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

Nv we shall have to the nope
Of it and find a way of developing IN
every county at least one centrai nfgn
school that is efficient. In some coa
ties. several such schools would be re
duired as we develop to meet the de-
The County the Unit.
In building after this plan the
and not the local district must
become the INIT of support as we'll as
the unit of patronage. In order 10
free tho high school from certain
lettering local influences and to make
possible the support necessary TO en-
able it to meet the real educational
needs Of the county as a whole The
schools. then. of the counts
should become in reality what they
are now supposed to De in theory. an
organic part of the county system OF
school and therefore controlled and
managed by the county rather than
by the local community. One OF the
big obstacles under our present plan
is that community ideals and needs
are not always the ideals and needs
of the county, and this fact operates
to check the growth and develop
ment of the high school as soon as It
gets to the point hat it can meet
the coTnmunity'S needs and
for merely general high school train
ing. To be sure. under this plan. the
community that is sc tun as to
secure the locations of a central high
school would profit more largely than
any outlying community. and should
accordingly bear an extra part in the
support Of the SchOo and in providing
the necessary initial equipment. This
is but fair and just. Yet the school
would not De hampered by the COM
munity's ideals-should they be such
- -
velOpment when the community
caches the limit IF it's and
support.
Let US once for all abandon the
ideal. that the small unoFganized high
SchOol is going to be able to meet
our modern ideals and demands for
secondary school training. 1t simply
cannot be efficient in meeting the de-
mands of our complex social and
economic life.
There are three big fundamental
| demands for training the nlOdern high
school must meet. These are rather
district demands OF functions, yet
| they are related, and at some points
overlap. The first of these demands
tnot necessarily in point of import
ancep is for preparation for college;
the second is for general cultural
training. whether the pupil expects to
go to college Or not; and the third
is for vocational training. No one OF
these demands should or will domi-
nate u high school system any
longer, but each one must and will be
met. The lack Of space forbids al
elaboration OF these three functions
Of the high school at this point. SUI.
flee it to say, therefore. that all three
of them are legitimate demands; tina
they should not be regarded as an.
~tagOniStic f~unCtiOnS, that they arr
going to prevail: and hat provision
must and will be made for meetins
them in a comprehensive and ade
quate system of public secondar,
schools whether supported by city o
rural community.
If the plan which I have suggested
above could be put into operation gen
orally Over the State, as it has beel
tpartlally) in a few counties. notabl
Wake and Guilford, we should expert
ence a development in secondary edu
cation in the next decade thai wOul,
put us far in the lead of any South
ern State in efficient secondary school
and that would put us abreast Of tn
best in the whole country. We can d
: it, we are able to do. and l have tn
t faith to believe we are going TO do i
In putting such a plan into opera
t ton we should put the principal o
: salary the year found and keep tn
school open, the year round
S would be necessary for it to carry on
the same program of work in Jul
that it carried out in January
some work that should be given coul
best be done in July-but this is
mere matter of detail in ~organizatio
and administration. Nor would it /
. necessary to keep all the pupils i
e school all the year. The time ,
their atendance could be regulated
y accordance with their aims. purpos.
and abilities. We should not find
e difficult to provide the principal
home, nor to get strong men an
IS strong women to prepare. themsely.
for the departmental work in snc
e schools. And / know that s,e
schools QUIZ soon be crowded wit
ambitious boys and girls, who Won
be willing to work their way throuo
school If need be and L. A--