The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1908-08-13
EFFECTIVE COUNTRY SCHOOLS.

Vlded into two general classes
(1) those that have no other
funds except the small pittance al
lowed them by the state; ~ those
shat supplement- their state funds
by local tax, by private donation,
or by local subscription. In the
case of the former we never have
more than Eve month school
each year, notwithstanding the
appalling fact that the boys aud
girls are idling away at least
three more months of their lives
each year. Alas only too soon
we must find that they have grown
up ia our homes, unprepared to
compete with the boys coming
from the more progressive section
and from better schools. These
schools depending entirely upon
the state are poor not only because
of their short terms, but it is here
chat you find the inadequate one
room buildings, no library. poor
equipments, poor seats, poorly
prepared and poorly paid teach
ers. These poorly heated, poorly
ventilated, and altogether unhy-
gienic conditions make the stu
dents uncomfortable, drowsy, IL
doient, and oftentimes even stu
pid. They learn little. Little
could be expected. You admit
that the schools of this class are
not by any means what they
should be. that they are very little
better than no schools. You ask
What plan can we adopt in order
to have better schools? We an
sWer:
CONSOLIDATION OF SCHOOLS.
Let two or three commune
ties concentrate their energies,
energies, theft influence, and their
capital, build a school with not
FEWER than three rooms aud not
less than three teachers. Have
your building we'll lighted, we'll
heated, we'll seated, we'll equipped.
Have conveyance for children.
Prof, JAS. l.. McCleskey, of Han
cock county, will tell you about it
next week. He has tried it.. Be-
sides better buildings and better
equipment, you have other in.
ducements to consolidate. In the
average country school there will
be about thirty pupils scattered
through nine grades. If each pu-
pa has no more than four recita-
tlons each day you can readily see
tnat the teacher will have thirty
SIX classes to meet Ill one day. If
school opeus at & a. M. and closes
at 4 p. m, we have elk hours Of
actual time, counting out two re-
cesses OF thirty minutes each and
ninety minutes at noon. Six
hours for thlrty-six lessons Ten
minutes for each lesson What
eau teacher do with class in
advanced arithmetic, a grammar
class, or class in history in ten
minutes? What could be done for
any class III that time? Let's see
what consolidation will do for it.
Pat three schools, having an av-
erage of thirty pupils each, il the
same building, put one of these
teachers and three of these grades
III each room and you can also see
that one teacher having to meet
thlrby-slX lessons of ten minutes
each there will be only three
grades-twelve lessons to each
teacher and half an hours time to
each class. Can you not see why
the little Que horse spelling
shops have failed?
Pay your teacher enough to get
one VINO is we'll prepared for the
work. Employ those who are in
the work not as stepping stone
to something else, but for life
work. Then you will have a live
school. You can then have man
uai arts aud mechanics, theoretical
and practical agriculture taught
IN Your sohools. They will no
logger be Hspeiling shops" but
training schools. Your children
will go out of these graded schools
plepared TO enter the colleges and
make good" when they get there.
You agree that consolidation is the
thing, but how are we going to OBJ
tau the funds to do this with?
Ne answer, by
LOCAL TAXATION.
You Say that you do not believe
in local taxation. that we are
taxe1 to the limit of endurance
Nov. Yet you send your children
to these little stste-kept five
months schools and before you
know 1T they have grown up in
yout nome absolutely unprepared
70 seize the opportunities that
life vime offers them. Other PEG.