?ublic School Development In Cleveland Which Ha.. 15,000 SchoolChildren
r
Four Important Topics Face
National Educators This Year
These Topics Are Finances, Public
Relations, Research, Fduca
tion For Leisure.
(By B. L. SMITH, Supt. Shelby
Schools.)
According to the men who address
rd the National Education Associa
tion at Atlantic City four things are
in the limelight or are coming M
be; namely: Finances, public rela
tions, research and education for
leisure.
Finances.
Mr. John Jay O’Connor, manager
finance department, chamber of
commerce of the United Stages,
spoke on the subject, "The Cost of
Public Education from the Point of
View of Business.” He pointed nut
that business men are not enemies
of education but that they are uni
i'o: med on educational matters. He
sold, "Business men are asking
whether or not schools may not be
made equally effective at less cost."
He pointed out that business thinks
of taxes simply in terms of the pro
portion of the income which it de
mands. ‘‘Desirability must be but
treked by ability to pay.” He sug
gested that relief may he obtained
throrch ler/j term planning of
schocl buildings, standardization of
eqvi-ment, centralized purchasing,
etc. He assured the schoo' men tha‘
•here are 700 chamber of commerce
or~aniaztions “eager to help” and
th ’ are allies.
C n the other hand Mr. John K
N .on cf the N. E. A. research di
vi'..:n pointed out that education is
of primary importance ard contri
butes to the enhancement of the
value of all resources. He indicated
that the public schools get only a
fracticn of the national income
11.68 per cent now. He stated that
there has been slight change in the
relative per cent in a quarter of a
century. He said that for every dol
lar spent for education we spend
twenty-five for automobiles.
Dean Cubberly of Stanford uni
versity showed that the per capita
income of the United States Is the
greatest of any nation In the world
and that the cost of government is
the smallest. He called education
‘ the pooling of opportunity.’* It is
his opinion that taxes are high be
cause the unit cf levy Is too small
He declared that the state ought to
raise the main amount of revenue—
about 75 per cent. It Is of particular
Interest to us when says that
“property tax is one hundred years
outgrown,” that land tax Is heavier
than that borne by other property,
and that Invisible wealth Is no:
taxed. In reply to the querV.n, “are
we doing all for our children we
ought?” he said there is room for
much expansion and demand for in
creased opportunities along the fol
lowing lines:
1-.—Equal opportunity In keeping
wi.h diverse abilities.
2. —Supervision.
3. —Rural high schools of quality
4 —Child health.
5. —Pre-school health.
6. —Vocational education.
7. —Extension education.
8. -Adult education.
Dr. Ballou of the Washington cUy
schools was of the opinion that ai’
increased cost in education is trac
eable to the reduced value of the
dollar since the pre-war days—a
dollar then being equal to $2.22 to
day. He said that four boards of edu
cation to have kept the cost of edu
r - 'Jon down they would have had
. d possess the authority to maintain
the dollar at Its pre-war value; tr
persuade children to remain away
from, rather than enter, the public
schools; to get, along wunous any
new buildings; and to convince the
•rctrcns of the public schools that
Hit 1910 model of our educationa.
product was satisfactory to meet the
demands of the year 1930.”
On the one hand we have the op
position to cost of education, and
ni the other we have the insistent
demand of changing civilization
that education do more and more
things for the people.
In North fcarolina this call T>n the
part of the public for larger educa
tional benefits Is not to be denied.
At the same time we have educa
tion unfortunately linked up wtih
an outgrown, unpopular system of
financing. People insist upon having
j;Ood schools for their children. On
the other hand they are opposed to
taxation. Schools in the concrete are
universally popular, but education
In the abstract has opposition which
arises from the system of financing
Our educational system is in a rath
er precarious predicament Just r,t
this time. Lean crops have raised a
clamor on the part of farm owners
for reduction of taxation on land
On the other han dall corporate in
terests are making a concerted ef
tort to obviate a transfer of taxation
to them. They are putting forward
nen who are regularly retained by
(hem or who are a part of the reg
ular organization. What will hap
pen to the schools? It depends
upon what the people let happen. It
is not a matter of concern simply to
sc' ool teachers; it is principally of
ccnrem to parents whose children
are affected. All friends of child
hood ought to know that there is ^
definite correlation between the
amount of mc-tiey spent and the op
; rtunities afforded. It will be pos
sible to reduce expenditures, but ta
do so will be false economy. Child
hood will pay the price. All public
spirited citizens should thing seri
ously of the consequences of their
activities or Inactivities In these
matters.
Public Relations.
Many city school systems and
many state systems are organizing
public relation departments Their
purpose is to makt favorable con
tacts with the public—Interpreting
the work if the schools and elicit
ing the support of the public. To
be sure there will alway be neces
sity for right attitudes and right
understanding. Schools will never
be much better than what the pub
lic appreciates and demands. The
appreciation and demands will be
determined by the understanding.
It wi > likewise determine the ex
tent of moral and financial support
accorded.
North Carolina leads.
It Is doubtful whether any state
is doing as well as North Carolina
is doing through Its public Informa
tion committee Never before have
the people been given so much In
formation about the schools and
what they are doing. It is obliged
to do good and result in stronger
support for the cause. Always those
who have known most about the
work have been the staunchest pro
ponents of the schools.
Research.
A great deal is being said about
the benefits of research. It Is just
in Its beginning. A few school sys
t*m$ are making small contribu
tions to It, but In the main It Is be
ing financed from the meager per
sonal earnings of the teaching pro
fession. According to the superin
tendent of Washington schools, Dr.
Ballou, two business organizations
spend forty times as much for re
search as Is spend by all school
agencies combined. Undoubtedly we
shall see expansion In this field and
with specific fact and truth, we
should do our Job better.
Education For Leisure.
One of the main features of the
superintendents' department meet
ing was the featuring of education
for the use of leisure. It was par
ticularly manifest in the assembly
lng of a notional high school or
chestra of 318 pieces from ajl over
the United States and in the stag
ing of a most elaborate pageant of
time in which 2800 children and
their teachers participated and an
orchestra of 150 pieces and a chorus
of 500 voices furnished music.
It is obvious that as hours of lab
or are shortened and the hours of
leisure are lengthened that the
schools must give training to child
hood to prevent their being led
away by the lures of sloth, greed
and vice but rather that initia
tive, Imagination, and independ
ence shall meet youth In the gar
den of growth and there teach them
to play and sing and create, giving
them culture and worth. Thus shall
childhood find avocations for the
enrichment of life. This conscious
ness of accomplishment shall fill
both the minds and hearts with
those things which satisfy. Men
shall find happiness, they will be
more useful In their vocations, and
they shall know that “more abund
ant life.”
W. A. RIDENHOUR
Chairman of the board. Hesi
Jence, Kings Mountain. Connected
with the Bonnie Mill and other In
terests. Appointed June, 1924, to fill
vacancy created by the death of Mr,
W. L. Plonk.
Do you say "But my will is weak
and wavering!” Train your wni,
then, till it become* stead and
strong, and you will be surprised to
find how soon the act of willing
develops the power of willing.—W.
J. Dawson.
Almqpt any kind of a teacher can
teach the bright child, but it takes
real skill and art to get it across
to the dull one.
The Lattimore High School
This building was,epepted in 1922. The total cost ineluilfg Ute equipment and l#ter
modification 1#as $3&,OO6.00.' There a?e 17 class rooms and an auditorium provided with
;team heat, water and lights. Lawton Blanton is principal. Included in the faculty are
seven high school teachers and eleven elementary teachers.
Lattimore School's Phenomenal
Growth; Excels In Many Ways
Now Has Twenty Teachers. Tear
By Year School There Has Shown
Steady Gain.
The Lattimore school ts situated
on a peneplain of rolling fields
which spread out from the foot-hills
of the Blue Ridge mountains ten
miles away. Nature has given the
school one of the most picturesque
settings ever lavished upon a school.
With one sweep of the eyes, you
can behold a view stretching from
lordly mountain tops almost to the
lains.
We have great fields for the
study of Geology, Ecology, Geo
graphy and Commerce.
August 28th, 1923, for the first
time, the Lattimore school opened
its session in the building shown in
this issue. This session opened with
six teachers, two high school teach
ers and four elementary teachers,
with 66 high school pupils and 122
elementary pupils. The school
opened as a non-standard high
school, but by the end of the ses
sion the State gave us an accredit
ed high school class B.
Year by year the school has
grown in pupils, teachers and de
partments. Today we have a high
grade Agricultural Department
which is doing a wonderful amount
of good in training future farmers.
Of the 28 who hare graduated In
agriculture, 22 have chosen farming
as their calling. Walter Davis, one
of our agricultural students, is
State President of the Young Tar
Heel Farmers.
Moreover, we have one of the
best Music departments in the
country. We todlr high rant in the
State Musical Contest held -at
Greensboro last year.
We have an A-l Home Economic
department in which the girls are
getting valuable training.
Our College Preparato-y depart
ment has done well. In the tests
given by the State, our school has
had a median equal to the State
median. Of the 68 graduates who
have taken college training 51 have
made good.
The Lattimore school has grown
till we now have twenty teachers, 7
high school teachers, and 13 ele
mentary teachers, with 205 high
school pupils and 600 elementary
pupils.
The State High school inspector
visited us Just three days ago and
graded us a Standard High school
class A-ll.
So it Is easy to see that the Lat
timore school has had a phenome
nal success.
The fact that North Carolina
superintendents hauled children
cheaper than any other state In
the nation hardly bears out the
theory that there is extravagance
in this department^-espectally when
it is found that more children were
hauled last year at less cost than
the year before.
The high schools make many
mistakes, but attributing all the
passive and active sins of the col
lege student to high school train
ing is a classic example of the old
game of passing the buck.
HEADS COUNTY SCHOOL
SYSTEM.
J. Horace Grig?, head of the
schools of Cleveland county.
The best school is the one wnicli
gives the child the most lor the
money invested.
Boiling Springs Junior College
■ - •• • ✓ -
This is the main building of the Boiling- Springs Junior
College, an accredited institution. This school is one of the
secondary institutions supported bv the Baptists.
Patterson Has
One Of The Best
County Schools
Enrollment More than Doubles 1927
28. Eight Teacher Are
Employed.
We do not have the largest school
In the county, but we have one of
the best. Patterson Springs school
has made noted progress during the
last three years. We have grown
Iron} a four teacher school to an
clgKt teacher school having an en
rollment, of 250 pupils as compared
with a little more than half that
number In the 1927-28 term.
Our busses bring 200 children to
Patterson Springs daily, covering a
radius of five miles.
A few years ago, the modern
brick building, which « crowded
now, was considered too large. It
will not accommodate the children
comfortably, which we now have on
roll. In fact, every class room Is
crowded and we are forced to use
part of the auditorium as a class
room.
curing uus year jravverson
Sprlijgs has Included athletics In
Its curriculum. We have two bas
ketball courts, two baseball diam
onds, and a net used by the gram
mar grades in volley ball and ten
nis. We hope to be able next yeur
to compete with some of the coun
ty^ larger schools for honors in
athletics.
However, we are not neglecting
the finer arts. We. for the first
time, entered a contestant- In the
Selma Webb recitation contest this
year. Next year we hope to have a
contestant for the Hoey medal. As
a part of our school commencement
this year, we are to have a recita
tion and oratorical contest. The
medals are to be given by the Low
ery brother company and the {ac
uity. A large number of students
are already at work preparing for
this contest, which we hope will
remote interest in these arts.
■“Our equipment is not what we
Wish' it Were, but we have sand ta
bles for the primary grades, and
some reference books and maps for
the higher grades.
We are making plans for a school
library next year. This will require
the cooperation of all the patrons
to heip put these plans across.
"Oir^tMe IS Very well equipped
at present. We have an expensive
set of velveteen curtains together
with two sets of hand painted stage
scenes, and drop curtains. We also
have a good piano.
Our' schqol entered whole-heated
fy in. .Gayetjpor Gardner's "live-at
home'’ program. The primary grad
es made individual and^roup post
ers, and hot beds In which we are
growing tomato and pepper plants.
The grammar grades wr-t?
while many of the high school pu
pils took individual projects in
home gardening,” etc.
We are pleased with the program
made during the past few years,
but we mean to use it only as an
incentive to do bigger things in«the
near future. We are working for a
standard high school, school library,
more equipment and an all round
A-l school.
The faculty includes: Mr. M. R
Biggers principal; Mr. Jap Ledbet
ter, high school; Mrs. Winifred
Dorsey, sixth and seventh; Miss
Verie Randall, fourth and filth;
Miss Gussie Ray Beam, third; Mrs.
, Lowery Austell, second; Mrs. Clyde
Mrpney, first; Miss, Mary Suttle,
music.
_;_
Playmakers Appear
In Charlotte Soon
Famous Carolina Dramatic Organ
isation Plays In Charlotte
Friday.
✓ _
Piedmont North Carolina has its
opportunity Friday to see what
North Carolina is giving to the
dramatic art.
Translated into more literal
phrasing, the Carolina Playmakers,
nationally famed dramatic organ
ization of the University of North
Carolina, are to bring their spring
repertoire to Charlotte for presen
tation. The performance will be the
first in Charlotte since 1928.
Just returned from a triumphal
tour of the north, where in each
city the players were greeted with
unrestrained praise, the fourteen
members of the organization bring
to Charlotte the three plays, all of
them having to do with the Play
mahers’ native state, that were so
well received in the north.
i ‘'The No ’Count Boy," a negro
comedy from the pen of Paul Green,
hearfe the list. Then there is Lor
etto Bailey's "Black Water,” u
tragedy of mill people, and "Mag
nolia's Man,” a comedy of the Car
olina hills, by Gertrude Coffin.
The plavmo' ers appear Friday
evening at t’-e Central high schoo'
auditorium in Charlotte.
Progress is desirable,, but ad
vancement without public under
of your destination is often
official suicide.
Crover Has Nine Class Rooms
The Grover school whs built in 1915 at a cost of $5,000.00. Remodeled and added to
in 1928 at a cost of $10,'000.00, it now has nine classrooms and an auditorium with water,
lights, and steam heat. B. F. Bird is principal of the school which has a total of three
hitfh school ami five elementary teachers.
No. 8 Township, One Of County’s Largest .
The^No. 8 Township school building erected in 1928 at a cost of $48,000 including sit®
and equipment, is one of the largest and most modern units in the county. It contain®
seventeen classrooms and auditorium. It has water, lights, and steam heat. The site
covers ten acres. J. L. Dennis heads the faculty of five high school and eleven elemen
tary teachers.
M. R. Biggers Heads Patterson Springs
ssn
t TV'NKg
i :.M ••Vv.r
The Patterson Spring’ school was built in 1924 at a cost, of $20,000.00. It has five
classrooms and an auditorium. M. R. Riggers heads the faculty of two high school and five
elementary teachers. v jg-'J
County’s Only Institution Of
Higher Learning Is Junior
College At Boiling Springs
Expanded Into a Junior College
Two Years Ago. Many Courses
Of Study Offered.
Boiling Springs college Iras the
distinction of being located In a
territory that has more Baptists to
the square mile than any. other sec
tion in the state. The high school,
founded more than twenty years
before the establishment of the col
lege through the prayers and sacri
fice of the Baptist people of the
Kings Mountain. Sandy Hun and
Gaston county associations, served
a useful purpose in setting a high
standard of scholarship for the ru
ral state high schools that were
soon to spring *up over these three
counties. At the time it was found
ed there were not more than two or
three standard high schools in
Cleveland county.
. The advantages of the literary
societies, the tg>cial activities and
the religious training that the boys
and girls received indused numbers
to attend the high school long aftei
many had been established by the
state. For a long time it has been
a member of the Association of Sec
ondary schools and colleges.
Expanded to Junior College.
Two years ago to meet the grow
ing needs of the high school grad
uates of this territory, the school
was expanded into a junior college.
Through the efforts of the Baptist
state convention, the trustees and
loyal friends of the school, a cam
paign was successfully conducted to
raise funds to pay off bonded in
debtedness and provide for buildi
ngs and permanent endowment.
The results of the first two years
the college has been operating have
indeed been gratifying. Notwith
standing the fact that the school
had to run as a college two years be
fore it could be standardized, the
enrollment has steadily increased
until there is' more than twice a>
many as are necessary for stand- j
ardizing.
Fine Equipment.
The material equipment of the
college has been added too consid
erably. A commodious gymnasium
containing one of the best basket
ball playing floors in this section
has been erected. The class rooms
have been equipped with new and
up-to-date desks for both teachers
and pupils. The library has been
greatly enlarged both by the collec
tion of new books and by removing
it to a larger, better ventilated and
better lighted room. Adequate equip
ment has been installed in the
chemistry and biology laboratories.
As soon as funds become available
from the centennial campaign other
much needed buildings and equip
ment will be aoded.
Courses of Study.
The courses offered are compar
able with those given the first two
years in our best colleges and uni
versities. There are eight separate
and distinct departments: English,
mathematics, history, foreign lan
guage, science, Bible, education and
vocal and instrumental music. Each
pf these is headed by professor with
an A. M. degree or its equivalent.
The teachers in each department
have specialized in the particular
field which they are teaching and
are well qualified for the work.
Christian, Influence.
It is the purpose of those in
I charge as well as tAose who support
jus that a Christian atmosphere per
vade the campus. The proximity of
the church to the school grounds
makes It possible for the students
to take an active part In all the
services of the church. A forward
step was taken this year SV the or
ganization of a Bantlst student un
[ion. which coordinate all of the re
jligious activities of the students. An
effort has been made to enlist the
student body Into active participa
tion and support Of all of the Chris
tian organizations fostered by thi?
union.
Athletics Emphasised.
The football and basketball teams
have had an unusually successful
season. They were defeated by only
one junior college in football and
won 18 basketball games out o{ the
20 that were played. In addition to
fostering intercollegiate games in
football, basketball and baseball,
the school provides physical train
ing and other athletic sports for the
the entire student body.
The greatest need at this time
is a permanent endowment. Several
of the Meads of the Institution
have already caught a vision of the
opportunity for service through
gifts to this fund, and we feel con
fident that in the near future,
others will be inspired to add to tWs
so that ample funds, may be provid
ed to meet the growing needs.
Young people of this and adjoin
ing counties are offered an oppor
tunity to secure excellent college
training In their own Institution at
Boiling Springs at a moderate cost
Former Banker At
Gaffney Is Charged
With Embezzlement
Gaffney, S. C—Mayor V. H. Ups*
comb has been Instructed by thi
city council to swear out a warrant
for T. D. Daniel, former ehalrmac
of the Cherokee county sink in*
fund commission and cashier of th«
defunct American State bank, on «
charge of embezzling $3,000 of dt]
of Gaffney sinking funds.
A report of an audit made by Geo
G. Scott and company, certlfiei
public accountants Qf Charlotte
filed In the Clerk of. Cpurt'&'offlM
here, says the former chairmn
checked from this fund to his per
sonal account $1,000 April 8, 193ft
‘ $900, December 3, 1939, and $140#
| February 10, of this year, which waf
three days before, the Americas
State closed.
No record of the transactions
kept in the papers of the siakinj
fund commission, the report state
and the information regard fhr th
alleged misappropriations was sa
cured from the bank’s books.