Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-08-22
THE SCHOOL and Home
CONTINUED from First Page).


baptism to me at this very place, and
of DR.. Tom Campbell, whose kindly
heart and skillful hands made his ser
vices indispensable when / was to be
ushered into this world, and of many
another whose life has made the
name Of Bethel illustrious. Nor was
allowed to forget that the men OF
Bethel were Of a race Of warrior he
roes, that they were among those who
sacrificed their lives upon the altar
OF Freedom at Kings Mountain, that
they were also among those whose
blood ran red upon Virginia's hills In
defense Of homes they loved and for
rights they held sacred.
Is Ii any wonder then that as boy
1 grew UP steadfast in the belief that
South Carolina was the grandest state
in the Union, that York county came
first in South Carolina. and that In
York county Bethel stood highest?
But love Bethel not alone for the
glories of her past but also for the
of her future. And one OF
the brightest prophecies for her fu-
ture is the growth Of this cooperative
spirit-the spirit OF the brotherhood
OF man-as evidenced by this organi-
Zation. -. II.
We are proud that the whole south
has quickened to the STRINGS OF this
spirit Of brotherhood; and We are
prouder still that Bethel Is taking her
place in the vanguard Of this move
ment for a more satisfying rural life.
The meaning Of thus great movement
for cooperation throughout the whole
south is simply this: Rural life In
the immediate past has not been sat-
isfactory, and men are feeling them
hxy
so that they may unite
their efforts toward so improving
of rural life that 1t will sat
isty the whole man-his material, his
moral and his social needs.
The plans for this improvement
have been laid broad and along many
lines. They have been laid in the full
of the fact that in union
there is strength. The simple fact has
been recognized that ten men work
ing together may do a great piece OF
work that would be absolutely impoS-
sible for one man alone. These plans
have also been laid in the light Of the
further knowledge that two men
against each other create q
worse than If no man were
at all. The Yorkville Enqul-
rer recently expressed the matter
comprehends the same
principles that are necessary for the
successful operation Of a cross-cut
saw" II each man pulls in his turn
and then gives away while the other
pulls the results will be satisfactory;
but If each man tries to pull the saw
his way at the same time the results
will be unsatisfactory to everybody. In
the same way everyone who goes into
4 cooperative organization Of this
kind must expect at times to give up
some of his pet theories, and stand
aside while the other fellow pulls the
saw to his side of the log.
Some Of the things we hope to ac-
complish by such an association as
this, are in improving the church and
giving our people a more satisfying
spiritual life, to cooperate with each
other in securing good roads, In learn
Ing more scientific methods of farm
ing, in forming societies for buying
and marketing farm products, and in
obtaining modern conveniences and
devices for the home, in
order that the material conditions of
life may be more satisfying; we wish
also to cooperate in maintaining
public play grounds, literary societies,
and lyceum courses that the social
of rural life may be salts
flying; and Qast but by no means
least) we must cooperate with others
in establishing and maintaining good
schools. That Is the first essential.
l was especially pleased on the day
this association was formed to note
that Dr.. Dulin, in his paper, empha-
sized the necessity for school improve
ment as one of the very first steps to-
ward an ideal rural community. He
the fact that our institu-
tions OF higher learning are receiving
from the state g. disproportionate
Of support as compared with
that given the common public schools.
tenn is top-heavy. 1t has been devel-
oped at the wrong end first. There
must be a re-adjustment. Our COM
mon schools must receive more liberal
support.
Dr. TAFT Butler, I believe it was, in
q recent editorial in the Progressive
Farmer, was writing Of the many
plans now being advocated for max
.ng more pleasant the conditions or
living in rural communities, and in
the course of his discussion he said
that before we can get all these things
(such as good roads, improved farm
pure-bred stock, modern
for our homes, etc.,, we
must have money; and, since the soil
is the only source Of q farmers mon
ey, we cannot win from the soil the
greatest amount Of money until we
farm that soil intelligently and ac-
cording to scientific principles; and
we cannot put into practice those
until we have learned them;
and we cannot learn them until we
have better schools with longer terms
and especially adapted to the needs of
farm life and not modelled after the
school of some city system. So we
see that in it's last analysis we come
down to the school as the very base
upon which the whole fabric is found
ed.
1 am sure that we must all agree
that we need a better grade of school
and more of it. Now it remains for
us to decide how we shall go about
accomplishing this end.
Let us look for a moment at some
of the ways in which this problem OF
educating children has been ap-
preached in the past and some Of the
things that may be done to relieve
the present situation.
In an earlier day than this the
wealthy planter of the south employ
ed a private tutor and had his chill
dren taught in his own home. His
poorer neighbors, deprived of his CO.
operation, were unable to maintain
schools, therefore their children re-
mained untaught; and social cleavage
lines developed between the aristoc-
racy and the common people. This
system was not democratic and was
therefore undesirable. A later and
more common practice-one which
still exists-is that of sending chill
dren away from home to preparatory
schools and colleges, often involving
the expenditure Of scanty fund
which can i'll be spared. This prac-
tice of sending children away from
home to preparatory schools, aside
from the unnecessary expense, is OBJ
viously bad, because it deprives a
child of home environment and home
influences at a time when he needs
them most.
Another thing that may be done is
for the people of given community
who have children to prepare for col
lege to unite their efforts and by pri-
vate subscription maintain a prepar-
atory school in the home community.
Thus at no greater expense than be-
fore, they accomplish the same results
4 . ~ AtNNND.