The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-08-10

ought. In all these districts lust men
TONED, perhaps barring very few
where extraordinary geographical
conditions exist, it seems the height of
loliy to maintain such schools. II
must not be concluded that these
tWcnty-siX districts constittue . ,ist
ol rare instances of small enrolment
IN the state there are ia districts
each with an enrolment of less than
20 pupils Everyone of these is .
country district, and these figures be-
come significant when it is remem-
bered that the average attendance in
the country schools of the State is
put 62 per cent of their enrolment.
Not satisfied with 1901 school dis
tricts, we are maintaining in them
-'o'Z whlte schools, or an average of
one school for every eleven square
miles Of territory. And both the ter
rltory and the schools are increasing
IN number annually Greenville
county has already been mentioned
as leading the State in the number
or school districts-1O5. In that
county are 131 white schools-7 town
schools and 124 country schools. A
large number Of the districts in this
county are smaller that the constitu-
tional minimum limit, yet 81 of these
districts each enroll fewer than so
pupils. and Of them each enroll
fewer than 80 pupils. Of the 1O5
ci 'trlcts. % show an average atten-
nee of fewer than 25 white pupils.
Ci the l31 white schools of that
county. 112 report the value of the
school buildings and grounds. (These
estimates are always high). OF the
III schools 29 are valued at less
than $4,000 each, and IL of the 90 at
less than $1,000. The total expendi-
ture on repairs to the 112 white
school house is reported ut $1,146.OO,
or an average of a little more than
$1,000 to a district. Besides. the
| INO"A'' iie'o 90 uiS'ilclS edcn with less
than 100000 total annual revenue.
Horny is in as bad condition as Green
vile. That county has 95 districts
and 106 white schools. She values 80
of her school buildings, including the
grounds. at less that 500 each, and 9
of the 80 buildings at less than $50
each. In repairs to school buildings
the county spent last year s29S, or
a traction more than So to
eac' district. OF the S5 districts 35
show an average attendance of fewer
than 20 white pupils. In the county
are 13 districts each with less than
$4,000 total annual revenue. Oconee
county has II districts; "a of them
have each less than 5000 revenue
and of them less than $1OO revenue.
l have singled out Greenville, Hor-
ry and Oconee counties to show
to what madness the multiplication of
school districts can run. AS this dis
cussion progresses it will become ap-
parent that those counties which have
become most demoralized as to Or
ganiZatiOn will be most difficult to
win over to organization and system.
In point of organization. over against
these counties and others like them
stand Beaufort with II districts.
Charleston with Is, Richland with IS,
Sumter with 21, and Union with 22.
In this latter group Union has the
largest number Of white schools-59.
1T ought to be evident from all
these facts that the state is burdened
with too many districts. that many of
them are ridiculously small and pitiAb-
ly weak, and that we are uselesslv
Keeping open hundreds of little in
eiliclent schools. = q great majority
of these are in the rural communities
How far are the country people re-
sponsbie for this situation? We
ought TO know why most of these lit
tie starving schools were established
and why they are kept open.
Ihc great naiOrity of them
owe their existence and their retention
To unreasonable neighborhood ieal-
ouSieS. and to n comparatively few
selfish disgruntled malcontents nm
willing and unable to corporate
with their neighbors in anything vital.
The States share in this depIorable
affair is that it clings To Il school sys-
tenn which not only tolerates such
things but invites them.
The school Extension Act OlnUNn
as the Garris Act is undoubtedly one
of the best pieces of school legisla-
ton a. the state during the past