Pocahontas star herald., 1923-04-20
The Schools of California

Randolph county: l want to say that
after studying the school system of
this state, It is all so wonderful that
D could not keep still any longer They
are model schools.
First we have compulsory law.
that compcls ii childs labor law, which
prohibits private persons or corpora
tons employing them during school,
and these laws are strictly enforced.
The state board of education adopts |
series Of text books to be printed at
the state printing office, and sold at
the cost price to the counties of the
STATE. They are then furnished free of
al cost to the children, with pencils |
aud paper too.
The districts are consolidated. In
stead of having several weak ones,
three or four are united and have one
large, modern building, where the
children are brought in school busses,
from stations from all along the main /
road. The busses are owned by the
district.
All Of the school buildings here are |
nat, one-story structures made of stuc-
60, or plaster and built on the style Of .
the old Grecian architecture; they are
really beautiful.
Here in Brea. a town about the size
OF Pocahontas, we have three fine
school buildings, located on a ten acre
campus all set in grass and flowers
Two of them are grammar school .
buildings the other kindergarten,
which cost several thousand dollars.
They are all very modern in equip
ment, having lights. wash rooms large
auditorium, where the moving pictures
are shown TO teach the different sub
jects, and cafetsriS in the basement
where lunches are served at absolute
cost, 10 the children. The play ground
aparatus is enough to delight the heart
OF any child.
Our Central High School is at Full
erton, near this place. Every child is
given music and art and the
girls are taught domestic science, the
boys manual training. There is an ex-
ira teacher and room, where all chill
dren, who are not normal, are trained.
We have departmental teaching here
in all schools. giving the children the
advantage of professional training.
No teacher in the state is paid less
than one thousand two hundred dol
lars per term. One dollar is taken
from each teachers salary every
month and applied to the fund for the
old teachers, who are given five hun
dred dollars premium yearly on re-
tirement.
Our superintendent of the Brea
schools is paid considerably more than
your county superintendent, with all
the responsibility he has over all the
schools of the county.
When | consider all this just
wonder why intelligent men and wo-
men of my home will allow the schools
Of Arkansas to be so low, where the
children are just as good and deserv-
ing as those OF California or any 9th
or state in the Union. Fathers and
mothers, why don't you wake up from
your long sleep and stare these condi-
tions In the face? Just think how
soon they must go ont into the world
10 compete with the girls and boys who
have been given every advantage to
prepare for life and then. where shall
they be- As look back on the years
] have spent IN the schools of Ran
dolph county Il makes me sick at heart
to think that l could do no more for
them, under such crude conditions for
j love them and shall always feel the
deepest concern for their welfare. My
association and work with them makes
the very brightest spot in my life. At
times | have had one-room school,
with eight grades and only fifteen min
utes for each recitation. Now what
can any teacher do with conditions
Ike that?
Now people. the remedy is simple,
Why don't you go TO the polls one hun
dred per cent strong and vote as many
mills as the law allows elect officers
who have children, have the old school
laws revised, aud most important, CO
operate with your state aud county su-
perintendents ia all their struggles 10
better the school. Never give up until {
the schools Of Arkansas are consolidat- /
ed and giving your children the best. ,
Nothing is too good for Arkansas girls
and boys. Let that be your slogan, /
and in the next decade Arkansas will
take her place. ranking high with the
other states of the Union, education ,