davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1955-11-13
What Con We Do?

The outlook for the quality OF
education Is bleak indeed. II we
assume that we must remain frozen
to the present pattern Of recruiting.
training and utilizing teachers. But
we need not and very likely win not
cling stubbornly to old ways IL bet
ter ones can be found. It Is In the
character Of American society. when
confronted by a challenge Of such
gravity, to mobilize the necessary
ingenuity and resources for its solu-
ton.
To insure that educational quail
ity rises instead Of falls. We need
imaginative answers very soon to
these questions: How can we at
tract into teaching. and hold there.
an adequate share Of our ahlest
people? How can we make more
effective use Of the teachers We
have?
Three Sources
The teachers Of tomorrow must
come from three main sources:
Those we now have. the young
people coming up through school
and college, and adults in our COM
munities. All three are important
sources. Increased efforts are being
made TO tap them and additional
efforts are clearly needed.
More and more communities are
recognizing that heavy injury Is
being dealt their schools BY loss Of
their best teachers. The problem Is
especially acute with respect 70 men
who ind 1t impossible to support
families and to educate their own
children on inadequate teaching
salaries. Many who remain are
obliged to piece out their income
with outside jobs which interfere
with their professional growth, pres
tige and effectiveness. Where these
cold facts are understood, people
have begun to act. not only to raise
salaries but to see that in every
way q teacher enjoys the privileges
and freedoms Of q firstAclass citi-
zen, as well as the dignity and
respect which should attach to
those entrusted with the education
Of our children.
Compulsory retirement provisions
are being modified In some school
systems and colleges to prolong the
services Of exceptional teachers.
Recently there have been greater
Evening star., 1955-11-13
When French PIoy Politics
The Rules Are Complicated

alliances. The Gaullists on the
right could line up few alliances.
The center parties banded together
In various combinations in various
departments. The alliances became
the strongest groups. Under the
weighted system Of proportional
representation the center got more
than its share of seats.
The system worked fine in that
it helped freeze out the strong Com"
munists and Gaullists. With one
fourth Of the popular vote. the Com
munists won only one-sixth OF the
parliamentary seats. But the voters
didn't like 1t. They objected stren-
uously to being forced to vote for .
list rather than for candidates and
objected even more strongly to vot.
ing for an alliance Of lists, which
often contained candidates they
would sooner see in the Bastille
than the Assembly.
Evening star., 1955-11-13
More Children

The population Of the United
States has grown steadily, but the
rate of growth had slowed consider
ably prior to World War II.
The decade 194O-I950. however,
brought dramatic reversal Of the
previous trend. For the first time In
the history Of our Nation, the rate.
Of population growth turned up
sharply. Population grew twice as
fast as in the previous decade, due
In considerable measure to an un-
precedented rise in births.
This high level Of births has per-
sisted. In le46. more babies were
born than In any other year in our
history--and that record has been
surpassed every year since. The
four million mark was surpassed in
1854. and promises to be again in
1855.
No one can confidently predict
the future level Of births. Popula-
ton experts point to factors that
may cause d temporary slackening
within the next 10 years. But q
new upsWing in the 1960's seems
inevitable when the babies born in
the '40s start having babies OF
their own. There Is every tndica-
ton that our schools and colleges
are moving TO q permanently higher
level of enroIlments.
Regardless Of the future level OF
births, however. this much Is cer-S
tain: The children already bern win
tax Our educational system severely
for 20 years to come.
The problems Of rapid expansion
are compounded by the fact that
teachers for the large postwar gem
Grafton of children must be sup
piled largely from the smaller pre-
war group now emerging from high
school and college.
During the past SO years there
has been q steady increase in the
proportion Of young people going
to school and college. The ratio Of
high school enrolIments TO the size
Of the 14-l7 age group rose from
IL per cent IN 1900 to so per cent
in 1854. The ratio Of college en-
rollments to the size Of the 1921.
age group rose from per cent to
nearly 30 per cent. While the size
OF these two age groups increased
by less than half. high school and
college enr0llrnents rose nearly ten
fold.
The rise In births has already
caused an acute overcrowding Of
elementary schools. But the worst
is vet to come.
. BY 1860, elementary enroIlments
will be 68 per cent above 1916 and
28 per cent above 1854.
. BY 1869. the children already
born win push secondary school en-
rOllments to more than 10 per cent
above the 1854 level.
. College enrolln1ents are likely to
reach double their 1854 level some
time between 1866 and 1871.
Evening star., 1955-11-13
Three Kinds Of Waste

Teaching as presently organized
inevitably wastes highly trained
manpower In three conspicuous
ways:
. By burdening qualified teachers
with host Of subprofe fessional tasks
which could be performed BIZ less
trained and less scarce personnel.
or perhaps dispensed with alto
getlier.
. BY assigning essentially the
same functions and degree Of re-
sponsihility to the most skilled and
poorest teachers alike. as II they
were equal In ability.
. BY failing to unleash the stu
dents own natural capacity and
propensity TO learn.
A variety Of approaches to greater
efficiency In education are being
considered. tested and applied. One
Is to clarity the aims and priorities
of schools and colleges, and in
light Of such Qualification to strip
the curriculum Of less essential
items which have accumulated over
the years.
Another approach is TO utilize
older and more advanced students
to participate In the instruction Of
younger ones, thereby sharpening
their own perceptions and relieving
regular teachers Of subprofessional
tasks Closely related are efforts
to reverse the trend toward what
has been called spoon feeding" by
confronting students with greater
challenge and opportunity to pursue
learning ON their own. 1t has been
noted by some college officials. for
example, that what we call .inde-
pendent study" for abler students
Is in fact the most dependent form
Of study in which the least NUM-
her of students are served by an
individual faculty member.
The whole question OF class size,
which touches perhaps the most
sensitive Of educational convictions,
.
Evening star., 1955-11-13
Need for Teachers

To maintain the present overall
pupil teacher ratio, the schools will
have to enlarge their total teaching
staff more In the next 10 years than
in the previous IS. The colleges and
universities will have to add more
teachers III the next Is years than
In all previous history combined.
There will need to be one-half
million more school teachers on the
job In 1865 than today. This esti-
mate assumes one teacher for every
80 elementary pupils and one for
every rs secondary students, which
apprOxin1ates the overall national
ratio since 1880. Many communities
today, Of course, have more pupils
than this per teacher, occupying
badly oyercrowded classrooms. The
national average Is kept low by the
many small schools III rural areas
which have as few as to 20 pupils
per teacher.
Big Turnover
This problem is not merely one OF
recruiting about 1900 new school
teachers annually for expansion.
About three times this many must
be found annually to replace the
teachers who leave TO GET married,
raise children, take ilon-teaching
jobs. retire, or for other reasons.
This approxirnates 3 To 10 per cent
Of the total teaching force each
year. excluding teachers who trans
fer from one school TO another. The
10 per cent replacement rate used
here makes modest allowance for
gradually reducing present over
croWding and the number Of in-
trained emergency teachers
In order % provide for replace
ments, expansion and the main-.
tenancc Of present pupiI-teacher
ratios, the schools of the Nation
must find is new teachers between
now and 1865 for every 10 teachers
now on the job. This b the equiya-
lent Of replacing all the teachers
We now have and finding so per
cent in additIon--aIl within 10
years.
At the college level the problem
h even more challenging. The re-
Evening star., 1955-11-13
Mendes System

The Mendes-France system. used
in the Sd Republic before World
War II, uses the drrondissemeIt as
the political unit. The 1TTondtsse-
nent compares TO department
as a Congressional district here
compares to State, and has only,
one seat. Each party would put up
one man. There would be no ALL
anceS.
The reimbursement would vote
on given Sunday. If one candi-
date won an absolute majority-it
could hardly happen---he would get
the seat in Parliament, # there
were no majority, then there would
be another vote the next Sunday,
but this would not automatically
reduce the number of candidates.
as happens in party run-offs in the
American South.
Between votes the parties would
maneuver to narrow the contest.
Weak candidates would be induced
to withdraw--probabl with prom.
ises of future favors. The Grron-
basement would probably end up
with a two or three way contest.
The seat would go to the candidate
then with the highest vote, whether
he got an absolute majority or not.
The voters like this system better
because they ballot for an indiyid-
ual, not a party. In the Sd Republic.
the Communists often found them
selves the victims of a second ballot
gang-up.
Both voting systems in the past
have favored the center parties, be-
cause they always found it easier
TO team up with other parties than
did the extremists.
Evening star., 1955-11-13
Two Systems

What are the two electoral sys-
TENS in dispute?
The first. called scrHtin de liste by
the French and labeled more simply
"the present system In this story,
was designed to. favor a center
coalition Of third force" anti-Com-
munists and anti-Gaullists. The
second. called scrHtin d'arrondtsse-
ment or scrntift uai,sontinal by the
French and tthe Mendes- France
system" herein. enhances the pres
tige of the individual deputy.
, Both systems are complicated.
The average French voter feels only
Illustration when he is asked first
to understand the election and then
vote in it.
Evening star., 1955-11-13
Seven Questions

Thoughtful educators and laymen
are exploring such questions as
these:
o Can we find ways to use the
teachers talents more effectively
can we make teaching more chal-
longing and satisfying--by reducing
the burden Of nonprofessional tasks?
o aCan we find ways to multiply
the effectiveness Of our most out
standing teachers in order to i'm
prove the quality Of education for
all students?
. Els It necessary for the best
teacher in a school or college to be
given the same functions, the same
pay, and the same number Of stu-.
dents. as the poor or average
teacher?
. ''Can we devise ways TO reform
the Job structure and salary struc-
ture so that teachers can be given
functions and rewards cornmensu-
rate with their varying abilities?
Can we thereby create challenging
avenues of advancement that viii
attract more of the Nations ablest
people into teaching and hold
them there?
D "Can we devise flexible architec-
ttlral patterns so that bricks and
mortar win not stand in the way
Of improving the organization OF
educational personnel and processes?
o ..Is our conviction that small
class size is always the best guar
antee of quality q valid one? Is
there danger that this conviction.
followed biindly; may lead toward
quality erosion instead Of the
reverse?
D sHaye we assumed too often that
young people do not really want to
learn and must therefore be spoon
fed under compulsion? Have We
ever tried hard enough to invite
students to accept more responsible
ity for their own education?"
Time is short, but it has been
short on other occasions when the
genius and devotion Of America
have risen to meet great challenges.
The greatest problem American
education has ever faced can prove
also to be It's greatest opportunity.
The "breakthrough" in education
that is required. to raise our per-
Torrance to match our mounting
needs. will undoubtedly 'raise hob
with the status quo.' But 1t can
bring American society to a new
level Of quality and achievement.
This is the task Of tomorrow's
teachers.
Evening star., 1955-11-13
FUTURE PLIGHT Of the schools graphically these two charts
Survey shows priority should 90 getting and keeping suche


merit. and no such high peaks. To
remain in education and yet adj
vance beyond his less able peers,
the outstanding teacher usually
must stop teaching and enter ed
fninigtxation.
One Is forced to conclude that
the salary structure as 1t stands not
only discourages good people from
entering or remaining in teaching.
but also reflects and fortifies an in
efficient use Of the teachers We have.
Under the competitive economic
forces that govern the use and re-
wards OF manpower in the American
economy, 1t appears unlikely that
the salary structure can be basicaliy
reformed unless there is a drastic
redeployment Of skilled personnel in
our schools and colleges.
Evening star., 1955-11-13
Possible Effects

What would be the effect on par.
liamentary strength under the two
systems? Without knowing the
mind of the highly individuaiistic
French voter 1t is impossible to say
for sure. But students of French
politics say this might be the pic
ture:
Under the present system, the
Communists might gain and lose
gain strength in that the Socialists
have been in opposition to all the
moderate parties since the 1851
elections and would be reluctant to
Join the anti Communist gang-up
this time. They might. indeed, ally
with the Communists in some de-
partments. But the Reds probably
also would lose a little in that their
overall national strength may be
less now than in 1851.
As good Q guess as any is that
the parties would come back with
roughly their same parliamentary
strength after another election un-
der the present system m-with per-
haps d few more seats In the con-
servative quadrant.
Under the Mendes-F France sys-
tenn. Communist chances would de-
pend on their ability to hold voters
on the second ballot and the ability
Of the moderate parties to bury the
hatchet and back single candidate
on the second ballot,
Assuming the Communists would
lose some strength on the second
ballot to a Mendes-France candi-
date. the result would be a stronger
left-center majority in the next
Assembly. The Mendes France
Radicals. in the best position of all
parties to form coalitions. could
score the greatest gains.
That, Of course, is one Of the
things M. Mendes-France has much
In mind.
Evening star., 1955-11-13

This report is eondeasstioa Of "Tsoehsrs
for Tomorrow" special bulletin pre-
pared BY The Fund for the Advancement
Of Education. On Independent orsonizoy
tioa established in 1851 by the Ford
Foundation. The Eosndotion hos granted
the Fund sppreximoteb s57 million to
date.
Evening star., 1955-11-13
Crisis in CIossrooms
Is Facing Nation Now,
Mojor Survey Shows

On the morning Of May 81, 1855,
the population indicator In the main
lobby Of the Department Of Com
merce Building in Washington. D.
c.. registered i65, 900, ,000-a figure
which only 10 years ago the Census
Bureau believed would not be
reached before the year 1000. II
ever.
In q very real sense. the steady
ticking Of this population ~clock"
day In and day out dramatizes the
magnitude Of the task which con-
fronts public and private education
in the United States In the years
ahead.
Growth is nothing new In Amer
lean education. As population ex-
panded from the Colonial days for
ward. each generation received
more years Of schooling than the
previous one, and more than young
people In any other nation. A recent
UNESCO report indicates. for ex-
ample. that In 1850 the United
States had 43 per cent Of the world
total Of college and university en-
rollments texcluding the Soviet
Union1. All of Europe and all Of
Asia. with relatively greater youth
populations. had "a per cent each.
What Is new In the present situa-
tion Is . sharply accelerated rate Of
growth in enrolIments coupled with
n severe shortage Of well-qualified
teachers-a combination which
threatens TO cause . progressive
deterioration Of quality At all levels
Of education ever the next two
decades.
Evening star., 1955-11-13
The Why's

But NJ. Mendes-F France and Pre-.
mier Faure have more personal rea-
sons for backing their respective
systems.
NJ. Mendes- France likes his be-
cause it builds up the individual
deputy and subordinates the party.
Each candidate would run alone.
not as one name on q list or an
alliance of lists. M. Mendes- France
is not q good party man. He be-
lieves he could rally q group Of in.
dividuais about his leadership pro-
vided the individuals were freer Of
party obligations.
And M. Mendes- France likes to
appeal to the people over the heads
of parties and Parliament as
Franklin Roosevelt did. His voting
system would, first, make him more
popular with the voters who don't
like the other system, and, second,
would permit him to apply pressure
through the people directly on the
deputies without being stymied by
the parties.
Wants a Delay
And, furthermore. q new ballot
ing system would delay the elections
and give M. Mendes- France more
time to build up his grass roots
strength. I
Premier Faure, on the other
hand. has no wish to further the
Mendes- France fortunes. He is
more of a party man. Also he is in
hurry to get a new parliament.
so that vital decisions can be made
promptly. sa
Where do the Communists stand?
They would prefer a pure" system
of proportional representation as
they are the strongest single party.
But they probably haven't a chance
of getting 1t.
The Reds voted with Premier
Faure on the election issues, put
ting them in effect in favor Of the
present system. But this may have
been mostly a move to block M.
MendeS- France. Actually they may
not have much to choose between
the two systems.
The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1955-06-28
Briery Church
tContinued nom pdoe !


Ras accorded as descendants OF
Joseph Morton first ruling elder
stood. and as did those IN the d.
rect line ot the R1y Matthew
Lylr including Dr Matthew Isle
Lacy South Hill physician
A message ot CONGRATULATIONS
ana encouragement for more years
Of devotion vas read by Matthew
lyle form Dr Cecil H Lang. mod
orator OF fhe Synod OF Texas Two
living former pastors. ". W Grove
and II s Morgan. could not be
present.
Z q McGhee. US afternoon
history. prepared following care
full research and much reading
vas as feehngly presented as 1t
was factual The historian is the
son of the late Captain Edward
Glenn McGehee and Elizabeth
Womack Prince Edward pioneers.
the former a ruling elder at Bylery
for So years
His story started with the Rev
Robert Henry's 1855 commission
from the Synod Of New York and
establishment OF the church un-
der Hanover Presbytery then
comprising much Of the eastern
Seaboard
College Influence
Attention was detailed as to the
part played by the church in the
founding Of Hampden sydney
College and the years. starting
in l776 when the college presI-
dents served as pastors and pro
ylded strong early leadership
Included were facts Of the cree
ton of the first meeting hoLse IN
1850: the second structure In 1924
on land given by Thomas Flour
noy. now owned Dy Preston Hen
derson. and the third and present
structure III 1867. designed By the
The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1955-06-28

rt-a srl.eae 49, e-+r-,t-r-,7 -
wave C,Ierr aa.,4E.a-s i. III
40 ST. q VI r,-arr falt t
,rse, TIL ~r-.1 NO. 81 l,ra.-.rr
81 II g,er4 ILL., rr,.rr,a, -,.9rr
MISS Eliza ega Huadl aF
Canton ONO .efl Manlaf st'
visiting her mother. Mrs F. f..
Hundley VI y.s.t heE nephew Dr
The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1955-06-28


''@''4, eS''' ~
9i''''io'i4S 49, !. !. - = ''-'' ~ al
CALVIN Hatcher az NeN YORK
ttatnte, ~ peafore coe,,,g ,ga4.
III ..c.x INA o,,asts u ~ a.a
NJ " (,arrscf, NJ t..tcher
ro,,y,ae ~ ~ Wy fo- = ~
,a,,sa ,aapt .,,,h
> "a. = = nm = W. '''''
- ~ ''D l ~ taA NJ ~ ~
'''s -
'''''' ',0'''''' '''4'A' f'''-
''"'
"'9a 'di'et 9'i lpi'h ielt Ii1A-
coon. n Y. where she VII serve
a. counselor for tie summer she
stopped over in Stanton. where
The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1955-06-28

~ d . Aga. a,sz ralla4 17,,e
f-o-n Beok,ev ~ III s.a7ars s.,e
aas listing PER son MIA" ana
= III. ~ ac''7,I''l n t.ls i''ile "
" III '1D.f'e. = . ioFfsiIe., @-.o
Hospital d Richmond Mrs Agr+
had as tllrsr guest for tste week
END her brother ! E TJfrence
q! LyncholrR
- 49,,
l,..@4..,-t1l - -. : 80 =. =, =, =,
a'ng Anniversary reception q M
ana MFs Ra-pA wilson On Sat
pfday night
It'll - III. s.
fo~ (-a-.., IT. S..
ii. .-.- +1or,ne
-.
John stock ana jim Berry. al
the Farmg.l.e Herald news Staff.
Semian q the Virginia Press As
soc-at.on a, the University Of Var
ein.a recently
~ a ~. ,-.
spent sunday with MI and Mrs
PauiIs Price 81 Weyef's Cave
,+r. M ~ ra ....
,.o,aa eaaa., f.ar " ..,, 80 4 .s !
..,,ne, - ,|a~ d.,,,,s,au So
Evening star., 1955-09-25

in the one big room.
Later, If there were chill
dren. the loft was floored. and
the children slept upstairs on
straw mattresses thrown on
the floor. reaching their bed
room by a ladder. Still later,
II the settler prospered. he
built additions TO his log
cabin.
Since the settlers travelled
many miles into the interior
in wagons. they brought little
in the way Of furnishings.
The forest provided for most
Of their furniture, and the
wagon space was reserved for
supplies for the first year,
until foodstuffs could be
grown. ANY space left over
was used for carefully packed,
expensive glass for windows.
Sometimes, a cherished rock
ing chair was brought along.
The fireplace was the center
of attention. It was decked
with many gadgets. deemed
decorators items today. But
In the days OF the pioneer
each item was useful, down to
the gun and powder horn
above the mantel.
Most log cabins remaining
today are those converted into
barns or utility buildings on
farms, left standing to serve
other purposes after their
usefulness as homes ended.
But they were the symbol
Of the rugged pioneer. The
boy who grew up In q log
cabin had to be rugged be-
cause they we're, for the most
part, neither comfortable nor
healthy. And the politician
who could claim birth in a log
cabin was considered to have
a head start on his opponents.
Evening star., 1955-09-25

kitchen and dining quarters,
the other end the living and
sleeping quarters.
There was no thought Of
separating rooms with parti-
Evening star., 1955-09-25

WTHEN American pioneers
w carved homes from the
wilderness, they did so liter
ally. The wilderness provided
all the material they needed
except possibly for window
glass and curtains from back
East-for their houses.
The log cabin was meant to
be, and most often was, a
permanent home. built solidly
to withstand the ravages of
the elements and the chance
OF attack by hostile Indians.
Log cabins of early America
were so sturdy that many of
them remain today as monu-
ments to the faith of the
pioneers in a lasting Nation.
But their use as homes has
dwindled almost to the van
ishing point.
In the few remaining will
derneSs sections of America,
the house Of logs still provides
shelter on occasion, but 1t Is
considered now a temporary
abode, built as a lark and
meant to serve only until
something more modern can
be erected.
For the settler, there was no
problem of transporting ma
terials. His house consisted
of logs generally cut from a
small area close to the home
site. They were hewn to
shape and piled one atop the
other within a few acres. The
cutting of the trees served a
dual purpose e-providing logs
for the house and clearing the
land for crops.
Most Of the log cabins had
one rectangular room, with
the huge fireplace, necessary
to all households then, at one
end. That end was the