Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1915-08-20
Start Campaign for
Better Rural Schools

This is the time for each district 70
devise ways and means for handling
the work in that particular distdct.
On Wednesday. OF the same week.
November 18th. the County supeiin-
tendent will arrange district rallies
where four and more districts will
meet at some convenient place and
spend the day in the discussion o.
ways and means for carrying out the
work. At this meeting the County
superintendent wiz also send pen
sons to deliver addresses. ca Fri
day of the same week. Noveml lcr 10.
each county will hold county rally
at the county seat. whore big limo
will be expected Senators and rep
resentatives and school men from all
over the state will be present and ie-
view the work accomplished aud the
plans made for carrying on the work
in the various parts of tho county
Persons should be chosen here to
ettend the State Teachers AssOcia-
tion and report the progress made.
To Report at the State Association.
Mrs. Cora Wilson Stewart, who
started this movement in TertucEy.
in 1911, will be present at the state
Association. and will be plea "a to
hear of what has been accomplished
in Oklahoma. The movement in Ken
lucky differs from the Oklahoma
movement in that they arc dealing
mainly with the illiteracy pr1biem.
while we are dealing with a number
of lines equally interesting to rural
communities. In this whirlvipd cam
wind campaign. the commission isl
trying to enlist the services Of ev-
cry man. woman. and child: officials
from the government down to the
town clerk; professional men law
yers, doctors, ministers, aud EVERY
BODY. County Superintendenta
should begin now listing names OF
persons who will speak at some of
the places, and when the time comes
Tor the campaign to start the work
viii be well in hand.
Conditions i'm Southeastern oklahoma
Taking up the matter Of ildteracy
alone we find the conditions worse in
Southeastern Oklahoma thao IN any
other part of the State The follow
ing is list of % of the counties
having the highest per cent OF illit-
nIacy
Adsir. 20; Atoka. 1875; Bryan.
So; Carter. SIS; Cherokee l5.2;
CnocIaw. lis; Delaware. 1916; Has
kel. l1.6; hughes. Ill; Letlo,e,
II e; Love. 90; Latimer. ! = Mar
pail 81; McCurtain. 1915 McIn-
tosh. 1873: Oklahoma, Sc; okfuskee.
lC.7; pushmataha. 5; Pittsbu-e 9.3;
Sc:..inole, 14.S; Seluoyah 15.7: and
V Asoner. 90 per cent.
1t will be observed that every oae
of the counties in the Southeastern
district is included in the list Al
are above the average, which is j6
per cent. With these startling cacJs
staring us in the face. as with other
conditions possibly as bad as that OF
illiteraoy. it is imperative that We hc
up and doing. As the representative |
of the Southeastern Normal School |
let me urge every person to become
interested in this great movement.
Let us take consolation in the FAC
that while the conditions education
ally are far from ideal, we have tho
greatest wealth of any part OF the
State. and can meet the issue II We
will. II will be remembered that Su-
perintendent Wilson tried to get
some legislation along these lines
but could not. However. he has con
fidence in the people CT the State to
believe that they will rally to the
cause and relieve the conditions as
fast as is possible. | therefore ask
each editor to publish this article as
news item, and thus start tie good
work. Let us hone that everyone
will be willing to do what he can and
expect as his reward the conscious
ness of having contributed his time
and energy in cause that is caicu-
lated to do this State more rea, good
than any movement that has ever
been started.
ONE THOUSAND SOLDIERS SENT
M.