The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-08


the schools. Most Of these county SUI
perientendents will tell you plainly to
place no reliance on the accuracy of
the enrolment and attendance sta
tistics as given in these reports. They
must accept them as presented by
the teachers and district trustees.
NeVertheless, upon the data in these
reports the money of the county is
distributed. Last year 153,S07 white
children and 1S1.O75 negro children
were enrolled In the public schools
q OF South Carolina. More than a
million and half dollars paid an
nuily by the people of the State Is
distributed largely upon the uncheck-
ed reports Of ignorant and often un-
principled negro teachers who, In many
cases. as indicated above, have been
given the strongest possible incentive
! to lie. 1t is hard for the honest
! teacher and trustee in the county to
tell the truth when they realize that
! the rolls of other districts are pad-
ded for the purpose of securing an
unfair advantage. Any system which
does not check critically the figures
on which money is apportioned and
which rewards the liar for his effort
will inevitably drag down the moral
standard, and make liars out Of
truthful men. The morals of a
community are not safe as long az
the honest man can say truthfully:
The wicked flourish as the green
bay tree" We cannot expect to in
1 culcate honesty and public morality
in South Carolina as long as our
laws in their operations encourage
! this miserable graft in the very in
stitutions which train our children.
n Proposed Remedy for the Condi-
J tion.
] How shall we remedy this deplor-
able state of affairs? The first
remedy is the removal of the county
superintendent from politics. and
the establishment of this office on
some such basis as that indicated in
former letters The county superinten-
> dent must be able to spend all of his
time in the schools and must receive a
salary which will enable him to do
this. His position must he made
/ stable enough to enable him to do
his duty faithfully and fearlessly.
! The second remedy is TO change
the definition of enrolment to coin
eide with the total days attendance,
ss indicated in my last letter. The
report of the teacher to the county
J superintendent of education should
indicate the number OF children pres
ent each day during the school
month and the total attendance for
the month. II is impossible for
anybody TO check enrolment accord
ing to the present definition. II is
possible, however. for the county su-
perintendent. or other supervising
officer. to visit the school at inter-
walls, TO count the children present,
and to form an intelligent idea Of
the attendance.
In the third place, the figures on
which the money is apportioned
should be published for the informa-
tion of the districts of the county.
The mere publication of records
would be sufficient to correct in a
large measure the grosser violations
OF the law.
AT heart the people of South Caro-
lima are honest and truthful. I be-
lieve that they would welcome a law
which would divide the school funds
eauitably. and which would secure
truthfulness in reports The present
condition Is the direct result Of a
system which rewards lying by in
creased appropriations and Furnishes
honesty by a reduction in school
funds. Such system. If long enough
continued. would corrupt a Metho-
dist conference or Presbyterian
synod. In no other department Of
the State finances is there such laxity
shown. How much longer can we
afford such an unbusiness-like pro-
ceeding in the schools OF the State
which are supposed to train our chill
dren in personal honesty and civic
Righteousness?
W. X. TATE.
state Supervisor OF Elementary Ru-
raj Schools.