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Sjje County Record. VOLUME 36?NO. # ^ Jj THE COUNTY RECORD, KINGSTREE, S. C, THURSDAY. DECEMBER 29,1921. PRICE $1.50 A YEAR IN ADVANCE ~- ' ' M REPORT ON SCHOOLS IN WILLIAMSBURG MR. D. L. LEWIS RECOMMENDS NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR SYSTEM. Following is the report made to State Superintendent of Education by State Inspector of schools, D. L. Lewis, on Williamsburg county schools, and is worthy of careful perusal by every citizen interested in the education of our children: December 19, 1921. Hon. J. E. Swearingen, Dear Sir: f * You will find below summary of school conditions in Williamsburg county, as seen by me during week ended December 17: , On December 13, in company with the County Superintendent I visited Carlisle, a two-teacher school; Cades, a three-teacher school; Rough Branch, with two teachers; Singletary, with one teacher; and Indiantown, a school of four teachers. We found very good work in the one and two-teacher schools?as good as can be expected in schools of these types. Unfortunately, some of the two ^ ? n** imrlnrtoVrnff tAA VCttUi^r suiwia cue uiiuv*vmmmq ww many grades. A two-teacher school should undertake only eight grades. The attempt to teach more grades leads to neglect of some grade or grades, usually the lower. The only remedies for this situation are, consolidation of schools so as to form schools of three, better four, or more, teachers, in which schools the upper grades can be well taught, and no grades neglected; or, the sending of i ; all upper grade pupils to a high k school, provided a high school can be | reached. Where one and two-teacher I schools are within reach of Kingstree, Hemingway, Greeiyplle, or any other y 'high school, the sending of all high school pupils to these high schools would be the proper thing to do. They would get better training in these high schools, and the seven grades that remain in the local schools would get much better training as ra result of the removal of the high school grades. But many of the schools in Wil liamsburg are not witnin reacn 01 any high school. In this case, consolidation, as suggested above should be made. Wherever conditions are favorable, centralized high schools should be established. Three or more country school districts agree to maintain a joint high school, to which all the high school pupils of these districts are to go. The first seven grades remain in the school# just as , at present. The Central district, in which the Centralized high school is to be located, builds the schoolhouse, or supplies the house if it already has a good building. The Central district should be willing to do this, on account of its advantage as to location of high school. "ftie cooperating districts agree to send all their high school pupils to the Cen tral high school. In this way, no school is done away with, the first seven grades get more attention, and the high school grades get the advantage of a two-teacher high schooL This is not a cconsoHdation of districts; each district maintains its in-ytegrity. It is an affiliation, for the purpose of securing the- advantages of a high school for country boys and girls. It is the finest plan that has ever been developed for the adequate high school training of all the country boys and girls. The Legislature, realizing this, has agreed to give to such a Centralized high school State aid equal to twice the amount received by a town or city high school of the same type, in order to encourage the establishment, by country school districts, of such high schools. Such country high schools receive not less than $1600 State high school aid each year. The co-operating districts are entitled to State aid just as they already are?term extension, rural graded, and equalizing aid. The ideal system of couusry scaoois would have ia each county such centralized high schools evsry tea miles apart. This^would give to every ambitious country boy and girl the opportunity to attend a high school. These centralized high schools should have a nucleus of 200 or 250 children Hf in the first sevefc grades of the cooperating schools, to feed the cenn tral high high schools.. The high ^V"^|chools would rmVi at least eight months, and the Jb-epir nltfe scHools I NEW STOCK LAW EFFECTIVE. i Ne More Free Grass for Grazing After Saturday. Only two more days remain until South Carolina will be a full-fledged stock law state with not an inch of "free grass territory remaining. The general stock law passed by the legislature at the last session after numerous bitter fights takes effect December 31, 1921, the last day of the year, and as 1922 peeps over the horizon "free grassers" will be outlawed. The free grass question has caused j as many fights in the legislature pos\ sibly as any other one thing, and ' while to all intents the fighting was I over with the last session, there is al! ready some talk of a renewal at the approaching session of the general assembly. Under the terms of the act of 1921, "on and after December 31, 1921, it shall be unlawful for the owner or manager of any mule, horse, ass, jennet, swine, sheep, goat or meat cattle of any description, to wilfully or negligently permit the said animal or any of them, or any other domestic animal, to run at large beyond the limits of his own land, or the lands leased, occupied or controlled by him." For violating the terms of the law, a person is subject to a fine of not more than $25 or 25 days for each offense. would have to run as long as the high schools. Do our country children deserve such a system of schools? Should they receive as good education as do the children in Kingstree, Hemingway, or Greelyville? If not, why not? Those country boys and girls are the hope of the country. In the country they receive the training that makes for all that is best in developing real manhood and womanhood. They are trained to work, to know hardship, to carry responsibility. They take religion seriously, they early join the church, and take a leading part in Sunday school and church work. 90% of our preachers come from the country churches. If we educate these country boys and girls, they make our best citizens. Are we giving them at present the education they deserve? We are not We must give them better school opportunities. We must consolidate our small schools, establish wherever practicable centralized high schools, must have longer scnooi terms, Detter teachers and more regular attendance. Times are very hard now, and we cannot do much in carrying out this program. But we can be thinking and planning, and when times become better, we should do for our country children what we have neglected to do?give them the educational facilities they deserve. Such a system of country schools will cost more, but not so much as the cost of allowing our country children to grow up in ignorance. A centralized high school should be established at Cades. There should be one at Lanes, and one at Trio. The people of Williamsburg should not be satisfied until there is a high school within reach of every boy and girl in the county. At Indiantown we found a fourteacher school. In this school, fine work is being done, and the upper grades can receive full attention with oat neglect of the lower grades. On December 14, Trio, two-teacher school; Aimwell, with two teachers; Oak Ridge, with two teachers; Earles, a three-teacher school; and Spring Golly, with one teacher, were visited. At Trio we saw some of the best teaching of EngKsh grammar that we have observed in any school. At Oak Ridge, the teachers are laboring under the handicap of having to teach in two separate rooms. It is hoped that the patrons can get their new school building by next session. On December 15, we were able to visit only one school, Gamble, on account of our having to attend the meeting of the County Sunday School Association. Ori Friday, December 116, we vis ited Salters, a three-teacner scnooi; Lanes, with three teachers; Mulberry, with two teachers; Retreat, with two teachers; and Mt. Vernon, a one-teacher school. At Salters we found some splendid j work being done in the upper grades! in algebra. At Lanes we saw some excellent .teaching of English grammar by the principal. The discipline, was all that could be asked for. The lack of study and preparation on the! part of the larger pupils that was J beer-red last spring has been re- j plaoed by good preparation and good | V - V' -t ' - * LAND REVALUATION TO COME NET YEAR FOUR YEAR PERIOD OF REAL ESTATE RETURNS DUE EARLY IN 1922. One of the big tasks to be begun early next year will be the revaluation of land throughout the state by the various boards of assessors under i ?? _ r aL . tne direction ana supervision 01 me South Carolina tax commission. Under the law real estate of all kinds must be returned between January 1 February 20 every four years, beginning: with 1898 and with the coming of 1922 all lands are to be revalued in every county, township and district. The tax commission has already had its field agents checking up land returns and the commission itself will tackle the revaluation problem early next year. A good deal of data has already been gathered. S. B. W. Courtney Dead. Mr. S. B. W. Courtney, a well known and vererable citiien of this county died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J. J. Epps, at Leo Tuesday of last week after a long period of ill health. He was eighty-two years of age at the time of his death and is survived by his wife and the following children: P. S. Courtney, Union; S. L. Courtney, York; White Courtney, Indiantown; Hampton Courtney and Dr. S. B. W. Courtney of Florence county, Mrs. J. L. Thomas of Cades, and Mrs. J. J. Epps of Leo. Interment was made at Elam church in Florence county, funeral services being conducted by the Rev. Mr. Truluck and Rev. Jno. W. Davis. ? o Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback, negro governor of Louisiana from December 6, 1872, to January 18, 1873, died in Washington Thursday -:-Vi "">? 0/4 rraara rtlrl nnH had lligllb. lie rr u W-I Jvoiu v>?T ? lived in Washington for the past thirty years. y recitations. The principal deserves congratulation for straightening out a difficult situation. Lanes, as suggested above, should establish a centralized high school. At Retreat we found that the teachers had dismissed at 1:30, so we missed seeing their work. Country schools, on account of short yearly sessions, small number of teachers to the school, and other drawbacks, should run #rom nine to 3:30 or 4. In some of the schools, weak teaching was observed, due to lack of preparation on the part of the teachers. Teachers should prepare beforehand all the lessons they are to teach, nrosont them in the best way to the pupils. Teachers should not have to keep their noses stuck in the text-books all the time they are hearing a lecitation. They cannot ask questions that bring out all the facts, they cannot correlate their questions, they cannot bring in illustrative facts that increase interest, they cannot clinch the teachings, unless they thoroughly prepare beforehand. This was observed particularly at one school in a geography lesson. At another school, the pupils were made to write synopses of certain historical events, with the use of the book. These synopses should be written from memory. All written work from the fourth grade on, except mathematics, should be done ? ? ? a,? wit ft pen ana mit. wunwy umuicn get hardly any pratice in penmanship. Reading in some of the schools was poorly taught, so that the pupils were not getting the thought. In some of he schools there was too much disorder for good work. Taken as a whole, however, the work in the country schools Is above the average. The teachers are conscientious and are working hard. The many good schoolhouses in Williamsburg county, built according to approved plaas, show fine educational leadership in the past. These leaders are to be congratulated on what thoy have accomplished. Under the present County Superintendent, I predict a cantinuance of this effective leadership, which will mean much to the country childran of Williamsburg county. The country schools need supervision. When times become better, I feel sure that the country people will respond to his leadership, as they have responded in the past, and that Williamsburg will educate her children. D. L. Lewis. ? \ ALLENDALE MAN SHOT BY COUSIN FRAMPTON'S WOUND MAY . PROVE FATAly?DAVIS TAKES POISON. , Allendale, Dec. 27.?Earl Frampton, ( a prominent farmer nncl ak popular 3 young man of this section, was shat j and probably fatally wounded about , two miles from here th:s afternoon by his cousin, Lewis Davis. Davis immediately after the shooting took , about 15 grains of poison and lies in a despirate condition at a hotel here tonight with a doctor in attendance, i There is a possibility of his recovery, , doctors said tonight, as t ie period of . greatest danger has passed. His recovery is considered remarkable as . the dose taken was unusually large. , Frampton, the wounded man, was taken to a sanitarium in Charleston ( this afternoon. The general opinion was that the wound w ould prove fatal, , he being shot through the abdomen, the ball entering near the left side in the rear of the body and coming out in the front on the right side. The weapon used was a 38 automatic. The details of the motive of the , crime are v??ry scant It appears that Frampton, who is a first cousin of Davis, lived in the home of Davis together with his father and two sisters. Davis' only statement after the shooting was that it was due to family troubles. Members of the family of the wounded man were so excited , that no coherent statement could be 1 gained at the home where the shoot- . ing occurred. It was some time after ( the shooting before the news reached ( Allendale, although the place where it occurred is only two miles from here. , A resident of Allendale happened to pass the home after the shooting oc- J curred and coming on into Allendale reported the news to Sheriff Bennett, i who immediately went to the scene ^ of the crime together with several , ilf?nuties and a doctor. Immediate attention was giyen to ^ Fiampton and he was 'taken to j Charleston by Allendale physicians this, afternoon on the Charleston & . Western Carolina train.. Eavis, who did the shooting, was j found upstairs in his home with an empty bottle that contained poison ^ by his side. He stated that he had taken the entire bottle and requested ( to be allowed to stay in the room a ^ few minutes as he believed he would 1 be dead at the end of that time. He j was taken in charge by Sheriff Ben- , nett, however, and brought to Allen- ] dale. He was having convulsions when he reached here but after atten- ; ifcion by a physician he appeared to . have slightly "i-ecovered and is rest- . ing fairly well tonight. ( At the request of physicians he is ( being allowed to remain here tonight instead of being removed to the Bamwell jail where the Allendale county prisoners are being kept. He will be removed there early tomorrow if his condition warrants the removal. , No news from Frampton has been heard since his removal to Charleston this afternoon. The father of ( Frampton made a statement after the shooting that Davis had made odd ! threats and appeared in others ways , to be mentally unbal meed during the past six months, but that he knew of , ne direct motive for the alleged crime. J Both of the parties in the difficulty , are prominent in this section and Davis is re;?orted to be very wealthy, having just completed a large and ex- ( pensive home. Mrs. A damn Commits Suicide. ' 1 Mrs. Florence Adams, aged twentyfive years and married, committeed suicide last week at her home between " ?J T .V 1 UI&I1QI ?11111 XjS&C ujr oawvuig herself through the heait. Mag-is- * trate Truluck conducted an investigation into the case and reported that there was no doubt about the fact ' that Mrs. Adams had taken her own life. Np cause for the deed has been * given. ? o * The Christmas spirit found expression this year in an unprecedented demand by families in comfortable cir! cum stances for babies for adoption, c according to advices from Chicago, c whe re ten babies a day is the average maintained during the Christmas season, according to the records of the adoption court. Despite hard times, r the increase in adoption this year during Christmas tide is 40 per cent greater there than that of any previoi s year. s o \ Send your Job Printing to ns a DR. BELL REVEALS STORY. J [nventor Points to Romance Related About the Telephone. Despite the fact that he is the inventor of the telephone, Dr. Alex- ^ ander Graham Bell made the unusual admission that his hearers probably knew more than he about its development to its present high perfection, when he recently addressed ^ the Telephone Society in the audi- ^ torium of the Masonic Temple in s< Washington. Dr. Bell spoke in a aj reminiscent vein, and injected numer- a ous bits of humor into his address. "It is a curious fact that any lan- a guage can be used on the telephone," a' he said. His remark was greeted d with laughter, and the aged inventor w followed the trend of thought of his audience and told them of the necessi- J ty in the early days of the telephone a to pass regulations prohibiting any- " thing but mild language on the part of the operators, who then were men. v "Young men do not have the pa- n tience of young women, and frequently the wires were kept red hot," said * Dr. Bell. "V/e introduce young c women as operators," he said, "and " now can rejoic% tliat the telephone c has furnished a new occupation to ? thousands of them." d Dr. Bell then explained that his f'< first remark referred to foreign lan- t] guages. He told his hearers that the first foreign language spoken over the telephone was Japanese. This h occurred in 1876 when a Japanese, tl a student in Dr. Bell's class at Boston University, conversed in his na- a tive language through the new instru- F ment with two Japanese friends, stu- P dents of Harvard University, who lat- C er held high offices in Japan. f The first medical conference on the b telephone, Dr. Bell said, was held g here in Washington, when, late one f night, he called a physician concerning a suspected attack of croup of ri his little daughter. The physician t] told Dr. Bell to bring the child to the I telephone and have her cough. After p doing this, the physician set the h parent's fears at ease and told them ? he would be around in the morning. "There has been a great deal of v true romance related about the tele- c< phone," said Dr. Bell, as he told of h its introduction into Europe by the al King of Spain to talk to his then tl fiancee. Dr. Bell reminisced regarding some tl Df his first exhibitions of his inven- tl tion, and commented on several of nr the unforeseen developments of the h first instruments. The briginal mouth- Sj piece, he said, is now used as a trans- tl ' tl natter. Dr. Bell also told of an experiment in London when a dozen persons, among them Gladstone, took part in an experiment proving that a current carrying a message would pass sue- y eussfully through the human body. s< y, Union High School Notes. S( p Rome, Dec. 24.?The first term of work over, all examinations finished, h, rhe following is the Honor Roll for a third month. n First Grade?Bethel DuRant, John cj Cribb, Maggie Thomas, Virginia t Rhem, Jeanette Fenters, Harriet Way, tl Mary Baxley, Johnnie Johr.son, James p White. 5j Second Grade?Annie Mae Wall, s< Sally Avant, J. P. Baxley, Grace n 31yde, Dudley Cook, Verneze Cribb, Willie Powell, Jamie Munnerlyn, Ted- y lie Williams, David Sanders. ' ]c Third Grade?John L. Altman, jrace Munnerlyn, Oliver Wilder. s< Faorth Grade?John W. DuRant, k Floyd Rouse, Linnie Sports, Minnie a) Bryan. f. Fifth Grade?Annie Baxley, Ethel ^ Tanner, Kate Williams. tl Sixth Grade?Margie Altman, \ Gdaphel Richardson, Ruth Cribb, Tom c] Jlyde, Pat Baxley. ]e Seventh Grade?Virginia Munner- ^ yn, Capers Williams, Manning Thorn- ^ is, Josie Carraway, Mildred Cribb, gj Haria Holiday, Clyde Tart, Ellebe 3axley. t,, Eight Gsade?SacPe Johnson, Min- ^ lie Johnson, Mary Louise Munnerlyn. i William Avant, Jettie Wilder, Davis TTH? wimams. 1 Ninth Grade?Fulton Strong, Franks Snow.*, Rena Wilson, Guss Had- g. lock, Omy Wilder. Tentfi Grade?Louise Carraway, gj >11 Williams, Nelle Wilsoa, Louise ^ >ibb, Annie Carraway, Ifaade Alt- pi r.an, Jessie Thomas. g( Eleventh Grade?Roea Rodge*. hi Ex-President Wilson celebrated his cc ixty-fiflfc birthday yesterday. He st ras the recipient of many telegrams md congratulatory messages. :0L WATTERSON DIES IN FLORIDA V ' AMOUS AMERICAN JOURNALIST GONE TO "THAT BEAUTIFUL SHORE"?ETERNITY. \ * Colonel Henry Watterson, known > the American people as one of the ist surviving members of the old :hool of journalism and to his friends s "Marse Henry," died Thursday at hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. Death came peacefully, the venerble editor retaining consciousness * Imost to the end and conversing uring his last half hour with his ife, son and daughter. Colonel Wattcrson had gone to acksonville in accordance with his nnual custom of spending the winter 1 Florida, usually at Fort Myers. He contracted a slight cold and -hile seated in a chair Wednesday lorning soon after breakfast he suf- ' , 2 red an acute bronchial attack and as ordered to his bed by his physiian. His condition grew worse durig the day and night and the end ame at 6:16 o'clock Thursday morn- | og. The immediate cause of his eath, his physician said, was heart < ailure superinduced by congestion of lie bronchial tubes. Thus "Marse Henry" passed to that beautiful shore," where he ist October wrote his comrades of be Confederate Army he was sure the Bonnie Blue flair will be flvinr t the fore and the bands will be laying 'Dixie' on parade and the retty girls will be disturbing The Jhattanooga Rebel' (the newspaper mblished by him during the War etween the States) to groups of raged, red-nosed angels who have not orgotten the rebel yell." The body of Col Watterson will emain in Florida until sometime in lie spring, when it will be taken to .ouisville for burial in (he family lot in Cave Hill cemetery, where Is father and mother rest, his am, lenry Watterson, Jr., announced. Mr. Watterson said his mother was * '*>1 ery frail and that because of her A andition as a result of the death of er husband, he deemed it inarfviable for her to leave Florida during ie winter. Col. nrtd Mrs. Watterson rplphratpd leir 50th wedding anniversary in aeir apartment Tuesday with only lembers of the family present and is son said he was m unusually high pirits, recalling many incidents of leir wedding life and laughing at lose having a humorous touch. o? On Tobacco Marketing. Fifty thousand tobacco growers of ie burley co-operative marketing asiciation of Kentucky will market this ear's crop of tobacco, and will have >ld 10,000,000 of the 175,000,000 ounds before January 1, 1922. All commercial barks of Louisville 1 avc agreed to lend the full legal mount of their capital. totaline a u'llion and half dollars, to the assoiation to help finance the farmers, he association has the backing of le War Finance Co-operation, The 'ederal Reserve System, the local anks, and can obtain from these )urces fifty percent of the current tarket value of its tobacco. The National City Bank of New ork is trying to make permanent ians to the association on the security ' warehouse receipts issued by the ae>ciation. 98 percent of the banks of entucky outside of Louisville have ?reed to back the movement to the ill extent of all available fnnda. 11 of the warehouses except four in le states of Kentucky, Indiana, West irginia and Ohio have agreed to ose their floors for the sale of bury tobacco until the association tells iem to- open, or until tkfe association ikes them over by lease er by pnrlase. The four big manufacturers ei teicco as ascertained by representavee of the hurley growers aeeeciaon indicate that they will deal with le association readily on the basis > insure a fair profit bo the grower. The success of tobacco iaeaeers cr anizing in Virginia anrt tne uaro135 now seems assured. With VTrnia signing 75 peraent. N\>rth #arola 50 percent and South CaroHna isiiag her full qaota. Gat ? The an Wafcon. Just think 100,000 tobaece growers tve signed and are signing tobacco ntracts in a singie year in seven ates. o . Send as your orders for jW^ainting ' r ' \