Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-24
CONWAY TELLS
OF PROGRESS Of
COUNTY SCHOOLS
Prominent Educator Gives In
tereSting Account Of Inn
provement Accomplished in
Santa Fe County.

County Superintendent John V.
Conway, of Santa Fe county, who Is
in Albuquerque In attendance on the
meeting of the executive committee Of
the New Mexico Educational associa-
ton, yesterday talked in a most in
teresting manner of the rapid inn
provemeht that has been made Ia the
schools of Santa Re county and the
means by which the Improvement
was brought about. MIR, Conway
said \
Rigid, intelligent and persistent
supervision is doing wonders for the
schools In Santa Zee county There
are good many reasons why we are
proud to he In the work this year.
School affairs have undergone a
complete change and the improved
conditions have made Il possible 10
secure the best results.
II find mat there Is not a more re-
sponsive people anywhere than our
own right here IN New Mexico. san
Ia Fe county Is a fair example of
what they will do when once aroused.
II will be found also that when thor
oughly aroused they viii find a way
to act. and are willing to give freely
of their time and means 60 secure the
right conditions.
Possible I'm Every County.
what was done in Santa Fe coun-
~ can be accomplished in any other
county I'm the state. I tell you, II
means great deal to a county GO
have Ii said that every district has a
modern school building. equipped
with modern furniture, well lighted
and properly ventilated, with manual
training and domestic science rooms
and their equipment; with libraries in
each schoolroom, with bookshelves
made by the boys in the manual
training departments. and with lit
erary clubs and night classes organ
lied for the benefit Of the adults.
THE county superintendent must
not only have the power to arouse en-
thusiasm in his teachers, and in the
pupils Of his schools, but he must also
touch by his Influence every home in
the county
Must Wake Up People.
IF I'VE would have better school
houses, better teachers, better
schools: if we would have our rural
communities reach any higher ground
in educational matters, then the coun-
ty superintendent must arrest the at
tention and awaken the thought of
the community, until II realizes the
Importance of the work It has. neg
lected, and feels that In so neglecting
IL, a grievous wrong is being done its
own children.
Close supervision will attain re-
suits; patron, teacher and superin-
teudent working together will bring
about a Transformation In the affairs
of any district. II has been said that
Education is a conquest, not be-
quest. It cannot be given, 1t must
be achieved and the value of an edu-
cation lies not in its possession but In
the struggle to secure 1t. Every col
Iege should be workshop, very
workshop a school, and every pulpit a
free forum for full expression OF
truth
County Unit law.
Under the new county unit law,
great are the possibilities, for IL we
do our duty, not only does 1t open a
field for more substantial work, but
it offers an opportunity to increase
our school terms in the rural COM
munities and ultimately place us on
a seIf-sustaining basis, without raising
the levies any higher than they are at
present. II is believed this law is a
good one and answers a long felt
want. While il is true that the
change is a radical one, that many of
us are not conversant with its work
ings and some doubt of its feasibility,
it is nevertheless our duty to give II
a fair trial before eondemning t.
Our next educational meeting will
be as largely attended as any in the
past. The teachers enjoy the meet
ings and have gotten the convention
habit You coulds't keep some of
them away IL they were compelled 10
walk TO get here, for they realize
these meetings are full Of the inspira-
tion they need"