The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-10-18
What is the Woman's Association
for the Betterment of Public
Sch00IS2

Four years ago the average public
school house in our State was described
by one of our prominent Southern edu-
Gators, Mr.. Charles l.. Coon, as "a shah
bily-built board structure one story high,
with six small windows, three on either
side and a door in one end. There are no
blinds, no curtains and no table. The
desks are straight-backed, homemade
ones, and the wood stove is red with rust
and neglect. The children, their books,
and the general appearance of the place
inside and out is. anything but at
tractive."
Evidently this was not the place for
child-life to flourish and develop into
the highest type of intelligent citizen
ship.
No wonder the small boy preferred
playing truant, rather than pass the
long day amid such surroundings.
At this time out of the 1904 school dis
tricts in our State, $40 were without
school houses of any description, and 829
were mere log huts.
. The time had come for something to
be done. Then it was that God planted
q seed in the great heart of DIR. Charles
McIver, which terminated and burst
into thought. On March 20, 1902, at his
call, several hundred young women of
the State Normal and Industrial College
met and formulated plans which resulted
in the organization of The Woman's As
ISOLATION for the Betterment of Public
School Houses.
At the first meeting in April Governor
Aycock and State Superintendent JOY
ner were present and endorsed heartily
it's plans and purposes.
The significance of this organization
was recognized at once, and public
spirited women all over the State has
tened to enlarge it's enrolment. Tired
teachers and earnest county s~uperintend-
ents awoke to the realization that the
educational force that had just sprung
into existence would enable them to do
the important part of their work that
before they had been unable to do alone
When the session had closed the stu
dents of the State Normal went to their
homes carrying the thought their presi-
| dent had impaired to them of awakening
| the. women of the Old North State in
the interest of this needed reform OF
making attractive and habitable the
| school-houses of their State.
Miss Florida Morris came to Hender.
son County and organized u County
| Association.
Our State president has summarized
the purposes of The Woman's Associa
ton as being f%our-fold: l. To Interest
the patrons of the public schools in tn
condition of the houses in which tn
children spend so much of their time. z
To make the school-house the center Q.
the social life in the community in which
it is located. 3. To make the school
house the model of cleanliness and beauty
for each home therein represented. 4
To cultivate a love for the beautiful II
the children of the State.
As to what the Association is doing II
Henderson County, may be seen from tn
following report compiled from the re
ports of the teachers, and with the az
Of our worthy superintendent, MI. M
ID. Kay.
While all that has been accomplished
is not attributed directly to the Assocla
ton, yet the interest manifested is trace
back to the inspiration of the organize
ton: