The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-01-06
SCORES LEADERS
LACK OF INTEREST IN EDUCA-
TIONAL MATTERS.

Reports From Seventeen Counties
Show That superintendent ARR
Not Working for Self-Improyemen'
The State says Prof. W. H. Hand
of the University of South Carolina
at the meeting of the State Teach
ers' Association Thursday morning,
scored the county superintendents
! for failing to give his committee
.sufficient data upon which to base
report upon the County Teach
rs Association and bemoaaed lack
of interest in the work. Prof. Hand
said in part:
"The student of educational con-
ditions in South Carolina can not
but be impressed with the profound
indifference manifested towards
school matters by men supposed to
give their thought, time and atten-
ton to education. Five men consE;-
tuted the committee appointed :,
make this report. Nearly two
monts ago the chairman Of the COM
mittee asked each OF his four asso-
ciates to take eight specified counties
and assigned himself to 10 coun-
ties, as the fields for gathering data.
A QUESTIONABLE with specific ques-
tions was sent to each county with
the request that it be filed out and
returned promptly to a certain meIH:-
Der of the committee. The chair
man received a few prompt replies:
second request brought one NOR,
while three counties have disregard
ed even the third request. The
chairman presumes that the other
members had similar experience.
since one has reported six counties,
another on three counties, another
On one county, while the fourth mem
ser has made no report at all. In
all we can report on II counties.
These are: Abbeyille, Aiken, Bam-
berg, Beaufort, Calhoun, Chester.
Colleton, Dorchester, Greenwood,
Hampton, Laurens, Lee, Newbercy,
orangeburg, Rlchland, Saluda anil
Sumter. Of these II counties only
10 have active associations-Abhe-
Vile, Colleton, Dorchester, Green
wood, Laurens, Lee, Newberry, Or
angeburg, Richland and Salnaaa na. 4
only four Of these give, the actual
mem mbership Of their respective as:
sociations Greenwood. Laurens,
Richland and Saluda-aggregat
IA men and 10S women, or total
membership of 1872.
One county, Newberry, reports a
continuous existance of its associa
ION OF 20 years;-Laurens comes next
with eight years; one county fou.
ears; the others two years and les;
The number Of meetings each year
'anges from five to nine. Only one
'ounty has an organized systematic
programme running from month to
onth. perhaps, throughout the year.
ahe others report a miscellaneous
programme.
Here are some of the comments
made by those reporting for the as
ociations, the county suDerinten-
,ents: Not in a very fourishing
condition; little interest taken. Tine
association is doing good work for
hose who attend Have had 4
hard struggle to organize Has
,een of great benefit to teachers and
he schools. A hard matter to kerp
he association alive; those who al
end regularly take good. deal OF
interest Now doing fine work
Attendance the very best
Here are some of the comments
nade by those reporting without an
ssociation: Am sorry to say we
lave no association The country
nd city teachers did not mix well.
We have no teachers association,
nut We have school Improvement
ssociation which is doing t:neI
.ork.' This last continent was made
v two counties without teachers
ssociation and one can fail to b..
truck with the idea, as is so Often
ne case, that the men have left
he women to do all the work.
'.If the reports from these u
counties are to be taken as fair
ndex to the self-improvcment goius
On throughout the State, then ii
must be admitted we are in br !
way. Our people take so little
aims to get together data about tF"
most important matters that il is
'ith the greatest difficulty that one
an learn anything definite about
he most vital iterests to ourselves
Next, what information we have
here leads us to conclude that our
teachers are not organized to do
service to themselves and to the
children they essay to teach. No
county can afford to lose the oppn.-
unity of organizing its teachers in
o 4 band Of truth seekers and CO
Tcrkcrs in cause worthy of the
cet that is in men and women o.
exalted purpose