Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-05-11
Report Of Rural School Inspec'
tor D. L. Lewis on Schools
of This County.

] arrived in Edgehelo on TUESDAY,
April 12, and spent that day in the
high school. found splendid school,
all the teachers doing good work. l
found, however, that the school build
ing is in bad condition, and may be
dangerous, as the walls are badly
cracked, and the building appears to
be continuing to settle. strongly adj
wise that the trustees have the build
ing examined by competent archl-
tect. Edgefeld is badly in need of a
new, modern, up-to-date high school
building, with class-rooms for domes-
tic science, manual training, and COM
mercial department.
The district needs to levy six mills
more, and put in more teachers for
this industrial training. One of the
greatest mistakes that a town and
city school systems are making is,
that they provide literary training
for the boys and girls, but do not
teach them to work with their hands.
Unless children are taught to work,
it is practically impossible to make
men and women of them.
Familiarity with physical labor and
ability to carry responsibility, with
a well-rounded literary education,
are absolutely necessary in the max
ing of men and women. Edgefeld has
70 mills taxes; some other towns
and cities have as high as go. Is it
better to put on more taxes and give
the children the well-rounded educa-
tion they should have, or continue to
put up with present facilities that
are totally inadequate?
On Wednesday, Antioch and Red
sHill schools were visited. In each of
these schools we found good teach
ing being done. The only criticism
that should be made of the work is,
that not enough is expected and re-
CURED of the pupils in the higher
grades very common weakness in
many schools, particularly country
schools. To illustrate: In some coun-
try schools, high school pupils are al
lowed to read Ancient History in
class, few. questions are asked as
result of this reading, and it is pass
ed up as recitation. Pupils get moth
ing from such recitation.
Teachers who allow such to pass
as recitations do great injustice to
pupils and parents. This condition
was not observed in Edgefeld coun-
ty, but it illustrates tendency on
the part of some teachers to try to
make the work too easy for the pu-
pills.
On Thursday Harmony, four
!, teacher school, and Trenton,a FIVE
teacher school, were visited. The work
in these two schools is good. The
ideal school system for any county
should contain no school with fewer
than four teachers. In a four-teacher
school ten grades can be taught, the
pupils can be prepared for college
or for the work in life; instruction
in music can be given, and some good
work in domestic science, manual
training, and agriculture done. Har-
mony school can in large measure be
made to reach the educational needs
of the community.
At Trenton we found an excellent
building, and fine work being done.
With the addition of industrial train
ing for the pupils, they can be given
well-rounded high school education.
On Monday, April 1s, Limestone,
Morgan and Sullivan, one-teacher
schools, were visited. In these schools
we found as good teaching being done
as we have ever observed in one
teacher schools. One-teacher schools,
however, can never educate the coun-
try children. Such schools can sue
cessfully teach only seven grades and
every country child should have the
opportunity to complete ten grades.
The two-teacher school is better, but
it should undertake only eight grades.
It is very unfortunate that any COM
munity should have to maintain
schools of the one and two-teacher
type, as they cannot possibly reach
the educational needs of the children.
Whenever possible, consultations of
these small schools must be made,
and schools of. three, 1our, or more
teachers, or centralized country high
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