This was to provide a new
class, but as not all the hold overs will
return, there will doubtless be as many
as sixty new scholarships awarded this
summer, one in every county and two
to county in many instances. Any
person interested should write to Pres
ident BENJAMIN Sloan or Prof Patter-
son Wardlaw, Columbia, S. G.
Each of these scholarships pays $40
in, money toward living expenses, and
exempts the holder from fee of S1S,
which is exacted of all other students,
and also eSempts from the tuition fee
Of $40, which, however, is remitted to
any student who makes proof of ina
bility:to pay it. lt'admits man en-
tirely free and pays about half of his
board. This muniicenc of the State
is designed primarily to provide better
teachers for the country schools, but
incidentally it aids poor but worthy
young men to obtain a college educa-
tion and Fit themselves for higher
things in life. In order that the schol-
arhsips shall go to this class of Young
men and not be gobbled uplby young
fellows who could go to college with
out the scholarships, the awards are
not made solely with refereoce to the
marks made on the examination,
and men nineteen years Of age and
over are given the preference. This
gives an opportunity to the country
young man, whose technical prepara-
tion may be far less than that of the
ffteen-year-old graduate of town
graded school, bu5 whose maturity
and earnestness are guaranty that
when given an opportunity to study
in college he will pull through and
make man of himself. Preference
is still further given to young men
who have taught school. It is often the
case that young man in the country,
although with poor preparation at
tempts to teach the neighborhood
school For his own sake and for the
sake Of the school he ought to be CIV
en- a better education before he be-
comes settled in a life of inferior work.
Hence the special effort of the author
tiles of the South Carolina college, is
to induce young men teachers who are
i'll prepared for their work to stop nwo
and go to college while they can. The
scholarship men last year were Of the
average age of % 1-3 years. and the
Oldest was SO. It is hoped that such
young men, having already developed
some taste for teaching, and going to
college with definite purpose, will
adhere to teaching as their profes-
sion. If the benefciaries Of these
scholarships were differently selected,
a larger proportion of them would do
as college men so often do, turn their
backs IN the country forever and be-
come professional men in towns and
cities. But where they have previously
committed themselves to public school
work, and then stop and 60 to college
with the idea of fitting themselves for
better work in that iue, there is
strong probability that for the most
part they will return to country school
teaching-a result which will richly
repy the State for its liberal policy in
providing for their training as teach
ers
Each year better salaries are being
paid in the country schools, and for
several years there have been in several
counties country schools which col
lege-bred men of high reputation are
proud to teach. The simplicity, free
DOM and beauty of country life, and
the growing advantages with tele-
phones, mail deliveries, and libraries,
haye peculiar charms for the scholar
and tie thinker. The present indica-
tons are that within this decade coun-
try school teaching in South Carolina
so long held in disrepute-will be
recognized as choice profession. AL
ready six to nine hundred dollars a
year, with little expense for living,
is not an intrequent salary. Professor
Wardlaw's men readily find desirable
places. and tue demand for such men
increases each year.
The course OF study is specially de-
signed TO improve the public schools.
Last year it included, besides the
usual subjects, special instruction IL
pedagogics, physics, nature <tudy, and
drawing. and the conrse for next year
has been enlarged and improved and
viii include sight singing. The stu
dents had the benefit of observation
and practice under critic teacher,
ard next session will practice teach
ing in the Columbia public schools,
hssing the benefit of the supervision
az criticisms of Columbia's best
t.hers.
he better to impress the school
Fit and arouse ne young men to a
Sc of the dignity and magnitude Of
Cir profession, there will be series
80 lectures by leading school superin-
teudents and principals. Thus this
body OF young teachers will combine
theory and practice in their studies,
and every two or three weeks will be
stimulated by special message from
some notable educator fresh from daily
contact with the practical problems of
the sc"ool room.
1t is thus that the College is seeking
to execute the wise plan Of the Legis-
lature for improving the common
schools of the State aud raising the