The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-01-31
lNQNENSEEK|I 1 70
LESSON DEGREE
OF NLLTERA|1Y
Propaganda is Launched by the
West Virginia Federation
of Wornan's Clubs. ~

F. s. 3
A propaganda for the increase ofI
interest throughout West Virginia in
elementary education Is being launch.
ed by the State Federation Of Woman's
Clubs through the department Of
school patrons OF which Miss Lucy T..
Prichard, Of Huntington, is president.
Miss Prichard, who Is president OF.
the fpuntsngton Woman's club, has
sent letters to all Of the clubs in the
state urging chem to activities which
will help to lessen the percentage Of
ilhteracy in West Virginia before the
census Of 1920. In the matter OF H.
literaey, West Virginia stood thirty
fourth among the Ulnited States ac-
cording to the census OF 1910. Miss;
Prichard is loatll to believe that tnis
figure is correct now and she IS de-
tetmined that II the woman's clubs
can help 1t, it shah not be anything
like correct when the time for the
next census comes. "a
Moonlight Schools.
According to figures compiled by a
department or the National Federation
Of Woman s clubs S.3 per cent of the
population of West Virginia ten years
old and over. can neither read NOR
write.
This. Miss Prichard believes, can
be materially reduced through the eff
forts of club women and others. She
is inclined to favor moonlight schools,
which had such a decidedly good eff
feet in the reduction of illtteracy in
Kentucky. Kentucky, by the way, Is
further down in the scalesof iMiteracy
than West Virginia, having, according
to the last census, 1911 per cent OF
llliteracy among persons ten years old
or over.
Z In her letter to the various clubs
in; the state, Miss Prichard calls at
tentiou to several subjects which she
thinks should be given the earnest
consideration Of the club women.
+ The first is the rural school. She
calls attention to the fact that one Of
the most important problems in edu-
cation in the United States today Is
the Improvement of the rural schools
Nearly two-thiris of the school popu-
lation OF the United States lives in
very small towns. villages and open
country probably a larger per cent
Of the native population Among 9TH
er facts which she cites are these:
The average length OF the term OF
the rural school at large is lao days.
The average length OF the term
Of schools in the open country is prob
ably less than 1876 days. 81 81
In several states 1t is less than ITO
days.
Most Of the. rural schools have only
one room and one teacher. :.
Enro1iment Is comparatively large
but attendance is much more irregu-
lar than In towns and cities.
The teachers are poorly paid and
poorly prepared.
Most Of them are young women
scarcely out of theirateens.
They teach only avfew years,
Fully TWENTY-FIVE per cent in the
beginning have had no previous ex-
perience as teachers.
Frequently they are from the cities
and; towns and know nothing OF the
problems of rural life.
They are without supervision such
as is given in cities.
Should Visit Schools.
Miss Prichard points out that the
club women should visit the schools
and show interest in the work OF the
teacher and the progress of the chill
dren.
The second point upon which she
dwelis is the advisability OF organic
ing parent-teacher Organizations. She
tells how these organizations have
benefited the Huntington schools and
how they are working to relieve the
overcrowded and unsanitary -condi-
tons.
The third point Is that every club
should devote one session to the study
of illiteracy in West Virginia.