The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1919-05-04

than two grades, each with -FOUR or
five subjects; any other is not high
school work, but is only a make
shift for it. Most of our country
schools have one teacher only, or
at most two. The usual eight grades.
allowing for four lessons each day
by the members of each grade, ne
cessitate thirty-two recitations daily
800 minutes divided by 32 gives IL
minutes for each class, if there is
but one teacher. and 22 minutes for
each if there are two teachers. In
case there is a so-called ninth grade,
or ninth and a tenth, the 22-min-
ute, or the 11-minute recitation
utes. or of Is to 20 minutes. AS
one good, earnest, conscientious, and
ambitious pupil who had been study
ing Latin two and a half session be-
fore getting credit for one sessions
work, said, eve were fortunate if
we could get ten minutes for reci-.
tation on any subject Such work
is called high school work; the
pupils are expected, with three or
four years of such to be prepared
to enter college. As might be ex-
pected, many who have entered,
have failed to sustain themselves.
Note in this connection that the de-
cree of our colleges, ready-made for
them by our State Legislature, and
by the entrance requirements of 9TH
er colleges, is not that student
holding a diploma from high
school may be admitted upon that
diploma, but that he can be admitted
only upon the certification of his
school principal that he has, for
each credit of one unit, pursued one
high school subject an entire ses-
sion of 35 or SO weeks, reciting five
times each week, and each of these
recitation periods at least 40 min
utes.
What is Northern Lowndes going
to do about the education OF her
children? Will the schools unite, at
least to the extent of securing one
real high school? Or, though the
taxes continue the same, must any
boy or girl who wishes to take a
high school course be forced to go
to school away from home? This
would be very expensive, besides
taking the child away from his pa
rents during those formative years
when he should be under the infu-
ence of home parents. The patrons
and the trustees in Northern
Lowndes must decide the question as
to whether they will have high
school outside of Columbus, or not;
they cannot escape decision. Mere
ly to evade the question, or to do
nothing, means that there will be
no real high school work done; or,
as is the unusual case in one school
this session, that such work can >be
done only in the event there is
special high school teacher with
only two grades of high school work.
The heavy expense of carrying on
the same grade of work in common
schools and in preparatory depart7
ments of our colleges has been doneE
away with The county schools arei
under the obligation of beginningl
the child and of carrying him
through eight years of study pref
paratory for high school or for life.
The colleges have lately raised their
entrance requirements. Shall mott
we in Northern Lowndes give to our
children the educational advantages
that other children have, and for
which we pay our share of taxes?
This can, under the existing circum-
stances, be done only by union to
the extent of at least one real high
school in the northern part of our
county. Such a school, patronized
by sufficient numbers, could employ
enough teachers to give the four re-
Quired years of high school college
preparatory work; practical bust
ness or vocational course for those
not purposing going to college; in
struction in music; and the much
needed organizer and elevated So
cial phases that good school should
DER its neighborhood.