Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-01-24

secure rooms for rental. IL was found
necessary to rent one room for white
children on the second floor of the
Christie tenement house This room
communicates by a long stairway
with an alley back OF Bedford street.
A room was secured for colored
children. in the basement o. ths
colored Bapt!ss church.
There are at present 2,42S pupils
between the ages of and 2l years
enumerated in the city of Blucheld.
1878 OF whom are unler lG years
OF age. The present active enroll.
ment of the city is i.6l4. an aver
age OF 81 pupils TO the room. There
are, in the city. from 400 to 600
children between the ages Of and
l6 years who are not enrolled in
school If these were in school. Il
would give an average of over so
children TO each available room. But
!: must be remembered that chill
dren from 6 to 10 years of age OUT
number those who are older The
statement will not then be surpris-
ing that there are primary rooms
In the city with enrollments of near
ly 100 pupils.
In the country we find but two
schools, Brown No. Is and Ada No.
20. with enrollments greater than
can be successfully handled by one
teacher, but the school buildings
themselves are in many places In
bad repair Some are located I'm al
most inaccessible rock bars as Ada
No. 20. Others are in such a condi-
tion as to make 1t impossible TO re-
pair them. as Belcher No. 16, aud
all are practically unprovided with
suitable furniture and apparatus.
None OF these schools are properly
heated, lighted or ventilated.
ENUMERATION.
The enumeration OF 1907 shows
that there are 1929 children enum-
Grated in the country districts. Not
all the country schools are in opera
tbon and we are, therefore, unable
to state the number which would he
enrolled. IL is probable, however.
that considerable per cent of the
children who ought to be in school
I are not in school. II Is also proba-
Bile that quite number of those
enumerated in the country districts
are attending school at points out
side the district, for the reason that
they cannot secure proper facilities
in the schools of the district Num-
bers of country people. who have
children of school age, move to some
town where their children can be
properly educated. This could be
overcome to a very considerable ex-
tent blythe improvement of the coun-
try schools
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
The school board during the pres
ant year. have expenda I'd consldera-
BILE sums OF money in making such
( repairs as were considered absolute
- ~Aid HettSbdIY 10
temporarily house the children. They
have been unable to enforce the
compulsory attendance law, for the
reason that the school rooms are al
ready over-crowded.
Numerous repairs have been made
to country schools and there is just
now being finished, a modern, one
room school building near the Oney
Gap tunnel, in sub-district 80,
which, 1t is confidently believed, will
be equal, IL not superior, to any on r.
room frame building in the state.
This room has been provided with
all necessary furniture and appara.-
us, and may be taken as an example
OF what the board wish to do in the
future in the erection OF country
school buildings.
Tomorrow we will present a state
ment Of our present needs.