The news in this publi
cation is released for the
press on receipt. ^
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
NEWS LETTER
Published Weekly by the
University of North Caro
lina for its University Ex
tension Division.
OCTOBER 26,1921
CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
VOL. vn, NO. 49
Editorial Board i E. G. Branson, S. H. Hobbs, Jr., L. R. Wilson, E. W. Knight, D. D. Carroll, J. B. Bullitt, H. W. Odum. Entered as second-class matter November 14,1914, at the Postofflce at Chapel Hill, N. C., under the act of August 24, 1918.
WALTER PAGE'S FORGOTTEN MAN
JOHN SMITH, TENANT
. The North Carolina Club at the Uni
versity of North Carolina is devoting
the present college year to studies of
the Forgotten Man whom Walter H.
Page took to heart a quarter century
ago. Not even as Embassador to the
Court of St. James did Walter Page
lose sight of John Smith, Tenant—illit
erate, poverty-stricken, and forgotten
in the scheme of things entire.
The sixteen clubi researches, reports,
and discussions wilh sweep the field of
the Social-Economics of Land Tenure—
a subject that concerns, (1) Home and
Farm Ownership, (2) The Landless,
Homeless Multitudes in North Carolina
and the country-at-large, (3) Their
Economic, Social, and Civic Status, in
the light of causes and consequences,
(4) The Remedies—Personal, Economic,
Social, and Civic; The Story of Helping
Men to Own Farms in Denmark, New
Zealand, Australia, Ireland, England,
Scotland, Canada, California, and North
Carolina, (5) The Remedies Proposed
in tlie Public Prints of the state, with
debates thereon, and (6) A ’Proposed
Land Settlement Law for North Caro
lina.
The N. C. Club Schedule
Oct. 31—The Landless Farmer in the
United States: (1) The facts in 1920,
(2) increases and decreases during the
last forty years, (3) what the facts sig
nify, (a) in New England and the North
Atlantic states, (b) in the cotton and
tobacco states, (c) in the corn belt of the
Middle West, (d) in the Rocky Moun
tain and Pacific coast states.
Nov. 14—The Landless Farmer in
North Carolina: (1) The facts in'1920,
(2) the origin of farm tenancy, and its
steady increase in cotton and tobacco
areas, (3) economic, social, and civic
consequences.
Nov. 28—The Homeless Multitude in (
Urban areas in the United States: (1)
The facts in 1910 and 1920, (2) the con
trast between town and country ten
ancy: the law of home ownership.
Dec. 12—Home Ownership in Indus
trial Communities: (1) The common at
titude toward it by industrial corpora
tions, (2) another view, (3) the village
of Le Claire, The Himler Coal Mine
Company, etc.
Jan. 16—Causes of Tenancy, Town
and Country: (1) personal causes—lack
of the home-owning virtues, (2) social-
economic causes, (3) civic causes.
Jan. 30—The Status of the Farm Ten
ant: (1) in the United States, (2) in
European countries, (3) standards of
living on tenant farms in North Caro
lina.
Feb. 13—The Effects of Home and
Farm Ownership: (1) on personality,
(2) on family life, (3) on community
enterprise, (4) on stable, responsible
citizenship, (5) on the church.
Feb. 27 —Helping Men to Own Homes
and Farms: (1) The Church and the
Landless, (2) Cooperative Credit Unions,
(3) Bank Account Savings, (4) Coopera
tive Marketing.
Mar. 13—Building and Loan Associa
tions: (1) in North Carolina, (2) their
extended operation in farm areas, as in
Ohio.
Mar. 27—(3) The Federal Land Bank
and the Tenant Farmer. (4) Congress
man Clyde Kelly’s proposed reform of
the Postal Savings Bank.
Apr. 10 — State-Aid to Home and
^Farm Ownership: (1) Denmark’s way,
(2) New Zealand’s way, (3) the pro
gressive land tax.
Apr. 24 — Promoting Home and
Farm Ownership in Ireland, Scotland,
and England.
May. 8—(1) Promoting Farm Owner
ship in Canada, (2) in various states of
the Union, (3) the McRae farm colo
nies in North Carolina.
May 22— Promoting Farm Owner
ship in Victoria, Australia.
June 6—(1) The California Way, (2)
The state-aid remedies proposed in
North Carolina, A Land Settlement
Law for North Carolina.
The steering committee of the Club
will shortly print for state-wide as
well as campus uses a detailed bibliog
raphy on the subjects above scheduled.
Practically everything in print on
these subjects is already assembled in
the seminar library of the department
of Rural Social Economics at the Uni
versity of North Carolina.
The schedule and bibliography can be
had free of charge by writing to E. C.
Branson, Chairman of the Club Steer
ing Committee, Chapel Hill, N. C.
A STANDARD RURAL CHURCH
The Home Mission Board of the
Methodist Episcopal Church South is
sending out epoch-making leaflets on
the country church. One of these leaf
lets outlines A Standard Rural Church.
It definitely presents an ideal that this
great religious body is now endeavor
ing to realize. And it is a great ideal.
How many such standard rural
churches of any denomination are al
ready in existence in North Carolina?
We should be glad to know and to
spread the name and fame of such
country churches to the ends of the
earth.
A Standard Rural Church is a leaflet
that every country minister can afford
to read. And. by the same token.
Beard’s Life of John Frederick Oberlin
ought to be in the library of every
church school and church seminary in
the land.
THE HOME COMMUNITY
A Country Church Ideal
The Pastor: The church has a resi
dent pastor living within the bounds of
the church community, and devoting
at least three-fourths of his time to the
work of the community.
The Parish: The church works sys
tematically to extend its parish to the
limits of the community. It works
systematically to serve all occupation
al classes in the Community and all
races that do not have their own prot-
estant churches.
Physical Equipment: A church build
ing with an auditorium large enough to
seat the maximum attendance at a reg
ular service, and equipped with a piano
or organ; with provision for social and
recreational purposes, with movable
chairs and a stage, and sufficient to
accommodate the largest crowds that
are in the habit of assembling; with
separate rooms or curtained spaces for
Sunday School classes or departments;
with a stereoptieon or motion-picture
machine; with a well-equipped kitchen;
with an up-to-date parsonage, adequate
sanitary toilets bn church property,
hitching places for horses, and parking
spaces for automobiles; and all prop
erty kept in good repair and in sightly
condition.
Iteligious Education; A Sunday
Sqfiool maintained throughout the year;
wth an enrollment at least equal to
The greatest problem in Chapel
Hill during the next few years is
the development of community con
sciousness, community pride, and
community effort in behalf of the
community. We must think in terms
of Chapel Hill, but also in terms of
the surrounding countryside, and
in terms of the University. What
ever is good for Chapel Hill is good
for the University. Whatever is
good for the University is good for
Chapel Hill. Each is dependent up
on the other. Loyalty to the com
munity as a whole is the duty of
each. He is a poor citizen who thinks
in terms of the University alone or
in terms of the town alone. We
must stop’ thinking in terms of small
groups and think in terms of the en
tire community, whether it concerns
industry, trade, health, education,
recreation, or religion. Anything
that is good will benefit the entire
community. Any harmful thing in
life is harmful to all. Community
cooperation in all lines will make
Chapel Hill the Queen of the Mid-
State.— Paraphrase of the Com
munity Service Survey of Stillwater,
Minn.
an increase of approximately $100,000
over former appropriations; also acts
providing important amendments to
state quarantine law, hotel inspection
law, and state privy act.
An act requiring those seeking mar
riage license to present to the register
of deeds a certificate from a regularly
licensed physician showing freedom
from venereal disease in men and free
dom from tuberculosis and serious men
tal impairment in both men and wo
men.
relationships and religious needs of
every family, and (9) such a mapping
of the parish as will show the relation
ships of each family to the church.—
R. L. Russell, secretary Home Mission
Department, M. E. Church, South.
SOCIAL LEGISLATION
The following is a summary of the
most important legislation of the Gen
eral Assembly of North Carolina in
1921.
Public Roads
church membership; with definite and
i^egular attempt made to bring pupils
into the church, and specific instruction
in preparation therefor; with provision
for Teacher Training Classes and a
Workers’ Council, and definite training
of leaders for church and community
work.
Finance:. A church budget, includ
ing both local expenses and benevo
lences, adopted annually; an every-
member canvass made annually on the
basis of the budget adopted; the en
velope system to be used; the budget
for benevolences at least a fourth as
large as the regular current expense
budget; the pastor to receive a total
salary of at least $1,200 a year and a
parsonage, with an annual increase up
to at least $1,800 and a parsonage with
in five years.
Program: A definite program of work
adopted annually, including in addition
to points mentioned above, (1) a defi
nite assumption of responsibility with
respect to some part of the program
by at least a fourth of the active mem
bers, (2) public worship every Sunday,
(3) systematic evangelism aimed to
reach the entire community and every
class in the community, (4) thorough
cooperation with all denominational
boards and agencies, (6) community
service, including a continuous and cu
mulative study of the social, moral, and
economic forces of the community and
a definite program of community co
operation, led by or participated in by
the church, (6) cooperation with the
other churches of the community, (7)
definite organized activities for the va
rious age and sex groups in the congre
gation and community, (8) a systematic
and cumulative survey of the parish
with a view to determining the church
The Good Roads act providing for the
construction and maintenance of a state
wide system of hard-surfaced highways,
and dependable roads connecting prin
cipal towns and county seats, the em
ployment of state prisoners for con
struction; the operation of state quar
ries; maintenance funds to be secured
by. a tax on gasoline and a graduated
tax bn automobiles; construction funds
to be soured by a serial bond issue of
$50,000,000. All funds to be expended
by a State Highway Commission of
nine members representing the nine
different highway districts into which
the state is divided.
Public Education
Various Educational acts providing as
follows: $1,400,000 to be held as a sepa
rate fund in the state treasury and to
be known as the State Public School
Fund, to be apportioned as necessary
to maintain six-months school term, in
cluding teachers ’ and superintendents’
salaries, in counties that do not raise
enough money for that purpose by the
maximum specified tax; a $5,000,000
bond issue bearing interest at not over
five percent, the proceeds to be held
separate from-other funds and known
as A Special Building Fund for the
purpose of making loans to counties,
upon the application of County Com
missioners, for building, equipping and
repairing public school buildings of not
less than five rooms, dormitories, teach-
erages and for the purchase of building
sites, all to be approved by the State
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
These loans to bear interest at the rate
of the original bonds and to be re-pay
able in twenty equal annual install
ments; $3,215,000 covering a period of
two years for the State University,
the A. and E. College, North Carolina
College for Women, East Carolina
Teacher Training School, the State Col
lege for the Blind, the Morganton
School for the Deaf, and others. Be
sides the foregoing, local acts author
ized various counties to issue bonds for
a total approximating $25,000,000^to be
used for schools and local roads.
Public Health
An act appropriating $275,000 for the
State Department of Health, this being
Public Welfare
An act amending the original law but
sustaining the principles of County
Welfare Work, and the State Board of
Public Welfare.
Acts appropriating $2,432,000 for a
period of two years for state hospitals
and charitable institutions, and $1,000,-
000 for Confederate pensions annually.
Agriculture
An act providing a stock law for all
counties interested, and east of the
Wilmington and Weldon Railway, in
cluding Brunswick.
An act providing $234,000 for agricul
tural extension work covering a period
of two years.
Other legislation of minor and local
importance totaling the greatest amount
of constructive legislation ever passed
at one session by any Southern General
Assembly.—North Carolina Landowners
Association, Wilmington, N. C.
A NEW VENTURE
The First National Conference on
Town and County Administration was
held at Chapel Hill, North Carolina,
September 19 to 21. The League co
operated with the University of North
Carolina in arranging the meetings.
President Harding, Secretary Hoover,
Mr. Newton D. Baker and others sent
greetings showing that they appreciate
the important problems of rural and
town life. Municipal finance, the city-
manager plan, zoning, town planning,
the county as a governmental unit, and,
a social agent were the principal sub
jects of the session. Dr. ‘Howard W.
Odum had charge of the program and
arrangements, with the office of the
League assisting. .Dr Odum deserves
much credit for the success of a new
kind of national conference.—National
Municipal Review.
UNIVERSITY SUPPORT
Louisiana is now spending a legisla
tive appropriation of $5,000,000 in the
construction of new buildings on the
campus of the state university. The
working income of the university is this
year one million dollars. After 1925
the university will be supported by a
half mill tax on the general property
of the state.
Mississippi is spending the proceeds
of a $5,000,000 bond issue for institu
tional iihprovements, of which the uni
versity gets $750,000.
Tennessee is now completing a $1,000,-
000 university improvement program.
The annual working income of the uni
versity is derived from a half mill tax
on the general property of the state.
This year it is around a million dollars.
Alabama has just completed univer
sity improvements amounting to $600, -
000. One of the buildings is a commo
dious dormitory for women.
North Carolina has recently author
ized the sale of $6,600,000 in improve
ment bonds, of which the university
will get $1,490,000.
Georgia has spent only $10,000 in
buildings at her university in ten years,
despite the fact that this year she will
have 1,500 applications for admission.
She has dormitory facilities, three to a
room, for only 250 students.'—Based on
an article by James A. Holloman, in
the Atlanta Constitution.
LECTURE SERVICE
The University Extension Division
conducts a lecture bureau which is the
connecting link between schools and
other organizations wishing to obtain
speakers for various occasions and the
faculty of the University who are al
ways ready to make lectures out in the
state.
There has just been issued by the
Extension Division a bulletin which
lists the names of of such members of
the University faculty as are available
for lectures and the subjects they offer
this year. A very wide range of inter
esting and instructive subjects is given.
Many of the lectures are illustrated
with stereoptieon slides. Write to the
Extension Division for this lecture bulle
tin if you have not already received
one.
Schools, debate clubs, community
organizations, teachers’ institutes,
chambers of commerce, boards of trade,
factories, women’s clubs, Y. M. C. A.
centers, farmers’ conventions and meet
ings, study clubs, and other organiza
tions may secure lectures by applying
for them.
No charge is made for this lecture
service, but it is understood that all
traveling and incidental expenses are to
be defrayed by the organizations re
questing it. Application for lectures
should be addressed to the Bureau of
Lectures, University Extension Divi
sion, Chapel Hill, N. C.
THE CLASSICS IN EDUCATION
Latin and Greek are splendid instru
ments of education, and we are de
lighted to find-that their prospects in
this country were never better.
We believe that their study will only
derive fresh strength from losing a posi
tion of remarkable privilege and having
to justify itself to the world on^its merits.
It was while Greek and Latin were
both buttressed with all sorts of com
pulsions and with almost a monopoly of
endowments that teachers could send
men out into the world unable to show
you the Pole star on a fine night, un
able to do without a Cook’s interpreter
in any foreign country, and possessed
with the idea that the labor vote gov
erned Athens and Rome.
Even the most sticky of us are at last
getting clear of the idea that there is
something distinguished in possessing
vast tracts of ignorance about the earth
and the sky and contemporary man
kind. And for the proper study of the
classics that is an immense gain.—Man
chester Guardian.
RURAL WEST VIRGINIA
The G— family has five children of
school age. The parents own 200 acres
of good land, a comfortable home and
stock. Not one of the children enrolled
in school this year and they have gone
very little before that, though they lived
only three-quarters of a mile from the
school house. The mother was absolute
ly indifferent, saying: “My husband
don’t believe in school and the teacher
don’t learn ’em nothin’ nohow. No, not
a soul cum near. Guess nobody cared. ’ ’
Both parents are illiterate.
In one county several schools , have
not been in session for seven years and
in others for two years, because of lack
of funds. One of these counties^ voted
$70,000 for a soldiers’ memorial.
The teachers of one school said that
they had been able to do nothing about
school attendence because the attend
ance officers didn’t believe in compulsory
education.
Many schools are a decided menace to
children’s health. In all the schools'
visited in 17 counties, only two had
toilets which could be classed as sani
tary. Indifference to the first rules of
cleanliness is general.
The school equipment would make a
city teacher’s heart ache. In 52 schools
there were no maps, globes, charts; no
special equipment for hand work or
primary work, no good pictures.
Considerably less than one-third of all
the teachers had enjoyed the equivalent
of a high school course. The trained
teachers “do not get off the hard
roads.’’ One teacher said he “attended
two terms, or eight months, of free
school in Ole Virginia over 20 years
ago.” He had never taught before and
was getting $126 a month.
Only a half dozen schools had even a
semblance of playground equipment.
Provision for wholesome recreation is
seldom considered a function of the
rural school.
Even now I have told you nothing
about child labor in West Virginia. The
rural child labor problem cannot be ap
proached directly. It must be solved
through better schools, better atten
dence laws, and an awakened conscious
ness of the needs of children among
farmers themselves.—A letter from the
office of The Amercian Child.
Here are some of the things that
show up in a rural school survey in
West Virginia. .
Have we any thing of like sort in
North Carolina?
r\
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