Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-12-02

NHO Pup41 III LII
leadership of the community. Then
It was only to inspire, to lead the pu-
phi to a better. happier and more full
llfC. now it is both the pupil and the
community that we are called upon to
lead to a richer more satisfying and
more happy life.
Then teachers would thrill with
pride in speaking of their boys and
girls. Now they are just as proud OF
the boys and girls out in the world
making good and enjoy their letters
almost as much as q mother does those
Of her son, but they also always add Is
word about: my Community'1 and
what my people are doing"
We speak of our boys and girls and
our communicated the people of the
community. What do we heal them
speaking about in almost every cross
roads and village? Why our school
and what it is doing, what is being
done there, what we all did there to-
gether, and our school-how big is it
just as big as the teacher and no
bigger.
The school leads the community or
it Goes nothing but stand over there
On the hill and is allowed to stand
there for the same reason an old mill
is allowed to stand,-it does no harm,
it Goes not affect the life of the people
end does not receive their serious
consideration.
We may hear that our school does
this or that but when we come to look
for the hidden spring, we see that
whatever is done is only the work OF
the boys and girls there with their
leader, their teacher joined into by the
parents of those boys and girls.
/ want to tell you how a school
built a town. perhaps some are already
familiar with it. Some years ago il
a small dreamy village the principal
OF the school in looking over its re-
cords found that not more than half
the children were in school and that
sort OF any way business, one day in
and one day out. He showed the re-
suits of his investigations to a few
men and soon the subject vas being
discussed on all sides. A few men
grouped together with this man and
began working to see what could be
done. In a year the old, dilapidated
building was replaced by a good brick
building and the best teachers that
could be had were secured-not wha5
they thought they could afford but
what they needed. At the end of the
second year practical, live work was
going on and a larger building needed
This was secured and shop work was
carried on in the basement, not for
the purpose of making carpenters,
foIndry-men or b~ricklayers but to
train both head and hand. Severa!
rs have passed with a larger anu
larger enrolment and increasing in
terest along with more buildings. The
little hat alive village is now a thriv-
ing little town whose leading men
lawyers, contractors and bankers give
credit to the work they did there.
This same thing is going on all over
our country; here in North Carolina
It is being done slowly and surely in
many of our small villages and towns.
This has been called the leadership
of the school. Now allow me to give
some instances of leadership of the
teacher here in North Carolina, all of
which have occurred within the past
three years. Somewhere in the east
err part of the state a little woman
took charge of a typical n teacher
school, one just. as we have-with its
pains and it's pleasures. The first day
she began to get her home in order
and soon had a clean yard and an at
tractive room as could be made with
the Door building. Very soon she per-
suaded a few of her pupils to come
CIT and have Sunday school there.
We'll, the parents did not object and
said if Miss Naomi wanted to teach
every day that was no concern
OF theirs. AS time went on, parents
cut and in a short time the Sun
school was too large for the build ,
!: <: SO the men got together, after
5 le 1creuasion from their wives. and
decided they would try to build a
When the church was finish
ed, they began to think of a name
The name decided upon was Naomi
church and it stands today a monu-
to that little woman
The rural community school I at
tended after leaving the city for the
country, boasts of sending out three
.eachers, one wholesale merchant, one
.etail merchant, one chemist and two
within the past five years, yet
Until last year it was the same 6ne4
'oom. one teacher school A little ll6s
pound woman was secured last year.
md ia less than two months she ADJ
well dug, outbuiIding5 and other i'm
,rovements. A part of this was done /
IN Community Service days and the
'emained paid for on the request of
he teacher for help; not one single
,erson. refusing. This fall another
Dom has been added and another
eacher secured. This woman is now
,rlncipaI of "a high school in North
mpton county.
Now we say this is all well and good
q talk about but cannot and is not
more than once in thousand
for there is already more work /
6r us within the walls of our schools 1
81 ~nInnn nlnnc-mork than MO con =