The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, August 22, 1963, Image 9
*-s
Clinton, S. C n Thursday, August 22, 19€S
-
THE CLINTON CHRONICLE
- r*
uth Carolina In Battle Against School Dropouts
Many Agencies Join
forces Jn Campaign
A state of emergency has been
declared in the State of South
Carolina, and official campaigns
and battlelines 1 are now being
drawn!
The enemy? The unfortunate,
unskilled, under-educated school
dropout who, merely by the size
fo his company, constitutes an
ominous threat to the Palmetto
State’s economic and social fu
ture.
Leading the fight is the com
mander-in-chief, Governor Don
ald S. Russell, who has designat
ed the months of August and
September for a statewide "Stay-
in-School” campaign. Newspa
pers, radio stations and TV sta
tions are serving as information
arms during the drive. His field
marshalls include school teach
ers, principals and administra
tors, civic club leaders, industri
alists, businessmen, parents and
other citizens in all 46 counties of
South Carolina.
While school authorities and
parent-teacher organizations are
manning the big guns in the drop
out battle, many South Carolina
Education Level
Governs Income
Young people make a big mis
take when they let the jingle of
summer job money or any other
inducement lure they away from
completing their education.
It is ‘‘shockingly clear that ed
ucation pays” — in cash — says
economists at the University of
South Carolina.
Using the ‘‘median” method
for analyzing income and years
of education in the year 1959, last
year for which accurate figures
are available, the USC Bureau
of Business and Economic Re
search learned:
Median income of all South
Carolina males 25 years of age
and over was $2,966 in 1959 and
the median education was eight
and one-half years. With half of
the statistical group on either
side of the median, this means
that 254,000 South Carolina males
earned less than $2,986.
But in the upper half of the
group, there was 19,500 men who
earned more than $10,000. In
the over $10,000 bracket the edu
cational median was 15.3 years,
nearly twice as high as for the
entire group.
“Prom the lowest income
group to highest, without fail, the
median school years completed
was larger m each higher income
barcket,” reported the analysts
in the USC Bureau of Business
and Economic Research. . .. —
Median income vs, median edu
cation came out like this for all
| South Carolina males at least
25 years old:
No school, $876 annual income;
1-4 years, $1,429 ; 57- years, $2,-
437; 8 years $2,880.
One to three years of high
school produced a median of $3,-
581 a year; four years brought
$4,361.
One ot three years of college
produced a median of $5,024 an
nually; four or more years, $6,-
406.
The same general relation of
income to education also held
true for women in 1959, but the
total earned by women was far
less than for men—less than half
in the college graduate category.
Women with four years or more
of college had a median income
of $3,010 while the men were
earning $6,046.
‘‘A similar relation was true
for non-white males,” the econ
omist reported. “Without fail,
higher education and higher me
dian earnings occurred together.
“At each level of education,
however, the median income of
non-white males was less than
the all-male median—but higher
than the all-female median.”
Completing college has great
advantage for non-white females,
the USC researcher said, because
their median income is $788 with
a high school education and $901
with 1-3 years of college, but
jumps to $2,9404 with a college
degree. The economists said the
difference “no doubt” reflects
the “opportunities for non-white
women in the teaching profes
sion.”
Although there are exceptions,
“the general trend is clear and
conclusive,” the USC Bureau of
Business and Economic Research
reported.
“There is no question that the
educated persons in South Caro
lina are those who are climbing
into the higher income brack
ets,” the USC economists said.
ArchCOwings
Gray" Court — Arch Creswell
Owings, 87, retired rural mail
carrier of Gray Court, died at the
Veterans’ hospital in Columbia
Saturday after a month of ill
ness.
He was a native of Laurens
County, son of the late Arch C.
and Nancy Brooks Owings, and
was a member of Gray Court
Baptist Church.
He had served as secretary
treasurer of the church and was
a member of the Rural Letter
Carriers Association. He was a
veteran of the Spanish American
War.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Evie Power Owings; three daugh
ters, Miss Ruth Owings of Gray
Court and Alexandria, Va., Mrs.
Claude R. Garrison of NashviUe,
Tenn., and Mrs. Robert M. Hunt
of Greenville; one brother, C. B.
Owings of Owings; two grand
children; ond one great-grand
child.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Can
non Funeral Home, Fountain Inn
by Dr. Robert Cooper. Burial
was in Harmony Baptist Church
cemetery.
Mrs. B. EL Sorgee
Laurens—Mrs. Etta Babb Sor
gee, 82, of 145 Simpson St., died
early Tuesday morning at the
home of a daughter in Macon
Ga., where she had lived six
months. She had been in declin
ing health several years.
She was a member of the First
Baptist Church eft Laurens.
Her husband, Benjamin Edgar_
Sorgee, died in 1952.
Surviving are two daughters,
Mrs. J. T. Crews Jr., of Laurens;
and Mrs. C. N. Hendrix of Ma
con; a son, B. F. Sorgee of SUver
City, N. C.; eight grandchildren;
and seven great-grandchUdren.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Thursday at 11 a.m. at Ken
nedy Mortuary by Dr. Robert S.
Cooper. Burial was in Laurens
City Cemetery.
groups and individual citizens
have fought major skirmishes to
encourage the youth of our state
to take advantage of their educa
tional opportunities. Chambers
of Commerce in major cities
have education committees de
veloping programs to prevent or
reduce dropouts. Jaycees, Lions,
Rotary and^Kiwanis clubs are
similarly concerned.
The Future Homemakers Asso
ciation’s 233 chapters in South
Carolina have adopted a “Stay-
in-School” project for the current
year. The American Legion has
urged its posts to join other com
munity projects to encourage
students to complete their edu
cations. Other civic clubs
church groups contribute cl
ing, shoes, permanent waves,
books and funds to needy stu
dents. Many South Carolina dic-
tors and dentists donate their pro-1 other menial task's are given a
fessional skills to correct or al- free lecture on finishing their ed-
leviate physical and health prob- ucation so they won’t spend their
lems. Many industrialists and I lives at $l-an-hour jobs. Negro
business refuse to hire youth
without high school diplomas.
In the ranks, unsung and un
known heroes am legion. A Co
lumbia automobiles salesman re
ports that youngsters coming in
to beg for jobs “just for $1 an
hour” for washing cars or doing
parents and teachers in Chopped,
in coastal Georgetown County,
sponsor teen-age dances to keep
young fun-seekers in wholesome
surroundings rather than beach
honkey-tonks.
Juvenile court judges, proba
tion officers, police, welfare
workers, public health and men
tal health workers are deploying
their forces to assist in discour
aging truancy and solving social
and medical problems. Parents
are being urged to read to their
preschool children, encourage
regular attendance, study and
homework, and instill discipline
and a proper respect for author
ity and education in their young
sters.
Mobilization for a major war
against a dangerous adversary—
the dropout—has begun, and all
South Carolinians are asked to
rally to the cause. Unless the
state’s concerted action succeeds
in educating all youth to the
maximum of their ability, South
Carolina will maintain its unen
viable tenure on the 50th spot
in the national report card on
education.
taitm
TROUBLE?
When troubled with aches or tmmtonral
weariness, get prompt medical attention. Mod*
era drags can prevent loss of work, needless
suffering and expense.
education • will nakt the difference
(in how much money you can make)
South Carolina has a per capita income
of $1,433. It ranks 49th among the 50
states. The average amount of schooling
of South Carolina adults is 8.7 years. The
state ranks 50th. A higher percentage
of our young men fail the selective serv
ice mental tests than those of any other
state.
Why are we so poor and ignorant?
Listen to this:
South Carolina and its local school dis
tricts spent an average of $236.94 per
pupil this year. It ranked 49th.
We are 49th in expenditures for educa
tion and 49th in personal income. These
figures demonstrate that^ow wending on
education results in low meome for the
people of the state.
Failure of the state and its districts to
spend more for education is one of the
principal causes of such a high drop-out
rate in South Carolina. Adequately fi
nanced school districts have a higher re
tention rate than poorly financed districts.
Unless the state and the school districts
do something immediately, we will con
tinue to spend less and to get poorer. The
last decade saw a large increase in state
expenditures for schools. The increase in
spending had an immediate result: our
personal income increased 37 per cent in
the ten years.
«•
The state and the school districts are
able to pay more to keep more children in
school to get better training in order to
earn more money and to live better. In
per capita tax collections of state and
local governments, South Carolina received
$131.53. Again it was 49th in the country.
Some people cry that “our homes and busi
nesses are taxed too much.” That simply
is not true. Total property tax revenue
per capita in South Carolina is $30.16.
Again it ranks 49th.
South Carolina is a poor state today
because it really never has adequately fi
nanced public schools. Our middle-aged
and elderly are earning less money because
they have less education. Our children will
earn less money unless they are retained
in school and given a sound education and
are trained and equipped to lift themselves
above their parents and grandparents.
Earnings of South
Carolina males at
least 25 years of age.
Tears of education....
ANNUAL MEDIAN INCOME
$6,406
$5,024
$876
$1,429
$2,437
$2,880
$3,581
$4,361
None
1-3 Years
High
School
4 Years
High
School
1-8 Years
College
4 Years
College
•V.
.v.
' as a PobHe Service hr Ibis
in Cooperation with the South Carolina Press Association
>1
1