The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-11-27

ricultural high schools. A great mum
Der of these schools are located Ii
South Mississippi. All the school,
average about one hundred pupil
each.
Lamar County School.
As typical example of these schools
the Lamar County Agricultural Higf
School located on the New Orleans &
Northeastern railroad about sixteer
miles from Hattfesburg may be tax
en-. The school was established just
two years ago. The town of Purvis
secured its location by donating build
ings and land to the amount of $12.
900. Since its establishment levy OF
one mill on the property of the county
with the state appropriation has been
sufficient for its maintenance. This
school has In operation under expert
enced and specially trained teachers
four ts-agricultural, do
nestle science, manual training and
academic.
Agriculture Is taught In the class
room and on the farm, which COM
prises ninety acres cultivated accord
ing to the most approved methods.
This farm is equipped with modern
farm machinery and good stock. The
farm work Is done entirely by the stu
dents under the direction OF the head
Of the department OF agriculture. In
this way many Of the boys earn
great part of their school expenses,
All boys are required to work at least
three hours per week on the farm. The
effort is made to teach the boys NOW
to make farming profitable and to In.
culcate in them a spirit of pride in the
work
The domestic science department
has a model cottage on the campus
In this department the girls are taught
cooking, sewing, home care of the
sick, food values, hygiene of the home,
etc. They are given training In all
that goes to make home life attrac-
tive and heathful
The department of manual training
has a separate building especially de-
signed for the work. In this building
Is both a wood shop and q blacksmith
shop. The students are taught how to
take care of tools of all kinds and
how to use them Thus the joy of CON
struction is added to the economical
value that will come to the future
farmer when he will know how to re.
pair his tools and how to make them
should the occasion arise.
The fact is emphasized that this is
not merely a trade school. Special at
tention Is paid to those things in the
academic department that the expert
ence of the ages has proved good; lit
erature, history, practical mathematics,
botany, physics and chemistry are
taught. The effort Is to produce a
well rounded man or woman who can
dream things and do them too.
Cost of Tuition Small.
At this school expenses are reduced
to the minimum. Board is given at
actual cost; seven dollars per month
has been the average for the past two
years. Students are encouraged to do
all the work possible to reduce ex-
penses. A model wash house. such as
ran be built on any farm, is on the
the girls are encouraged to
do their own laundering: in fact, some
Of the bows take advantage Of 1t to
save laundry bill, while at the same
time a proper estimate of work is CIV
EN- to the child The formation of ev.
pensive habits and habits of idleness is
STRONGLY discouraged.
At the state fair in 1912 this school
took first prize for the best general
agricultural and industrial evhibit
from the AGRICULTURAL high schools.
''''' ~ ~ FFSulIS OF t'e SC'OhtS.
OF course it is too early yet to see
much Influence Of these schools on
the farm life of the state. The most
noticeable result so far is the great
'"r'her ot students taking ADVANTAGE
" this onnortrnitv to go to school:
asneoia'lv is this trlNe NJ the hovs. Tn
nractical1v every school the rumher
~ hovs Is greater than the number Of |
girls. Most OF these Young men and
women would not Re In school at al
we're IT not for The kind Of school: |
.hev are not vet ready for college ord |
most OF them would never pct readv |
20 ronv OF them have considered their
inhool devs over at the close OF the
'nhli" school work and were it notfor
he fact that the school is located IN
he home county they would never
hirt Of going anv more. Then. too.
he prevailing idea in the schools Is
o he considered, since as was said
rove 81 per cent Of the population Of