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. tfa. ' I 4 ^ AA.t-.t. -t- -.? .t. J..r..t. ?. ?- -t- ,< VT TTTTTTVTTTTT TTVT TTTTTT A THREE-TEACHER SCHOOL WITHIN REACH OF + EVERY CHILD. - Clarence Toe, In The Progressive Farmer. "A three-teacher school within reach of every child." This Is the battle cry we are sounding on page 1 .? .1,1 ....... U"U " t UiC IUVtflllUUIU5 llll ic OVU1V of the inevitable reasons why the one-teacher school cannot Rive proper training to our country boys and girls. And as we are sayiug there, It sometimes seems to us that the problem of effective education for the tural South is summed up in the question, "Shall we let our children walk two or two and a half miles to a good school or one mile to a sorry one?" -COME, LET US REASON TOGETHER." Now. Hrnthor Subscriber. we don't need to remind you that this is au important question and one that we ought to consider without feeling or prejudice. Let us reason together about It, therefore, and see just what the facts are. You probably have a one-room, one-teacher school. That's the common sort in the rural South, and the sort I attended as a boy. This school is pretty near your house and children, and you don't like to thiuk about its being any farther away. But the question we wish to argue with you is as to whether it's not better to let the child walk u little farther a few years of his life, if by so doing lie is better trained for all the rest of liis life. Ti,? IIM.I n I,..If mllao icn't tnn fo ? for the fartherest-away boys and girls to walk in order to get to a really good school. The writer used to walk just about that distance to get to a very poor school. It's a little far, perhaps, for a six-year-old youngster, but it's a question whether he or she will not be as well off starting at seven years instead of six. Anyhow, he or she will be better off starting at seveu in a good school than at six in a poor one. And it must also be noted that under such a system as we are proposing, only a few children would have to walk the two or two and a half miles. The vast majority would be nearer the school, and many right at it. NOT ENOUGH TO JUST "HEAR LESSONS." The first thing most of us probably need to do in this matter is to oret over the idea that a teacher's main work is just to "hear lessons" and hear them as fast as she can. By that system when Johnny doesn't know his lesson he simply gets a bad mark or a bad report or a more-orless bad whipping and that ends the matter. As a matter of fact, Johnny needs a teacher who will have time to inspire him with a desire for an education, and will know just where and when to give encouragement, prodding or helping and have time to give it. You wouldn't call a man a good farmer who simply put some corn or ^cotton seed into the gronnd and then without farther hoeing, harrowing or -cultivating, harvested in the fall whatever turnout the land gave utterly without nurture or attention. But not much better is the teacher who simply gives out lessons and then hears what the child has made of them, without properly guiding the child into right methods of study or helping him to see the significance of what he is studying. Recitation should not be a time when the overworked teacher must get the briefest possible answer from a pupil in order to hurry on to hear other classes, but a time when a teacher, able to specialize in a smaller number of subjects, considers the lesson with the pupils; adds further knowledge of her own; answers questions as well as asks them; brings out the local and practical applications or the lesson if possible; not only notes that Johnny is lagging behind but finds out why and tries to remove the cause; helps the pupils in self-expression and corrects bad grammar; and inspires one and an wiin a ciesire to go on and learn more about the subjects studied. That's the sort of teaching all boyi and girls need, but it's just the sort they can't get in a one-teacher school. Take the matter of reading. "The school," as President Eliot says, "must teach not only how to read, hut what to read, and it must develop a taste for wholesome reading." As we learned reading in a one-teacher country school, It was nothing but a sort of monotonous, sing-song recital of the same old lesson In the same old readers?mere pronunciation of words and observance of periods or question marks. It was not till we attended a town graded school for a few months that we ever heard a passage read with genuine expression or ever heard a teacher attempt to Interest children In hooks by reading to them. The ountry teacher has no time for such '.lings. And today the whole South is fall of men and women who say they cau read and write, and yet ion't read and write?because they were so poorly taught that they think jf reading as a task to be shunned rather than a privilege to he enjoyed. And so on. ETTINO AGRICULTURE, HOME ECONOMICS?AND MEN TEACHERS. We must have the three-teaclier ' school, then, because without it the children cannot get proper guidance. Any farmer knows what a mess of it he makes when he tries to cultivate three times as many acres as he ought to. The one-teacher school is trying to handle three times as many classes as it ought to. It is also our belief that while probably the majority of our teachers ought to he women, it is better tor ' oys in their teens to be under the direction of a strong, capable man teacher. And we can't get men to handle one-teacher schools. We can get them as principals of threeteaclier schools. We also need three-teacher schools because one-teacher schools cauuot give adquate attention to the important new practical subjects of agriculture and home economics. It is true that they must not be ignored in the one-teacher schools, but it i3 also true that they cannot be adequately handled except in the larger schools. Here then, to begin with, are three < reasons for insisting upon a three'" .tcher school to take he place of; the one-teacher school: 1. With the one-teacher school it j is impossible for any teacher to give ; un>|uaic micuiiuii iu iin.v pupil or my study. The children must be halt taught and make half progress. 2. Men teachers cannot be provided. 3. Agriculture and home economics cannot be properly taught. MAKING THE SCHOOL A "SOCIAL CENTER." We now come to our last but by no means our least reason for insisting upon a "three-teacher school within reach of every child." We insist upon it because? (1) The improvement of country life in the South depends upon the establishment of adequately supported social centers; (2) The schools must be these social centers; (3) We cannot have effective nnri adpnuntplv en nnnri nH cohnnlo social centers without enlarging our | school districts. | At the school, as we said in The f Progressive Farmer less than thirty j days ago, "we should have meetings : of the community corn club, pig i' club, sewing circle, canning club, debating society, farmers' club, farm women's club, community league, marketing club; there we should have lectures and entertainments and musicals and singings and spelling matches; there the people should meet on Saturday afternoons for baseball, basketball, tennis and football; there should be located the community library and readingroom; while every month or so young folks and old should meet together lor a picnic or for a general social evening, with all the delightful oldfashioned house games the whole South knows so well." That is what we mean by a "social center," and it is plain enough that v ith the small population in the average one-teacher school district in the South, it is not possible (1) to iret enotiL'1) fa* mnnpv tntmilmp nmn. erly to support the school, or (2) enough people together to give adequate support to all these other agencies of a richer community life. In the first place we must count out all the negroes, for they do not ehlp any of these things, and then we know that only a portion of the people of our own race will suport any one particular movement. The remit is that any one of the little group- meetings we suggest?read over the list again?will usually live at a sort of "poor, dying rate," as the hymn book says, whereas in a consolidated three-teacher school district, there would be enough people 'n each organization to make it inforPftHtlff inunl rin cr a twl o tor in the lives of individuals and community. KEEPING TH,E TEACHER AS A PERMANENT "COMMUNITY LEADER." Moreover, with a three-teacher consolidated school, community leadership gets notable reinforcements. The principal, employed for an indefinite period, as is the preacher in most country churches, frequently builds a home nearby, throws in his lot with his neighbors, and either beNcuialgia Pains stopped. You don't nec<j to suffer those agonizing nerve pains in the face, head, arm, shoulders, chest and back. Just ply a few drops of soothing .Sloan's 'nlment; lie quietly a fev minutes " )U will get such relief end comfort! ife and the world will lot 1 brighter. t 1 llflf Mh t/ula V 1 Atmeo ? c A at all druKClsts. F'enetrates without I I rubbing. 1 i YTTE LANCASTER NEWS comes a leader himself or a force in developing neighborhood leadership already existing. Take the ease of the Thurman three-teacher school, a picture of which appears on page 1. The teacher, farm-reared and keenly interested in better furming, we are informed, "has bought a farm near the school and Intends becoming a. permanent resident, giving to the J community, the year round, the beneiit of his leadership in all matters pertaining to its fullest development industrially, socially and morally." Eventually our three-teacher. schools will doubtless generally J adopt?as some are already adopt-. ing?I)r. Clnxton's plan and build [ "teacherages," or homes for their, principal teachers, yust as churches . have long built "parsonages," or1 homes for their parsons. The Thurman school for example, has seventeen acres of land in connection with the building?enough for school building, playgrounds, teacher's home, school farm and some extra acres for the principal himself to cultivate. At any rate, the community life will be greatly enriched by having a capable, properly educated male principal as a permanent resident and community leader. HOW TO GET A THREE-TEACHER SCHOOL. It should not he neeesary, however, .. en iw,r tlip nil van t aires of the three-teacher school. The principle that "In union there is strength" applies to neighborhoods as well as individuals. Here in the rural South we must develop community units large enough to support efficient schools, ,.nd large enough also to support all the organizations and agencies needed to make country life as attractive as town life. If you, Brother Subscriber, are living in a one-teacher school district, look around you and see if you cannot consolidate your district with one or two others, establish a strong three-teaclier school at some central location, and then set about building a well-organized country community around it. It will take some hard work to do this, of course; there will be many difficulties to encounter, and you will find many men hard to couvert to the idea, but it's a great and worthy piece of communitybuilding, is an idea big enough to be a constant inspiration while you live, and will be your best mouument when you die. i And all that we are arguing for here is a school district five miles square, running out two and a half m 11 oa in each direction from the school house, so that will be the greatest distance any child will have to travel. Of course, many districts are taking in more territory and providing transportation for the children farthest from the school. As a general ideal, however, we believe in the two-and-a-half-mile limit, and we reiterate our contention that it is better for the child to walk two and j a half miles to a good school than one mile to a sorry one. And for the selfish man you will encounter, who doesn't want the ' larger district because somebody's land nearer than his to the school house might increase in value more than his own, we have only to remind him that the higher priced land will have to pay the more tax, and furthermore? I .and within two and a half miles of a really good school is worth more than land within one mile of a sorry one. Both to get proper training for aii r Ivnva n nd o i r 1 u o ?\ f\ o i\ v; o 1 a r* or* ?Mt I UUJ O It III! rs 1 1 It <1 L U ut/ ? V tv/j' uu attractive anil wholesome social and community life iu the rural South, there is need for the crusade for "a three-teacher school within reach of every child." And if every Progressive Farmer man and woman would enlist that ideal would soon be a reality. Why not make it such in your com munity? $100 Reward, $100 The renders of this pilar will be to l"ur:i that there Is lit I \.-t one dread" 1 illwaw that si Ifiice has been able to run." In itII tin stain-, am] ttint Is Catarrh. Ilali'n Catarrh Cure It the only positive i n. it.,w known to tue inedb'ul fraternity. Catarrh being a constitutional disease, requires n constitutional trntmrnt. Hall's Catarrh Cure la tnki'n Int. malty. acting iIIi-.m ilv ii|kiii the blooil nn.l nur-iin surfaces of the ayatiuu, thereby destroying tln? foundation . of th?* disease, anil giving th?? patient strength | by building up I bo constitution an<l assisting nature in doing its work. The proprietors have \ so nnirl) faith In Ita curative powers that they offer One llun.lr.'d Hollars for anv rase that It ' falla to euro. Send for Hat of testimonials. Addrou 1*. J. CHENEY & CO Toledo. O. Sold by nil Druggist*. 75c. Take Hall's family nils for constlpatloo. I ? rr 11 iu - ului in Already this spring, the Farmers' Mutual has been called on to pay for some buildings wrecked by -Wind. Our policies cover FIItE, WIND and LIGHTNING. Address D. E. BONEY, Mgr. Yorkville, S. C. 3. JULY 16,1915. WVY' .- . *3*++'l- -? ?"> y ^ I + ; + HOT WEATHER RULES. + * These rule3 are prepared by the Boston Work-Horse Belief Association: 1. Load lightly, and drive slowly. 2. Stop tn the shade If possible. 3. Water your horse as often as possible. So long as a horse is working water in small quantities win not nurt him. But let him drink only a few swallows if he is going to stand still. Do not full to water hliu at night after he has eaten his hay. 4. When he eotnes in after work, sponge off the harness marks and sweat, his eyes, his nose and mouth, and the dock. Wash ills feet but not his legs. 5. If the thermometer is 75 degrees or higher, wtpe him all over with a damp sponge. Use vinegar water if possible. Do not turn the hose on htm. 6. Saturday night, give a bran mash, lukewarm: and add a tablespoonful of saltpetre. 7. Do not use a horse hat. unless it is a canopy-top hat. The ordinarv hell-shaped hat does more harm than good. 8. A sponge on top of the head, or even a cloth, is good if kept wet. If dry it is worse than nothing. it. If the horse is overcome by heat, get him into the shade, remove harness and bridle, wash out his mouth, sponge him all over, shower his legs, and give him two ounces of aromatic <cniritK ?-?f ? ' uuiutuilldi 1)1 I \N U , ounces of sweet spirits of nitre, iti a i" pint of water; or give him a pint of!" coffee warm. Cool his head at once, ? using cold water, or. if necessary, ~ chopped ice, wrapped in a cloth. in. If the horse is off his feed, trv . him with two quarts of oats mixed ji with bran, and a little water; and add a little salt or sugar. Or give him 4 oatmeal gruel or barley water to ^ drink. 11. Watch your horse. If ho ? stops sweating suddenly, or if he ^ breathes short and quick, or if his J ears droop, or if he stands with his ?l legs braced sideways, he is in danger < of a heat or sun stroke and needs at- J tention at once. 12. If it is so hot that the horse J sweats in the stable at night, tie him * outside, with bedding uuder him. j Unless he cools off during the night. 4 he cannot well stand the next day's heat. 1 A^A A^A A^A A^A. A^| i p Yfi* YTV YIY WV YTV XXX ttt YYT ffY XXX ill !I| The VVV V 4'Why sli X X 1' J v V V _ m The La nt tit I XXI "The ,,f comPet?nt i castor News, a x Ix no oxtra cos^ * ill "The fore VVV brains as well work." Hone %X% "The bus ?!>?! ^er Publishing ix* i from 10 to 25 YVY equipment or 1 VVV big nor none tc YYY right NOW." YYY vvv XXX The La :it YVY V ^ t ) ^ATYPE I BAR( I have for sale a brand new I VISIBLE?that is made by People. I have just fitted a It is a regular hundred dollai to let it slide for a good deal progressive person that wan office, and the only reason it have two machines. If you don't want the M OLIVEU that is as good as 11 J. C. SH The Lancaster V 1 ?,f.+ ! 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