The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-09-07
RURAL SCHOOL,
CONDITIONS DISCUSSED
TRUSTEES OF THE COUNTY HOLD
MEETING.
State Superintendent SWearinger Pres.
ent-Much Interest Was
Manifested.

La good sign for the rural schools
of Newberry county was the excellent
attendance upon the meeting Of the
trustees held in the court house Oh
Monday. The meeting had been called
by Superintendent Barre to discuss the
situation for the coming year and to
devise plans and take bearings.
There has been an organization Of
the trustees for the past several years
and it has done much good for the
schools of the county. 1t has gotten
the trustees interested in the schools
and that means better schools. The
trouble few years ago was to get
the people to take some interest in
the school. Great Improvement has
been made in that line during the past
few years.
There must have been nearly every
trustee in the county present at the
meeting On Monday. Certainly practi-
cally every school was represented.
Superintendent Barre called the
meeting to order and stated that it was
pleasing to him to see so many of the
trustees together at the meeting and
he felt sure it meant good for the
schools. He said this was a meeting
of the trustees to talk over matters
pertaining to the schools and that DR..
C. Y. Hunter, who was president Of
the organization, would take charge of
the meeting and himself make talk
to the trustees.
DR.. Hunter said that this was to be
an informal meeting at which it was
expected that every trustee present
would express his opinion on any
matter that he felt was for the benefit
Of the schools, and if he wanted any
information would be free to ask ques-
tions. In short, it was intended that
it should be sort of round table talk.
In the United States, said DR.. Hunter,
there would be very soon twenty mil
lion boys and girls in a few days
marching to the. schools and colleges
of this country. The question for us
in this State and this county IS, are
We doing all we can for the proper
training of this great army and are
we measuring up to the rest Of the
country in the performance of our duty
to the boys and girls of our county
and State.
In the first place and of first i'm
portance for the consideration of the
trustees, are we using proper diligence
and care in the selection of the teach
ers for our children. 1t is very i'm
portant business. The teachers OF
this country are moulding the lives
and character of the children who are
soon to be the men and women of the
country. And he believed that they ex-
erted more influence than did the pa
rents. He believed that the teacher
should be part of the community and
take part in all community life that
was for the betterment and the uplift
of the community and that teacher that
did not was not performing the proper
function of teacher.
He spoke next of the need of more
money. He said in Massachusetts the
State spent $25 per capita of popula-
ton, while in South Carolina We spent
only So. There was a free library in
every district and the children were
required to read the books. There was
more money in the savings banks OF
this State than in all the savings banks
OF twelve Southern States.
He didn't think much of the one
teacher school. There should not be
any school with less than three teach
ers. We should have consolidation in
Newberry county. He had in mind
four districts in this county with eight
teachers which could easily be united
into one district with one school with
eight teachers and no child would be
over five miles from the school, and
he believed the additional good work
of one school with eight teachers
would more than compensate for the
extra cost of transporting the children
if it should be necessary.
Don't hesitate, he said, to let your
legislators know that you need and
want more money for your schools.
He thought that agriculture should
be taught in the rural schools and that