The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-07-14
DR.. Jarman in Thoughtful
Paper Discusses Their
Mission and Needs
BEGIN TO REALIZE
IDEAL OF JEFFERSON
Our High School Should Be
. Standardized With More
Teachers and Better.
Propagation I'M
pOrtant
by DIR. J. L.. JAHM&<,
President of the state Female Normal
school, Farmyilie, Va.


Not until the last five years have
we had In the State OF Virginia
public school system SUI h a. DENT
cracy should provide for all of its
citizens. Although such e. system was
planned nearly hundred years ago
by the Sage of MONTICELLO, IL - only
in the twentieth century that his edu-
cational ideal Is beginning to be fully
realized.
As liz we'll known. the first part Of
this system to be established was the
university. which met his ideal CT
democracy only in part for the
reason that there were no public
schools to coordinate with II and,
therefore. Through no fault of Its
own, IL necessarily became an insti-
tuition more or less for the classes
rather than the masses because of the
fact that its patronage came from the
private academies
1t was not until 1870 that the pub
lie elementary school came into exis-
tsnce and all through the years since
that time its development has been
one continuous struggle and will con-
finue to be. Many things retarded
this development: In the beginning
the people of Virginia were not In
sympathy with the free school idea
in such depleted condition as To
make il impossible to furnish the
necessary funds Although these two
reasons would seem TO be all-sufiiclent
10 account for the retarded develop
u1ent OF the system % still greater
rsssaon lay in the fact that no pro-
vision Vas made for the public high
school. which is an essential link be-
tween the elementary school and the
h. &I4f 5fQ n
tial upiift in a system of education
except ii come from above, There
can be no Improvement or advance
In a class OF schools unless co-ordi~
mated with schools higher up.
Although. as stated above, the ele-
rnentary school was established In
1870 fourteen years elapsed before
any provision whatever was made FOR
preparing the teachers for these
n. hools The Hrsc teachers had No
special training for their work. but
possessed to an unusual degree that
VERY essential qualification. general
culture and reinement~-coming as
they did from, our best families. The
average life OF n uubIic school teacher
In five years; after the first genera
ton Of teachers tif We may speak or
them in this mannerD the next gen
Grafton came largely from the .ele-
ralentary school itself and up 10 TINS
time 81 majority OF the teachers in the
elementary schools have had no other
educational advantages than those OF
fered in the home school. supple
raentsd to some extent by courses at
the summer normal schools.
Beginning of Our Norrnais.
After the fourteen years had been
spent in such efforts at supplying a
teaching force the State realized that
without trained teachers for the ele-
nentary schools there could be no
proper development of school sys-
tom. and, therefore. established Tin
iss4) the State Female Normal school
at Farmviile, which has been follow
ed by the State Normal and Industrial
Institute at Petersburg tcolored). the
Normal Department at William and
Mary College, and the Normal and
l-saustrsat Schools Tor. Worssn~ At Har~
rfsonburg, Fredericksburg and Rad
ford, besides a number of normal
training departments in connection
with high schools. Even after these
institutions are fully developed 1t will
be impossible for them to supply all
of the elementary schools with train
ed teachers since about 1900 new
teachers are required each year.
Hence II can be clearly seen that
these schools must look to some other
source for large quota of their
teachers--and that source is the pub
lie high school,
While II Is true that for number
of years the high schools in the
cities have been we'll developed. there
schools were simply a part of the
city system and could not be said to
belong to the State system--because
the State had no such system. Four
II
try, and. therefore, only one-tifth of
our children had access to high
school at home. Never in the history
OF the State has II been more i'm
perative that the country child also
have access Ia this training than al
present.
Conditions Greatly Changed.
Our fathers inherited virgin soil
and very little knowledge Of agri-
culture enabled them to win from
these fertile lands a living But con-
ditions are changed: the boy OF today
Will. In many cases. inherit "a worn
out farm, which requires scientific
treatment in order to render 1t pro-
ductive, and the knowledge necessary
for this can be had from no lower
source than the high school, with
Its courses in elementary agriculture
biology, practical physics and chem
istry.
Before the day of the public high
school the educational gap was "a
some extent filled by the academy
which met great need, but did not
coordinate with the elementary
school. its whole bent being toward
the college: the public high school
on the other hands. connects with the
elementary school below and forces
Cor should force) the college or uni
versity TO establish connection with
the high school course. The excel.
icnce Of any State system of educc-
ton must depend very largely upor
the excellence of It's high schools. for
as has been stated above. they are
the main reliance of the elementar.
CONTINUED on Fourth Page)