The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1912-06-08
What About Our RuTel
School.

Exclusive of the city Of New 81
leans, Seventy Eve per cent ot the
children Of the State enrolled liz ANY
school at all attend rur:! schools.
While conditions ale good ~ some
of them, and considerably improved
III many more, yet, rs compare"
with Town and csiy schools:
lst-The buildings average less
than half as y''"ts
2uu III. teachers are approx
ma'cIy only twuAhilds as we'll qnaii-
fed;
Bird = The furniture, apparatus ana
EQUIPMENT are hatay one.lhlr.s as
adequate;
lth-Thc tenn is but three sourths
as long;
5th-Thaxe is No time, equ'pnen'
or special ability among ihc teachers
Instruct ia lndnsuia! suoJec.s
most valuable 10 rural children; ana
6lh-Ore teacher attempts (a'-
tempts ony( to teach four lines as
much subject matter.
Besides, these schools are han Il;
capped bv many other lhrgs from
which the Town and cl'y schools aye
free.
Remember that these Statements
are based upon the best available
statistics, and that the cpnaillons
apply to three-fo''ths OF the children
of Louisiana, with the exception
noted. a....
The future wealth and prosperity
OF this State depend upon the 'ts:-
velopment IF our wonderful ag''-
cultural and commercial pu=s!tAi!-
ties: these, in turn, depend upon the
INCREASED Intelligence ahn training
If our rural yourg people. Pfos-
;,"rl'y Of country, town ana c''y
alike depend uion efficient Ets'a
,duca1iol,, These are facts which
we mast admit.
TIE Improvement of rural schools
reGuiyvs more nj ney (t'mrs
1-2-3-4-5, a:ad upon their reorgah'za-
ton i,vm s. We mus have "@t''r
buildings, better trained ttacheF>'
more and betler eyaip.Bent, long";
terms .ua industrial work that VIII
aw ken children to the undeveioped
resources about them. We must
have these things without waltz g
until town and city schools : :
everything saey may need. w
must develop trained intelligence ~
the fild where it comes in direct
contact with the 1ndeve'oped wealth
and potential prosperity, which we
may all enjoy. 1t is no longer "a
sentiment, it is a business PROPOSE
ton.
Further, We must discontinue &
practice which no business man or
farmer wona tolerate that OF per
m,tting small rural schools 10 at
tempt 70 teach the entire curriculum
for which the high school demands
seven highly trained teachers, 'a''o's-
tories, and expensive equipment;
we must operate these schools Gu
business principles.
School authorities ard eouutry peo-
pic are waking up from a long, pail :
less sleep over these matters. a
s,imulative fund Of one hundred
thousand dollars distributed in .
way to effect the organization OF
rural schools would result ia half a
million dollars worth Of imrsov :
ment. Rural people woula gladly
raise severa! dollars them selves for
every one receiveds from another
source; perhaps no other expenditure
would bring so great returns.
Do we believe rural school con-
ditinns are right because they have
Ell t d thus for so ,'long? Does the
We q tn, prosperity ana general WEI
fare of the whole state depend pri.
marty upon the intelligence OF our
rural people? These are questions
involved IN a consideration Of the
rural school. Such schools provide
the only educational means for most
of our youth. they are stunded in de
velopmens, deficient in every import
ant element contributing to efflcl
ency, yet fundamentally the most
necessary and important type OF
school in the state, generating Or re-
taraing the factors essential to state
vide prosperity and greatness.
CO.. BROWN,
State Supervisor Of Rursl Schools.
Natchitoches, La.