Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-08-11
EDUCATIONAL RALLY.
Large Number of Teachers and
Citizens Generally Assem-
bIed to Hear the Splen-
did Addresses.

vancement of the cause OF cduca-
ton than the rally that was held in
the college auditorium Monday.
The large attendance was very
gratifying to the County Superintehd
ent of Education and the members
of the County Board Of Education.
This large attendance, crowding the
auditorium to its utmost capacity,
was made possible through the
kindly consideration of Judge AL
drich in adjourning court until
three o'clock in the afternoon, so as
to enable the jurors, witnesses and
court officials to attend.
The first speaker was Col. +. n.
X. Bailey who had travelled all
night in order to be present. Those
who heard o. Bailey's address
pronounced it GO If the best that
he has ever made to an Ed@etield
audience. He laid great stress upon
the common school.
The second speaker was Prof. w.
X. Fate, of Charleston, who is
recognized as one of the foremost
educators in the state. He has been
superintendent Of the public schools
of Charleston for several years. But
having h55n reared in the rural dis
tricts of tennessee, he knows the
needs of the rural schools, and it
gas 1,r the upbuilding of these
schools that he made "a very earnest
plea.
Owing to the usual press of bust
ness on Monday morning, which
was increased or augmented by the
large crowd in attendance upon
court, the writer was denied the
privilege of hearing the two first
speakers, also the major portion of
! DIR. ii. N. Snyder's magnificent ad-
, dress. We wish, however, to stress
one point made near the close of
DR.. Spyder's address, to wit: that
the parents should at all times and
under all circumstances stand by
the teacherand nottake the part Of,
the child in its fancied wrongs and
4 grievances. He said the teacher may
be gone when the nextS. session,
comes but the child remaRsN the
home, and if a b.. is led to be-
lieve that whether right or wrong
father and mother will take his
part, then trouble has begun for
those parents. Ninety-nine times out
of. a hundred the teacher is right
and should receive the sympathy
and cooperation of parents.
At the, conclusion of DIR. Sny-
der's address a,recess of one hour
was given for dinner. The ladies
of the town had prepared delight
full refreshments in the form OF
sandwiches and ice tea. After every
body had been bountifully served,
gallons upon gallons of the amber
beverage and several large baskets
of sandwiches were left.
The music that was furnished by
the band under the leadership of
Rev. P. p. Blaloc!l was thorougly
enjoyed, adding much to the pleas
ure Of the day.
When the audience re-assembled
Rev. T. P. Burgess in most pleas
ing manner introduced Hon. D. D..
McColl, Jr., an able young lawyer
and member of the House of Rep
resentatives, from Bennettsville. In
speaking of the<improvement Of the
common schools, Mr.. McColl said
the chief foundation stone is the
teacher, and that the schools will
grow and prosper in the proportion
that the teacher brings the necessa-
ry qualifications for improvement.
He next referred to the relative at
tendance upon the public schools
by the children of the two races,
not for the purpose of disturbing the
relations between the races, but in
order to show how Indifferent and
remiss many white parents are in
the matter of educating their chill
dren. The record shows that the
enrolment of negro children in the
schools of Edgefeld county is
1876, while the enrolment of white
children is only 2,022. The average
attendance of negro children is
4,44O and the average attendance of
the white children is 1906. Only
eight per cent of the former who
enroll remain out of school, while
25 per cent of the latter do not at
tend even after enrolling.
Mr.. McColl said the people of
our county need to be aroused from
their lethargy. While their rural
schools need to be improved and
should have their standards raised,
yet the foregoing figures show that
they are not availing themselves of
the opportunities that they already
have.
Mr.. McColl called attention tc
the fact that a great number OF
voters in the county are unable tc
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