The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-12-14

-, fex years ago we established
aided county high schools. Be
sc had fairly taken our second
after the exertion of evolving
% county high schools, We pro-
- n establish In connection
81 them what is called the farm
:. high school. a legal a patch on
:. counfv high school garment And
:. Is the kind OF patch this farm
>. high school will be In the only
.-nfv which has yet voted TO estab-
- such a school. That county has
- o0G worth OF county school prop
It's school term Is so days. II
avs its 81 white teachers $4,000 a
- or 1857 each. This farm-life
..sooI will have $4,000 worth of
..onerty TO begin with and 1t will
re about $4,000 year with which
:. conduct it's work. It will likely
az 900 of this to its teachers. In
.,bs- words, here We find a county
9TH a g0-day school term establish
ing one school for children of high
,.scol age which will have as much
imminent as all its elementary
.sbools and which will have a salary
,ebedule Of at least half as much as
III rs lementary teachers now re-
,sfre and which will likely have a
.rbo0I term twice as long as the av-
arage term Of its elementary schools.
1t ought to be contrary to public
poIicy for any county to be permitted
10 establish a high school Of any kind
On an average elementary school
term of 80 days, much less a high
school so out of all proportion to its
eyident needs as this one will be.
But when | recently called the atten-
ton Of one of our educational lead
ers to these facts he smiled and said
be was certain the high school in
question would finally change condi-
tons so that the elementary schools
would be better taken care of. Oh,
was there ever so great faith in Is
rael before relative to an educational
experiment.?
Haven't we all observed how
these State-aided county high
schools, which are nearly all nine
tenths elementary, or ought to be,
put on airs and print their pictures
in the papers and call themselves
high schools, with not suggestion
that they are elementary schools,
too? Some of them are so element
ary that it is hard to tell where the
high part begins and the elementary
part ends. They are like the first
grade children who We're playing
school down at Wilson last fall in a
vacant lot, when their teacher passed
by. Of course the teacher saw the
game at once, but she gently asked
what the children were doing. The
little girl with the book and the
switch said: We are playing school,
And which class is this seated down
on the ground?' That is the first
grade said the small teacher. And
what class is this up on the fence,
said the grown-up. Oh said the
children in unison, that is the high
school,
Less than year ago now we ADD
ed bright blue patch OF our method
of adopting school books. Some or
US were not quite sure We had sense
enough without outside help to select
the tools with which We must Work,
SO We favored law on the subject or
the selection of books which gives
the Governor and the other State Off
GERS equal power with a board OF
teachers to perform this purely pro-
fessional and technical duty. l might
heartily agree with the personal feel
ings of any teacher who doubted
whether he had more ability than
lawyer or a politician, or even DOCK
agent, to select school books, IL 1t
were not true that in so agreeing L
must first of all reflect on my pro-
fessional ability and my self-respect,
and thus subordinate the welfare OF
the children, which every true teach
er must put above all things else, to
the selfish interests which book COM
panies and we'll meaning politicians,
ignorant of the whole subject OF
school books, may happen to manifest
toward their welfare.
Since 1901 we have thought it
the part of wisdom to authorize
school district to enlarge, alter or
change in any manner it's district
lines and then to permit the district
SO changed to vote perpetual local
school tax, without regard to its re-
lation to any other part of the town
ship or the county or its neighbors.
The practical effect of this law is
nrmly to graft on us the isolated and
expensive small district which has
stood, ince 1910, like spector across
every path toward real school prog
ress And worse than all, this law
mas promoted some of the most heart
less and cruel gerrymandering ever
practiced in this good State. What