The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-06
OUR RURAL SCHOOLS
A MAKESHIFT

Next to religion, education is tho most
important interest of man. Indeed, IN
the proper, fullest estimate OF II, eouca-
ton comprehends the culture or the en-
tire man.-body, mind, soul-and so IN
c1udes religion.
In our educational system, the public
schools and the primary schools. and
tho rural primary schools, are the most
important feature. Manifeyty 30, be-
cause with rare exceptions, every child
attends the primary public schools, and
the large majority have their residence
and training in the country. These
Influence the child at the inpresslble
period OF his life. The country boy be.
comes the Influential man OF his genera
ton. both in the sciences and the arts,
in the church and in the state
Our public schools, our primary pub
lie schools, our rural primary public
schools. are underrated and comparative.
~ neglected; our preparatory schools nre
made a mere makeship. This ~ seen
from every point OF view.
out of one hundred and fifty school
boys in Virginia. on an average only
one attends college or university, while
every mothers son of them must at
some time go to the primary SCHOOL
Outside OF travelling expenses, clothing
board, athletics and pocket money, every
college boy costs the institution he at
tends an average of over two hundred
dollars (s2l2) each year OF his course.
Tire average educational cost of each OF
the one hundred and fifty in the pri-
mary school s less than ten dollars tt9.5D
q year. We ungrudgingly give twenty
times as much towards the training OF
our eighteenycar- old son as we do Tor
our eight-Ye2r-olG boy. Not dollar 40
much Is spent on the final work Of edit
cation, but many dollars too little are
allotted to its proper beginning.
Handsome. imposing. comfortable, eX-
peusive buildings are to be found on
the college campus. These building nre
filed with neat furniture and costly APP
paratus. The state approprlates thou
sands, and philanthropists give thousands
more, to these elegant appointments LOT
advanced instruction This is as IL should
be. not less but more. for the capstone
OF tho pyramid we all properly say. But
In contrast look at the implanted wood
of the exterior and tho bare walls OF
the Interior OF the country schoolhnuse'
no campus, no trees. no grass, no plack-
boards. no maps. no charts. no appa-
ratus; pitiful poverty for the rural pri-
mary.
For the two colleges on a single hill
OF Lexington over six thousand dollars
nre wisely appropriated each year or
fuperintendng the training OF six nun
dred young men: and We reckon that
the superintendent OF the virginia MIL
tary Institute and the president of the
washington and Lee University are In
adequately paid for their efficient work
FOR the whole county OF Rockbridge, with
its scores OF primary schools and Its
thousands of pupils, less than five hun
bred dollars OF public money is given TO
the work OF superintendent.
The professors in our colleges at Lex
-, sfrARr nj
than two thousand dollars each. and no
one thinks them oyerpaid; while the
faithful. hard worked teacher of the
country school is starved upon the miser-
able pittance OF one hundred and fifty
dollars-less than the wages of the day
laborer.
All this IS presenting the monetary as
iect of this neglect OF our rural schools
in the least striking way. 1t may be
better seen and more deeply felt. per
haps. when we consider our'eSpenditures
for primary education as compared with
other outlays. We spend more FOR the
bodies OF our children than we do for
their minds. We give more for the
clothing than for the schooling of our
sons and daughters in the preparatory
grades. more for feeding their bodies
than for tho training of their minds. But
NOR and worse than this, more money
IS expended in VIRGINIA on Injuries than
on primary educauoh' nay, w"tst vi M
more Is consumed IT. me smoke OF to.
,acco and more in the drinking of in.
toxicants than upon all the schools ir
the State.
But there is higher point of view
resulting. however, largely from oul
,neagre pecunlary contributions to pr
mary rural education: More nnpof,at
than campus, or building, or apparatus
ar books. is the teachnr ~ -
commit our children during the forma
five years of their life. When W. thni
of tho pitiful pittance that we give then
we wonder that we find SO much ex
cellence in our country schoo' teaehe rs
,rbnv ara indeed marvelously good fo
what they cost. What kind of preachers
LAWYERS doctors, could we get for on
hundred and fifty dollars year? Wha
kind of teachers do We get9 Many ar
young misses, hardly out of their teens
who 90 into the sci ooiroom IN o'oe