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

cetlent II almost everything. The
Taylor school. in Columbia. is
another excellent building. bat /
am forced to add that this is Colum-
bias only public school building
worthy OF tho name. \ number Of
the smaller towns have relatively
excellent buildings. notably ST.
George and Summerton. i'elton.
Brunson. Chesterfield, Fountain Inn.
Manning and Seneca eac;, vii: soor
have new building OF modes!2 type.
On the Other hand. some o. the
towns have very poor buildings.
There are in this State four towns
whose taxable property combined
was returned last year al $l.40o.Q00.
in round figures, and whose four
schoo! houses for white children
would not sell at auction for more
han $500. OF course these build
iEgs cost much more than their pres.
ent value. but they are almost worth.
ess to-day as school houses. IN
these same towns are beautiful
homes. good stores, good banks, at
:ractive churches. and even gooo
barns for the horses and catsie.
Can the citizens Of these places make
themselves believe that they are no,
iiscounting schools? They eau not
make other people believe II. an
sure
The rural school houses are rcia-
lively inferior TO those in the towns
Many Of then. are little better thar
iingy sheds, unpainted, ugly IL aD-
3earance. poorly lighted. poorly
aeated, and misecably equipped
Many Of these houses are
rot ceilel on the walls o.
overhead. When they are celled
nat overhead is often so low thai
he tallest boys can reach It with
their heads. Not one building If
three has enough window space
properly distributed. The windows
are small and placed eQuidistan;.
from the floor aud ceiling. 4 is nt
Uncommon thing to End a room of
children sitting with their faces
coward one. and even two, open win
iows, while the room at their backs
comparatively dark. In 1905. the
Sta,e Superintendent Of Education
issued pamphlet giving designs
sor modern school houses, which ha!
done much towards improving thelI
character.
Very few of our schools are
equipped as they should be. Hun.
iseds OF good desks have been put in
within the past five years. but there
are yet scores Of school houses seat
I'd with the most clumsy and IN
slightly and uncomfortable desks
anown 70 suffering backs and limbs.
The blacEboards are 100 few IN
number, made of the cheapest mate
-ial, and the surface is 10 lonee
black. IN many Of our school,
-oon.s is not seen map or char;
rom September to June. Ever
he famous charts have been re!e
,ated to some closet of plunder
We're it not for the genius OF my
friend. Mr.. Hughes, Of Greenville,
! many of our school houses would be
absolutely without any kind Of globe
The State has very wisely provided
hundreds Of schools with small Il
oraries. In most places these libra
ries are used much and we'll cared
! for, but in altogether too many
olaces the books are torn to pieces:
some scattered through the neigh.
borhood, and some lost. What eise
,an be expected when the school
house stands open to every body and
! everything.
| a dirty school house is ineXcus.
able, and is a disgrace to a commu-
nifty. Here the teacher is chiefly
responsible. Any teacher. man or
woman, who keeps dirty schoo'
house is rather poorly fitted to train
children. You can not readily re
Gne the tastes Of child who is
compelled to sit FIVE hours day IL
the midst of filth and litter.
WILLIAM H. HAND.
University Of South Carolina.