The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-28
WONDERS WORKED
.|NC0UNTYSCHO0LS
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Albemarle Has Made Rapid
Strides in the Past
Few Years.
U NO LONGER "LAes'
University Authorities Have
Hand in Popularizing
Education.
ii NO LON GER "LAGs'
ny FRANK S. wooDsoN.

ny FRANK S. woODsON.
4 Cismont. Albemarle county. August
27.-Here is fact that will not un-
a noted educational institution OF the
higher order popular education. so
called is not popular. Anywhere in
this country where you nnd great
college or university. you will ind the
people taking but a languid interest
in public schools This Is not peculiar
to Virginia, for I am told that with
rare exceptions the fact holds good in
all the States. It has always held good
under the shadow OF Monticello and
the University OF Virginia until within
the past few years. Yes, 1t Is a fact
that up to less than decade ago.
which is located the university. Jagged
behind the most OF her sister counties
Z in tho matter Of public schools.
There were OF course many public
schools. entirely too many of their
kind, In the county, and the school tax
was about as large in Albemarle as In
any other county, but the people took
but languid interest in them. and
apparently they were conducted more
names adorned the pay roll. than the
scholars, whose names were on the
school roll.
A change came over the spirit Of
the dreams Of the people of Albemlrle
about eight years ago, and to-day
there Is no county In the State that
has better public schools, or better
teachers. or in which majority Of
the people take more interest In pop
ular instruction. Just what brought
about this change I would not like to
say. The university authorities had
hand in 1t and encouraged 1t by
cooperation and otherwise. State
Superintendent EgEleston conceived
the idea that in Virginia, at least the
old rule spoken of in the opening OF
this article should be broken. and that
the county In which the great univer-
| sity Is located ought to lead In pop
| ular education. instead Of tagging be-
hind her sister counties, and he Put In
| some good work to bring about 30 de-
| sirable state of affairs. Then Joseph
1 w. Everitt, q highly educated and
energetic man. was made county SUPER
4 intendent, and he, vigorously backed
by the district boards which had been
materially changed, and good deal
of new and young blood infused into
them. went to work to bring the
public schools OF this county up to thu
highest standard. It is likely that Mr.
Everett's good work has done moro
than any other agency to bring about
the present gratifying conditions, for
he has proven faithful, intelligent
and never-ttring worker.
Five. six or seven years ago every
district in the county was dotted with
little one-room schoolhouses that
were poorly ventilated. poorly heated
school purposes. Each OF these had
school rolls that barely met the legal
requirements necessary to keep tho
school going. and each was looked
after by one lonesome teacher, but In
many cases the teacher owed his OF
her position more to the political
pull of relatives or friends than to
high order OF personal efficiency.
BY and by the consolidation idea.
the high school idea and the wagon
train idea took a strong hold in this
county, and to-day there are no one
room schoolhouses nnd no half-edu-
Gated teachers, but there Is sufti-
cheney of splendid school buildings,
built and equipped in an up-to-date
manner, and presided over by prin-
cipals and teachers, who are measured
by educational tests and examinations
of the strctest kind and not by the
influence of political friends.
The schools have now reached the
standard that allows the authorities
or the university to admit to the first
departments OF that Institution any
boy who has won frst-class cerfih.
cato In county high school.
I have been only in the Rivanna
| district, and not In all of 1t, but
am told that what have seen in this
district I could see In all the others
should visit them.
There were, previous to the edu-
1tttt Ian r TO- -
twelve one-room schoolhouses IN that
district conducted under the unfav-
o.ablse conditions depicted above.
these have now been consolidated into
three first-class schools, located at
Cismont Stony Point and Earlysville.
At each place there is a splendid build
ing. with three student rooms, large
auditorium, large and airy halls
sufficiency Of cloak rooms, closets, cts,
and the buildings are properly lighted.
properly ventilated and properly heated.
and each has ample grounds. Tbs
buildings are exactly alike. and the
cut which accompanies this article,
which is photo of the Cismont school,
is a good picture OF the other two.
also.
The Cismont and Stony Point schools
have wagon trains" and haul scholars
as far as Ave miles, The Earlysville
ESCnOOl DSlll6 IN a 5tnOVeF liiiSHiS7 ooSNASo
section, does not yet need a wagon
train" The rolls OF these schools
are about ITO or lis each, and the
average attendance at each during the
last term was close to 100, Each
school has three competent teachers,
including the principal.
The principal OF the school at this
place (Cismont), is Professor Aylett l.
Everett, who is egarded by the school
authorities, as we'll as by the uni-
versity authorities, as one OF the most
accomplished and best equipped In
structor In the public schools of the
state. am told by a member OF the
district board, that Professor Everett Z
is strict dlsciplInarian. most too ac-
complished in this line TO entirely
please some OF the doting parents who
CONTINUED on Second PACED