Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1925-08-29
Sumter and
Her Schools

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Many Of US have seen the
country school, with all of its
pupils of many sizes crowded
into one little schoolroom, and
a usually inadequate young per-
son just out of school, and but
little older than some Of the
pupils, struggling to handle
bunch of unruly youngsters.
How many young girls, on
graduating and with no expert
ence in life and no training for
teaching. have gone forth to ru-
raj communities to teach such
schools as a kind of stop-gag in
hfe-a means Of earning a little
pin-money before getting mar
RED or entering upon some more
serious work?
How many men and women
have gone to face the world
from such schools, poorly equip
ped and with the necessity of
overcoming d terrific handicap;
and how many of them have fail
ed to overcome that handicap?
Those of us who are accus-
toned to the better school OF
the cities and towns or to that
great development, the CONSOLE
dated school as we have them in
Sumter county, smile in a supe-
rior sort of way at these little
schools. We look upon them as
relics of a past age, something
that is rapidly passing.
But are they passingo The
biennial survey of conditions
made by the United States Blu
reau Of Education in 1922. just
THEE years ago, and published
this year, shows some surprising
facts regarding these schools.
There were 4.530 of these
one room schools in Georgia in
that year out of d total of 1857
school buildings. Over one half
SO per cent.
Georgia has more Of these
schools than any Southern state,
including Texas, except Ken
lucky. And Kentucky has c
smaller proportion-52 per cent
las she has more schools than
we have.
Think what this means to the
children in Georgia. Think OF
what ii means in opportunity for
education in our state! Most Of
cur schools are Of a type to
which the average person ac-
quainted with better schools
would not send his own chill
dren!
Almost one-third-32 per
cent of Georgia s teachers teach
in these schools, according to a
regent survey.
/Yet the country child is as
.tluch entitled to a good educa-
4 ton with the opportunities it
offers, as the city child He is
entitled to the same opportuni-
ty in life as his little brothers
and sisters of the cities and
towns get. The fact that he
does not get it shows that there
is something wrong with our
educational system.
Is it strange that the country
population is moving TO the city
when such conditions exist?
Knowing such things as these, =
we can readily see why the de-
pletion Of farm labor by the
migration to the cities taking
place these days is one of Geor-
gia s big problems.
The wealth of the state is e2n-
centrated in q few counties. iIhe
poorer. counties cannot afford
much better schools than they
arc giving their children, Yet
those children are entitled to The
same opportunity as the children
Of Sumter and other wealthy
counties.
This state surveys tends to
show how fortunate we are in
Sumter county, with our ten
consolidated schools, with
countrywide truck service trans
porting our children to and
from our great county schools.
We also are extremely for
tunate in having in the county
the agricultural school with its
facilities for bringing practical
farm teachings to the very gate
way OF our farms and at a cost
vastly lower than would other
wise be possible
=. = s.
Speeding
EYyefire