The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-05-16
A Sad Plight
le County Record.

trustees OF Williamsburg county at
the court house, hingstreet, S. c., on
Saturday, April Is, at 1900 o'clock,
This meeting is called for the purpose
of discussing plans for he next
school year. 1t will be HI duty Of
every trustee to be present, y
The above is a cal !ssaed ~ Su-
perintendent of Education, NJ. F.
Montgomery. Last Saturday there
was a meeting, in response to a SIM
liar call, for trustees and teachers.
The object of the meeting last week,
as we understand it, was chiefly to
inform the teachers, many Of them at
least, that Williamsburg county was
unable to pay them for their services;
to tell them that they would be OBJ
hged to wait 1--WE don't know how
long, but perhaps indefinitely for
their pay.
The meeting called for next Satur-
day does not include the teachers.
The deplorable condition Of affairs
has alrady been made plain to them.
The trustees are called to this meet
ing, however, to discuss, and perhaps
endeavor to prevent recurrence Of
similar situation next year. We
hope they will succeed.
1t seems that a number Of the
school districts in Williamsburg are
'sbroke" when it comes to a matter
of dollars and cents, with which to
pay the teachers their salaries. This
condition is nothing more than was
to be expepcted when a law was pass
ed granting an extension Of SINE for
the payment Of taxes. Usually there
is only sufficient amount levied to
defray, meagerly in many Instances,
the running of the district school
for few months. Unless this tax
levy is paid promptly there are no
funds with which to pay the teachers
and keep the school going.
It is fact that there are those
in some of the districts who don I
care a whit whether the school runs
or stops, or whether the teacher gets
her pay or not. This is rather sad
plight when we call to mind the hum
dreds of children in this county who
are being deprived OF the fundamen-
tai training that country school at
fords. 1t is a condition to which may
be attributes the large numbec OF
grown-ups who, when :alled upon to
write their names have 70 do SO oy
touching the PEN or making his
mark" The registration books OF
Williamsburg prove this condition OF
ignorance.
Are WEI never going to ge5 away
from this humiiating scouree? A
condition that belongs TO the dark
ages. The only safe and sure way
to do it is to provide yo1r district
with the best to be had IN the way
of schools. and to do this i ii'reqaires
cooperation on the par OF every man,
woman and child in the district. Fur
ther it requires that unselflsh and
liberal spirit which should place
school and the careful tutilage Of It's
progeny above dollars end cents, or
the levying of a suficient amount OF
taxes for the exclusive purpose OF
conducting a we'll equipped school
for a term of seven to nine months
in the year, each succeeding year,
without ever having to face the hu-
initiating necessity of calling your
teachers together merely to inform
them that they will have to wait for
their pay or close the schools, for
there is poor incentive to service as
a teacher or any other class of la
Dor when the matter of compensation
IS an indefinite quantity.
It should be borne in mind that
it takes money TO successfully con-
duct any business; that, the schools
of Williamsburg county are her big
gest business, her greatest asset. Ed
ucate your children, at least see to
it that they have theN advantages
OF a good public school. The price
of an ordinary pig or calf each year
will provide the means under the
present system of levy;ng school tax
es. DOM place the pig or the year
ling aoove your child's education.