Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-07-03
AN INTERESTING AND VALUABLE
REPORT ON GEORGIA SCHOOLS

The annual report of Superintend u
Britain, of the State Department Of
Education, is not only a valuable rec
ord but also an interesting book
which everyone who is concerned with
the progress and the needs of Geor-
gia's common schools will find well
worth perusing The volume is unus-
ually rich in suggestive data; and il I
be true that we must first know where
we stand in order that we may move
intelligently forward, this careful co..
lection of facts and figures concerning
practically every detail of the State :
educational interests is OF value al
most beyond reckoning.
The report shows that since 1900.
the enro lment in Georgia's public
SCuOOlS has llCItdotu HUN IOul Iu'i
dred and eighty-four thousand, three
hundred and eighty-fve to five hun
dred and seventy-one thousand, two
hundred and thirty; that the state ap-
preparation has advanced from one
million, four hundred and forty thous-
and, six hundred and forty-two dollars
to two million, five hundred and fifty
thousand; that within the same period
the average length of the school year
has been extended from one hundred
and ten to one hundred and forty-two
days, and that the number of teachers
employed has increased from nine
thousand, six hundred and ninety-tw)
to thirteen thousand one hundred AMI
five During the decade beginning III
1900 white iliteracy in Georgia has
decreased from eleven and nine-tenths
per cent to seven and eight-tenths,
while negro illiteracy has decreased
from f1fty-two to thirty-six and five
tenths per cent
These figures indicate substantial
progress, but at the same time they
admonish us, especially when we com
pare them with records of other
states, that vast deal of urgent work
remains to be done. 1t is evident, for
instance, that Georgia should adopt
some we l-considered system of conf
pulsory education She is now one Of
the only six states in al the Union
that is without a law of this charac-
ter. In this connection, Superinten-
dent Britain declares:
only one state in the Union, Ala
bama raises less money (for schools)
~ local taxation than Georgia Forty
SIX states give smaller amount from
tie state itself and only one gives
more than Georgia from this source
The conclusion would seem to be
unavoidable, therefore, that Georgia
does not so much need greater apprU
priations from the State treasury, as
local cooperation and aid. Prompt
payment to the teachers and every
possible encouragement towards loca
support and interest stand above al
other educational needs in Georgia
AS regards the need of more liberal
LEGAL support for public schools, it
may be said that those communities
which do not bestir themse YES to this
Culy WILL oOOu NC tSlJ III TIC ddl IN
backward abysm of time" for adc-
Guate school facilities are coming to
be more and more the test by which
home seekers and investors judge d
county or town. That fact, of course,
does not solve the problem, but It
should arouse the people in every
nook and corner of the state to the
Importance of generous local support
for schools.
The prompt payment of teachers IS
one of the most urgent matters now
before the Legislature; and there is
good reason to believe that some rem
edial plan will be devised. The pro-
posal to increase the tax rate a mill or
mill and ha'f for period of twh
years is we'll worth considering. 1t is
I