The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-03

h,...,' & III. :
nn1Y sbr rss ss Ss ws o ok
to have four. ma now Il the BEGIN
ming Of EebrIart none AZ our teach.
ers have received their salaries foI
December And January, while they
did not receive nv for the las!
month az Last 8fHglon until the be
ginning Of tfisf why Because the
state apportionmeuf has not been
paid into the county treasury. and
our treasurer declares he cannot
cash any warrants until this II done
And most Of our teachers are pay
ing board II this Justice 70 y
not, In fact, Just plain robbery
six months Ii The average length
Of term OF the country school, In this
part OF the State at least. Some OF
our schools have seven months
session, very rarely eight I never
heard OF country school in this part
or the State that had nine months
session Yet the curriculum. as laid
down by the state Board. and re-
quired for college entrance. Il ex-
actly the same for the country school
OF six months session as the town
school with nine months. How can
you expect country pupils, with few
err advantages and poorer equipment
to make the same grades and 40 the
sa me work that n better equipped
school Is given nine months for
Isn't this something like making
bricks without straw
Possibly our friends argue that a
coordinate college at the University
of virginia will be an Inspiration to
country girls 1t will. in all possi-
a 1T - 81 Ill s1
most OF them will know nothing
whatever about IT, The man In the
valley cannot see the mountains be-
yond the horizon. 1t is not until he
has travelled to the foot of the slope
and begun the ascent that he can see
them towering tier on tier above him,
Many thousand girls In the rural dis
tricts Of Virginia have not Vet reach
ed the foot of the mountains. Nay,
they do not even know that such
mountain peaks exist. We need to
go down among them and gently lead
them through the valley pathways
till the glorious heaven kissing hills
loom upon their sight.
one sweet. wistful-faced little girl
said to me last fall with sadness
in her voice that went to my heart,
'T reckon I'll just have to get along
with what little education I've got.
The schools are too far and have
to work SO hard.. Poor brave little
Nellie, OF what good are co-ordi-
nate colleges to such as YOU? And
how can we bring our more favored
friends, those at the top of the lad
dor with backs turned to The strug-
Cling ones at its foot. to see things
in our out-of -tl1e-way corners as they
really are, and not as they imagine
them to be- oh, the crue! injustice
of 1t. ITO him that hath shall be
given seems to he written large on
every aspect of bur national life.
Our country people have a very
apt and expressive. though inelecan'
saying. that some people always want
10 "grease the latest SOW. If you
will pardon the vtlgarity OF the OK
, preston, | will say that this co-ordt'
nate college proposition is an unmfs
| taxable case of "greasing the fattes'
sow. The phrase Is so very apt
i cannot refrain from using II In thi,
/ connection. | trust YOU win paraor
! me.
i Superintendent Stesrfes says thu
crying need In for more high schoo
teachers Then. why do we not us
the ones wc have? Why do we Is
sue nine hundred emergency certiff
Gates year to tickle the palate 0
the local demaEogue, to curry favo
j with the community political law
! giver. while well equipped norma
school graduates are turned down
! For an "emergency certificate" SO
called, Is nothing more nor less thai
n "sop TO Cerherus"
NO; what Virginia needs liz not
co-nr1inate college TO cater to tn
4 favored few She needs edncationa
ground work and most 81 all, sh
needs an Alexander to cut the Cor
dian knot of the political web whicl
binds and letters Der. holding he
helpless in its shaclSles. and render
ing her laws of no avail. The cryin
need in Virginia is an education o
the masses. so that they will becom
independent and self-assertiye enough
to shake off the political shackles
But this Is what our political rule
do not want hence the cry. for 'co
ordinate colleges" TO the detrtmen
of public education In it's trues
sense.
We want an education that work
from the bottom up. from the insid
out. To spend 100000 on a co-or
dinate college in Virginia's presen
educational development Is takini
bread from the poor TO furnish cak
for the rich
And. by the way. what is our Stat
doing for it's rural roads? What. TO
/ the uplift OF the negro, the South
greatest and gravest responsibility
Practically nothing.
ELIZABETH HAYES RyI.AND.
Eeulahville. King William Co, Va
The Weman's College.