The farmer and mechanic., 1915-10-12
FIVE THOUSAND TEACHERS
ARE VOLUNTEERS IN WORK
Superintendent Joyner Calls
Upon Organizations And In
dividuaI Citizens To Reduce
The Percentage Of lIIiterate
Voters; Moonlight School
Day IS Feature

Udy is OdtuIG
Il call upon every man and every
woman who Graves the sacred Priv
lege of being of greatest service to
those in greatest need to render here
the infinite service Of bringing new
freedom to a human mind" declares
Governor Locke Craig in a. prOclama-
,ion released today setting apart the
taonth Of November to be observed
in this State as Moonlight School
Month.
The proclamation is accompanied
by letter from DR.. J. Y. Joyner to
superintendents Of public instruction
of the counties of the State and all
the teachers of the public schools
suggesting plans for organization.
Fully five thousand teachers in the
white schools Of the State have VOL
unteered for the work Of wiping out
adult illiteracy in North Carolina. 1t
Is matter that has been upon the
hearts of the educational leaders of
the State and the need has worked
out in them this plan of reducing the
fourteen percent illiteracy among the
voting population.
DR.. j. Y. Joyner in his long letter
to the teachers and superintendent
outlines in detail the plans which have
been adopted for the campaign, They
ere here given:
Il. Get from the census the names
and addresses of all the illiterates in
the school district. With the aid of
the school committee and others. we'll
acquainted with the residents of the
district verify, and if necessary cor
rect and complete the list.
y. See to it that every one OF
them receives sympathetic, tactfu
and earnest personal invitation to at
tend Select the right person to give
this personal invitation to each
some neighbor, some friend, some fel-
low member Of church or fraterna
organization, some one that has the
confidence and friendship of the per
son invited and knows how to ap
proach him.
'3. Many illiterates are naturall,
sensitive over their inability to reat
and write. Respect their feelings
Let the invitations be extended. ant
all the other work Of the schools TO
them be conducted in spirit O
sympathetic brotherhood, good fel
loWshlp and democratic equality L
word and act avoid everything tha
may smack of condescension pity. an,
superiority.
These are our brothers and fellow
cltlZens-in the eyes of God and tn
state as good as we are-sufferin
under the handicap of illiteracy, 70
Whlch most of them are not reSpopsj
Die, because in childhood they had n
opportunity to go to school or had no
body in authority over them suffi
GENTLY appreciative of it's importanc
TO make them use the opportunity t
go to school. 1t is our duty and ou
privilege to help them help them
selves to remove this handicap, &c
their own sake and for the State
sake, before it is forever too late
this spirit should this work for the1
and with them be done.
a. BY resolution adopted unan
mously by the North Carolina Pre-
Convention at it's recent meeting. II
newspapers of the State pledge
themselves to print, a week in a,
vance, the lessons in reading ar
arithmetic for each week and
send free to each pupil of a moo,
hight school in the county for
month copy of the county pap
containing these lessons. They al
agreed to print weekly a brief ne,
letter from each neighborhood
Whlch moonlight school is taugl
containing Interesting items about t
school and other news Of the neig
oorhood, expressed in words and Sc
ners in reading
The county superintendent and t
teachers OF each school should T,
nish the editor Of the county par
the names and addresses OF all pun
enrolled, and should make arranf
ments with some reliable person
each district to send this letter to
paper each week. The pupils sho,
ne instructed to bring the paper w
them to school each night, that
may be used for reading the less>
ano the news letters. and for gene
supplementary reading.
Bulletins containing lessons h: