The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-08-18

'd,.ation and has established so many
- and different kinds OF schools that
mn educational life is a series Of ad-
~ 4uents. Starting out at the close
- tbn war with the whole State pros
TO with the doors of our education
1, ,r.titutions closed, with the funds
- the public schools exhausted, we
t.,e vet ~resuScitated the older
.rbools. have enlarged n enriched
IN. we have built new ones; we
re developing a splendid public
.ghool system; n what is of far
Greater Importance, we nave
sentiment for the education Of all
Inc children of the State, that will en-
sbIe US to do great things in the
future.
For many years our towns and
cities have enjoyed the advantages Of
Graded and high schools; anu Of late
Sears. the state has begun establish
inc county high schools, and now
farm life schools, and the number Of
these is multiplying rapidly every
wear. Excellent buildings, with good
eauipment, have. been erected in most
of the countless; and in a few years
,here will be two or three, Oh even
more, in every county within the bor-
Jers Of our State; for this rural high
school is a necessary outGrowth of
the public school system and is fol-
lowing closely after the graded
schools in the cities. And the most
important educational question before
the State today is to find the place
that these high schools shall occupy.
They have been called, not inappro-
~priately. the Peoples College; for they
furnish what higher education a large
number of boys and girls will receive.
While the wealth of the State is rap
idly increasing, it has not yet reached
The point of increase that makes it
possible for any very large number
of pupils relatively to go to college. So
these schools have a problem of their
own. Let it be distinctly understood
that they are not established for the
purpose of preparing students for col
lege. but their real work is to fit for
business life. And our purpose should
be to relate these just as closely as
possible to the life and needs Of the
communities they are serving. When
you consider hat according to Prof.
Walker, who has gathered the sta
tistics carefully only 5 ITO per cent
of the students of the city high schools
and only 2 $40 per cent Of those of
the rural schools, now go to college,
you will see n a a very small part of
the work of these schools, town and
rural, is to prepare students for col
lege. OF course, it is deeply to be re-
gretted hat the number preparing
for college is so small, and we may
confidently expect it in the near future
10 be much larger than this. While
We have within North Carolina about
10000 students, boys n girls, in our
colleges, this number is relatively
very small.
The Problem Presented.
KS the matter now presents itself
you see these schools cannot in justice
TO the larger number, who do not ex-
pect to so to college, divert their
courses Of study from the needs OF
thelr pupils generally to the needs OF
The few preparing for college. Here
you nave a class, say of 100 III a rura
School, or in a city high school; 81
oi these In the country need prepa.
ration for their special life, which
We are trying to bring to pass, shall
be country life. There are three tina
want to so to college. In the cit!
graded schools there are ga that wan
20 go into the pursuits Of life, mer
Chahalsing, mechanic, trades, and ST,
mat want preparation for college. Nov
II VIII be manifestly unjust to mak'
any arrangement for the accommoda
uoh OF these few hat will in any wa.
oetract from the welfare of the large
number.
ms then is the problem. VIVA
,n'hGe, IL any, should be made in tn
,ouIse OF study of these schools? 0
eouISe IT will be readily granted tina
up 70 a certain point the courses 70
nv TWO classes, those preparing 70
koheSe n those not preparing, vii
~ identical. Whatever may be one
BUSINESS In life he should c~ertainl
NuoW ms Mother Tongue, how t
tpeah IT. and write it correctly, an
moN 70 appreciate the great literatur
dressed IN it-a literature that SUI
posses that of any other language c
".!.ht or modern times. Mathe
fnT mp TO a certain point is need
10 both, for knowledge of arith
HI e.ic IS essential to all businesse,
"loIy, as taught in our best school
buSelul and really important to mel
whho.eVer may be their pursuit
schhee'nier they stop off with hig
nat t'oi courses or not. So there wi
W., pe much change necessary her
inan, "hether Latin should be as prom
m'as as 1t is in the high school is
sidon.Ioh' Greek is not even cor
wb et , That is to say, it is a questio
LII