Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-08-10

WOulu DC greater ana SlcaulcT.
Experience shows this TO be true.
The whole community is affected
by the establishment of good
high school. whether 1t be under
public or private auspices. (2) 1t
goes without saying that it would
multiply the number of high
school students. The following
figures are taken from the report
of the Uuited States Commissioner
of Education: School population of
Virginia, 104,7T1; of New York,
ALAG, 764 about three times that
of Virginia. Number of high
schools in Virginia, 81: i'm New
York, 1913. Number of high-School
students in Virginia, 4, 1922; in New
York. so, 735. These figures show
that although the school population
was only three times as great in
New York, vet there were six times
as many high schools, and sixteen
times as many students is in Nir-
ginia, or to put it differently, about
one child out of every 175 of the
school population of Virginia as in
the high school, while one child out
of every thirty-five is in the high
schools of New York. (3) This ex-
plains the small attendance upon
our colleges in Virginia. Our
colleges are dependent to-day very
largely upon training schools, at
tendance upon which costs from
$3.50 to $500 per year. The num-
Der attending such schools is limit
ed, and so the supply is limited.
Should there be system of dis
trict high schools the supply
would be increased ten-fold and
the halls of our colleges would be
filled with well-trained students.
ca The teaching force in the pri-
marx and grammar schools would
be greatly improved, as thousands
of teachers who now have no adj
vantageS for preparations beyond
the grammar-schOol grades would
then get good high-school training.
| believe, therefore, that Nir-
ginia's greatest educational need
to-day Is the establishment of 4
system of high schools, which shall
bring high-school training within
the reach of every ambitious child,
The State is distributing about
II, 900. 900 to the counties for the
primary and grammar grades. The
State appropriated close to $500, OOC
at the past session of the LegiSla
ture for schools. which requires the
expenditure of $50 TO $3.50 tC
secure their advantages. and rcgu
larly apprOpriates about $4,000
annually for the same schools. Is
too much to insist that the time
has come when the children who
cannot 90 from home To schoo
shall have some money appropri
ated for their special benefit 1t i
too much 10 claim that money spen
at this point will tone up the lower
grades of work, and greatly affec
the quality of work and the mum
Der of students in our higher insti
buttons, and greatly improve tn
efficiency of the teaching force O
the State.
What stands in the way of tn
establishment of such a system
The lack of money. How shall W
get it!
CD The State should aid. Tn
Legislature should provide tina
every district which will provide
suitable building and apprOpriat
asmuch as $500 for the maintenance
of strictly high-schoOl work, tn
standard to be tested by the Stat
| Board, shall receive an equa
amount from the State for tn
same purpose. This is placing tn
high-schOol work on a similar foot
ing with the lower and the highe
educational work. Both are largel
helped by the State. And this stin
illus is necessary in many con
munities.
The writer, in conjunction wit
Captain Frank Brent, prepared
bill, which was introduced in tn
House by Mr.. Ould, and in tn
Senate by Judge Mann. The biI
was fully discussed before the Com
mittee on Public Institutions
speeches being made by Captain
Brent, DR.. y. NJ. Page, of tn
University; DIR. F. V. Painter, O
Roanoke College; DR.. f. w. Boat
wright, of Richmond College; Prof
X. II. Bennett, of RandoIph-Macon
and the writer. Letters were reat