Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1921-05-12
OUR CHILDREN
GOING AHEAD
Term Just Closed Is Best in History
of State, Says Supterindent
Bond.

education, after getting considerable
! first-hand information from the vari-
Gus sections of the state and compil-
/ ing reports from the several counties
and separate school districts, finds
that the school year just closing has
been the most successful in the history
of the state for the following reasons:
| The unusually fine weather during
! the winter season made it possible for
/ the children to get to school every
day. The schoolwagons hay chad
little trouble in getting over the trans
portation routes.
For the first time in many years the
schools have been practically free from
epidemics The health of the students
has been unusually good.
The average attendance has been
far greater than ever before. The
compulsory attendance law brought to
school over 33 1000 white boys and girls
over seven years of age who had never
been to school before. The total IN
crease in enrolment for the year IS
approximately $4,000, in the face OF
the fact that we have $4,000 less edu-
cable children now in the state than
four years ago.
There has been more money Wlth
which to operate the schools. Inc
Ilegislature increased the annual COM
mon school appropriation 60 per cent
and many counties and separate school
districts increased their ta1
schools. Furthermore, for
time since the eonstitlonal
of 1890 has the school fund been DIS
brrsed in such manner as to give
every child practically the same cnahce
etQcationally 50 far as stats funds are
concerned. This was made possible
bv the amendment to section 20o OF
the constitution adopted under the MI
tiative section Of the constitution, IN
November, 1919 These increased ap-
propriations have given longer school
terms. more teachers and better teach
ers all of which has encouraged the
people generally.
There has been this year as never
before in the minds and hearts OF the
neople a great desire for better school
advantages for all the children For
MANY years the people in our towns
and cities have been interested IN bet
ter schools, and recently the fathers
and mothers of the ruarl district have
become as a whole intensely interested
in providing good schools for Their
children.
As compared with other states Mis-
sissippi, up to 1918, ranked near the
bottom educationally, because so many
of our educable population were not IN
school, and because of the very poor
financial support given education. we
have had in school this scholastic year
approximately 100000 more children
than in 1913 and our expenditures for
education have increased approx
matelv 100 per cent during the same
time. If a rating should be made to-
dav. it would be shown that Missls-
sippi has moved upward from near the
bottom of the list a considerable dis
tance. The legislature at its 1920
session did the big thing for educa-
ton. In fact, it did twice as much by
way of enacting constructive school
legislation and in the way of increased
appropriations for schools as any leg
islature we have ever had. The legis-
lature, of course, did this because OF
the strong and insistent demand on
the part of the people for better
schools. There is no reason why the
next scholastic year should not be
more far reaching in its efftcts than
has the present year Everywhere
standards are being raised, additional
teachers put in, library equipment
bought, school TENS heightened, bet
ter teachers employed, consolidated
schools built, and in fact all along
the line from the smallest remote one
teacher school to the well-equipped
schools of our cities and towns great
preparation is being made for the ses-
sion of 1922. The indications are
that within the next few years the
educational system of Mississippi will
rank with that of any of the best
States in the nation.