The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-11-15

high school course and doing fou
years high school work: the Sum q
three hundred dollars, each schoo
having a three years high sehoo
course and doing three years higl
scho) u work; the sum OF two hund'
red dollars each year to each schot
having a two years high school cours'
and d. ing two years high school worl
Provided that money 80 Appropriated
to any high school shall be used t,
increase the efficiency Of the high
sceool: Provided further, that thu
total amount of the apportionmen1
and expenses under this Act shall moi
xoeed ten tn u and dtlals In each
year"
Som7 Ct the States provide only ont
high school to the c:uuty. Some pro
vide for as many as seven In one coun'
ty, and some provide for the organi
z1tion of a high school in any terri
tory larger than q township. Oh
course I should net favor State aid tc
any high school unless the commuli.
ty, township or county should be vii.
ling to admit boys and girls free Of
tuition from the county In which the
school Is located. Ia order to encour.
age local effort and initiative, 1 think
the law should provide State aid to
any territory as great or greater than
the township which would make a
special lew for high school purposes.
This levy need not be large. II some
counties which would gladly take ad-
vantage OF a law Of this kind a halt
mill would be amply sufficient; and l
do not believe that any county wcu'd
need more than one mill for this pur.
pose, The vigorous and successful
tfJrts Of several enterprising com.
munities In this State to raise funds
to get the Presbyterian C,llege, now
located at Clinton, clearly shows that
such citiss and towns are ready and
ripe for the building Of first class
high schools With local and boarding
patronage.
As intimated already, the high
school has received very great enoour.
agement in the middle and far West.
The next few years Will witness great
development In this line in the South.
I should like very much to see the
South Carolina Legislature take the
lead in developing a first class system
of high schools. Georgia will soon
makes move in this direction. The
Georgia University has already &C
copied the offer Of the general educa-
tion board to pay half Of the, salary Of
the of1ser who will devote half Of bis
time to the inspection and classified.
tion Of such high school work as Is al.
ready being done in that State. Prof.
Joseph S. Stewart has already visited
every section Of Georgia as an inspec
tor Of this work. He has prepared
an excellent pamphlet which clearly
shows the conditions and plainly re.
veals the need of the development Of
a high school system. I have no
doubt the Georgia Legislature will
rise to the emergency. AS is shown
by the North Dakota law, this work
can be started on q comparatively
small appropriation. A majority OF
the high schools would have a three
years course Of study. Under the law
they get three hundred dollars aid.
South Carolina gives nearly twice as
much to feed, clothe and educate six.
ty eight boys with scholarships in a
State Callege, as North Dakota does
to encourage a system Of high schools
which prepares several Thousand boys
and girls for college. It seems to me
to be rank folly for the State to give
one Thousand dollars to feed and
clothe one boy and give him a col.
lege education, when that thousand
dollars might be used to encourage
the establishment of a high school
which would prepare a hundred boys
for college in the same length Of time.
If you will give a boy such prepare.
tory advantages as will get him ready
for college, In nine cases out Of ten he
will work to feed and elothe himself
while in college; nor should we forget
the vast amount of work along scien
tifc, commercial and Industrial lines,
which can be done in these high
schools to prepare boys who do not
get to 20 to college for life. I know
of no possible legislation that would
be mbre far. reaching with Its good
influences upon our educational sys'
tenn that the enactment of a good
high school low.