The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1905-12-02
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
Suot. w. w. StockstiIl Makes Com
ment Upon Recent Scnool Report.

notice running In your paper a re-
port emanating from this Office, pub
lished by order of the Board of Super
visors. This is special report, and,
not knowing what the information was
wanted for, the same was made and
handed in without comment. I now
take this opportunity to offer comment
thereon.
In the first place, the figures in col
umn one does not represent the total
county. Three years ago the enumera-
tion made by the assessor showed 3741
white educable children in the county
outside of separate districts, and there
is no doubt that the number now is
much in excess of the official enumera-
ton. Hence, about the only purpose
the figures in column one serve is
| to show the relative number of pupils
in each district and the approximate
percentage of enrolment.
In the next place, the percentage Of
enrolment does not appear SO small
when we take into consideration the
fact that the legal school age is from
five to twenty-one; whereas the actual
school age is from five to about fifteen.
An examination of the records will show
that very few pupils go to school after
they pass the age of fifteen. In fact,
they begin to drop out of school at
about the age of twelve. This shows
conclusively that we must accomplish
whatever we hope to do for a majority
of children before they reach the age of
fifteen,
The average attendance is indeed very
unsatisfactory and shows the appalling
Indifference of many people to the well
fare of their children. But when we
take into consideration everything that
influences attendance, we also find that
these figures are not as unsatisfactory
as they otherwise might have been.
The past year was one of the most un-
favorable ones for good attendance that
l have known during my eleven years
connection with the public schools.
During the winter there was an unusual
rainfall, which kept the roads in a very
bad condition and the small streams not
crossed by bridges impossible for many
days at time. During the spring and
summer several communities were in
fected with small pox, which sadly in
terfered with the attendance. Towards
the close of the summer term the yellow
fever scare and the quarantine literally
broke up several schools. In two in
stances we had the ridiculous spectacle
of a teacher quarantined away from the
school house. Hence, it will be seen
that there were causes for the poor at
tendance other than those which are
natural under ordinary circumstances
and conditions.
The two main causes of irregular at
tendance are lack of interest on the part
of the parents and poor teaching. The
secondary causes in the order of their
Importance are poorly equipped and un-
comfortable school houses, distance from
the school house, bad roads and bad
weather. The two primary causes have
each about the same influence upon at
tendance. For instance, good teacher
will arouse greater interest among the
patrons, and lively interest manifested
by the patrons will sometimes stimulate
teacher to do better work. A full sup
ply of good teachers and better houses
are the two most essential needs in our
school system today.
The average length of term was five
months and seven days. The sole cause
of the failure of all the schools to run
six months was the scarcity Of teachers.
Teachers could not be secured for many
of the summer schools early enough to
teach six months before the scholastic
year closed. But few of them opened
on time; hence nearly all lost time in
the beginning, and in several instances
the teachers quit before the schools
closed, and others could not be found to
finish the terms. Only five out of a to-
tai of twenty-five white summer schools
ran the full term. The time lost by the
others ranged from five days to three
months. Hence, every day lost by any
school reduced the length of the term,
and decreased the total days of attend
ance. This shows that the first logical
step to be taken in the improvement of
I the county schools is to increase the
supply of home teachers.
1t will be noticed taat the report in
question was not required by law, and
the question has often occurred to me
what was the purpose Of the Board in
calling for and publishing the same. If
it was to try to arouse a greater interest
in educational matters and to try to i'm
prove existing conditions, then l give it
my unqualified approval. But if it was
to try to justify some previous action of
the Board, or to try to show that the
Board is providing more literally for
the schools than it ought. taking into
consideration the interest manifested by
patrons, then | cannot too strongly ex-
press my disapproya.. 1t is true that
our people are not manifesting the in
terest in schools that they ought; and I
have no excuses to offer for the man who
neglects to give his children the educa-
ton that the State has placed within