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REVIEW OF A FEW YEARS OF PROGRESS. By Geo. L. Pitts, Supt. of Education. Laurens county ia divided into 66 school districts. In these there are 71 schools. We have 126 teachers, 18 male and 108 female. The average monthly salary for male teachers is $90.45, for lady teachers $45.44. The average school term Is 7.1 months. 59 districts have special school tax. 6 new houses have been built this year. Generally we have good teachers, ?who are doing honest, conscientious work. There are a few who make no progress. They run along each year in the same old way. Efforts are be ? ing made to dispose of them. Below are given some of the school activities that are doing a great deal for the life and growth of the schools. The schools and teachers who are not taking part in these departments of school work are sleeping and should he awakened. The County Touchers Association. The success of the County Teachers association this year has been most gratifying to all concerned. The regular monthly meetings have been well attended and much interest mani fested. 75 have joined. A profession al library has heen established by the association. These meetings have boon a source of much and varied encour agement and assistance to the teach ers. Local School Improvement Associa tions. Dvery man woman and child In a school district should he working for and interested In the improvement of the school. 'Phis is the object of ^?tho local school improvement assoeia 1 tlons. Thoy are succeeding well in many places. Thirty two schools of the County hav e well organized working associations. Those organi zations have raised $1,000.00 this year by moans of entertainments, free-will offerings, etc. This money has heen spent for exterior and interior school improvement. Every school district should have a school improvement as sociation. The Count)' School Journal. During the present school term the County has heen issuing monthly a County School Journal, a neat little booklet containing ahout 10 pages. The success and results of the Journ al have heen very much greater than was at first expected. It goes each month into about a thousand homes of the county. It is edited and man aged by the children of the county. The county suterlntendent assists in the business management and the ru ral supervisor assists in the literary department. The contributions of the different departments come almost en tirely from tlie children of the coun ty schools. The Journal is meeting a long felt need, that of teaching the . children to express thc^r thoughts clearly and neatly in writing. The children eagerly anticipate the coming of The Journal each month, and as some one has expressed It "They read every word In it." The reading habit is another great benefit to he derived from this publication. The teachers and parents also read The Journal. The schools of the county are thus kept within close tought with each other. The success tills years assures its continuation next school term. Heading Certificates. In order to encourage reading among the school children the county de partment of education has offered a certificate to the children who read five library books and file in the coun ty superintendent's office a short sketch of each book read. This has encouraged the children and many of them will get the reading certifi cates. Ferfeet Attendance Huttens. The county department of educa tion has offered a perftct attendance button to each child In the county who does not miss a day from school during the school term. Several hun dred children will get these buttons at the close of the term. This is a means of encouraging better attend ance. It Is working well. Severnl hundred children will proudly wear their perfect attendance buttons. Honor Roll Motion Picture Tickets. Mr. Lavender, the manager of the motion picture theatre, very kindly consents to give a free ticket to each pupil In the county who makes the regular monthly average required to place them on the honor roll of their school. Regular honor roll tickets aro printed and left In the office of the county superintendent. Every Saturday scores of happy young chil dren come In with a cortillcaton from their teacher and get their tickets to see tho pictures. This is a small thing, but It means much to children and la a stimulant t:> better work. The Athletic and Oratorical Ansocln. lion. In the spring of 1010 the high schools of the county organized them selves into an oratorical association. Bach high school holds its preliminary contest to select a speaker for the county contest. Each year about fifty boys participate in the preliminaries. The contest proper i3 held during the month of April in the city of Lau ren8. A gold medal Is given annual ly for the best speaker and a silver medal to the second best speaker. A packed audience has greeted these oc casions and a great deal of Interest manifested. One can easily see the great benefit of such an organization. In 1911 the Athletic department was added to the association. Each year the athletic meet and oratorical con test are held on the same date, the meet in the afternoon and the contest at night. The high school boys of the county are very fond of athletics and manifest a groat interest in the an nual meets. By this moans physical culture is encouraged and stimulated. Each year medals or trophies are given to winners of the several events. This association brings the boys of the several high school communities together occasionally and creates a friendly rivalry in declamation and athletics, both of which is useful and necessary in a boy's high school cou rse. The Hoys* Corn (lub. The first Roys Corn Club of Laurens COUnty was organized in January IDlOi with 111 members. Those boys pro duced an average of r>2 bushels perl ncre. Willie Wolff produced 07 bush els on his acre, which was the high est production the first year. Each year since, the county has had a large, well organized interesting club. Some nice prizes are given. The Hoy's Corn Show is held in connection with the County Fair. The Hoys Clubs have awakened a I great deal of interest in corn produc tion throughout the entire county. Previous to tills organization hardly a man in the county had producod as much as 50 bushels of corn on one ncre. Last year several of the boys made more than 100 bushels. The farmers have realized that from 40 to GO bushels of corn can be easily pro duced on ordinary farm land, and many of them are doing it. Every body even to the ladles are interested termlned to do the very best we can for them. They have gone to work in earnest and will do doubt make a creditable showing. Some nice prizes will be offered. Our girls should be taught to can and in this way preserve the surplus fruit and vegetables of the summer. Our fanner:; have large quantities of fruit and vegetables that go to waste during the summer. This extrava gance should be stopped. The problem will be solved when our girls once learn the art of canning. The girls clubs will in a large mensuro meet this demand. * Oonnty Teachers' Association. * On October .">, 1012 several teachers met in the court house at Laurens to organize an association to be known as the Laurens County Teach ers' association. A constitution was adopted by twenty-six teachers, and the following officers were elected: President. Mr. \V. P. Culbertson. Vlco-Presidont, Miss Nannie Croigh ton. Recording Secretary, Miss Jennie Stewart. Corresponding Secretary, Miss Wil lie Dor rob. Treasurer, Mr. J. P. Coats. The aim of tliis association is to arouse Interest in education in Lau rens county, to work for the Improve ment of school conditions, and to be of some practical help to the teachers of the county. The meetings are held the first Sat urday In each month In the graded school building. However, for next year a room has been secured and will bo equipped for the use of the members. Art. V. of the Constitution. "Bach member shall pay an annual fee of one dollar upon Joining the as sociation." Cart of this money was used in obtaining a collection of books which have been placed within n ach of the teachers as helpers to them. Art. X of (lie Constitution. "Any teacher who will attend five of these meetings and perform all du tjlos assigned and \\\\ Teadj (three books selected by the executive com mittee will bo put on an honor roll to be posted in the ofllec of the coun y superintendent of education. A copy >f this roll will also he published in the county papers." A number of teachers have made the honor roll. Misf Gray, the rural school super visor of this county arranged for a so rlen of lectures by prominent oduoa County Teachers Association. in corn. Only a few days ago a lady came in my oflice, picked up an ear of corn and Intelligently discussed the Characteristic types of a pood ear of corn, which goes to prove that our people are interested. This year we again have a large club. The following score card lias been adopted to determine the prize winners. Greatest yield.30 Best one ear. lf> Best ten ears.20 Cheapest production.2.r> Neatness of report.10 Total.100 The boy making the highest average will be given $25.00. This prize is known as the "Laurcns prize" and was given by the business men of l.aurens. The boy making the next highest average will be given $20.00. This is the "Cross Hill Prize" and was given by the people of Cross Hill. The hoy making the third highest average will be given $15.00. This is the "Cray Court-Owings Prize" and was given by the business men of ? hose two places. A $10.00 anil $5.00 prize will be given to the fourth and fifth highest average. Independent of tl'.e above prizes the ".1. I). W. Watts trophy cup" will be pivon to the corn club member who exhibits the best five ears of corn. The ('iris' Tomato Clnb. A Girls' Tomato and Canning club was organized early In the spring of this year with ."0 members. Our rep resentatives to the general assembly wero asked to give us a small Appro* prlatlon for this work, but they did not see fit to do it. The girls were anxious for a club and we are do I tors of Ulis state, which have added Kreativ to the interest of the pro grains. Program I, Not. 1012. Subject: Heading. Demonstration Heading, first grade Miss Annie Putnam Demonstration Heading, fourth grade Miss Lutle Young Hound table discussion on Heading Mr. W. P, Culbortson, leader Program II, Dee. 2, 1912. Business Lecture by Prof. J. G. Cllnkscalcs, of Wofford College. "Rural School Improvement." Program III. .Inn, 11, 1918. Subject: Interior Decoration. Pictures Miss Bessie Brown Painting Mr. J. P. Coats Lecture?Hookworm and other dis eases Dr. LaBruco Ward Program IV, Pel). R, 1018. Round table discussion. Leader, Prof. 1! L. JonCS. Subjects discussed: (a) Government) Bullotlna; Ob) School Extension Work. Program V, March I, 1018. Lecture by W. K. 'Pate on two quali fications for teachers, namely. "Ini agination and Common Sense." . Business. Program VI. April :?, 1018. Vddrosa by i>r. Snyder of Wofford1 Co'lege. Subject: "The Teacher a Common wealth Builder." on Feb. 28, 1913, the Teachers' Convention was hold in Laurens. Ov. ??? 6h0 hundred and twenty-five teach ?s wore pre-ent. These teachers were entertained by the hospitality <f the Laurens people. Mr. T?te do 'Iverod an nddress on "School Con Itions In Switzerland" on Friday of the convention. Our association Is not confined to members alone?often teachers who are not members visit, as H Is our purpose to make this a progressive club, being of some real value to each teacher. This organization has in creased from twenty-six to fifty.six. The roll of the association la as fol lows, with number of meetings at tended. Misses Maud Attaway 4, Evin Addi son 6, Cora Armstrong 2, Bessie Brown 7, Pauline Ryrd 6, Wynona Chancy 2, Nannie Crelghton 2, Fan nie Crelghton 3, Kiln Relic Copclnnd 5, Lucilc Cox 4, Margaret Cunningham f., Willie Dorroh 6, Irene Dlllard 1, Kate Dlxon 2, Lois Ervln 2, Marlon Gray 2, Wll Ix)u Gray 7, Lou Fergu son 4, Alma Garrett 7, Corrlo Lee Harvlard f>, Madge Harris 6. Nannie Harris 4. Hertha Jacobs 2, lOthel Mc. Daniel 2, Annie O. Putnam 2. Annie B. Putnam B, Lucy Peden 2, Blanche Plnson 2, Mae Ropor 5, Wynona Riley 6, Lldio Sloan 2, Amy Shockley 2, Mary Teague 2, Nannie Simpson 2, Jennie Stewart 7, Carolyn Smith 4, Blossom Shuman 2, Ida Turner 6, Lucilc Turner 1, Regina Williams fi, Barnlc Wallace <"., Minnie Wallace 7, Lucllo Wolff 7. Alino Willis 2, Lutlo Young 7, Messrs. Ooo. L. Pitts 6, J. P. BurdcttO I, J. P. Coats (i, w. P. Culbertson 7. J. C. EUcdgo 2, E. A. Fuller 3, J. M. Fewell 2, 10. H. Hall 2, B. L. Jones 0, J. c. Martin 0, L. B. Heeder 3, Jennie Stewart, Secretary. JOHN \. WILLIAMS, GUI') KM *? 1 I.I.K Mr. Williams presented ? handsome piano lo tl>c Rural School Improve* ntonl Associalhui to be given uwaj us a prize to Hie school showing mos| Improvement. We Will Be At Home In Our New Building on and after May 1st. Old and new friends have a cordial invijta* tion to call and see us. The Bank of Laurens Laurens, S. C. I Beardless Barley I <$> FOR SPRING SOWING |> <?> . . <?> <?> We have a fine lot of selected Spring <?> <$> Beardless Seed Barley for Sale. Come 4> ^ quick while we can fill your your wants. ^ <?> Price reduced to $1.75 per bushel. <$> I J. H. Sullivan"" I ^ Laurens, S. C. ^ FOR ORE A WHEN you have a party at home, when a few friends are dining with you or when, on any occasion, you desire a delightful dessert, let us save you trouble and expense by furnishing you delicious Ice Cream. Don't ask us what kind we have?tell us the kind you want?we'll make it for you prom p tly HERE ARE SOME OF OUR SPECIALTIES Fruit, Chocolate, Vanilla, Maple, Tutti Frutti, Coffee Cream, Caramel, Ma resell i no, Walnut Bisque, Waldorf, Lady Baltimore, Siierrytina. We handle Guth's Candies?Always Fresh RAYS