Putnam County herald. (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922, 1913-12-25
SOME THINGS CHILDREN NEED
Hiuh Schools

SOME THINGS CHILDREN NEED
High Schools
Hereafter, under the act of the legis.
lature of 1913, there can be only two
classes of public schools, elementary
schools and Ugh schools. The elemen-
tary or primary school will consist il
eight grades only. The high schools,
where they are provided, will offer
two, three or four year course above
the eight grades. High schools, when
established in county are free to all
boys and girls in the county who have
completed the elementary school. This
county has no county high school.
! What are our boys and girls to do who
have completed the common school
course? Many of them can not go
away from home and pay tuition and
board. Our towns are doing some
high school work AS it is now, man
may live just inside the corporate linn
! its of a town, and his child will get the
benefit of high school training fee
Another man may live just outside the
limits of the town, and his child can
not get the benefit of high school ed
ucation unless he pays for it. Do both
these children get justice, and are they
treated alike and given an equal
chance in life?
A man may live in county where
high schools are established, and his
children will have the advantage of
high school education free His neigh
Dor may live just over the line in an
other county which has no high
schools, and his children can not get
the benefit of such training unless his
ia her is able to pay for it. Will these
children have an equal chance in life?
How can high schools be establish
ed! The state says to the county, if
you will levy tax not exceeding one
and one-half mills on the dollar, the
state will give to the county one-third
as much money as is thus raised. The
state further says that if the county
will establish an agricultural or do
mestic science department, it will give
as much as is appropriated for this
purpose.
In his county one mill on the dollar
w'uld make a $4,000 high school fund
The state would give $1,000, making
$4,000 in all. If the county should ap-
propriate $500 of this to establish an
agricultural school, the state would
give $500 more, making $500 in all
each year from the state, that we are
not getting because we have not made
any appropriation. In the past ten
years we have thus lost in this county
$4,000 which we would have received
free if we had made an appropriation
for high schools. Is this paying
proposition?
But let us look at this matter from
another standpoint, for if it is not a
paying proposition to the people of
this county we ought not to have it.
Suppose man whose real estate is
assessed at $1,000, and this is above
the average cor one man in this coun-
ty, has one child to educate. II the |
limit of one and One-half mills on the |
dollar were assessed for high school
purposes 1t would cost him $3.50 a |
year That is all it would cost him. |
I hat would pay his child's tuition in
h gh school for one year If his child
attended school for four years it would
cost him $500 in tuition for the four
years. What would it cost him at the
ordinary rate Of tuition? The lowest
limit would be $500 a month, $500
Cor five months, or $40 90 for one year
For four years $120 in tuition. But
suppose he had an average family of
four children to educate. Well, some
men are able to pay tuition and give
them all high school education, but
YOU duu duu OLucl ClllLcuS
could not do so. But If we had the
county high schools free for all it
would cost the man whose property is
valued at $1,000 only $3.50 a year to
educate four, six or ten children. Then
submit to the candid judgment Of any
man whether this is paying PROPOSE
ion. II it is, let us have it. II by any
means you can show that it is not
: en- let US not have it.
/ have submitted these articles on
he school conditions in this county
because felt that it was my duty to
10 SO. l am doing this for the benefit
If children who are now growing up,
Ind for the ruture citizenship Of the
county. l can not do AMY more. The
people must demand these things if
hey get them.
I have said that we ought to have
;ix months term for the elementary