The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-04-11
PER CAPITA
TAXES FOR SCHOOLS
Is Suggested by Mr.. Shawkey
|. in a Very Helpful
Address.

L. O31HAENL&ESS4O- Nt april O.---4u uls hu'
dress on Rural Supervision before
the Conference for Education in the
South at Nashville, Tenn, Thursday
Hon N. p. shawkey, state superin-
tendent of schools OF West Virginia,
made clear two very important things
that enter into the question. or stand
out more prominently than any others.
First the rural school needs. Gar
more money; tb) better methods.
And, second, that supervision will
increase efficiency and get more out
of the money spent for schools.
West Virginia IS conceded to have
made greater progress in education
in the rural schools than any southern
state. The discussion of the subject
by the head of the school system OF
the state is therefore of especial i'm
portance from school and education
al standpoint.
Mr.. shawkey discussed at length
the difference between the city and
country school He said there were
two fundamentals, and discussed the
first incidentally. but the second more
fully. THE one is in the nature of a
condition. he said, the other pol
ICY AS to the first he sad:
When was boy l lived on a
piece of land such as is by common
courtesy In most parts of the coun-
try called farm. recall, thar
once upon time We had three pigs
in pen, one big one and two consid-
erably smaller ones. They were fed
in common trough and all the same
feed. As hog killing time approached
We were annoyed to note that while
the big pig constantly grew bigger
and fatter the smaller ones remained
stunted. Upon closer investigation
It was found that the big pig had ac-
quired certain monopolistic skill.
He knew how to take advantage o.
his size. When the slop was poured
into the trough he would either plank
himself lengthwise in the trough.
thus occupying it to the exclusion Of
everything else. or throw his weight
on one end of 1t causing the whole
bucket full Of slop to flow his way,
while. the. smaller hogs tugged and
crowded TO get enough stuff to keep
them alive. We have wondered why
the country school has remained lean
and slender. 1t is the smaller hog.
The cities hayef been taking advan-
tage OF their weight to tip the trough
their way. The products of the farm
are collected :nsthe towns where the
accumulated treasure is taxed to sup
port the city school The railroad
drains the country and concentrates
its property in the towns where 1t is
taxed to support the city school The
city banks collect the surplus money
from the country and 1t there pays
its taxes to support the school of the
city. The productive power of the
city is further increased by its super
Tor schools. Thus the endless chain
process continues.
THE city pig grows large and lusty
while the country develops nothing
especially vigorous except the APP
petite of good animal. For it is a
fact that the average country boy or
girl is much more hungry for an edu-
cation than his city cousin. Just note
the contrast.
in the United States one-fourth of
the people live in the city. but that
one-fourth of the people of the nation
spend one-half OF the nations school
money. In other words the. nation
invests three times as much in the
education of the city boy as in that
of the country hoy. -
The city has most Of the high
schools and nearly all of the libraries.
lyceums and laboratories. The one
fourth of the people who live in the
city own three-fourths of all the
public school property in the United
States. The city pays its teachers
double the rate of salary for a thirty
per cent longer term. The city also
attracts to itself most OF the available
supply of professionally trained teach
ers. Money has done much for the
city school and to my mind there is
no real solution to the country school
problem except through the aid OF
greatly increased revenues
Mr.. Shawkey called attention to the
suggestion of Prof. W. c. Bagley that
the United States as nation reverse
the process for a while and support
our schools from tariff and Internal
revenues and build our battleships
from direct taxation,
When We do our schools will have
a better living" said Mr.. Shawkey