The Mena weekly star., 1912-04-11
EDUCATORS CLOSE
 SUCCESSFUL MEET
Work for More and Better Rural Schools Has Been Feature of Meeting of Educators-More
 School Money Needed.

Nashville, Tenn, April 5.-What is pronounced the most successful meeting of the Conference for Ed ucation in the South ever held, closed here tonight Not only has the attendance been extraordinary, but the character and volume of the work done is pronounced un- usual. The overshadowing feature has been the work for the rural schools. This phase has been em- phasized on programs and a telling exhibit has been maintained, show ing conditions in all the states for and changes in progress. 4 notable round-table conference this after- noon was on rural schools of the south. Supervisor W. K. Tate of South Carolina presided, and sup ervisors of three states and B. F. Reissler, chief of the school sani- iation division of the bureau of education, participated. Theme of she morning session of the confer ence was also rural schools. s. Y. Joyner, state superintendent of North Carolina, presided. The work of the school improvement leagues was forcibly presented by Miss Su- sic V. Powell of Mississippi, presi- dent of the Interstate League.
 Every school" she said, lis just what the community as a whole wants, and the only feasible way lo get better schools is to make the people want them. The only way 10 make them want the better things is to show them what a school should be and what it may do for the community"
 The league offered means of doing this. She paid tribute to the efficacy of special day programs to- the aid of women's clubs health boards and physicians.
 Rural School Supervision was the subject of Superintendent M. P. Shawkey of West Virginia. He cited figures Go show that rural supervision had caused the percentage of attendance in hisl state to rise i4 per cent; the super vision there was young. The ad- dress was really an appeal for more money for the country school.
 a7rhe country needs more school money" he said, "and ought to have it. It has been robbed to enrich the city. The city has steadily sucked the life-blood from the rural sec tions until their present anaemic condition excites alarm. As mat ter of salf-defense, if for no other reason, the cities must abandon the selfish policy which they have pur- sued and join hands with the coun- try for a mutual prosperity whose Americanism is broad enough to touch every child, whether white or black, in the city or in the coun- try"
 He declared that only one-fourth of the people live in the cities, but that one-fourth spends half the na- lions school money. He suggested incidentally, a federal appropria- lion of Si for every child i'll the United States and also collection of public service corporation taxes by a state or county unit and dis tribuling the money on a per capita basis.
 The club woman, literally repre- senting the general federation, held a morning conference on the economic and civic advancement of women,' with Miss Emelie Me- Yea of Cincinnati leading, and this afternoon they were given a recep- tion at Polk Memorial Hall by Mrs. George w. Fall and M M Gardner, relatives of the wife of former President James Knox Polk, and later were guests al a fashionable tea. The School Improvement League held a mass meeting. The Peabody Alumni visited the new college campus. The Middle Ten nessee Educational Association took q sightseeing trip over Nashville, followed by numerous round-table conferences. The Southern Asso- citation of College Women held it's business session.
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