The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-09-11
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF
AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL

.
Forrest county is facing serious {
crisis in educational affairs.
The Board of Supervisors has levied
tax of one and one-half mills on the
property Of the county for the purpose
of establishing an Agricultural High
School.
This means that the City of Hat
! tiesburg must pay to this school the
first year approximately $4,000 sew
en- thousand dollars-enough money I,
to run it's own schools for two months.
And for what purpose?
! In order that twenty or twenty-five,
country boys and girls may have the
privilege of attending an Agricultural !
High School to study Theoretical
and Practical Agriculture and Domes-
tic Science" There are several good |
high schools in the county now where /,
country children can get the other
high school subjects that will be
taught in this school.
That the above vocational subjects
ought to be taught to all our children,
city and rural, no one who under
stands the demands of our twentieth
century civilization will deny for one
moment. But Forrest county is to be
peculiarly blessed in that her sons
and daughters may be taught both
academic and vocational subjects In
the mississippi Normal College" by
the very best teachers, having the
best equipment and using the latest
and most approved methods. There
is no more need for an Agricultural
High School in Forrest county than
there is for school to teach theoreti-
cal and practical agriculture in Ok
tibbeha county where the great A. &
M. College is located.
Can this mill and one-half which
the Board of Supervisors has levied
for 1911 and the mill, mill and one
half, or two mills that this school will
require annually in the future, ad in
f1nitum, be put to better purposes?
Let us consider the city first.
In order to run our schools nine
months and pay interest on school
house bonds we have to ask for g 1-2)
three and one-half mills school tax.
To get this requires a petition to the
Mayor and Commissioners signed by
majority Of the tax payers Many
refused to sign this last year though
1t did not increase their taxes one
cent. Suppose we fail to get over
fS) three mills. then your city schools
can not run but seven months.
It takes the strictest economy to
run the schools nine months on the
three and one-half mills In fact, to
do It teachers must be paid minimum
salaries-and we can not get and keep
good teachers when we do this.
School houses and school grounds
l. must be neglected, and our children
IT have to be denied many advantages
y Why have we not had manual train
:; ing for our High school boys? Be
il cause we have not had the money tc
y employ a teacher and build and equiv
n shop.
a Our boys and girls are growing int
manhood and womanhood with imper
70 fectly developed bodies, crooked
le spines and stopped shoulders for lacl
n of physical training. Why don't WI
Of have physical culture in the schools
" Because we have not had the none,
to employ a teacher and to build ant
,; equip a gymnasium.
lie Why don't we have medical inspeo
n ton in the schools? Not able.
ee Why have we not equipped on
n schools with sanitary drinking four
Is, tains? Could not get the money
lie We are putting them in now. Ho,
an did we get the money? By ioatin
d, bonds.
is Now let us turn to the county on
err side of the city.
ne How long did the county school
at run the past school year? SIEVE
months. Why only seven months
Ia Because they did not have the none
a to run longer. Would it not be wise
to use this mill and one-half to civ
all the children of the county eight {
nine months school advantage rattle
than to provide superior advantage
ny for Just a few? The county scho
NC tax now for all its children Is fol
mills And here is a proposition TIL
1t proposes to levy (3-S )three-eightl
or nearly half of this sum for the so
las benefit of about twenty-five children
OF twenty children that could attend Il