Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1911-08-01
TIME FOR CARE
The Great Importance Of the
Office of Sub-District
School Trustee.

each one of the sub-districts of every
cert&fy in the State. The total in
all the counties will probably exceed
ten thousand. quite an army this.
Before the Sullivan Law was enac
ted about three years ago, there
were three trustees chosen in each
Of these districts. says around thirty
thousand; of this number, it was said
five thousand Of them could not read
or write. Do we need to go further
to find cause for the languid pros
perity OF the State? Each trustee
has in charge from forty to one hun
dred pupils. He is charged with
their proper and comfortably health
full housing, the selection Of their
teacher and the general oversight Of
the school. 1t is reliably stated that
many Of these acting trustees do not
enter their schools more than once
or twice year. So low has this Of
fee fallen in the estimation of the
people in some sections Of the State,
that it is difficult to get anyone to
serve.
1t seems as il the management of
our educational matters might be
likened to the building of house
wherein the build ers gave all atten-
ton to the roof and upper part, ig-
noring completely the foundation
upon which the security and well be-
ing of the structure depends.
These sub-district trustees are the
very foundation stones Of our COM
mon school system. If these stones
are rotten or faulty, you cannot have
a safe and satisfactory structure.
Such exactly is our condition, just
as effect follows cause. Now fellow
Kentuckians! Fathers! Mothers!
Patrons of the schools. all, it is
readily within your power to remedy
many Of the ills which afflict our
,sJchool system. and you can do it
with little trouble and no expense
How? By getting together in each
suh-district and resolving to put in
to the office of trustees the broadcast
minded, most level headed, most &C.
tive and incorruptible man in the en-
tire district. You will not. as rule.
fiad him asking for the place. He
N1, if suspecting what you want.
more likely be taking to the
woods" but no matter, select him
and then make him serve. Such a
man will be a busy man and will
have many excuses. but by persis-
tence and insistent persuasion, you
will get through his hard pan" and
down where he really lives. and
there you will find patriot. who
seeing his duty, will do it.
In addition to each one of the dut-
les devolving on this sub-district
trustee. concerning his individual
school and which no one else can do,
and which must and will go undone
if he fails, these trustees have in
their hands the makeup Of the
County Boards of Education and
these boards have large discretionary
power are necessarily important fact
ors in school garden. AS the stream
cannot rise higher than its source, so
the ability and useful of the County
Board cannot rise above the calibre
of the average of the trustees who
make them. Be careful and do not
let any man be put in as a trustee
because he has sister. brother. aunt
or cousin who wishes to become a
teacher. Such teachers are invariably
employed at the expense of the
children's interests and this | am
fully satisfied has been one of the
fruitful causes of present conditions.
Do not let sympathy, charity or
friendship come in between the
children and their rights; to do so is
to prostitute those noble qualities
to an ignoble end. Let merit alone
be the measure Of the teacher
and trustee. Once you get this
kind of men in Office throughout
the State. they will find a way
out of all our maze OF diff.
A:ulty. Now here is plain duty,
easy of accomplishment and abso-
lutely with no money cost. Viii
you get up and do it, or will you SIT
idly by and let it go undone? Will