The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-07-24
County Supt. Organizes to Promote
Education Movement that Start
ed in Kentucky and is Sweep
ing Over Nation
WILL WAGE WAR
ON ILLITERACY
Practically All Teachers Willing to
Take Up Plan; Cooperation
and Encouragement Need
Most for Success

"A moonlight school in every rural
district in Grady county and another
year without single person in the
county who cannot read and write" is
The object of a new organization NJ.
II. Shepard. county superintendent.
has Just perfected among the 14S men
and women who will have charge of
Grady countys 10000 school children
outside of Chickasha for the coming
year. The movement is one that start
ed in Kentucky in 1911, and one that
is sweeping the nation, the thousands
Of school teachers in America uniting
IN the effort TO make the country one
without an illiterate.
Supt. Shepard has just returned
from Edmond where some hundred of
this years teachers are now taking
special work. OF the number, the
teachers in 80 OF the 81 districts have
entered the movement and are nov
making arrangements to hold noon
light school in their districts this win
ter, not only to teach every one of
the 624 illiterates in this county to
read and write. but also to aid others
In advancing in the studies taught In
the common schools.
The idea OF the moonlight school igl
so new that few yet know just what 1t
is. Mrs. Cora Wilson Stewart, one OF
those teachers with missionary spirit
in the mountain regions Of Kentucky
conceived the IDEA four years ago that
with hundreds OF thousands of teach
ers in the United States and the nat
ural willingness Of most people to
learn. II was shameful that there were
SO many who could not read and write.
even their own names. She began in
her own district, demonstrating that
mature people who received the prop
or amount OF encouragement and CO
operation could learn 10 read and write
IN an Incredibly short time. In the
past four years she has not only ex-
tended the movement over all Of Ken
lucky. but she has also gone into other
states to sperad the spirit Of the cam
paign against iliiteracy.
Mrs. Stewart has Just completed
tour OF the Oklahoma normal schools,
aiding everywhere in the organizing
of the teachers OF each county for the
work of eradicating illiteracy in Okla
homa. The plan size advances, and
the plan to be followed here, is four
week school in each district each year,
at time that will best suit the
patrons Of the district School will be
held three nights week during this
period.
Side by side in the school room. Mr.
Shepard says, will sit the men and
women OF fifty and sixty and seventy,
who missed in their youth the adyant'
ages of even rlcnth's schooling with
the school children of today, most of
whom at the age of fourteen are ready
for the high school New methods, es-
pecially adapted TO the teaching OF
those OF mature experience, methods
which have been perfected by Mrs.
Stewart herself. viii be employed For
those who cannot read or write, Mrs.
Stewart has published a primer, es'
pecially adapted to those OF mature
experience. These are given free by
the movement behind the Kentucky
educator
While many are learning to read and
write. those who have had limited
school advantages will be taught more
OF the practical things in arithmetic
grammar, hygiene. spelling and th'
other things that can be taught in
short time to those of mature age. New
courses in road building, thrift, agr'
culture. advanced poultry raising. vii
be given for the benefit of old am
young alike and cooperative work vii
be carried on with the local farm dem
onstrator. the federal government an
the A. & NJ. college in the movemen
for better farming and pleasanter SUI
roundings on the farm.