Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1913-03-20
SUPT. J. E. CARROLL'S VISIT
TO FORT Mills SCHOOLS

Yorkville. March Is. -Contin-
uing my journey. l next reached
Gold Hill, which is also in Dis
trict No. 80 and under the super
vision of the same board of
trustees as Flint Hill. Mr.. John
l.. Ratteree and Miss Inez Smith
are the teachers in charge. There
were some fifty or sixty pupils
in attendance ranging all the
way in size from six-year-old
tots to grown-up boys and girls.
The building is above the aver
age in size and arrangement but
1T needs a fresh coat of paint in
side and out. The grounds
could be improved wonderfully
with little work, and the heat
ing is poor. In the primary
room the stove was out of COM
mission and an open fireplace
was carrying 95 per cent of the
heat up the chimney. The open
fireplace is fine for ventilating
purposes but for heating a good
sized schoolroom it is just about
as effective as a ten-cent brass
lamp. New blackboards and
more books for the library would
aid the teachers in their work.
So far as was able to Judge in
the short time at my disposal
the teachers are doing their
work intelligently. and the num-
Der of children in the higher
grades is encouraging. would
like very much to see the local
Improvement association get busy
and stir up the enthusiasm of
former years, when Gold Hill
was the leading country school
in this section of the State. |
can remember time when her
commencementS were the big
event of the year for the sur
rounding country.
Eureka was the next place
inspected. There / found Miss
Mabel Smith with ten or twelve
children in attendance. This
little school is down among the
river hills in District No. 26.
The trustees are Messrs. w. H.
Jones, S. P. Sutton and R. S.
Torrence. The building is COM
Portable, but there is no equip
ment. The children need the
broadening influence of large
numbers. They should be trans
ported to one of the neighboring
schools at the expense of the
district. 1t is impossible to get
up the necessary enthusiasm
among eight or ten pupils.
At Riverside, my next and
last stop, | found a modern
building, very we'll arranged and
properly equipped with good
desks, globe. maps, blackboards,
etc. The trustees have done
well by this school and it is up
to the patrons and the teacher
10 do the rest. With anything
like regular attendance Miss
Epps ought to get good results
this spring. | believe she will.
Generally speaking, the schools
of the township are about on an
average with the country schools
in other parts of the county.
There is much room for improve
ment but the conditions are
favorable, and Fort Mill is toe
progressive as shown by her
improved roads, good churches
and wel-tilled farms, to allow
her schools to lag.
| thank you, Mr.. Editor, fol
this opportunity to reach your
readers and tell them frankly my
impressions of their schools. Ii
would have been easier perhaps,
to quietly pass from school t.
school, praising the efficiency OF
. the teacher aid the brightness
of the pupils, interspersing i,
all with few idle compliments
for the trustees and the neighbor.
hood in general, but | prefer tC
point out defects and suggest {
remedy. John f.. Carroll. !.