Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-01
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TRAINING THE FARMERS SON.
Better System Of Rural Schools Bad
ly Needed.

5etter system OF nuTai OCHooio oae
Iy Needed.
The bulwark Of society is the home,
and the best conditions for wholesome
home environment are in the rural
districts. The prosperity, the stability
the virtue, and the vitality Of any mod
ern state are measured chiefly by the
manhood and womanhood Of her coun-
try-bred people. Our leaders OF
thought and action are closely identi-
fed with rural life. The unity Of the
country home Is ideal. In large cities
the unity Of home life is all but de-
stroyed; the poorer classes crowded
together in tenements, have but little
knowledge of the meaning Of home,
and the wealthy, living in hotels and
spending months each year in travel
ing, have little better knowledge OF
its meaning. The vigor and the
energy Of the city are largely contri-
buttons from the rural population. Any
city shut off three generations from
the infusion of fresh blood from the
country would be reduced to q pitiable
state Of degeneracy.
The most substantial and indepen-
dent people Of any land are the INTEL
ligent and trained men and women
who dig their wealth out Of the soil,
or manufacture it from the raw ma
terial. Agriculture may be called
properly the oldest vocation of man
The people Of the entire south are es-
sentially an agricultural people. 1t Is
trite to say that by many agriculture
has been looked upon as the vocation
of men unframed and unskilled, II not
the vocation of inferior beings. In the
eyes of many slave-labor stigmatized
the plough and the hoe. 1t Is no won
der that farming has not been attrac-
tive, nor is 1t strange that 1t has not
been always remunerative. Besides,
too often farmers, like other people
who had had some experience unsea-
soned with knowledge, were unwilling
to be taught, scorning the idea that
they could be taught anything about
farming. Happily that notion Is rap
idly passing away. The farmers are
eager to learn and even more eager
to have their children learn, and nun
dreds Of them are focking to the
towns and cities to educate their chill
dren. City show dazzles the country,
city conveniences allure the country
people, and the country is moving to
town. All this is exceedingly unfortu-
nate. The country Is losing her best
citizens, homes are broken up, and the
farms are turned over to the Ignorant
and thriftless tenants. Any country's
future becomes gloomy whenever It's
agricultural population becomes q
horde Of ignorant peasants. The foun-
talns of prosperity and strength have
dried UP. Even the education which
the children are to receive in the city
will unfit them to return to the farm
rather than At them. All admit this
exodus from the country to be disas-
trous. Even those who are leaving ad-
NIT it. The question Is now to save
the country. These people are dissat-
isfied with their lot, and they are seek
ing to improve 1t, sometimes In des-
peration. It Is folly to engage them Ia
academic discussion about the beauties
of nature and the joys Of living in the
country. People are not going to re-
main in the country merely to read
bucolics and to be patronized. They
must be satisfied with country life
and to be, satisfied they must be as
highly cultivated as their city neigh
bors, and must be reasonably prosper
GUS on their farms. Say what you
will about material prosperity 1t Is
stalwart helpmeet to good citizenship
Our Brook Farm has satisfied a whole
nation for a century.
Schools For Farmers Children.
Are the country schools such as to
justify these farmers going to town to
school their children? First, sixty
eight per cent Of all the white children
enrolled in the schools Of the state
are in the rural schools. And when al
lowance has been made for hundreds
of children living in incorporated vii
lagos Of three and, four hundred peo-
ple, the real rural enrolment runs ur
to perhaps eighty per cent. Second
the average rural school in this state
runs less than six months-in q few
counties less than four months. Third
in hundreds Of these schools, wholly
incompetent teachers Of both sexes
varying in age from IS to 80 years
caricature teaching at SIS to $50 q
month. Finally, twelve or fifteen chill
dren are huddled in a little school
house 15 by 20 feet or fifty children
are given to one teacher.
Such conditions are far from satis-
factory, but Is it wise to run away
from them? Would it not be wiser to
improve the conditions? The rural
schools can be made at least the equals
Of the best town schools in the state
To do so the country districts must
pursue the same plan the towns have
pursued to secure theirs. The whole
plan Is embraced in the consolidation
of small schools and the levyinS Of To-
cal taxes. In almost every instance
the towns have built their school
houses by issuing bonds. In most dis
tricts 1t is the only feasible way. The
towns would be unable to run their
schools more than six months, were
they to undertake to run a half-doz-
en- little one teacher schools instead OF
a central school. OF course, the towns
already have a consolidated school
population. AS to the salaries OF
teachers, not a town Of 1000 popula-
ton could run nine months on the
revenue from the constitutional 3-mill
tax. These schools are kept open on
the revenue from local taxes.
Consolidation Of Schools.
The country boy and the country girl
are entitled to a nine-month school,
taught in a convenient and comfortable
building and taught by as good teach
er as can be had-not by as cheap as
can be had. This can be done, II the
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