The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1906-12-05
yirrinia's Chief Executive Speaks TO the
Educational Convention in Session
in Richmond Last Week.

the auspices Of the COOPERATIVE
Education Association of Vir-
ginia. met here today, and will
remain in session until next
Friday evening.
Governor Swanson was the
principal speaker before the
convention today, delivering a
lengthy and able address. lie
said in part:
Mr.. Chairman, state, county,
city and district school Off
cials, teachers, ladies and
gentlemen:
AsI stand here tonight 10
participate in these exercises
and 10 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 school-boy, possessed of
an his joys and delights-the
old country school house. with
It's play ground, its happy boys
and girls and it's good teacher,
appear 10 me in departed but
deepened beauty. In sweet
memory I seem to be once again
a boy, standing in the old die
tionary class by a beautiful,
black eyed girl, 20 whom my
young heart was pledged, and
Indifferent whether ] went up
or down the class provided
might stand beside her and
squeeze her hand behind the
line. IL seems 10 me that the
young blood is once again
rapidly cOursing through my
veins, making my heart pulsate
with lofty purposes and my
mind thrill with ambitions.
How lovely those days of child
hood, when we viewed through
life a gilded veil and everything
looked so bright and happy
Tonight ! recall and cannot re
train from repeating those lines
Of a poet.
blessing 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,
! was once a barefoot boy. "
My friends, | have a more
serious and important duty to
perform tonight than recalling
the halcyon days of childhood
and youth. We have assembled
here TO undertake, earnestly
and actively. the improvement
of the public schools of this
state. The purpose of this meet
ing is to bring together the
school authorities of Virginia
and 10 induce them TO unite in
a determined effort for the bet
terment of our schools. We
realize that the future progress
OF our schools is largely depend
ent upon the local officials, who
have the control and admins
tration of school affairs. The
boards of supervisors i'm the va
rlous counties must be depended
upon for local school taxes to
supplement- the state appropria.
uons in order to provide suffi
Client funds for efficient and ca
pable schools. No county in
tins 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 a
county possessed of splendid
schools and l will show you a
county where supervisors have
been favorable aud generous to
l1e system Of public education.
onow me a county w h {
schools are wretched failures
and have become a subject oi
ridlcule and contempt and will
snow You a county whose
schools have failed 10 receive
,he proper sustaining support
irom s h e supervisors. I h {
boards of supervisors of the
counties and councils Of the