Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-12-07
SPEECH OF
GOV. SWANSON
At the Educational Convention in
Richmond.

~ tic LuuSdtiOlidi COliVSiitiOH iii
Richmond.
Mr.. Chairman, State, County, City
and District School Officials,
Teachers, Ladies and Gentlemen:
As | stand here tonight to psrtici.
pate In these exercises and to deliver
an address the shadows of former
years and the pleasing recollections
of my childhood crowd my mind and
heart. In memory | am once again
n school boy, possessed of all his joys
and delights-the old country school
house, with its play ground, its happy
boys and girls and its good teacher,
appear to me in departed but deep
ened beauty. In sweet memory /
seem TO be once again boy standing
in the old dictionary class by beauti-
full, blackeyed girl, to whom my
young heart was pledged, and indif-
ferent whether / went up or down
the class provided might stand
beside her aud squeeze her hand
behind the line. 1t seems to me that
young blood is once again rapidly
coursing through my veins, making
my heart pulsate with lofty purposes
and my mind thrill with high ambi-
tons. How lovely those days of
childhood when we viewed life
through gilded veil and everything
looked so bright and happy. Tonight
| recall and cannot refrain from re-
peatlDg those lines of poet:
Blessings on thee, little man,
Barefoot boy with cheek of tan
With thy turned-up pantaloons
And thy merry whistled tunes.
Let the million-dollared ride
Barefoot, trudging at his side,
Thou hast more than he can buy
In the reach of ear and eye
From my heart give thee Joy,
Twas once barefoot boy"
My friends, j have a more serious
and important duty to perform to-
night than recalling the halcyon days
of childhood and youth. We have
assembled here to undertake, earnest
ly and actively, the improvement of
the public schools of this State. The
purpose of this meeting is to bring
together all the school au thorities of
Virginia and to induce them to unite
in determined effort for the better
rent of our schools. We realize
that the future progress of our
schools is largely dependent upon the
local officials, who have the control
and administration of school affairs.
The Boards of Supervisors in the
various counties must be depended
upon for local school taxes to supple
ment the State appropriations in
order to provide sufficient funds for
efficient and capable schools. No
county III this State can ever be
blessed with prosperous public
schools so long as they are starved
by the parsimony of hostile Boards
of Supervisors. Show me county
possessed of splendid public schools
and | will show you a county where
supervisors have been favorable and
generous to the system of public edu-
cation. Show me a county whose
schools are wreiched failures aud have
become a subject of ridicule aud con-
tempt and l will show you a county
whose schools have failed to receive
the proper sustaining support from
the Supervisors. The Boards of
Supervisors of the counties and the
councils of the cities have vast powers
and opportunities in connection with
our public school system, and the
friends of education should see that
those selected to these responsible
positions are friendly and generous
to the cause of public education. We
should let the Supervisors and Coun-
cilmen of this State know that they,
equally with the mem bers of the
General Assembly, are part of the
public educational system, and, hence
equally responsible for its success or
failure. The members of these bodies
who are generous aud helpful should
be given their full measure of praise.
reward and support; those who are
hostile and stand as obstacles in the
pathway of educational progress
should be exposed and have directed
against them the antagonism of the
entire educational forces of this State.
The efficient administration of the
schools, the honest and wise expen-
diture of the provided funds largely
depend upon the division superinten-
dents and trustees. They select
teachers, fix salaries, build school
houses and provide equipment, and
determine the length of the school
terms. Large sums of money may be
furnished, yet, if it is unwisely and
dishonesty expended little good will
be accomplished. The local authori-
ties of many of the communities
refuse to increase the appropriation
for school purposes because the
present funds are not expended wisely
and used to the best advantage. Peo-
pie are usually willing to pay taxes
when they perceive practical and
lasting benefits accrue from their
expenditure. Division superinten.
dents should be selected for their
devotion to and efficiency in educa-
tional work. Trustees should invari-
ably be men of practical business
sense, Of reputation and influence,
broad minded and patriotic, earnest
in the uplifting of their fellow man
and in the progress of their State.
They should have no partisan or
selfish purposes to subserve in the
discharge of their duties. These re-