The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-09-23

OF the white schools Of the State last
year was less than six months. To
be exact. the average for the town
and rural schools was 1T days; the
rural schools alone 10 days. While
this is better showing than we
made a very few years ago, still
our schools are in session q little
less than tHo-thir6s cs our own
standard school year OF $50 days, or
nine months. IN other wosds, the
white people OF the State are giving
their children less than two-thirds
of the schooling which they declare
child ought to have.
Here again is a lack OF school
funds, which our people. insist.
are able to provide. IN many rather
thickly settled and prosperous dis
tricts the schools close after sly
or seven months because the funds
are exhausted. yet not a dollar of
local school tax is collected I know
districts with from so to co white
children, which depend upon the
pittance Of $500 to 1926 TO run their
schools Is it reasonable to expect
such q district to keep its school
open OF to keep competent teachers?
II some Of these very communities
] have been told, with tinge Of re-
sentiment, that the schools are better
than those 20 which the fathers and
mothers went. That may be true.
and it may also be true that these
same fathers and mothers are hevers
Of wood aud drawers Of water to-
day, simply because they are unable
to cope with those who have been
better schooled. He is very dis
picable parent who is willing te
Withhold schooling from his child or
the ground that he himself had few
or no advantages.
However, short school terms are
by no means entirely due to lack o.
money. Strange as it may seem.
there are many districts which Gloss
their schools at the end OF six, i've
and even four months, with half as
much money left in the county treas,
ury as they spent on their schools
l Know schools which have to theiI
credit enough money to run then
twice as long as they have been run
any year within the past FIVE. In
fact, some entire counties are max.
inc what the officials call . gooC
financial showing, at the expense OF
the school children. For instance
Florence county had on hand, June
80, 1907, a balance Of s35,83s to the
credit OF the school fund. while she
had spent only s27,050 on her
schools that year. In other words
the schools had at the close Of the
scholastic year balance of SS,1Ss
more than the. entire cost of the
schools that year. Financially that
may. be a good showing: how is il
e6ucationa'.y? Let Us see: Flor,
ecce count kept her white schools
open last year six months; she paie
her teachers an average Of $3.50 s
year; she gave each white teacher
an average Of 36 pupils to teach
Chester county makes but little bet
ter showing. She Kept her white
schools open seven and one-fourth
months, paid her white teachers
al average Of s2s6 year, and
gave each teacher an average Of 81
pupils to teach. Yet Chester count:
closed these schools with a balance
larger than the total expenditure
that year. I believe in running the
schools strictly on a cash basis, and
I know it is necessary to cloe the
books on the 30th Of June with
enough balance to run the schools
until the next tax collection has
been made. But is it sound bust.
ness or common sense to cut OF
the school year, pay beggarly sala-
ries, and give each teacher too many
pupils to teach, in order to show
a money balance? OF course under
such policy our school boards car
boast Of having money on hand. As
l see it, We have more need for mon
ey on the children. A man coulc
doubtless make a fortune on salary
of $500 year, if be were 70 sc
naked and hungry, and keep al! his
earnings at ten per cent compound
interest; but what would he be get
ting?
After all. do our people wish 70
keep the schools open nine months
in the year? Repeatedly ] have had
fathers (mothers very rarelyl op-
pose the attempt to leugthen their
school beyond six months. Their
contention IS that the children can
not be spared from the farms and
the mills for longer period. ES-
cept in case Of extreme poverty in
the homes Of very unfortunate
people, this argument means nothing
less than that the child is looked
upon as a bread-winner. The par
ent is either too short-sighted or
TOO selfish to give his child the op-
pOrCuuttS 10 peCVIHc even " oi eau
winner, save in the humblest call
ings. Such parent needs to be
shown how his child may be trained
until he becomes 3 master Of some
thing, and citizen useful TO the
State Every child should be taught
to work-to work !ntellige0t!y and
p-oftab bly,. bus hts ultimate success
and usefulness should not be sacri.
feed to Immediate selfish gain
Poor School Houses and Poor
Equipment-There are at least tWo
very distinct kinds Of poor school
houses: The building itself may ne
worthless: a good building may be
unit for school purposes. II IS pos
sibhle to invest a modest sum OF
money in a good school building.
What we know as scacol artAltec-
ture is vet in a very crude and un-
dere!oned state. If we are TO Judge