The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-19
SOUTH IS BACKWARD
IN SCHOOL TERM
LENGTH is CONSIDERABLY LESS
THAN IN JAPAN, ITALY, AND
OTHER COUNTRIES.
DR.. CLAYTON SPEAKS
TALKS ON NEEDS OF RURAL
SCHOOLS IN SouTH-REP0RTs
OF CHAIRMEN ARE NOT
FORTHCOMING.

A longer school term, uniform
throughout the South, equal oppor-
tunity for education and development
OF all children, and teachers prepared
for the particular work in which they
are engaged and possessed of know
ledge. of rural conditions are the
needs of the South as pointed out by
United States Commissioner of Edu-
cation Claxton yesterday afternoon IN
the Christian church annex.
Nearly every European country.
even Italy Japan and the islands of
the sea, have nine months school
terms, while we, of the South. have
less than one hundred days in most
instances, and not more than one
hundred and thirty in any Instance
in the rural sections. This was the
unfiattening comparison between the
rural schools of the South and those
Of other lands by DR. Claxton. He
stated that he is seeking to lnaugu-
rate nation wide campaign for
longer school terms the minimum to
be one hundred and eighty days.
Chairmen RemisS.
The meeting in the church annex
was intended to give opportunity for
convention visitors and delegates to
hear reports OF the various confer
ences held during the week and in
cidently to hear an address by DIR.
Claxton, but the reports did not ma
terialize. The chairmen of most of
the meetings were absent and few of
those present were able to make re-
ports. DIR. Claxton said that he in
tended to write all chairmen for writ
ten. reports and If they complied with
the request he could have them print
ed and distributed. Applause greeted
this promise.
In the beginning DR.. Claxton con-
graduated the delegates upon the
work accomplished by the conference,
saying that it had grown from small
movement designed to bring about
particular reforms into one with a
broader scope at which discussions of
statesmanlike nature predominated.
, The purpose OF the conference, for
merly, merely TO lengthen the school
terms and to accomplish other need
ed Improvements. now includes all
these things and more, he said. Many
of the purposes have been accom-
plished and much good has resulted
from its activities, according to DR..
Claxton, who said that an increase
in the number of high schools. cam
paigns In the various States for the
betterment of the school system, the
Rockefeller sanitary commission and
various other good results have grown
out of it.
Idealists and Practical Men.
In opening his appeal for better ru-
raj schools DR. Claxton punctured the
claims of the so-called practical men.
who. ne declared, are the most i'm
practical people on earth. because they
have no ideal toward which to journey
and no light therefrom to guide them.
He compared them to the artist who
takes paints and brush and proceeds
to daub colors on the canvass without
having an ideal in view: to the sculp-
tor without an ideal image; an archi-
tect and bridgebuilder without plans.
The bridge he said would be the
cause of a very practical wreck. The
I Ideal for the South he held up as
follows:
a one hundred and eighty-day
school term in every school; equal OPP
] pOrtunity for all and teachers pre-
/ pared for their work and interested
in the life OF the community in which
teaching.
He repudiated the idea Of CONFLICT
( between cultural and vocational
training, The latter is merely giving
the child the education which will
enable him to adapt himself to his
community to the life he will lead
and to the work which he will do and
that is culture. The spiritual need
not be lost sight of, he said. There
is no reason on earth why the black
smith should be as callous as his
anvil: there is no reason why the
man who turns the clod should him
self be a clod. When the business
man and the professional man, the
society woman and the farmers wife,
( the blacksmith, the carpenter and the
farmer leave their work there is no
reason why they should not be men
or equallty IN spiritual and intellec-
tual things"
He urged that Just as the engineer
studies just as much mathematics and
! just the kind needed. the assayer lust
the branch of chemistry needed to
fit him for his work, the teacher
should have the information and
! knowledge needed for his work and
the teacher the knowledge to teach
| ii in the school.
! The way to make good schools is
to have good teachers and the only
way to- get them is to teach them.
he said. Normal schools are needed
and in the course of time 1t should
be impossible for anyone TO be grant.
ed certificate to teach who had not
been trained in these normal schools"
For Virginia he Suggested a graded
movement toward The ideal After a
certain number of years no teacher
| without one year in the high school
should be allowed to teach After
two years none without two years
training should be granted certiff-
Gates. Gradually the requirements
should be raised until by 1922 or
/ 1924 no teachers who has not COM
pleted high school work and received
| professional training in the normal
schools should be allowed to teach in
the State schools.
The ideal he had pictured, said DR.
| Claxton. in conclusion, could be at
tained IL we wish to attain it,
| Hon. J. d. Eggleston presided at the
meeting and introduced DIR. Claxton
as man respected and beloved
wherever he was known.
! MIR. LOVE ADDRESSES
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Samuel b. Love, manager of the
| Mutual Life Insurance company of
/ New York, made an address before
! thirteen hundred nInils of the Inhn