The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-01-03
TOO MANY COLLEGES
IN SOUTH CAROLINA
TOO MANY HIGH SCHOOLS ALSO,
SAYS MR.. HAND.
Plain Talk From State High School
Inspector Concerning Present
Conditions.

Inspector Concerning Present
Conditions.
Too many colleges and too many
high schools in South Carolina, says
Prof. W. H. Hand, high school inspec-
tor, in his annual report, and too little
attss~:ion given to the quality Of the
work done in these institutions, he
declares to be serious difficulty with
educational progress in this State at
present. The language Of his report
is quite plain. He says:
The Situation Analyzed.
"Unfortunate1y for the cause Of ed
ucation itself in South Carolina, high
er education has received attention
almost to the neglect Of secondary
education. The State, in both the
constitution and the statutes, gave no
recognition to the high school as
factor in it's educational system until
February, 1907. For a century the
Estate, the Religious sects and the
philanthropists in its borders have de-
voted almost all their thought and
means to colleges rather than to high
schools, although, generally speaking
but few more than one-tenth of the
high school pupils ever go to college.
However unpalatable and unpopu-
lar the statement, it IS but plain truth
to say that the State has blundered
Badly in establishing four institutions
of higher learning. There is nothing
to be- gained by shutting our eyes to
a. truth 50 evident. With a small area
and with far fewer than three-fourths
of million white people, the State is
maintaining four colleges and four
college plants, whereas other States
of wider area, larger population and
greater wealth have found it wise to
maintain but one or two such instl-
-tutions. These four colleges parallel
each other in more than one-half OF
their work, they overlap each others
work in nearly every department, and
IT least three of them are vigorous
rivals for patronage.
"ln addition to the four State in
stitutions Of higher learning, there
are IS private and UNCONVENTIONAL in
stnutions Of recognized college grade;
six of them are for; boys and nine are
for girls. The work in these colleges
is for the most part made up Of du-
plications and overIappings Of each
other, and each institution, IS an
Nagle-eyed rival of all the others for
patronage so much so that the COL
1ege canvasser is as ubiquitous, as
persistent, and as ready to drive a
bargain for students as the proverDlal
book canvasser.
SO-Calted Colleges.
add to all these institutions fully
q half dozen others with the word
college, in some form, pinned to their
names, and we have fair picture of
The situation. And still the multipli-
cation Of little colleges goes merrily
on.
with respect to these 19 recognlz-
ed colleges, including State, private
and UNCONVENTIONAL, let us pass over
their lack of lecture halls, lack OF ade-
suate laboratories, small and ill-adapt-
ed libraries and ,gymnasiums, meager
endownents, general lack of funds
and consequent small underpaid and
overworked faculties, and look at
some of the inevitable results. Since
these. colleges have small endow-
-ments, if any, the State institutions
must be annual beggars before fine
general assembly for appropris skons,
and the denominadonal =. institutions
must annually appeal tItbkir respec=
sive conventions, CO.. es and sy-
mods for appropriation Ind to con-
gregations and indiyissAs for contri
Sutieas. The one. visible fulcrdhn up
on which ali Of T. I'M must place their
levers in ratsk2 money for mainten-
aAn6aa improvements is numbers
more abundantly. In order
w numbers, the first year IN
.fourths Of these institutions IS
over to high school work-some
of low grade.
what may be termed che law OF
/ aud supply be regarded, we
It, admit that South Carolina is
re than amply supplied with strug-
Ing colleges. No one questions the