Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-05-03
TEN YEARS OF EDUCATIONAL @
PROGRESS IN NORTH CAROLINA

Mr.. ]. Y. Joyner, superintendent VI
OF public instruction for this state
has Just given to the public q state
ment of educational progress IN
North Carolina during the last &c,
cade. From this statement 1t appears
that there were 23S.000 colored chill
dren of school age in 1910 and 4s7,oOo
! white. making total OF $4,000 WIN
an average school term Of los days
for white and "a for colored. 1t u
also gratifying to note that THIS ~
crease in days has been marked py
% per cent. as to white and and ~
per cent. a. to colored, and there 10
put forth plans and suggestions Wn'cn
II enacted into law will 30 Increase
the school term throughout the state
as to make 1t not less than Six
months anywhere. Such measures
cannot but meet with the hearty ap.
proval Of all even though they cali
for increased taxation. Experience
has shown that those states are for'
ward in material character and
strength Of their public schools. the
backwardness of the south Is due
more to the decadence OF their puonc
schools than to any other cause. ana
her present awakening Is also pro-
portionate to the seriousness with
which she has grappled with the pup
lie school problem.
There is more, however. There are
$500 white teachers in the state and
2.793 colored with average monthly
salary for white teachers amounting
to $34.47 and colored $23.4S. The con-
clusion ia obvious that the colored
teacher controls a larger number OF
pupils for about two-thirds the pay
and besides works under time. THIS
Is a hardship which the colored teach
er must bear until the change comes.
There Is certainly no clearer reason
for the dirth Of colored teachers for
the rural schools than that given by
the above facts. A man can make
more at common labor and have q
steadier job than be can teaching
school for $23 a month, and a good
cook or laundress might find her
monthly balances far in excess OF that
of her sister who teaches a colored
school. This lack OF adequate salary
for eolored school teachers makes
school teaching a makeshift which In
the end proves unsatisfactory to both
the teacher and the state. Some plan
will eventually be provided which will
assure the teacher living salary and
thereby cause a larger number Of
trained men and women to devote
their lives to this line Of race uplift
It is noted that no word Is said by
the superintendent about compulsory
education. This is Of course ques-
ton upon which honest men may dit.
fer. Still there appears many cogent
reasons why North Carolina should
have such law, and enforce it. The
masses OF the people Of the state
need education of such kind and char
acter as will make them better citi-
zens The industrial turn which all
education of the masses Is taking
spells new day for the development
of the resources of our state and
country. Should North Carolina take
the lead in providing adequate and
necessary facilities for the intellectual
and industrial training of both races
and make it compulsory for every one
Of school age to be trained until he
has acquired enough book learning
for the purposes of his life work and
enough skill to make a living with
his hands? Such policy If adopted
and adhered to would make North
Carolina the model state of the
Union