The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1906-02-14
Louisiana School Review.

Louisiana Schoo! Review.
In the November number of the
School Review we had a few things
to say about how the local paper and
the public school can help each other.
and also how the School Review
might in Some measure be used as a
. means of unifcation and cOncentra-
ton OF the separate forces exerted in
the local press of the State along
educational lines. Since that time a
great many good and kind newspapers
from all parts of the State have
found their way into our sactum and
have brought plenty of evidence to
warrant a still more hopeful prospect
OF the good to be accomplished
through them in the manner sugge sted.
we find that many of them are Civ
ing generous space to school matters
every week-bOth for news and for
editorial matter. By doing this
regularly they cultivate in their
readers as we'll as in themselves the
habit of seeing the things that are
going on in school affairs. There are
some few papers one might read
frequently without having his atten-
ton drawn to school matters at all
not, perhaps, because there is no
school work going on at the place,
but because the community has fallen
into the habit of not noticing it-as
when patrons, for example, seldom
or never visit the school. 1t is for
the local newspaper to break up this
neglect and disregard of what ought
to be the most important function in
the community's life.
We are also quite gratifed to find
that a considerable number of editors
had taken occasion to look over the
School Review, while several of them
reproduced some of it's things, and
n or two eve wen so far as To |
give US a word of commendation-l
just to keep up the balance Of "halfI
and half" Eat we ell requiv~for the
test results.
Part Of our idea in attempting to
stir up in greater measure the local
publication Of school matters is this:
that the School Reviews aim is, as
its name implies, to review the schools
OF the State, presenting 70 all the
current history of each, and stimulat-
ing each with knowledge of the others.
If every parish paper, then. would
adopt a school column somewhat like
Of the Marksville New Enter
prise, or of several others we might
name), this portion of the School
Reviews work would be simplifed-
and, in return, the value of each local
would be enhanced. its
home school encouraged and its in
fluence for good augmented.
A second purpose in our mind in
this matter is to set up reciprocal
with our brethen of the
press, to exchange with them, to note
their good things, their brave stands,
their smashing and martial manner in
handling public questions, to COM
ment on them-saying, this rage was
T. thelmain, that acquiescence
in general, to glory and
suffer with them in the way . brother
editor ought to do.
And, besides, we are firmly con-
that the press is the great
Whatever can be done to
forward the interests and increase
the circulation of the home paper is
an act of education for the home
We once heard q great edu-
Gator say that the greatest task of the
schools shall have been performed
when we have taught the children
enough to enable them to read the
paper. And this strikes home like q
when one hears such a
as we heard recently from a
superintendent at q Teachers Insti.
on q certain rural free
delivery route leading from the town
in which the speaker was-a route
along which approximately 1000
people live-only thirteen newspapers
in all were delivered to that whole
This statement suggests
IN important line of inquiry: Why is
the circulation OF our local papers
no larger? Cannot the schools do
to stimulate more reading?
Cannot we help the schools in that