The Pulaskian., 1918-08-30
PULASKI COUNTY
COLORED SCHOOLS
CENSUS OF 1910 SHOWED % PER
CENT WHITE AND 21.2 PER
CENT NEGRO ILLITERAcY
IN THIS COUNTY.

1lliteracy in the army camps has
directed public attention forcibly to
the LOCAL school provision for both
whites and blacks. The Army is
finding that one of its most difficult
problems is the soldier without school
ing. The draft took many men of
both races who could neither read
nor write. The Army has found that
these are the men who are hardest
to train as soldiers; that they are the
ones who must be left behind when
the main contingent goes overseas.
The Army is also finding that the
health of the soldier is in direct rela-
ton to his education, while the whole
nation is discovering that the eco
nomic efficiency necessary in every
capacity to win the war is dependent
upon good schools.
The National Governments awak-
ened interest in school provision is
illustrated by a recent report of the
Bureau of Education of the Depart
ment of the Interior. Reviewing ed
vocational conditions in Pulaski coun-
ty, this report points out that the av-
erage attendance was 5,S95 white pu
pills and 4,780 colored pupils The
amount expended for teachers per
child was S67.40 for white children
and $7.96 for colored. The 1910 CEN
sus showed 2.8 per cent illteracy for
whites and PIP per cent for colored.
Uzox,o,,o hIo a1,,1,,oo,,f &c ,,oo10 ,r~<,,a
the fact that a Jeanes Fund super
vising industrial teacher travels
through the county and aids the
teachers in rural schools to intro
duce industrial work and extend the
influence of the school into the COM
munity. The report says: "a two
year high school is maintained at
Argenta, separately incorporated
town just across the river from the
business section of Little Rock.
Shorter College is the only African
Methodist Episcopal school in the
state and effort should be made to
move it to some section where sec
ondary work is more needed"
with some increase in facilities
the public schools of the city of Lit
tie Rock would be able to care foc
the 1000 children of school age. Be
sides the elementary schools an ex-
cellent public high school is provid-
ed. Arkansas Baptist College and
Philander Smith College should give
fuller recognition to the training of
ic-fo fOr
munities. The Arkansas Baptist Col
lege would serve this need more eff
fectively if it were moved to the
outskirts of town, while Philander
Smith College should place more en-
phasis on teacher training and indus
trial work"
The federal report in which The
account of the local colored school
situation apears is the result of four
years study of schools throughout the
Southern States made by the Bureau
of Education in cooperation with the
Phelps-Stokes Fund of New York. The
report is in two Volumes. Volume
reviews the progress made in Negro
education. Volume II describes III
detoil the private and higher schools
for colored pupils throughout TIC
South. Both volumes contain numer-
Gus references to the white scAools
as well as to the colored.
Readers of this paper may secure,
without charge, a copy of the section
of the report dealing with the schools
of this state and county on applica-
ton to the Commissioner of Eduea-
ton. Washington, d. G.