The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1916-08-20
OUR SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.

| The new compulsory law is to have
its first good effect among the farm
boys and girls. 1t is here that the
greatest deficiency in attendance is
shown, apd naturally the effect will be
| felt more than elsewhere If the law
| is to be observed. Few city boys and
girls fall short of the attendance re.
CURED by the new law, but on the
farm, the boy and girl most of the
time fall out to help in the crop.
Sometimes,-Manm times,-farmers
have to have all the help available in
he crop But this condition does not
prevail the year round and the boy
md girl should have their time in the
school. There is going to be too great
pride in some of the heretofore
rather slack homes about schooling,
come in and take hand in the school
attendance, in both city and country.
The length of school term is one of
The rankest determinations against
The farm boy and the farm girl. Equal
privilege with the city boy and girl
IS not accorded in the country. In
Crisp we need an equalization in the
length of school term, in equipment,
in professional supervision, and in the
qualification of teachers.
We will never have this till the en-
tire county becomes single system
Then the country boy and the coun.
try girl will get exactly what the city
boy ana the city girl get in education.
We say it again: They are entitled to
it. They are the real men and women of
the future. They know how to work
md the educated working men and
women of the land are the best.
If Tie county of Crisp can provide
school privileges for the country boy
md girl equal to those offered the
ity boy and girl, the school officials
Iced not worry about entanglements
a~ising out of the enforcement of the
compulsory law. They will have some
hing to go for and will have the sat
s:action of knowing that they are
getting the best, for the best only is
he ambition of the average local
school official.
Crisp county will not go far in the
business of enforcing attendance upon
,ccl schools. 1t is going first to pro-
vide the best schools. Some day be-
ore long the rural citizens who help
oay the taxes are going to want the
)est the country can afford in educa-
ion and then it will be necessary to
ull up to the same advantages that
he city gets. Such improvement will
men at least twenty per cent. increase
n attendance and then the country
BOY and girl will be we'll on the way
all the other advantages enjoyed
school by the city boy and girl.
If the rural school attendance were
-aised from 676 per cent-the average
laily attendance in the rural public
schools of the United States-to 906
per cent, the average daily attendance
the rural public schools of Oregon
would mean an increase of the ru-
.al school term in effect and in the
aggregate for the country at large OF
% per cent. 1t would seem that 9,4
Der cent of the actual enrolment, as
the case of Oregon, is sufficient
allowance for all reasonable absences
such as sickness, necessity of pu-
ills being absent as wage earners in
order to support the family, and all
| other reasonable excuses. oregon has
'ound it so. What Oregon has done
| other states in the Union can do if
hey only will. Who is ready to say
hat Crisp should not do this for the
arm boy and the farm girl?
Il TN;r ,. Of