The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1906-03-10

such an interest in an education
that nothing can hold them
back. This is matter for your
serious consideration. Every
county ought to have at least
one free high school.
1t is said that towns are build
ing up at the expense of farm
ing interests of the country. |
am President of the school board
at Prescott; we have as good a
free school, in my judgment, as
there rs in the state. The great
trouble with us is that our school
! is crowded. The farmers are
moving to town in order to send
their children to school, the
schools in the country are not
sufficient. Your children in the
country on the farm are entitled
to the same benefits as the child
rem who live in the towns and it
was never intended that one
locality should be given an adj
vantage over another. | earn
estly insist that you will insist
upon your representatives doing
something along this line. For
the last ten years | have been
trustee of the University of Ar
kansas, at Fayetteville, and
while in that position | have seen
the many defects of the free
school system.
Bright boys have come to that
school with the hope and expec-
tation of entering the Freshman
class, but alas. when they get
there and undertake to stand the
examination. they find that the
little school in the country was
deficient. They had spent part
of their lives without the proper
training and all because the lit
tie country school runs only
three, four and five months in
the year; not enough time to fin
ish the grade and the boy or girl
is lulled into the belief that they
are getting along all right, but
when it is too late they find out
the mistake.
Of course, those of you who
are able, can send your children
to town to school and pay their
tuition and board or send them
off to schools like the one at Bod
cav, Nevada County, the one at
Amity, Clark County, or to. the
two schools at Arkadelphia, but
those of you who are not able
must keep your children at the
little country school and the re-
suit is, that they are always be-
hind.
Another great defect in the
present free school system is that
the country is cut up into too
many little school districts, more
territory ought to be thrown to-
gether, the districts made larger,
school funds would be greater,
longer terms could be taught and
better teachers employed. One
great mistake that is made
along the line of teachers is that
teachers are employed by the
directors when they hold second
and third grade certificates. I'm
der the present free school sys-
TEN the branches that are re-
quired to be taught in the COM
mon free schools. no teacher
ought to be employed who does
not hold a first grade county GER
tiiicate and the young men and
women who will attempt to teach
the second school with a grade
of license beneath that of first
are not doing their duty to them
selves or to their country.
| am glad to see so many young
men here tonight. Boys, let me
tell you, if you ever expect to
make your mark in life, you must
at least secure a practical English
education. 1t is within your
reach. 1t won't do for you to
say you can't, because | know
from experience that all that is
necessary is the determination
and will to go ahead. There is
not one of you that is placed in a
worse condition than was, when
boy. There was no free school
for me to go and when was II
my father told me that | might
strike out and do the best |
could" | hired to work at a
brick yard and when my board
was paid | saw that was saving
twenty-five cents a day; | saw
that | would be a long time saw
ing enough money to go to
| school on at this rate so | hired