The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-06

which will teach the teachers who
teach the rural schools, IL policy
that advocates penny wise and
pound foolish" system
Miss Ryland quoted severai sad ex-
amples from the rural schools of King
William County. but why blame the
Coordinate College? These cases are
fewer In number than they were sew
eral years ago, which can be traced
to the improvement in our educational
system, which was the result largely
OF the raising OF standards for teach
ers. As the Coordinate College will
not lower the teachers standards and
II is impossible to stagnate. for long
anyway. then IL must raise them still
more. 1t IN most like making bricks
without straw" as Miss Ryland says,
TO make the rural schools compete
with the better equipped schools, bat
is 1t not the same policy that makes
women high school teachers meet the
requirements made for their brother
teachers when the State edncates
the last and refuses admtttanee to the
first to any OF Its own higher In
situations of learning?
Should a parent, teaeharrer a
State discriminate between its boys
and girls? After the high school,
what? A scholarship to the University
of Virginia for the boy with the high
est average, three other scholarships
to Virginia colleges for the next three
highest boys and for the girls?
fNOTHfNG). In justice TO the girls
am going 10 quote from my own ex-
perience- again. In my twelve years
high school experience, with twenty
four graduating classes. have known
only twice that a boy took the high
est honors In his class. / have known
this to happen repeatedly boy
average $3.50 per cent? to be vale.
dictorfan and carry off the University
OF Virginia scholarship: three other
boys flower averages) 10 take tho
three other scholarships, while q girl
taverage a5 per cent? and, perhaps.
three other girls tabove 30 per cent?
would get NOTHING from the state
to recognize them at all. All had
taken the same course. shoulder to
shoulder, sometimes the boys were In
the majority In the class and some
times not. or course. these girls can
get college education X they have
means to attend a private Institution
or go North, but these boys receive
present from tho State In the form of
a scholarship. May ] not ask II just
few years ago two girls from
small high school did not win In
debate open to the State high schools
at the university. and were not the
greater number OF contestants boys?
II the state could maintain a Iini-
versity for but one sex, the philosophy
that "natfon can rise no higher than
it's women would be sufficient rea-
son for maintaining 1t for its daugh-
tiers.
Is there any reason why the State
should recognize the high school
graduates? The high school boys and
girls represent the Survival OF thu
exceptions. the best material among
the States youth IT seems scarcely
credible that State like Virginia
would discriminate between these
boys and girls in so far as 10 maintain
four colleges for the former and none
for the latter to close the doors of TT
university to its daughters. and In
view OF the fact that the university
is the logical head Of the public school
system. 1t is of interest to note that
throughout the system tas far as girls
can gol there are more girls attend-
ing the schools, In proportion TO the
number of girls OF school age In the
census than there are boys. there arc
more girls graduating from the hign
schools and with n general higher
average than boys. Again, rs per cent
of the teaching force are men return
ing to serve the State, while rs per
cent represents the women who. like
wise serve through the high schools,
and nearly 100 per cent represents the
women who serve through grammar
and elementary schools. The women
OF Virginia seem to have demonstrate
ed that they not only need the CO.
ordinate college, but that they can and
will use it wisely and give the state
the best in return
Respectfully.
HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
Richmond. va. March 9, 1915.