The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-12-18

III" ana provided practically no means
Of enforcement. She found it unsat-
isfactory and then amended it so as
to allow boards Of education in cities
to provide truant officers. Since then
they have had some success.
Indiana has typical compulsory
education law. I shall here give the
briefest digest Of it's provisions: Chill
dren between the ages Of 7 and ID,
must attend school. The county board
Of education appoints one truant Of
flcer for each county. When a child
Is habitually. tardy or absent, this
officer gives written notice to parent
or guardian. IF this notice is disre
garded, he brings complaint in any
court Of record. If parent is guilty
he IS fined not less than SIS nor more
than $25 or imprisoned in the discre-
ton of court. A city board Of educa
ton may employ more officers in pro-
portion to population. Truant Off
GERS and teachers furnish enrolment
lists to the truant officers. Trustees
furnish books and clothing to poor
children. Confirmed truants are sent
to reformatory school at the expense of
home districts. A tax Of one mill is
levied to pay expenses Of executing
this law. An annual census is taken
OF all children Of school age, and
names Of those Of compulsory age arc
furnished-to the truancy officers.
The state superintendent of Indiana
estimates that the efforts Of truancy
officers brought 23,267 children with
in the school i'll one term at total
expense of $3.50, ,424. .29-$19 ,200.91 for
the salaries of officers and $20,215.02
for clothing and books for poor chill
drcn.
DR.. Waitman Barber Of the Uni
versity Of West Virginia gives the
following testimony in regard to the
operations and defects of the law in
that state: "In two-thirds of the
counties truant officers have been ap-
pointed in one magisterial district or
more in each county. CA magisterial
district includes from 10 to 35
schools.) In the vast majority of
cases where truant officers were ap-
pointed the results have been very
satisfactory. An increase in attend
ance from - l-2 to 25 per cent is
generally reported. One magisterial
district had a gain Of SO per cent. in
one year. In some districts truant
officers failed to do anything and in
some districts the justices of the peace
accepted trivial excuses and failed to
enforce the law. In a few counties
the law as it now stands undoubtedly
a failure, but as a whole where tru-
ant officers were appointed with care
and an honest effort made to enforce
the law the results have been admir-
able. In some places it is difficult
to get suitable men to serve as truant
officers"
There is no question but that hun
dreds Of children who are now out of
school should be in school. Truancy
must increase illiteracy and in many
cases it leads to vagrancy. Idleness
and vagrancy are the parents of nu-
merous crimes. The time will come
in this and other Southern states
when it will be necessary to enact
laws similar to those in Indiana and
other states. When the subject comes
up for consideration let us hope that
real effective legislation will rsult,
and not weak, impotent acts which
merely bring the school systematic
ridicule. Just now I do not believe
South Carolina is prepared for such
law as has been outlined. We have
great deal to do before such law
will be timely and appropriate. We
are making some Roadway in provid-
ing better salaries and better teach
ers, better buildings and equipment,
and, with it all, better supporting
sentiment.
Before such law can be enforced
there must be some equalization Of
funds is one of the most difficult Of
all problems in connection with a
state system Of schools. In our state
the inequalities are appalling. A
child in one county gets $40 spent on
his education while another child gets
less than half Of that amount in the
adjoining county. In one county the
negro schools run 26 weeks. In an
adjoining county the white schools
run 81 weeks. Our main source or
revenue, the three mill tax, is coun-
L. l Tlo ,,oll on1 doc toy muSt