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L_ | RURAL IMPROVEMENT. f ? At Truly this is a new age for country life. In a material way the truth seems to need no proof. The facilities for quick communication in the use of the telephone, in thej daily delivery of mail and in the trolley line, put the farm or rural districts into close touch with the whole world. What does this wonaenui im-j provement mean to the business man of the rural districts? These new methods of communication mean just this: no longer is the fanner commpelled to roam over i half a township in his efforts to se- 1 cure extra help for his threshing or ' harvesting. A few minutes at the telephone will arrange all the details i for "swapping work." The past quarter of a century has witnessed a great development in all things relating to the farm. It is almost too marvelous to believe that in the short space of twenty-five years so many wonderful fmprovements could have beeu made. Why a l.ml- at fho wonderful imDrove- I ? .w? * , ment of machinery for all working purposes will readily go to prove that , science at last is working for and with the farmer. I have giyen you just a few of the , # wonderful improvements made along other lines in rural districts. Now | we will stop and look to the school- | 'buildiog in the district and neigh- ( borhood. What do you see there! ( Can we point to it with pride and ? say: "There is our school-build- , ing!'" It is sad to relate that all of j ? us catuiot. In many, many'districts j v we'have only to glance at the school- , Gilding to see the need of School j Improvement Associations. This j place where coming manhood is , molded, where our girls whose lives } mean so much to humanity are < trained and shaped in character so j that each in its way will meau much | good or harm to our couuty. j Look well to each building. l)o j you see there the improvements, the ] comforts, the conveniences that we linAR m rural districts! i WX Ail Vi/uv* ..?*vw of less importance? For what could be more importuut than the training , of our boys and girls? They who are to lead in our government, who are to hold offices of trust, who are], to Leacti and elevate others. Then ! should we be content with any little log hut or rude plank building with no comforts, no conveniences and lo-; cated in an "out-of-the-way" place of the neighborhood,a spot of ground that is ugly and unsightly to teaeherand children with nothing about it to broaden the mind of pupil; ? * < l : nothing to suggest tne oeauimu side of life; a gloomy, wierd-looking spot!' All we can say of some of our school-buildings is that they | have four sides and a roof and soineL times just half a roof. Many are I not even ceiled and there are cracks J in the floor you could put your two lingers through. Why, I have in mind now a house that was called a school-building. It is a house about ten by fifteen feet with five small windows in it, aud, would you believe it? there were sixteen panes of glass brokeu out. Those dear little children had to sit in that house five hours each day with the win-j dows in that condition. I think a' good plan for the teacher of that j school would have been for her to have invited the patrons to come to school one day and let the children stay at home and 1 don't believe the glass would have stayed out long. ' L SP And these are the conditions that prevail in most of the rural schools throughout our State. And now do you ask the need of Improvement Associations? How about the furniture in our school-buildings? Is it what it should be? Do we see there patent desks, maps, charts, black-boards, libraries, pictures, etc? No, no; some schools have no seats except a plank nailed around the wall of the room, where children of all sizes have to sit The small ones with their feet dangling half way between the seat and floor. How would you like to sit on a seat as much too low for you as, some are too high for the little folks? And the walls of many school rooms are bare. Every teach er should have copies of pictures of Calhoun and Hampton in the school rooms. i$o much for the building and furniture. Now comes the school grouuds. How are these? Have you planted trees,shrubs and flowers, or have they grown up in weeds high as the children's heads? work of adorniug the ground rural school houses is one which w exercise an important and lasting influence for the good of the national life. Sometimes when the teacher tries to make a change in affairs by beautifying the grounds and make improvements in the building and asks the assistance of the parents, this is the ready replv: "That is good mough; we never had that advan. tage." Oh, think, teachers, that we ire created to climb, to improve, to ilevate, to look and make all things jeautiful and grand in whatever dace we live. This school-building vhere the little tots grow and are trained into manhood and woman. iood, why of all places it should be nade most beautiful to attract and iwakeiu these young minds the greatest enthusiasm to climb to the weights of all that is good and noale, uever being satisfied to remain n the ugly rut that perhaps some pareuts had to be iu aud were satisfied with. I think every teacher should learn this creed: "1 believe in boys aud girls, the men and women of a great tomorrow; that whatsoever the boy soweth the man shall reap. I believe in the curse of ignorance, in the efficacy of schools, in the dignity of teaching and in the joy of serving another. I believe in the wisuom as revealed in human lives, as well as in the pages of a printed book; m lessons taught not so much by precept as by example; in ability to work with the hauds as well as to think with the head; in everything that makes life large und lovely. I believe in beauty of the school-room, in the home, in daily life and out of doors. 1 believe in laughter,iu love, in all ideals and distant hopes that lure us on. I believe that every hour of every day we receive a just reward for all we are and all we do. I believe in the present and its opportunities, iu the future and its promises and in the divine joy of living.'' A teacher believing and living this creed will teach her pupils to see aud appreciate the wondrous beauty of country life; she will help to spiritualize country thought and life, for she believes in beauty in the schoolroom, in the home, in daily life and out of doors. Such a teacher cauuot be content with merely drawing her salary while the school-house and grounds remain cheeiless and desolate. "Do noble deeds, not dream th*m ECI GOING ( A C A/I A J. 1Y1 /\ all day long." Dreams are pleasant, but they are only given to stir the heart to swifter action. So, teachers, let us not only dream bnt go right to work and organize an Improvement Association in each school district for the betterment of its own scliop1 ^ isn't one there al read *h. these loop1 **<? sociai. Wherever been estabh. become more and childre* those two foes to ed prejudices * ? I ' I ? ? _ ? Ex ? r w~X >ster Bouil S ' Iced' @ ! g ivtcALS SERVED i | rS Courtne ? ?:@:@:?:@:?::?:?@:? KINGSTREE GI Kingstree, High School Boys and Girls Prep for Business Life. Pure Water. Healthful Loc; Eight Inst Fine \ High School An pleted with Beautiful torium. AMPLE ROOM I PUF TERMS RE Fall Term Begii ber 14. For Information A I intendent, or to E. C. 9-3-tf Cle t BANK OFI Kingstree. Sc CAPITAL. $ 30.000" ==^== DIREC Jas F Cooper D C Scott Collections made prompt! LOANS, large or small, m yi i a T RCt ! deistaudings. Anil it j same for jour school. It is monej well spent ta school-building and every aboutj it attractive and beaatifai. iere is one center of tne life of th< community, the one in which is .nered its r i impressionable eler ,nt. MArriEl Harper. -1 at W v urchas nade Corre* your r-afe | ? . t.e Service. jgj n" @ ? ; ( ? i jtk Sausage. < Pork Steak. jgj I /lea. gj- I ? ?? ig\ I I " " .? i ion, Chacolate Milk, Coffee/^ , r lea. -qJ \T ALL HOURS. ? ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm V9 Kmjstree S C. jg ?:?:?::??:?:??:?:@ IADED SCHOOL ---SC. < I Department. j ared for College or * , a v <! ition. * jj ructors. ^ lusic Department. (j ,nex Recently Com- (j and Spacious Audi- <3 !? FOR BOARDING !$ >1Lb- ; j'i ASONABLE. ? is Monaay, Septem- ' ipply to the Super- (j i Epps, , jj rk Bd. Trustees. I 1 aNGSTREE ?uth Carolina. SURPLUS. S 10,000 DTORS === I R H Kellahan J A Kelley I tade on approved security. 1 ' \ \ . STOP, READ, ? ' ? A Most Complet 3 Up 1 <9 ^ Stock of Furniture that 2 ever struck this country 49 can be seen at Stackley's Furniture Store. JJ Services ch 49 dered Day or 49 43 department. 49 JJ Drop in let's get acquain the furniture line. | L. J. STj ? KINGSTRE KiOOOOOOOOOOOO SPORTINt Q GET READY FOR THE BI1 8 HEADQUARTERS FOR Gt -ww* 1 UaJ X Buggy and Wa R Harness, Build R and Shelf Hard Q AGENTS FOR flcCORM X HARVESTERS AN g LAKE CITY HARD O LAKE CI1 ?.? now for < the Mimal Our stock of CHEISTMi offers a wide range of selection, so th SUIT THE FANCY < however fastidious his taste. Our bid for Your patronage is base VARIETY, QUALITY AND A of our offerings. OUT-OF-TOWN i treated just the same as those who r us what you waut for a wedding 01 price you want to pay and leave the r< Stephen Thoi 257 kim; street, ch Young Let us help you. You v HARNESS. We have a lai . you at close prices and on libe you future trouble by selling1 us a trial. It is a pleasure for For the older folks we ha COMFORT and WEAR. We ment of harness at all times, ons of standard makes. HORSES AND MULES season opens up. Give us at 1 to MAKE IT PLEASANT and At the old stand of Thor W. P. HAW! KINGSTRE J - ^ i-' ' - - a-,> ? A ' |:>i t" V < ' -4 i'J T? 0 , MEDITATE! | s :e ? ro The Second ?j Every body knows that ^ M our line of Coffins and ^ M Caskets cannot be duplicated either in price or quality eerfully renNight in this J# ted and get a few dot* on ** ^CKLEY, |" ;E, S. C. *? rioopsTI *D SEASON. WE ARE X JNS and AMMUNITION O igon Material X \ ling Material 8 | ware. 8 fl ICK MOWERS AND 0 D HAY RAKES. 8 w. WARF MMPM 8 " imiiu uuiru 111119 a 'Y, S. C C xxxxxxxxxxxQ @:?:?:?:@:@:@:?:@? y 3HRISTM AS. ? V ????????? /fit SETS TIE PICE. I @ 3-IFTS ? lat there is something to OF EVERYONE, ft * a on @ BSOLUTE GUARANTEE w CUSTOMERS (oj n?Ke personal selection. Tell /g\ r? npaaonf L iivsiivitajr vuvivj\. wuv - ^ 0 est to us. ? nas & Bro., | 1RLEST0V, S. C. @ ?>:@:?:@:?:?:?:@@@@ Man! { ,rant a new BUGGY AND j ge stock on hand to sell iral terms. We try to save you reliable goods. Give us to show you through. ^ i ve buggies bnilt for SOLID ' s : carry also a fine assortOne and two-horse wagwill be on hand when the east a look and we will try PROFITABLE for you. nas & Bradham. ?INS & GO. E, S. C. 1 fl