The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-03-08
COUNTY TEACHERS
MEET SATURDAY
Form An Association For Better
ment of Schools-Prof. Gunter
Makes Address-Abbeville
Behind in School
Methods

house and organized the Abbevllle
County Teachers Association. Prac-
tically all of the teachers in the
city schools were present and the
county, as whole, was fairly we'll
represented, although the chairman,
Major Fulp, had received letters
from several teachers saying that
they were still under quarantine on
account of influenza and would be
unable to attend the meeting Satur-
day.
The meeting was called to order
at 2 o'clock and after a few prelimi-
nary remarks by Major Fulp, who to-
gether with county superintendent
w. ]. Evans had called the meeting,
the business of organizing was be-
gun. The following officers for the
first year were elected President,
J. D. Fulp, of the Abbeville schools;
vice president, Mrs. J. R. McWhite,
of the Cold Spring school; secretary,
Miss Annie Can't, of the Abbevllle
schools; treasurer, Miss Allie Evans,
of the Sharon school. The following
were elected members of the execu-
tive committee: Supt. w. j. Evans,
]. NJ. Daniel, Miss May Robertson,
Miss Frances Wideman and l.. C..
Griffin. The president will appoint
this week a committee to draw up
constitution and by laws to be sub
mitted to the next meeting.
After the conclusion of the busl-
ness meeting the teachers were
given a real treat in the excellent ad-
dress made by them by Mr.. Lueco
Gunter, state supervisor of rural
schools, who has recently been elect
ed to head the department of educa-
ton at Furman University. Mr.. Gun
ter was known personally to most OF
the teachers present and his talk was
thoroughly direct to them and per-
fectly logical and free from high
flights of oratory. He discussed the
ground swelling of unrest among
members of the teaching profession
over the country today; of the need
for organization, professional, not
as the labor unions organize; of the
deficiencies existing in this county
in many school districts; and of the
need of double session day, with a
year added to the present time de-
voted to the graded school proper.
Mr.. Gunter emphasized the fact that
South Carolina schools are attempt
ing to do in seven years what practi-
cally all of the other states are re-
quiring eight years to accomplish. He
lays the fault of improperly or ra-
ther insufficiently prepared high
school and college students to the
haste with which they are rushed
through elementary grades from the
fourth to the seventh.
Mr.. Gunter was very outspoken
in his statements regarding Abbeville
county's backwardness in educational
lines. He gave figures to prove his
every statement. In substance he said
that it was nothing short of disgrace
that the pepole did not demand their
legislators to place the office of coun-
ty superintendent upon high plane. 1t
was preposterous to imagine that the
country schools of Abbeville would
ever be among the best when the
county superintendent had to spend
his time making living as the
county paid him barely enough tc
keep the Office open on certain days
TO approve the teachers vouchers
There IS only one school district ir
Abbeville which had voted as much
as eight mills special tax, and thai
was the Abbeville city school dis
trict. He expressed the hope that The
additional four mills which this dis
trict proposes to vote in the next
few weeks would meet with no oppo
stion. In the per capita amount
.pent on education in South Caro-
Ina Abbcvilie county ranked sixth
: o.. :" ,a.:o.n .: list of 46 coun
ties. The per capita expenditure il
Continued or Page Four)