The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-01


dcrs) Oh one side and Lynchburg on the @
| other. .sts
The last school census shows q school
| population, exclusive of ,Danville, *
! nen,ly $4,000. between the ages Of sever, Eli
! and twenty years, of which ! 900 ai,-sSl
| proximatcly are annually enrolled 5s;eA NJ
| public school pupils, requiring an ex-sl III
pendituro yearly Of $4,000 under present III
conditions and soon to be largely I in T:,ss
| creased. ls58 4! IA sss {$SS 4
10 keep the wheels of this complicated 3ss
machinery we'll oiled and II, active. CON-
| tlnuots operalion--to give the unceasil1 sS3S
| attention required for the multitudinous!a AZ
matters OF even seemingly minor inl--9ss
portance, when otherwise there would be
! ''cnnflslon worse conto,inded"---t arouse MA
! aud maintain an ever working K cnthlli-s'EE&s8
| sInsm n desra BILE esprit de corps--toS@
! harmoni2ct all warning elements and ~ s-3&
! ter an ambition for further growth aiid &AS gS
| better things. & Is at least an inspiring M
1 task but certainly not 4 light dlv version
| or mere recrea ton. Hence to a re flect-s83
ing and intelligent mind, there may be IN
! some measure of pala lion aand exc,l "a.
! for failure to realize at once the highest f
4
1 full armed goddess Minerva from tie 9$$
!! head OF Jupiter, reach the summit % ss
1 hope and advancement along all lnes.g83y
Whatever else may be snld. one tn s55 &
! is true that the objects of the public
.schoo system have been secured TO tho Az
| full extent of means and rcso urccs I'M
(, hand Educational facilities and $advall--ss55
4 !tages have been brought within reachlS
! Of ali tho children. the true ben eficlarie
after al, involved In the scheme. S $a5
I&sIf In any respect conditions exist not $a$
deca ratve or the highest Ideals. they
have beer, due to causes common all elss7
| to all enterprises In their lncipiency and "a
i peculiarly applicable to Virginia when
I public education was inaugurated,$#
scarcely n generation q 60 under clrcu n RIA
!! stances the most fororn and Bunproinls-7ssy
ling, with the desola lions and 5impover.--gs
/ ishmcnts Of whitening war on every
! hand, ana financial and other seemingly
impossible obstacles to remove. 2 ND $
] }4 Coming at once to 1.-THE point however,
4 d special feature OF school progress to- be-
noted in this county for a few years pas tSs
! exists IN the work or establishing graded
| schools, having tosa large extent high
school advant ages. and trying; with more
i marked and extensive success than stnss5
! the past. the consolidation plan, now no SF
Iilonger a theory only. Better buildings
i permitting broader Instruction, more efti- nv
nzed improvements have been the result
Z. In one district bordering on and unit
1 ing with two others a3scomblnation5fWas sF
/ made OF five single schools OF one teacher
4 each into two commodious buildings
j having four rooms In one and three #inSj
the other, and with mn enrollment Of
i from seventy five to one hundred pupils
in each. Ono small district In few
i years past has generously grown FROM
I one graded school into six or seven of al
/ like character, dispensing, 1t Is believed. s3
better Instruction in primary as well asSs
! in more advanced grades, and In cons
/ Portable and not unatyractlve buildings
lin another district building costing
| 81 ESQ with four model rooms furnishedt8
| with patent desks, excellent bacGboar ds ,$s88
| large light bestowing windows, wide hall sSS
] and having three teachers now, and FOUR
! soon to be required. when the enrolment
shall be one hundred and fifty. or more u
pupils. The graded school coming up.
! II possible, to the high school sta ndard.8
! and added thereto, the combination o,.sS
consolidation idea, have always appeal ed
very strongly to the writer as nnea suresR Il
| or sound school policy and true roads Of
educational progress. Hence. Efforts i!
have been by him employed notably in5
! that direction, with the strong sympathy,s9
co-operntlonGand able assistance OF highly's
| intelligent and representative ntysandFs
district school boards with the helpful
and potent encouragement Of SCHOLARLY
and progressive teachers and the broad-Ss
minded of all classes. Ey;8a
Tho graded and high school both, III
far from weakening the primary Grad es ,6s
ana that elementary instruction which
| constitutes the foundation stones and M
pillars OF all public or private system of
education. really, vastly and inmeasur- "a
| u bly, improves It. Such classes OF Schools
| when attaining efficiency. mean ncces-Ij
sarily the very best primary schools In n
connection with and as part and parcel,
thereof, Let no one BIO frightened. tllore-.sd
fore, by the absurd idea that when one
| Is mentioned the other Is neglected. i.
To use an oft-quotcd expression wth-Br
out Latinizing It,. "the possession of the
\ one,' in such case, is not the cxclu-S#
sion Of tho other" but It may be justly,
and correctly concluded that In every
such instance there is union of both to-
! the beauty and strength Of each and ~
! their enlarged and blended symmetry
| like the answered roots, trunk ana 4
branches OF tho perfect tree. When the
boy or girl plodding through language III
| literature science and mathematics n is ~
found In such Il school, not far off UNDER
the same roof perhaps, can be infalliblys.
| located the more youthful primer STUDENT
or hopeful deliver in the mysteries Of good
| spelling, reading, writing and fraction S
work with the incentive ever present TO II
push onward and upward, like theg8
Athenian youth In tho Olympia games to- l
the higher goal and acme OF noble desire
No higher model for public school
establishment and adoption can be found q
than the city graded high school. BY
such school only can educational advan,S
tages In town and country be eqpalized,
and the youthful residents Of each be-
placed upon similar footing, IN
ii the question OF distance and geo-
graphical hindrances could he overcome,
no necessity would exist for the singla8
school, however in the past and now, ~
in fact filling Il most gracious and useful
purpose and mission. but every school
building would represent q college In 81
miniature plan, arrangement and benefitssk
offered Continued effort. 1t Is SUBJ 4
mitted, In that direction. though by no.
| means the only Important one, Is the#;
| key-note. the .Aladdtn's lamp to puh-$$'
| lie school progress, sss
4, \ 3