The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1913-07-03
WHAT ONE RURAL.
SCHOOL HAS DONE
PROCRESSAT PROVIDENCE
CORRESPONDENT WRITES OF
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF SMALL
COUNTRY SCHOOL.

Editor Log Cabin Democrat:
A few years ago Prudence was like
many of our rural schools, but it has
grown so rapidly that it is among the
few if not the leading one, where
there has been no high school at
tempted.
There was little schoolhouse Is by
"a about 10 miles southwest from
Conway standing on beautiful plat
of ground, surrounded by magnificent
hickories, stalwart oaks and roaring
pines, with few wild plums in which
the feathered songsters lodged and
porued forth their sweetest melodies
as if to arouse the drowsy child or to
wake the Auggard. The wild flow
ers of many varieties perfumed the
air and furnished the children with
employment.
This house was so small, dilapldat-
ed and poorly furnished that il be-
came necessary to teach in church
nearby, but in 1911 the people deeid-
ed that they needed better house,
so they planned new one. They
were awake enough to want a mouse
that would bespeak their desire for q
good school. They had built one Of
the most modern one-room school
houses in the county, with a seating
capacity of 200 children. They plan
ned proper ventilation, having 10
windows four feet by eight, SO that
they are rolled either from bottom Or
top. They found that their house cost
them 81 900.
| OF course they needed new furni-
! ture for their new house, SO they
bought about 5000 worth of furniture,
raised teachers salaries from $35 and
$40 to $50 and $50. With such i'm
provement, the school necessarily
grew rapidly, and by the summer Of
1911 it was necessary to have two
teachers.
This showed the people the possibil-
ity of their school. The board, from
experience, found that to builC {
school they must employ the best
teachers. They also found that de-
spite the attempts to organize liter
ary societies, that very little could be
done for want Of materials for re-
search work. So in May, 1913. they
bought 5000 library, using the
greatest care in selecting the books,
and now no material is lacking for
either school or society work. They
also bought maps, single desks, a
globe, window shades and guards,
door mats and other material 70 the
amount of $500.
They now open school the first Of
June, and although Providence is III Z
cotton country, they have enrolled 81
pupils with a rapid increase each day.
There has been a very fine School
Improvement Association, q society
for primary pupils called "Sunbeams'
and a society for the grammar school,
known as the Julian Nelson Soc ETY.,
They will have a graduating class Of
probably five from the grammar
school this term.
The same magnificent hickorles,
stalwart oaks, roaring pines anc wilo
plum still stand as guards about the
schoolhouse, but step inside, recall the
past and draw a comparison = you
can. Instead of old black walls, there
are new ones with many pictures,
notices and other attractions OF
school life. Instead of old dirty win-
dows with broken light, there is beau
tiful broad glass with hand-palnted
curtains-in fact, everything that sc
to make school life attractive. We
have something to cause the children
to love school and take a pride IN
learning and taking care of the house.
We are not bothered with children
wanting to stay away from school.
Fathers and mothers, don't blame
! the children for their lack OF interest
in school, but make school attractive,
place live, wideawake teachers IN
your school and all other gooo things
will follow.
Don't think there is nothing for you
to do But each parent feel that they
have work to do, and do it, then
your child will like school.
A SCHOOL SUPPORTER.