The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-05-26

At recent meeting OF the Board of
Education the teachers of all of the
city public schools were reelected
and were granted ten days In which
to signify their acceptance or their
declination.
The exercises for Commencement
will be held this year in the Taber-
nacle. This was decided upon at a
recent meeting OF the Board OF Edu-
cation. IL II should rain Mr.. Rytten-
berg has very kindly consented to re-
serve the opera house for Wednes-
day and Thursday evenings OF next
week. As Is customary a small admis-
sion fee will be charged to meet the
incidental expenses. The fee this year
viii be 10 cents for each night. The
surplus has always gone to the pur-
chase of books for the children. This
year IL will be used to pay for library
books already purchased and for
Victrola, bought for the primary
school ut the beginning OF the year.
This instrument has served to play the
marches for the children, to furnish
music for their gymnastic exercises.
and to play many selections OF music
for the children. much TO their joy
and delight. The Commencement ex-
ercises will be held on Wednesday and
o'clock and they promise to be unusu-
ally interesting. The Board OF Edu-
cation considered u too great an op-
portunity 20 let escape Of having the
annual Commencement exercises
where everyone could find com
Portable sea- and 1t is hoped that there
viii be the largest crowd ut this Com
mencement that has ever attended one
OF these exercises In Sumter.
AT meeting OF the Board held on
Thursday afternoon at the Hampton
school Mr.. +. 1. Reardon. the Manag-
Ing Secretary OF the Chamber OF Com
merce. presented from the Board OF
Directors a petition. signed by the
free-holders and qualified electors of
the city OF Sumter requesting that an
election be held to determine wheth-
er or not bonds TO the amount of
$4,000 should be issued to increase
facilities for education in Sumter and
To provide for additional teachers.
The Board has set the election for
June the sth.'
The Board wishes to make the fol-
lowing improvements In the school
p buildings &C the city:
First; The heating. ventiiating and
sanitary system OF the Washington
school Is nearly a quarter OF a CEN
tury old. Several sanitary experts
have made a critical examination OF
this plant and. while all of them
have expressed agreeable surprise that
the system should have lasted for SO
long time. all are now agreed that
II should be completely renovated.
Second: The sanitary systems at
the Calhoun and Hampton schools, as
modern as was possible at the time
when these two buildings were erect
ed. should be modernized.
Third: improvements that are i'm
perative are To he made at the Lin
coin school.
Fourth: The Board feels that II is
exceedingly fortunate to be able to
purchase at a reasonable figure "a lot
that Is not only at the centre OF pop
ulatlon and adds so much to the lot
iN"t they already have; but one that
IL beautiful and will enable the girls
that attend the High School for girls
Go reach this building from four
streets.
Fifth: There are. within thirty
Ave. q thousand pupils who have at
tended school this year. The history
OF all schools show that. when the
enrolment reaches a thousand. II then
begins To- grow very rapidly; but. II
there Is no more than the natural in
crease. additional school room will
be needed next year. I'm the Wash
lngton school this year there were
about three hundred more pupils than
there vas In the whole system when
the present superintendent took
charge. To be exact. his first report
showed 2s2 white pupils This year
there we're In this building $50 pu-
nils. To accommodate this number
the assembly hall has been cut up in
,o elass-rooms and the administrative
onc. converted into n class room. In
an. Hampton school a play-room has