Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-05-11

the town children? If we educate
country children, who already know
how to work on the farm, and how
to shoulder responsibility, we make
the best men and women in the world.
The successful business man of the
towns and cities and today were rear
ed in the country. Country people
must realize that it is cheaper for
them, and better for their chilrden,
to educate them in the country than
it is for the parents to have to move
to town, or to board their children
in town. The taxes for building up
good country schools will be much
less than the expense of moving to
town, or of having to board the chill
dren in town. Furthermore, country
children soon become enamoured of
town life, and ape lost to the coun-
try. .
realize that the sparsely settled
country communities of Edgefeld
county cannot as yet make the con-
solidations so necessary for the ade-
quate education of their children, but
the ideal toward which they, should
look is the union of their small
schools into schools of three, four, or
more teachers, and wherever posi-
BILE, the establishment of centralized
country high schools.
In the centralized country high
school, as many districts as possible
come together to conduct Joint high
school; the district in which the high
school is to be established issues
bonds to build the high school, or to
remodel it's present building; suffi-
cient taxes are levied to run the high
school eight months, and the afiliat-
ed districts should run their respec-
tive schools just as long; each dis
trict maintains its present school, but
sends all pupils above the seventh
grade to the central high school.
In such a high school the teachers
can do departmental work-each
teacher teaching the subjects for
which she is best fitted, and the SUI
perintendent can supervise the high
school and the affiliated grade
schools. Such a school can educate
the country boys and girls.
The present sparsely population of
Edgefield county is due to the fact
that so many people had to move to
town to educate their children. If the
country people could have had an
educational vision, how different
would have been country conditions
today! Country communities would
be growing, country churches pros
porous, and the county's future cit
izenship guaranteed.
Edgefeld county is one of the best
counties potentially from an agricul-
tural standpoint thus far visited, and
only needs large influx of small
farmers who can own their farms to
develop it's resources and make it
one of the richest counties in the
state.
On April 19, we visited Flat Rock
Collier and Cooper schools. In all of
these schools good work was being
done, except that more should be ex-
pected and required of the pupils of
the higher grades. All written work in
all the schools from the fifth grade
up should be done with pen and ink,
to familiarize the children with the
use of the pen.
Speaking comparatively, the coun-
try schools of Edgefeld county are
of average grade. There is plenty of
work yet to be done before the coun-
try children will get, the education
they deserve. The country people
should realize that the very best in
vestment they can make for their
children and their county is the edu-
cational investment suggested above.
Not only will such an education in
vestment save the children to the
country, but it will attract to the
county good farmers who will aid in
developing the resources of the coun-
ty, and the county will be benefited
financially and otherwise. Further
more, every cent in taxes that the
people pay for schools is wisely and
effectively used. 1t is noteworthy
thing that throughout the State the
school finances are most effectively
managed. The county systems have