EDUCATIONAL .EDITION STATE, THE TOlOlT. A. P.JOHNSON, BDITOB ANDMANAQKB VOL. XLIII. SUBSCRIPTION tl.00 PEB NUMBB&24 The Moat Important Problem. BY r. r. CLAXTOS ; _ Commissioner Bureau of Education, j The most important problem of statesmanship in America today is the education of the children who live in the open country and in villages and small towns. The better education of these children must come through the improvement of the rural schools. For their improvement several things are necessary First, there must be longer terms. In North Carolina until now the average length of term of the rural schools is less than 100 day*. The new law will raise the minimum t<5 1J? days and the average to a soinflwtelt.highei; The minimum should be not teie'-fhjm lift days. In most or tbe clUee of the United States the cahoot tepp is 180 days or more. I know of'lto reason why country children should not have aa many days at school '*? city children. In nearly all countries of western Eu rope the country, schools continue 200 daya or lqa]ppr^'VSM told today by a teacher from New South Wales in Aus tralia that the country aehoola In Aus tralia are in session fott|4flve weeks in the year and that there are 210 to 216 school days after all holidays have been counted out. American country chil dren need and should have as much ed ucation &> the country children of Eu rope and Australia. - t Second, The country schools must have better teachers. It is much more important that the country teacher should be well educated, well trained, and skilled than that the city teacher hrfve - these qualifications. The city teacher works in a system in which her duties are quite definitely prescrib ed. She has superintendents, supervise ors. and principals to help her. For the children she teaches there are churches, Sunday schools, libraries, lectures, and other organized agencies of education. The country teacher is her own superintendent, supervisor, principal, and school board, and must herself determine to a very large ex tent the course and . character of hei work. For the children she teaches there are few organized agencies of ed ucation other than the school. The country teacher is the exnonent of and the leader in education in the commun ity. Third, the work of the country school must be better adapted to the needs of country life. Country men and women must be human beings and citizens no less than the men and women who live in the city. Therefore the things per taining to humanity and citizenship should have a place in the country no less than in the city school. But in their occupations and environment coun try people and city people differ widely. In as far as education relates to occu pations and environment it should be adapted to varying conditions. There is great need for courses of study in the country schools based broadly and in telligently on a careful study of what country men and women need to know. Until such a study has been made there is not much hope for a rational adapta tion of school work. The National Bu reau of Education is just now trying to make a comprehensive investigation of this kind. AH these things mean more money. But North Carolina is no longer poor and North Carolina people have Ions: since learned that money expended for education is invested not only for divi dends in life and citizenship and culture, but also in material wealth. I have only to. suggest further that in most North Carolina counties the schools should be consolidated. Que school for each twelve or fourteen square miles is enough in a suit*: with an open climate like that of North Car olina. When the sctopjs have been thus consolidated, teacher's home should be built near every school, and wjgi school and home should go as part of their equip en eoi.fr o? twenty to lorty acres of land. The principal of the school should be requited to live In the borne and to cultivate the land as a model farm with garden and or chard, poultry yard, and small dairy. The use of both home ?ad farm should be given the principal as part ot his salary. Any man who ought to be per mitted to serve as principal of a coun try school can make each a home and Ifcrm worth to him annnally from two to Ave times as much M the salary now paid eountry teacher* la North Oaro lioa. Home and farm thua provided, the teacher should be required to prove hi* fitness and then a contraot should be mad* with him for life or daring good behavior. Good country sohoola can never be made by tramp teachers. Homes and lands could be provided as here suggested without cost in North Carolina. Bonds c<&U be issued to pay for them and by the time the tioads be came due the increase in the value of . the land would pay for the whole. School Attendance. O 32 Schools. 2 a I & y ? & Pearce (Dunn) 130 72 ?202.4l 132 Social Plains- 23 18 ^ Pine Ridge 86 62 28.13 ! '80 Pi'ot 98 57 13KW aju Bunn 145 94 214.00 S2B Math Bock J0^18 Royal -*"55 28 18.4$ i N?W Hope 84 37 82.40 R*ck Springs 61 81 12-15- 84 Rlleys 09 43 87.50 Prospect 34 20 87.00 100 Garner 34 18 Oak Level 34 22 Tbarrington 41 17 6.00 95 Flat Rock 48 24 18.75 Popes 43 30 11.08 62 lit. Olivet 31 Hitehiner 34 10 88 KatwviUe 32 25 Winn v 64 SO 10.00 Whgykar 24 14 Laurel 27 11 20.00 81 Moulton 58 23 37.38 121 lngledside 114 62 59:05 114 Kearneys 30 22 20.00 56 Mountain 57 37 20.75 67 Alston . 41 31 Wood 07 ^3 30.00 70 Centerville 55 37 20.00 85 Sandy Creek 81 51 29.00 97 Pearce (G. M.) -31 21 Wilder 32 29 24.10 Gay 28 19 Justice 93 77 157.25 171 Cedar Rocd 105 65 18.35 109 Red Bud 32 25 White Level 138 82 23.26 54 .Seven Paths 108 56 32.00 113 Mapleville 101 40 60.72 156 Hickory Rock 93 56 65.85 75 Hayes 40 31 22.00 Balance Rock 18 11 2567 11448.52 2675 ENR OI/.MENT BY GRADES? 1912-1913. Number Average Age First 806 7 Second 270 9 Third 353 - 10 Fourth 434 IS Fifth 257 14 Sixth '202 15 Seventh 159 16 Eighth 58 16 Ninth 18 17 Tenth 10 16 Total 2567 One or two schools and joint schools with other counties which have not re ported the enrollment by grades show an additional enrollment of 171 whicV makes the total enrollment of white children in the rural schools 2738. The noticeable facts shown by the above figures is the large proportion in the first grade, 806, tad the large num ber in the first four grades, 1863, which is about three fourths of 2507, the num ber reporting by grades . Another thing is that the average age of children in the grades from two to seyen is too much. It means they have lost the finest period of life for learn ing and as well the years when parents can best spare them from farm work to go tQ school. The (treat problem of rural education lies in getting in school all the time children between the years of seven and twelve. Thinsrs Desired For Next Year. We will haye a decent length of term. We are pretty well equipped with .bodies. The big need left is for teach ers prepared and trained to teach, to gether with larger and more regular attendance The responsibility for attaining these lies largely with the committees, the superintendent and supervisor, and with the people. Sohool committees should be zealous to search oat the piocure good teachers. Froib those available, the one best flu ted Should be chosen without regard to fear, favor, or kinship. Even If ?4oally competent, it is often danger ous to employ a teacher closely related to ant member ol the committee. Some people will inspect favoritism that sus pictoun will beget a doubt as to ability. Criticism of work will be more ready, and the ground is laid for a fuss. Preference should be steadfastly giv en to teachers who make efforts to pre pare themselves. One who has taken advantage of a teacher training course at some good summer school will be worth more and deserves more. If possible flnd'out the record for the year before. Did she attend the in stitute, the teachers meetings, etc., 7 Did she do anjrthing out of the school room for the betterment of the school and Its atteadsniv T And above all else, don't think that anybody will do ore than Franklin County deserves. We ought to have them. We can gel them. Then, why not? The Best Thing of the Year. BY R. B. WHITE There has been an increase of over two hundred in the enrollment in the rural sAools during the past year. We all know from the census that there has been no increase in the school pop ulation. Therefore the conclusion fol lows that the s?hools must be doing better work. But this increase is almost entirely confined to one grade. The number of children in the first grade in 1912 was 594. In 1013 however that number has been increased to 806. The first grade pupils are those who have never been to school before. So, it is reasonably certain that last year two hundred more children started to school than would have have done so under former conditions. Why? Simply because the methods of pri mary work have been improved, the in teiest of teachers increased, the impor tance better recognized. The emphasis of the past two years has been placed on the work in the pri mary grades. Three fourths of all the pupils are in these grades. Its impor tance is manifest and overwhelming. Also the other grades cannot increase until these do. We counted on improvement. We have had knowledge of better work and greater interest. But we did not. ex pect so early and emphatic proof of the value. It Is peculiarly gratifying to me and* I can afford to brag about it for I had little to do with it. - t It la a fine tribute to the work and the spirit ot Miss Airlngton and the primary teaebers. O^tbapart of the teacher has been an segaium to learn and to work; on hers, an aamaat desire to servo and to help. Wo begin to see what it means to the i lnliliW'af -the county. Anil I know of aoti|(a? totter for them to take aloag into their vaea children in Franklin' tounty were in lohool last year who but for them would (11*11 probability have not started. . The Teachers Library. tf. H Mills Teaching as a profession haa a litera ture peculiarly its own. Thia is juit ai true o' thia profession as of law or med icine, but the teacher, unlike tbe doctor or lawyer; will often try to fret alone with no professional library. In a lante measure teachers are not to blame for seaming to neglect thia Important part of their equipment. The enum eration offered is in most cases too small to admit of much expenditure for professional books. In an effort to overcome this difficulty the Franklin County Teacher s Library waa organ ized. At the first meeting of the Teacher's Association in the fall of 1906, a coop erative plan was presented to the teachers. Each teacher waa aaked to contribute one dollar, and the County Board agreed to give an equal snm. This plan tneth with a ready reepone on the pert of the teachers and $95.00 Was pledged In few minutes. With this and tttuOOfroa the County Board, (70.00 was In hand to make the first purchase of the kind in thf county and probably in the state. The selection of (be books to be bought waa no small taak. The field was large, and the amount to be ex pended was small. In the main two idea were kept in mind. First, to se lect books that would, in aa far as pos sible, awaken and stimulate real pro fessional spirit among the teachers. Second, to select books that offered as many practicable and usable sugges tions as possible on the management of the school and on methods of teaching. Helpful lists were prepared by the pro fessors of education in several cf the colleges of the state. Suggestions were made by various teachers. Finally a list of about 70 titles was agreed upon and the books were bought. Franklin county thus took a pioneer step in the uplift of the teaching force of the state. It is impossible to say just what this library has accomplished. But it is safe to say that it has been no small factor in the professional growth of manv teachers. Of course, it has not bene fitted some of ' the teachers to any great exteqk This is to be regretted, but as teaching becomes more genuinely a profession, and as the people come more snd more to demand teachers with pro fessional training, tlje library will find much work to do. The Years Between Seven and Twelve. Usually the foundation, framing, and outside of an education are acquired be fore the child is twelve years old. With that much he can move in and begin to live there. .?Vhe interior finish and dec oration can be added later on and even while he works. Again, as a rule, nobody ever gets far in the educational line uuless he has an early and good start. From figures published in this paper it appears that the average age of pupils in the 10th and highest grade is less than that of pupils io the 9th and the same as ip" the 7th. The 10th grade pupils had'a good start and it has been easy teeep it up. But in rural schools tharf is an even better reason. Most nlmdreo are need ed on the farm ag soon as they are large enough'to'work. With a growing scarcity of labor, this need will become more pressing- If by twelve years of age tjxy have not acquired the ability to -pick uo knowledge for themselves, the chances are heavily against them. A long school term is more needed in the country than in the town and more in the primary grades than*. in the high school. The greatest work before the school forces of Franklin county right now is to get the children In school early, keep them there regularly while small, and furnish them teachers trained to do primarv work with intelligent thorough ness. That achieved, other things will take care of themselves. A doctor looks at your tongue and feels your pulse to learn how you are getting on. The wise man watches the primary grades to know the real vigor and usefulness of a school system. Next year, every school will run as much as aiz months, many a longer time. Children under twelve can be spared from work and to the school. The average child started promptly and kept regularly in school under a well trained teacher until be is twelve should have about finished the regular public school course of seven grades. It is up to parents to realise the im mediate nature of the opportunity. No time is to be low in a child's life. Let him start as early as his sge and growth justify and then see to It with religious bare that be goes every day possible. M These twn things stand oat as the important ones: 1. Provide tbe beet posslbl? primary teachers. 2. Get the little fellows In school and keep them there. . ? , . The Country School!. BT MARY ARBlNeTON. A close study of the schools of Frank lin county for a period of two years and observations covering, this year alone, tne work of more than 2000 school chil dren and their teachers leaves with me two big questions in strong relief. 1. How may the rate of progress through the (trades be increased ? There are 1883 children in tfle first, second, third and fourth grades between the average ages of 7 and 12 years. The ages of children of these grades should run from 7 to 10 years. What would it mean to 1883 country boys and girls to save two years of school life T 2. How may the learning power of the pupils be increased f As they progress through the grades there seems to be an ever-increasing burden of difficulties. Their learning power is below par. The teachers know it and that's what sends them to summer schools. It takes no prophet to tell us that we are to have better teaching in the coun try schools, for we already see the signs. The outlook Is hopeful. That gives me courage to invite you to examine with me the case of the schools. If we would be helpful we must be frank. THS SYMPTOMS. 1. Of the 818 young people in the fifth, sixth and seventh grades, too many of them cannot write a legible hand. 2. Their written work shows lack of knowledge of punctuatio.n and simple sentence structure; the words spelled incorrectly are frequently those; cor rectly spelled in "cutting up and down" classes. 3. In arithmetic the native intelli gence and daily experiences of country children place them on a plane more or less independent of school and teacher. Yet of the pupils ohseryed many showed the handicap of weak powers of visualization and lack of speed and ac curacy in the fundamental -processes of adding, subtranctig, multiplying, di viding. 4. With few exceptions they cannot attack intelligently an assigned lesson in history, geography, or grasp the conditions of a difficult problem in arith metic because of their inability to read. Catling off the text glibly (and some there are who have not even' this facili ty of pronunciation) without the thought association is a futile search after knowledge. THE DIAGNOSIS. What's the matter ? Starvation in the primary grades, indigestion in $he grammar grades. THE RKMEDY-*.^ / 1. The mechanical process1 of learn ing to write is more easily acquired be tween the ages of six- and eight than at any later period. /Teach writing at the proper time. 2. Spelling is a matter for eye and hand as Well as ear and mouth. See that children learn to write words cor rectly as well as "shine" in spelling matches, and that right early. 3. Successful written work must rest on an oral foundation. Make the tran sition from correctly formulated sen tences in oral exercises lead naturally to the written form. 4. Drill in rapid number combina tions and concrete illustration in the primary grades will reduce a tremend ous waste- of time and energy. 5. Teaching beginners to read has been more satisfactorily worked out than any other subject in the elemen tary school. The successful operation of this method would reduce the time the averfge child in our country schools now takes to learn the mechanics of reading bjr about one half. 4 Employ teachers who can do this. Teach the reading lessons in all the grades, so that the pupils will get the full meanings of words, sentences, paragraphs as well as a means ot get ting the thought of the selection. THE TREATMENT. But who is to apply this remedy of thoroughness ? The primary teacher for the health of the entire system depends upon the soundness of her work. What of the upper grade teacher ? She cannot cure the diteaae of ineffectual elementary training, for that is a matter of lost time and bad habits of study. Her immediate task, however, is to arrest Its progress and to make ready for bet ter prepared classes from the primary department, for they are on the way. Some Things That Have Hap pened in Franklin County. 1901-1013. The yaar 1900 tu the year of. the suffrage amendment. It marked the beginoU* of a general educational In tereat in Sprth Carolina. In a way it wjl? the cloae of an old order. Today w? itand on the threihhold of new things. With 1913 1914 something like an adequate school term bMn. Hereafter will be a minimum mihool term of six months. In a way it H the beginning of a new order. The empha sis is going to change. The predomi nant call of the last twelve years has been for inoney with which to improve and run the schools. The insistent de mand of the next years is going to be for greater efficiency' of work in the bouse* we have built and during the term we have provided. It is a good time to stop and take stock of how far we have gone. For that reason is given below a table of comparative figures between the yean, 1900-190l_when we began to sit up and take notice, and 1812-1913 as we face the great forward step of a six months term. 1901 1913 Number of polls listed 3716 3852 Receipts from poll tax 4099 4431 Assessed tax yalue of all property 2,781,284 9,802,836 Paid to white teachers, town and country 6,256 Town schools Rural schools Enrolled in white schools 2,814 Town Rural Average attendance 1,279 Value of houses for whites, town and country 2,930 Town Country Average salary of teach ers per month 24.00 Average length of term in days , 80 Number of white teach- ? ers employed , 54 Before 1905 there was not a graded -school in the county. All figures prior to that time include both the tovfn schools and the strictly rural schools. The Teacher's Association The past year has been decfdly the best school year known in Franklin County. 1. There has been the largest en rollment. y 2. The average attendance was greater. T 3. The average length of term lias never been so great. 4. A keener and more noticeable in terest has been shown by the people. 5. P6r the betterment of houses, and grounds more than twice as much Mon ey was given by patrons than ever be fore. 8. And to those who saw the inqjfie, it was realized that better planned -and better done work was going on. Back of these things lie the moii?hly meetings of the teachers. Sixty Vight country school teachers, most of them women, and nearly every one a regular attendant. franklin does not pay as much as many counties and its teachers average less experience but their spirit and will ingness are as fine as anybody's. From those meetings came profes sional spirit and stjidy, knowledge of better methods, and the enthusiasm which went back home to better school surroundings and out in the wayside to bring into the school those who need ed it. It became a point of honor with many that every child in their districts should be in school' if possible. And they were very largely- We have a compulsory law next year but one is tempted to be lieve almost that it is not much needed in this county. The association is not only a clearing house for idess but it is a power house for energy. Through it the relation-* ship between teachers and supervisors was made close and cordial. It was the point of contact needed to make super vision efficient and leadership real. One wonders sometimes if the people in general have any clear idea of the things which are really giving force and value to the schoolroom in Franklin County. Looking back over the year, it should be said that whatever our relative rank in many things, in the matter of loyal ty, of willingness to learn and the wish to serve on the part of its teachers, Franklin County is at ^the top of the first division. 19.8U 8,450 13,864 4,450 1,609 2,741 2,207 V M 67,400 40.000 27,400 mf ?!7.0O ? 107. .v..i A Circulating: Library BT MART ARRINCTOH. Plana are being formulated for establishment of a eirculatlng for the schools of the county. It in no wise arrest the growth of rural libraries such as we already but iU function will be to snp^l and render more ell&ctive those Ushed and to stimuli those i_. without libraries to git them. Wi say the circulating library, at the nucleus of it, already exist, (Continued an 4th page.)