The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-23
l.jON III. BUTLER.

p,rbaCl. Feb. 20.---I have talked a |
-, deal about the reSourceeS and |
,,n.rfuuities OF North Carolina In the |
lss seu years. The other day in Maj. |
q GuthTie's ofticee We fell TO dis |
messing the schools of Durham county
,ud after ] left him d few things he
s,id suck to ne and l looked little
father into the subject.
30, Tho half century that | hayee
., the halo century that L have
t..r noticing things in this life | have
f...,-t,latei this theory that when a
.ic, man begins TO improve You have
ransom 10 look on thc battle aS won.
A. lorg as ne keeps up that Improve
rie.t YOU are encouraged to regard
hinl 4e on tho right road, and rapid
Enforcement is the best guarantee
you want,
Dv. poe. VINO is mucn more Of az
oyt.inist than ne sometimes thinks he
ss OCCASIONALLY holds up to us tho
condition Of North Carolina i'll educa-
ffoual work. and finds some slight
comfort iu the fact that we are not so
Or down the scale as South Carolina
Now thanks to a lot of courageous
surgeons like DR.. Poe, and to an
awakening of tho whole mass OF the
population all along the line, North
Carolina is improving. IT you i'm
Grove, and strike a swift enough gait
In your Improvement, il is only a
question Of time until you can go from
the efoOt of the class to the head.
Fifteen years is not a very long
time. Fifteen years ago the value Of
.he school property of Durham coun-
~ vas St1.460. That is not much, is
u? But last year thee value had pick
I'd I'd until IL showed the highly sat
asFf.s "a. N6ng 10
an Increase of almost eleven times in
Gfteen years. III 1901 the county re-
ported 575 illiterates, and last year
rs. That is a startling decrease, isn't
~ The first high school in the coun-
- reported Is 1905, and last year the
tigh schools had asa Students. The
libraries lacked two OF having 5000
books last year AS against none III
h902 The salaries OF the teachers av'
fraged f45.46 last year as agains
s2N.'0 fifteen years ago. These fig
0res apply TO the country districts anC
no not include the city of Durham
which Is making its own rapid ad
sances In school work, as the commO
dious school houses testify. In his an
nual report Superintendent G. w
Massey says that illiteracy has beer
practically wiped out of Durham
county, and 1T is not the purpose o
the schools TO allow il to exist amon
The people
Backcd Up by the People.
/ suspect that Mr.. Massey has bee
backed up in his school work right EN-
Enthusiastically by the people Of hi
county but at the same time it is nc
nafd 10 tigure out that he is somewha
oi power III school work, for n
seems 10 be as full of origins
sehemea as he is Of energy, and he
as broad as q barn door in his appl
,@u'n of his ideas TO his school plan
TOT instance with school building an
1Qeuipment he talks about good road
Au0 telephones in connection with re
o,.'ls IN school work, and Of school a
'9 year, including summer SchoO
'atihers. and extension work fC
S'"eiS OF the grown ups. He allud,
80 o'uer stock, broadening the farr
-,FeTSlty Of crops, cannings clubs al
'1 mat sort of thing that cente
N.V"Ud The school. for he has Iuat
.' discovery that a school is n
10y "A place to keep the noses
thildren several hours day
H 'ooks. but place to make il
-eht and well-informcd men Al
'oiuru of them.
owing this it is not surprising
ari"us agencies at work in va
directions for educating the chill
All ages up To say eighty yeaI
ne least Of the branches to
IH' IS that if improving the stot
"r county and for this purpose &
'"'y Agricultural Society has q
"gea Co distribute blooded breedil
90 mere and there through t
ny. farm life school at tn
H. eVlte nigh school is another
. i.h oVauons adopted, and while {
'-''hSendent Of the county scho,