The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1909-01-14

Nee loush bc.o., a., i,r,...s, meeting in COL
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All civiliZe,, governments assume
responsibility for common school ed
ucatiou. ltis good investment for
the State. The educated man has
greater canning power than the illit-
crate, and inasmuch as the wealth
and progress Of the nation depend
\ primarily on the individual, the
country that neglects the education
of the masses will inevitably be left
behind in the march of events. We
are told that New England Is row
looking to her superior schools to
offset the natural advantages of the
South in the present contest for man
ufacturing supremacy.
The history Of education in any
country is largely that Of legislation.
The oldest nations Of Europe are
yearly passing new laws for the I'M
provement Of their schools. A re-
view of educational progress in
South Carolina brings conspicuously
to the front recent helpful legisla-
tion. The 1900 school libraries es.
tablished throughout the State, the
large number of modern country
school houses built from year to year
aided by county funds under the
Building act, the many schools ben
efting by the High School act, i'm
press us with the power of legisla.
tive aid in school work.
1t is my observation that the ''En.
encouragement acts" such as the u
brary, the School Building aud the
High School acts, conditioning State
or county aid on local effort, give the
greatest possible impetus to improve
ment. Money alone cannot make
good schools. The people must be
prepared for them; and such legisla-
ton stimulates the people, and in
citing them to an effort of their own,
plants within them the germ of pro-
,gress. Judging from what l know
of the situation in my county, at
least 80 per cent of the school Ii
'Sraries in the State owe their exis-
tence to the Library act. The stim-
alatiug effect of the Building act Is
even more evident. During the last
three years eleven county school
. buildings costing Sl4,00O.00 have
been erected by local effort IN Will
liam burg county, an d
] am sure that this act gave the i'm
pulse that resalted so benefclaily.
Indeed l know of no case of cOnsoli.
tlation that was not encouraged and
promoted BY the provisions of the
Building act. Certainly the legisla-
ture knew human nature when they
adopted the encouragement method.
But what is South Carolina doing
more than encouraging?The training
%schools of 314. 900 of her future cit
izens received from the State iul901,
the poll tax, the dog tax and the
constitutional ) mill tax amounting
to $3.50, 9,224.6l, little more than
$500 per pupil. The same year, the
State colleges, with an enrolment
of 2,4O5 received from the State
nearly 100000, something more
than 5000 per pupil. In other words,
the State is paying one half as much
to educate 2,405 of her boys and
girls as for the other $4,000.
The most pressing present need is
to do something for remote country
sections that find it impossible un-
der the present law to raise enough
money to support respectable
ehoel. We are told to offer better
salaries and procure better teachers,
and that the people are able to do it.
The people are not able in the cir
cumstances. They cannot be ex-
,ected to 60 beyond lawful provision
The State has assumed responsibility