davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
Danbufy,
SURRY COUNTY.

The schools in Surry county are
rapidly improving. In the last few
years they have taken on new life. A
wave of educational enthusiasm has
been for the last four or five years
sweeping over this county. Interest
has been aroused. Parents and pa
this most important essential of civic
welfare.
Much has been done: much more
remains TO be done. In 1903 there was
paid out for schools for all purposes
S12.942.11; in 1904 $15,176.36 in
1905 $19,60l.57, showing average in
crease each year of over three thou
sand dollars. During the last four
years little over twelve thousand
dollars have been expended for build
ing new school houses, and thirty
seven new buildings, neatly and COM
fortably arranged have been erected
Contracts are now outstanding for
eleven new school houses. which when
completed will secure to every child
in Surry county a comfortable school
house within easy reach. Since good
school houses have been built and the
average daily attendance of pupils in
creased, the question of local taxation
has been the subject of considerable
agitation, and as a result two cleo
tons are called for the month Of
August. Iliteracy has been reduced
eleven per cent. between the ages of
II and 81 years within the last four
years On the whole we are doing
well.
j. H. ALLEN
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
UNION COUNTY.

For the past twelve or fifteen years
there has been a steady and a really
fine progress in the educational deVel-
opment of Union county. At present
that progress is more marked than
ever, rests upon a broader basis and is
touching the life of the county at more
points. For the period named the
county has been noted for the several
splendid nigh schools within her Dor
ders. The influence of these schools
has been far-reaching and of noble
effect. According to population, this
county has doubtless been sending as
many students to the several colleges
as any county in the State. These
students have been well prepared, and
the proportion of graduates to matric-
ulate has been high. OF course these
secondary schools effected for the good
the public schools of the county.
But the present progress is, as
stated, on q broader basis splendid
as these schools have done and are
yet doing their work. While their
work goes on, not only unmolested,
but continually increasing the pres
ent significant fact is the new and
great interest in the public schools.
In the establishment of the great idea
of local taxes for the support of the
rural schools, this county is a pio-
neer, having been the very first county
in the State in which such a tax was
levied. Now there are eight schools
of this kind in the county, besides the
splendid graded school in Monroe. The
idea of local tax is working among the
people themselves, and it is significant
of the character of the work going on
in this county that no speech has ever
been made on the subject in this coun-
ty by a man from the outside of the
county In all the districts it is sought
to get the people themselves to take
1.-THE initiative and to carry on the work.
This may be q little slower but it is
more satisfactory. The schools that
do levy this tax are not the only ones
that take great interest in the work.
and in which the cause is bright. In
a great many of the other districts
subscription money is put in by the
people to supplement the public funds,
and in the past two years l have
known number OF schools to be
maintained for from six to ten months
Of the year by private subscription for
the most part, yet run as free schools
to which every child in the district
was cordially welcome whether his
father was able to pay anything or
not.
In the work of building new school
houses the county is ~oin : forward.
We are borrowing literally of the
States loan fund for this purpose. We
have lately erected or have in course
Of erection as many as seven modern
school buildings to be occupied by
two or more teachers, and with from
two to five rooms. This work is also
being largely suppleI ented by private
subscription The Womans Associa-
ton for the Betterment of School
houses has begun a good work 1der
the direction of its excellent pfesi-
dent, Miss Pearl Rodman. The cause
is very bright in Union.
f. F. BEASLEY
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
BURKE COUNTY.

The tide of education in Burke is
rising. In Morganton the graded
school has eleven teachers and over
four hundred children in school Dur
ing the coming year a new building al
cost of not less than ten thousand
dollars. will be erected Out in the
county there are fifty-five white
schools and ten colored, Much has
been done towards consolidating the
districts. Several schools have two
teachers. Also n number of new
houses have been built The old log
house with no light no desks, and no
equipment, will soon be thing OF
the past.
Most of our teachers are ladies. we
are now paying $35 per month to
those who have first grade certificates.
Twenty schools are now in session. The
attendance is better than usual. We
want and mean to have an "educa-
tional revival in Burke. TO this
end. the county superintendent in Wis
iting the schools. is preaching "educa-
ton" to the children and especially
to the fathers and mothers who come
out to hear.
In township rallies we mean to talk
local taxation until we have a six
months school in every district.
Respectfully,
r. L. PATTON,
County Superintendent.
August s. 1908
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13

Warren County may reasonably
claim some little progress along edu-
cational lines. We have a school, of
constitutional limit within reasonable
access to all the children of both races,
and the enrolment and daily average
attendance compare favorably with
the average of the State.
We have organized and will have
in operation the present school year
five special tax districts, with improv-
ed school buildings and grounds, better
equipments, and terms heightened to
about double the constitutional limit.
Several other. communities lengthen
the continuance of their schools by
voluntary subscription, while others
are quietly canvassing the question OF
Special Tax, but are awaiting develop
ments of those districts already or
ganiZed.
There is, among the whites, a de-
cided tendency towards better and
more comfortable buildings. with more
tasteful and attractive environments,
a better equipped teaching force and
longer terms for their schools.
The great need of our public schools
today is better teachers. those who
have an interest in the work far be-
yond the few dollars that are in it.
These cannot be had until we have
lonPer terms and better pay. My expe-
rience and observation warrant the
conclusion that the average salary OF
the public school teachers, meager az
it Isl is more than the service they are
capable of rendering is worth.
The only remedy l can see is more
money for more time and more teach
ers.
NAT ALLEN,
County SUPERINTENDENT
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
ONSLOW COUNTY.

In the year 1S4S Leonard G.. Wood
ward, of the State of PENNSYLVANIA,
came to the little town of Richlands
Onslow county, and assumed the prin-
cipalship of what has since been
known as the Richland's High School,
and for more than thirty years labor
ed for the educational advancement OF
the county, and was subsequently cleo
ed Onslow's first County Superintend-
ent.
Those days We're the days of the log
school house and the itinerant School
teacher, but these things were not TO
remain so. These crude buildings
were to be replaced by more attractive
and comfortable ones, properly light
ed, heated and ventilated. The old
time school master must resign to
give place to more efficient trainers TO
and it was soon seen that no person
need aspire to the office of County Su-
perintendent unless he be a master OF
he profession. Hardly had this great
work begun when this great and good
man who had left his home ana
friends to come and spend a life of
labor and love among strangers. was
called to his reward, and 1t seemed
that Onslow had lost the only man
capable of leadership in this grea,
work, and profound sorrow re1gned
in every home in this little common
wealth.
But Onslow, as ever, always fertile
in the expedients set about to hnd
a leader in this great work, and IN
the person of DR.. F.. w. Ward found
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
ASHE COUNTY

Perhaps in no county in the State
can more substantial progress along
educational lines be shown than in
Ashe county. Judge O. "a Allen in
his charge to the grand jury, at a
recent term of our superior court
counted upon the Imprisonment of
school houses. he had noticed since
his last visit to our county and con-
graduated our people upon the prog
rese made.
Since the present superintendent
took charge nine school houses have
been erected. costing from $500 70
$4,000. All built in accordance
with the plans approved by the State
superintendent. In every instance,
districts have been enlarged or two
or more small districts consolidated
Before this year closes a number of
consultations will be effected, and
modern houses built. 1t is the aim
of our superintendent to build a first
class house in every district in the
county during the next two years and
consolidate districts wherever prac-
ticable.
We have one local tax district and
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
CATAWBA COUNTY.

Within the past four years much
progress has been made in public
school education in CataWba county.
The school districts have been re-
arranged so as to secure compactness
of territory and convenience in loca-
ton for the children. Almost all of
the old school houses have been re-
moved. and modern, comfortable
frame buildings erected in their place.
The annual school term has been
heightened until at present there is
an average of almost four and one
half months school each winter
Scientific methods of training have
been introduced into the school room,
and the teachers have been organized
into an association. the aim of which
is TO secure the latest and most prac-
teal methods of education
Six graded schools have recently
been started in the county. Their
work has been most satisfactn''- in
every way Commodious building
have been erected for all of them,
and competent corps of teachers have
been secured for the work.
The percentage of illiteracy has
been very much reduced. many school
districts reporting not one illiterate
child of school age.
r. r. WILLIAMS.
County Supt of Schools.
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
s(Continued from page thirteen.)

eoard, thus necessitating that the
,eacher demand a higher salary. If
he patrons would only have the prop
er interest in their schools the would
see that their schoo! should not be
lessened for q cause of this kind.
Two years ago our people had failed
to avail themselves of the opportuni-
ty of securing libraries as provided for
by act OF the Legislature. The first
act providing for libraries had passed
out of date and we had not secured
one library BY agitating the ques-
ton, we had taken all the law would
allow US when the last Legislature
met and had an additional application
pending. We are now entitled to four
more, which l am sure we will have
taken when the Legislature meets
again.
Our school houses have been in the
past sadly neglected. The greatest
work before the people and the Board
of Education is the building and re-
pairing of school houses. We have
constructed, and in course of con-
struction, nine new houses, one of
which is to cost $4,000; another about
$4,000. We have q few districts yet
without houses, but the Board of Edit
cation, with the aid of the loan
fund is rapidly making these districts
less.
Our immediate needs are good
houses for all of the districts not so
provided; consolidation of few dis
tricts; local tax in many districts;
Graded schools in Beaufort and More
head City.
L. B. EMMETT.
County Supt. Of Schools.
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
ANsON COUNTY.

The Board of Education has re-
formed the school districts of the en-
tire county during the last year. re-
ducing the same in number from
So to Al, with 40 or ga per
cent. increase of area and number of
children to each school and less than
one per cent of the children of the
county as far as two and one-half
miles from a centrally located house,
which they are now trying to furnish
for each district, and will have COM
pleted by the opening of the next
school term eleven new houses, cost
ing forty three hundred dollars, built
as near as practicable, upon plans
furnished by the State Superintendent
of Public Instruction. One of these
new formed districts has recently
voted on the question of helping the
State to educate it's children, with the
result of a unanimous vote for thirty
cents on the hundred dollars of prop
erty and ninety cents on the poll for
this purpose. The foregoing most
prominently marks the progress of
public education in this county.
j. M. WALL Supt
Wadesboro. N. c.. July rs, 1906.
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13

one no less efficient than the first
who by his zeal and energy substanti-
ally improved the educational system
of the county.
A few years later Hon. Franz
Thompson, a young man full OF nope.
and ambitious for the future OF his
people, for six years at very great
sacrifice, assumed this high and re-
sponsibe position and dur1ns
no period in the history or
the county has greater strides along
educational lines, been made.
After this wise administration, Hon.
E. M. Koonce, then a public school
teacher, who had won distinction III
the schools of his county was called
to the head of the public school sys-
tenn. and it can be truthfuliy said that
no more faithful pilot ever stood 10
the wheel than he. Mr.. A w. Cooper
was next elected County Superlnteni-
ent of schools and under his admins
tration many substantial improve
mentS were made.
Onsow is in perfect harmony with
the States educational policy bel1eV-
ing that better school houses. more
efficient teachers and better SUI
pervision is the great educational
trinity.
Practically four districts were re-
Gently consolidated at Richlands and a
the loan fund have erected very
handsome two thousand dollar build
ing. This district will have a school
population of more than three nun
dred.
Jacksonville, the county seat, has al
SO voted special tax, and, notWlth-
standing, that they have already
very commodious building. they ex-
pect to do some very substantial re-
pairs, and expect the school to start
soon under most favorable circum-
stances.
There is now pending an election
for Special Tax at Sneads Ferry ana
will be carried beyond question. Oth
ers were expected to follow in the work
of these places until every district IN
the county becomes a Special Tax Dis
trict.
The enrolment for 1904 and 1905
was greater perhaps than ever before,
as also was the average attendance.
The average salary of both white
and colored teachers has very greatly
increased, as has also a higher grade
of work been done in the schools. ON
slow truly desires a place in the fore
front in this great work.
w. M. THOMPSON, County Supt.
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
STOKES COUNTY.

few years ago a great many of
our school nou eg in Stokes county
were very inferior log cabins-very
uncomfortable and inefficient. Now
nearly all of the old log houses have
been abolished and larger districts
formed by consolidation of small dis
tricts, and good, comfortable, we'll
lighted frame houses have taken tho
places OF nearly all OF the old time
los huts.
During the past school year we had
four log houses in use in this county
The Board of Education had fourteen
frame school buildings erected during
the past two years. This school year
will witness the going out of use OF
the last log cabin school house in this
county.
We have eleven rural libraries and
money raised for the twelfth one. One
of our libraries has been supplement
ed. These rural libraries are a great
help to the children in communitier
in which they are located. Our school
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
MCDOWELL COUNTY.

We feel that the cause of education
il making considerable progress in
two years the number of local tax
districts for schools has increased
from one to four. The Number of ru-
raj libraries from 0 to T. The a
erage daily attendance was increased
Ia per cent over the proceeding year.
he grade Of work which is being
done by the teachers is improving
We have had IL educational cam
paign speeches made in this county
y the leading educators Of the state.
T.. r. SANS.
County Superintendent
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
CARTERET COUNTY.

One of our greatest problems is that
of attendance. OF those who enron
in the public schools only about eO
per cent. are regular attendants. of
the census of the district taught this
past year there was an enrolment OF
seventy-two per cent. and an average
attendance of forty-five per cent. rms
is an Improvement over previous
years.
By the aid of the State our schools
have been heightened in the past four
years from term of sixty-tWo to
seventy-four days.
The scarcity of teachers and cost
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
PITT COUNTY.

Few counties in the State have
shown the educational awakening ana
progress that Pitt county has in the
past few years. The county is large
one and its topography is such that
it has necesstated the having of
large number of school districts. In
spite of this. however. the school term
has continued to lengthen until now
it has reached nearly six months.
There are nearly 5000 white children
in the county of school age, and about
the same number of negroes. The
school affairs of the county have been
wisely managed. The Board of Edu-
cation has had some of the best, and
most practical business men of the
county upon it. The Board at pres
emf consists of A. G. Cox, l.. c. Arthur
and B, NJ Whitehurst. and no county
ever had a more level-headed, pro-
eressiye board than this is. The work
under them seems just beginning to be
what it should be. Two years ago
they were wise enough to employ the
County Superintendent for all of his
time and require him to give all of
his time. for which they pay him
living salary. The present Superin
tendent. w. Fl. Ragsdale, has had
charge of the work continuously for
the past fourteen years. and almost
every citizen of the county would JON
in saying that no county has ever nad
q more progressive. wise. active, COM
petent and up-to-date superintendent
that he has been. He has recently
been reelected for the next two years,
and the work therefore. is assured or
continued growth for this time. In
county where there are so many ne
groes there is sentiment against local
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13

taxation, and yet in the face of this
the county has gone forward along
this line, II was one of the first coun-
ties in the East to establish local tax
districts. There are now five local tax
districts in which are included nearly
one-third Of the children of the coun-
ty, thereby putting about one-third of
the children Of the county in graded
schools. In each one of these dis
tricts there is a graded school employ
ing "a competent superintendent with
from three to seven additional teach
ers. Two years ago there was not
single public school in the county with
more than one teacher in the school.
Now there are eight schools with from
two to eight teachers in each school.
There is something like $4,000 col
lected in local tax districts.
There are about twenty rural libra
ries IN the county and there would
have been twice this number but for
the limit fixed for the State appro-
priation for these.
At least thirty new houses have been
built in the past few years. The value
Of white school property in the county
now being something like 100000.
Last year seven hundred dollars was
spent in painting the rural school
houses and Il number more will be
painted during the present year The
number Of districts has been reduced
by consolidation in almost every place
where it was practicable to do SO. One
hundred and five white teachers were
employed in the county last year.
There We're only three white teachers
in the schools last year that held
second grade certificate. The salaries
of these teachers averaged $500 Tor
ladies. and $65 for the males.
The county has held in the past
four years three teachers institutes
with not less than one hundred and
thirty teachers in the smallest one.
and in the one held this year there
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
STANLY COUNTY.

Our people as a Whole are much
interested in public education. They
are planning for better houses, better
teachers and better schools.
The rural people are becomln2
much more in favor of the public
school than they were five or ten years
ago
We have no large towns and SO only
one graded school, but all of our vii
ages succeed in having a school for
at least eight months in the year.
We hope that our people will soon
become sufficiently interested in edu-
cation to vote speciaI taxes for schoo
purposes.
The development of the county in
the past five years has been such that
the money appropriated to public
education apart from the special ap-
preparations frcm the State has, in
sound numbers, increased from $4,000
to $4,000, not including fines, etc.
The value Of school property Che
longing to the county, has increased
in five years from 1920 to 1868 dol
lars, including white and colored.
The census shows a decrease in the
number of white children, 375, but an
increase in the number of colored
children ia.
The average attendance Of the white
children for the past five years has
been increased between Z and per
cent. The colored has been increased
about 20 per cent. The average of the
whites being better at the beginning OF
the past five years than the colored.
In that time eleven new houses
have been built for the whites and
one for the colored. We have de-
creased the number of districts from
76 to 81. We hope thus to be able
to increase the efficiency OF oul
schools without increasing the cost.
This gives some idea of our schools
in Stanly. Press of time keeps Us
from saying more.
F.. F. EDDINS,
CnnrafU S11na1.i11f Inr1f
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13

in point of wealth, will compare
faVorabI with other counties; but
there is no large concentration OF
wealth, as there are not large towns
in the county. This makes it impos-
sible for the schools of the county to
have more than four months term in
the year In view of this fact the
present Superintendent, John c. Ho-
cult while making further improve
ments of buildings, is making efforts,
partially successful, to lengthen the
school term by private subscription.
Some schools now run six months
and others run eight months. Some
schools, indeed, have been doing this
for years past.
Mention should be made of the
fact that some of our schools have
extended the course of study, ana
are preparing students for college
This county has only one school tru-
RAID sustained, in part, by local taxa
ton.
AS the public is dissatisfied with
present attainments, the future is
hopeful.
JOHN G. HOCUTT,
Co Supt of Schools.
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
AILEGHANY COUNTY.

The close of the Civil War found
our little mountain county in a de-
plorable condition. as it now presents
itself to me. Nearly all of our best
Young men We're left lying on the
battlefield: and the county filled with
widows and orphans. Property gone,
and almost every disadvantage con-
fronted us: and worse than all this,
by reason of our isolated condition,
bad men We're found. sought refuge
here, who were disloyal to the coun-
try, that gave them birth.