The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-10-07

that the enrolment mas Deen pauQeQ.
The county superintendents of South
Carolina make annual reports to the
State superintendent of data concern
ing the finances and the general con-
dition of the schools. Most of thes,
county superintendent will tell you
plainly to place no reliance on th'e
accuracy of the enrolment and at
tendance statistics 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,SO7 white children and 1S1,075
negro children were enrolled in the
public schools of South Carolina.
More than a million and a half dol
lars paid annually by the people of
the State is distributed largely upon
the unchecked reports of ignorant
and often unprincipled negro teachers
who, in many cases, as indicated
above, have been given the strongest
possible incentive to lie. It is hard
for the honest teacher and trustee in
the county to tell the truth when they
realize that the rolls Of other dis
tricts are padded for the purpose of
securing an unfair advantage. Any
system which does not check criti-
cal1y 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
as the honest man can say truthfully:
"The wicked flourish as, the green bay
tree" We can not expect to incl late
honesty and public morality in South
Carolina as long as our laws in their
operations encourage this miserable
graft in the very institutions which
train our children.
4 Proposed Remedy for the Condition.
How shall We remedy this deplor
able state Of affairs? The first remedy
is the removal of the county superin
tendent from politics, and the estab-
lishment of this office on some such
basis as that indicated in former let
ters. The county superintendent
must Re 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 be made
stable enough to enable him to do his
duty faithfully and fearlessly.
The second remedy is to change the
definition of enrolment to coincide
with the total days attendance, as
indicated in my last letter. The re-
port of the teacher to the county sup
erintendent of education should indi-
cate the number Of children present
each day during the school month and
the total attendance for the month.
1t is impossible for anybody to check
enrolment according to the present
definition. 1t is possible, however,
for the county superintendent, or 9TH
er supervising officer, to visit the
school at intervals, to count the chill
dren present, and to form an intelli-
sgent idea Of the attendance
In the third place, the figures Oh
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 large meas
ure the grosser violations of the law.
At heart the people of South Caro-
lima are honest and truthful. 7 be-
lieve that they would welcome a law
which would divide the school funds
equitably, and which would secure
trutlfulness in reports. The present
condition is the direct result of sys-
tenn which rewards lying by increased
appropriations and Furnishes honesty
by reduction in school funds. Such
a system, if long enough continued,
would corrupt Methodist conference
or a Presbyterian synod. In no other
department Of the State finances is
there such laxity shown. How much
longer can We afford such an unbusi-
ness-like proceeding in the schools of
the State which are supposed to train
our children in personal honesty and
civic Righteousness
". K. Tate.
State Supervisor of Elementary Rur-
al Schools.
"LILY WHITE" MEETING.