The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1911-07-27
ESTABLISHED 1850
DISCONTINUED 1851
Opinion y
Some Advantages of consoIida-
tion.
lR. GEoRGE sMITH }

WelgDed III the euuCdtiOiiai ''e''e''iN -,
and found up to the standard-
Consolidation proper carries with
it the problem of transportation,
conveying the children in wagons
from four to six miles, and this IN
wolves another question OF vital
interest to every farmer aud one
which goes hand in hand with con
solidation, namely-good roads.
The road question needs very
little comment here; it has been
more generally agitated, has made
more progress, and the increase of
expenditure per cent in the past
two years has been greater, per.
haps, than any other problem be-
fore our county and state legis-
lators. But this like all other
questions that confront a Demo
cratic commonwealth must have
public opinion back of it IN order
that it may succeed. The people
must see the need and they can be
depended upon to do their part IN
providing the remedy. This IS
why the consolidated school has
always been and is to-day very
important factor in advancing the
interests of good roads. The child
rem bring the conditions before
their parents, the drivers before
the board of supervisors, and the
teachers before the patrons; the
school becomes the center OF the
community life-the trading center,
the place for entertainments, lee
lures, and concerts; and thus all
are constantly reminded of the ne
eessity for good roads.
When the pupils are conveyed
to and from school in Wagons, an
d er the care of drivers, who have
been as carefully selected as we
chose our teachers, many of our
most vexing questions in connec
ton with school life will be ellmi-
mated, or at least reduced to min
imum. Irregular attendance. -tru
ancy, tardiness, quarreling and
fighting by the way, the strong bull
lying the weak, all these difHcul
ties are removed. The morals OF
the pupils are guarded aud con-
trolled on the way to and from
school. The danger, that is often
felt in the South, of little girls
travelling along lonely roads with
no protector perhaps but little
brother seven or eight years of age,
would no longer worry US. The
children often get their feet or
clothing wet on the way to school
in the morning and have to Sit all
day in this condition, which IS a
menace to the health of the child,
and transportation would eliminate
this evil.
In connection with this problem
of health we might note that con
solidation will give US better build
ings,-more comfortable, superior
in hygienic conditions, in heating
facilities, in ventilation, and rem
der it possible to better supply the
school with necessary apparatus
for both primary aud high school
work. In addition to the maps,
charts, and globes now in use in1
our rural schools much more
varied and consequently more val
liable supply could be obtained for
the same cost. This is a very de
sirable acquisition as all our schools
are sadly in need of better equip
ment-better Libraries, better pri-
mary equipment, better laboratory
supplies (where indeed we have
none at presently.
With all these improvements
will come to Us the possibility of
securing aud retaining good teach
ers. At the present time all our
unframed, inexperienced teachers
find a haven in our rural schools.
These serve, as it were, for the
breaking ground for all our teach
ers. But with consolidation comes
the ability to pay higher salaries,
as many pupils but fewer grades to
teach, close supervision by a prin
cipal, the teacher if inexperienced
obtaining from him assistance,
guidance. and advice. These and
many other advantages Of the uni
fying method make the teaching