The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-07-16
GOOD ROADS AND
GOOD SCHOOLS
PARAMOUNT 7
STATE SUPERINTENDENT WILL
SON SENDS INTERESTING CON-
MUNICATlON TO ALL COUNTY
SUPERlNTENDENTS.

State Superintendent OF Public In.
struction Wilson has just made q
tour of the state and visited the si>
normal schools where over 5000
teachers are attending the summer
nOrmals, and MS report states thai
the work done by the teachers is
gratifying in the extreme
superintendent Wilson, among 9th
er things, in his letter to County Su-
perintendent Thulston, says:
I'VE are introducing into the course
of study this time several new fea
lures: one on good roads, one on poul
try and one on thrift. The county
commissioners of your county are au
thorized to appropriate 800 for prem
iums to school children contesting in
poultry. See Sec 2S5, 1915 School
Law. The poultry industry brought
more money to the state OF Missouri
last year than the wheat crop will
bring to Oklahoma this year. The
farmer should be interested in the
things that will bring him the best
results and make his surroundings the
most pleasant
Good roads should be studied and
taught in all the public chools. Last
year, under the direction of the COM
missioner of highways, Mr.. Sidney
Suggs, several miles of good roads
were built by the schools.
"The records show that about "A
per cent Of 5S5,l24 children enumer-
ated in this state live in cities where
they have the advantage of a four.
year high school, that Is per cent of
them are in village schools where
they have some high school advanta-
ges, that 90 per cent of the children
live in rural school districts with no
high school advantages: that the child
in the city has an opportunity to go
to school on an average of $50 days
year, the village child has an CD.
portunity to attend 162 days, and the
country child has an average term of
lO2 days each year. More than 30
per cent OF the money spent for pub
lie school education in Oklahoma is
spent on the 40 per cent living in
the cities and villages, and less than
10 per cent Of the money spent for
public school education is spent on
the 60 per cent living in the rural
districts.
"As county superintendent of
schools it is your duty to try to make
the conditions in the rural schools
the best possible. The best way to
do this is to get a corps of teachers
who are alive and active and not
afraid to attempt these things. When
Mrs. Cora Wilson-Stewart made a
tour of the normal schools a large
number Of the county superintend.
ents and over two thousand teachers
declared they would inaugurate the
midnight school in their districts this
winter for the purpose of encouraging
not only those who cannot read and
write but many of those who can read
and write and who wish to improve
their present condition. This will
create a deeper interest and strong
er bond of sympathy between the
teacher and the school community.
In other words, it is my hope that
we may establish in the schools of
Oklahoma during this year the social
center movement on a larger scale
and the moonlight school offers Won
derful opportunities in this respect
There are 67,567 people in this state
who cannot read and write. In your
county there are 1.517 people, or So
per cent over ten years of age, who
can neither read nor write. There are
800, or A. per cent between ten and
twenty years o. age, who cannot
read and write. There are GIL, or
10,4 per cent of males of voting age
who cannot read ard write.
There may be some communities
in which there are none who can
neither read nor write, but | doubt