The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-04-17

and a lawn on which to romp; and
neighboring springs are near at hand.
Large spreading live oaks furnish am
pie shade for the green lawn that
stretches in front Of the school
building.
So much for the external improve
ments, now comes that part Of the
school of vital interest and import
ance, the first class room. The vari-
Gus departments Of the institution are
strikingly in acc:1., with the external
surroundings, in that the internal i'm
provement has not suffered because
of the up-building Of the grounds and
outside attractions. The visitor is
struck with the remarkable number
of pictures that hang before him;
these pictures have not been select
ed at random, but are Of the class
that tends to elevate the mind Of the
pupil, and are in most cases pictures
Of great men. The selection has been
made so as to cover a scope Of vast
variation in human progress. Princi-
pally among them are the great he
roes of our country and State. and
even Sumter county's worthless adorn
the walls, while such faces as those
Of Calhoun, Shakespeare, Pitt, Web
ster, Clay, Lee Hayne, hampton,
Gadsden, Legare, Timrod, Miller, and
even the faces Of Sequeyah and Osce-
ola, the prominent Indians of the
States history, can be seen in vari-
Gus parts Of the spacious building
There are also familiar faces Of the
musicians, as: Mozart, Mendelssohn
Schubert, Schumann, Wagner, Bee
thoven, List and many others. A
valuable painting Of Gen. Sumter is
being prepared for the assembly
room. The large and handsome pic
tures of Calhoun and Hampton are
draped with "Old Glory" which also
floats from a staff at the top Of the
building.
The school contains most valua-
BILE and complete library, which con-
sists of works Of reference, science,
history, literature, pottery, biography
and fiction but not a single volume
that would contaminate the young
mind Of the child can be found in the
collection.
The equipment Of the school is
complete and modern; the most COM
Portable and up-to-date furniture is
used. While maps, globes, charts.
portable blackboards and other es-
sentials are modern in every respect.
Each class room is kept in perfect or,
der; the shades and muslin curtains
emit the light as desired.
While the academy is in an isolated
country district it has availed itself
Of the most modern improvements
that science has made practical for
such purposes. a telephone has been
erected which puts the institution in
touch with every town in the county
and several surrounding counties. II
is most actively engaged in aid of the
movement to erect monument over
the grave Of the hero in whose honor
the school is named.
Furthermore, the school as a
school, looks after the welfare of the
churches in the community. 1t OBJ
served Calhoun's and Hampton:
birthdays On the 18th and 2Sth Of
March, respectively, in the mos,
thorough and enthusiastic manner.
The school which has been describ-
ed has been under the leadership Of
distinguished educator, it is true,
but it has been through the hearty
cooperation of the Woman's Rural
Improvement association that a vast
deal of work has been done in Sum-
ter county, as has been evinced by the
splendid reports Of those teachers
who were so fortunate as to be in at
tendance at the last meeting; while
the association has been the means
of helping the G. S. NJ A. very ma.
teriaiy.
Every enthusiastic teacher in South
Carolina should inform himself or
herself on the subject of rural ad-
yancement, which is destined to
mark an epoch in the annals Of the
public schools Of the--State.
J.E. T.
THE REV. JOHN II. GRAVES.