Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-08-20

different schools of the county to-
gether for a great final common cele-
bratfon and contest. These two ideas
merging and developing together gave
us the county commencement.
Acting partly upon a suggestion by
L. G. Brogden, Supervisor of Rural.
Schools, Superintendent L. L. MAJ
thews, of Sampson county, held in
1910. at AutryyiIle. joint commence
aent occasion for two or three nearby
schools and presented certificates
signed by him as county superinten-
dent to five or six boys and girls. This
event created so much enthusiasm
among the children and made their
completion of the elementary school
seem such big thing to them, that
Superintendent Matthews was Inn,
pressed and made q good written re-
pert OF the experiment at the next
meeting OF the County Superintend-
ents Association, advocating che ex-
Nensapn OF the idea.
The same spring, 1910, acting under
somewhat similar idea, 6uperinten-
dent E. T. Atkinson, of Wayne county,
held the first meeting of what he cali
ed the Wayne County High Schools
oratorical Association" in which rep
Gesentatives from all the high schools
of the State contested In oratorical
contest, great rivalry and school spirit
being manifested. The following year
lie took the idea of the contest, added
&c 1t the idea of Superintendent Mat
thews' of granting certificates to the
elementary schools, and held the first
real comfy commencement in the
State, March 81, 1911 Lee, Richmond,
and Wilkes counties followed suit with
comnencements the same year. In
1912, ten we're held; in 1913, twenty
four were held; and in 1914, the num-
Ter had grown to forty-one. Sixty or
more counties are expected to hold
commencements next year.
The Countrywide Examination.
The features of the county COM
mencement may have an illimitable
number of variations so that every
county may have some distinctive fea-
lures peculiar to itself. The essential.
element, however, ana the element
without which it is really not "con-
mencement" is the county examina-
ton for the candidates for ordination.
from the seventh grades of the county.
This examination is made out b.
the county superintendent, or by a
committee appointed by him, to cover
III general the work of the prescribed
course of study for the seventh grade
Those students of the seventh grades
who successfully pass it are given
county certificate, admitting them
without further recommendation into
the county high schools. This GER
! tlficate furnishes goal toward which
the child in elementary school will
strive and is a great inspiration work
on his part.
At the same time it has vigorous
standardizing effect on the teachers
OF the county. If a teachers work
has been lax, her pupils will largely
fail or make very low showing on
this examination, and thus it tends
to pull her work up to a standard
AT the same time it assures a better
knowledge of the course of study and
of the individual subjects in that
course, and it has a great value in
suggesting to her the kinds of ques-
ticns she should ask the pupil and
il showing the relative Importance of
the different phases of a subject.
The Parade.
The parade is the striking feature
of the commencement, but whereas
the examination exerts it's influence
on the schools themselves, standardiz-
Ing teachers and inspiring pupils, the
parade has its greatest effect upon
pubIic sentiment 1t jars the bust
ness men of the community out of
their lethargy and awakens them to
a conception of the vast, pressing, and
everlasting need of public education.
An average of between two and
four thousand children assemble and