Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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A Modern School System. wimivm k rxri. ni pi:byim>r OF ELEMENTARY RURAL Ht'ROOLS, SUi<iESTS NEW ORti VM/MION OF VTATE \N1> UUUJIfJl im r IMtmims OF EDUCATION ? POLICY OUTLINED WILL M\KK. Ill: BELIEVES, EOR STABILITY, QUOWTH AND I I' I'MILM Y. I Willi un K T.itr. State supervisor of elementary rural ? IsSSlSi will OUtllDOi in hin annual report, ? ' euggsetsd or* gonizatmn uf the Mate ami county de? partments of education fat llM BStUtt administration and ?UparvtaiOW Of the rural schools.'' "There are two responsibilities resting on every man who occupies an official educational position, says the supervisor. "In the tirst pla< e. he should try to meet the immediate demanda of the hour by working whole-heartedly with the organiza? tion and conditions as he finds them. In the second place, he should en? deavor from his expei leiu e and ob? servations to assist in the formula Don of a policy of development which will be more conducive to the stabil? ity, growth and efficiency ot the pub? in school system. The following out? line of organization is respectfully presented for the criticism of the friends of education. The limttl Ol this report wHl not allow the ampli? fication of the topics. General Principles. "A State common school system should he democratic. It should he tesponslve to the dstlfcSfStel) express? ed will of the people. Since the administration and hu f>ervision of a school system requires certain abilitle and training .the law should give the people a reliable method of selecting their school of? ficials. They should not he li.nit? d li their choice to men who seek po? sitions, hut through their authorized agents Should he allowed the Privi? legs of seeKing the man who will per? form the expert duties of his office most efficiently. "8lnce ;ne education of a child and the development of a school are pro? cesses which reculre several years of their completiot . the school syste n should possess a stability which would enable Its officers to make plans whit h they may hope to execute. "The State as a whole should guar? antee an educational opportunity to all her children, regardless of ti e wealth or poverty of the particular ?aunty or district In which they liv?. The State Board. The administration of the State common school system should be vested in ' I of education Walch should be a continuing body. It ahould perhapa be composed of the gfvernor. the chairman of the com? mittee on education in the senate, the chairman of the committee on ed? ucation in the house as ex officio members, and six other members to be selected by the legislature for terms of six years, the terms of two members expiring OYOfJ SOCOSd vear This method of selecting an ad mlniatratlve board has be n adoptee for all the educational activities ot the State except tie- common schools, and In all other cases- has proved Bat? Isfort or y. it prevents a centralisation Of au? thority md provides fof ? continuing board whi? h may formulate ? pro? gressive policy. The State superintendent. 'The State superintendent of edu? cation should be elected by the Slate board of ?ducation for I term of four years ar.d his salary should he fix? ed by this bourd. ' The Slate superintendent would thus become the executive officer of the State board of education just as the college president is the executive officer of the college board of trus "It would remove the State superin? tendent y of education one step from the contingencies of partisan potttl M and would give a stability and con? tinuity of admlnstraton not possible under our present plan. "The State bourd of education could thus deliberate!;, s? ? k for the mm best qualified for the oilice of St.i ? superintendent. At SfSSOSl the BOO* pie are limit-d in theil choice t'? those .vho Meek the ofllee. * "Tho State board of education should b? authorised IS offer a salsfi to lh? Stale superintendent < SSgJSM R aurate with the duties and rc*i?>n t bllitles of his oAee as tho load Ol lh?* St ???.onion .school system. I there any reason why the State su? perintendent of education, entrusted With the BjSsSSjsfJI re. nt of the BUhli school* of tile Slate, tltOUM I? . . jve only half the salary paid to a coll president and less than that paid I" some of our city superintendents! A?d->lants. "hi addition to an ndSQH Iii oflft I force, the State superintend,m should have the following assistants A State Inspector of High Behools ?This officer has already BSOS SUp? piled In South Carolins Sent IS U" other South* re States through the as? sist am * or g friendls outside ag u v "A Stute Supervisor of Kb merit n> Country lobooln?Thli officer has else been maeie possible in South Carolina and a number of * ther Southern States through friendly outside agen ? i? s. The state must eventually pro \ Idi im- I his w9T> ice. "A State Supervisor of Negro Schools?If the amount of money Bpsnf annually for negre> elementary si hoois in south Carolina is to be spent Intelligently and productively, BUOh an officer ll necessary. The white people of South Carolina have | in their hands the administration ami Supervision of the negro common schools. We have it in our power to neglect these schools and allow the money spent for their maintenance to i?e largely wasted, or We may, through proper supervision, make them con? tribute to better race rein ions and to increased productive power on the part of three-fifths of our population. We place in the hands of the untrain? ed negro teachers of the State a OOUrse of study and text hooks suited to the logger term white schools and we expect these teachers, many of them ignorant, to adapt this course and these textbooks to the needs of un immature rave whose best Inter? ests demand instruction in agricul? ture, manual training, cooking, sew? ing, hygiene and the essentials of the slemontary school. Agriculture. "A Slats Direetor of Elementary Agricultural Helm ut ion?This ollicer should dlreel the corn club work of tiie boys and the school gardening and SXper!mental work. Through him the United States government, CK?m son college and the State department of education BhOUld work jointly for SlOHIOUteTy agricultural education in the common school. It is impossible for any one of these agencies without the third to achieve the best rOSUUa. In order to reach the boys, the school system is the agency through which the other two must work. "A State Director of Ilomemaking Activities for the Girls?In this of? ficer the work of the I'nited States government. Winthrop college and the State department of education must be coordinated. The other two agencies must work through the State and OOUnty machinery, the schools and the lean hen in order to be effective. "A State board of examiners consist? ing of three members?This board should prepaft all questions for teachers' examinations and should grade all papers and issue thereof certificates Valid for the whole State. "The secretary of the board should keep a roster of the qualified teaeh srs of the State and should consti? tute a noncommercial medium through which county superintend? ents and trustees might secure com? petent tcachom "One member of the board should nc as school building inspector for ths inspection of school buildings to which the state has contributed. "The third should act as school auditor ami through an annual in? spot tion of the county superintendent's bookl Should insure uniform school a< counts throughout the state. "These officers should be elected l?> the State hoard of education. "This proposed organization WOUld give us a Coordination of forces and would prevent waste and duplication of effort The COSUIty Hoard. "The administration of the count) school system should be vested In h county board of education consisting of three members^ one to be elected by the p?o;de every two years for b term of six years. This would give us a Continuing board of education de? riving Its powers directly from the people, The present county board is appointed by the state board of edu? cation. "The county superintendent of cdu ( it Ion should i'c sleeted by the coun? ty board of education for a tern of four years, Mis salary should be llxed I by the bo.nd. Triers Is no city In South Carolina or u the United states m which ths city superintendent of schools Is elected by |h pular vote it will be readily granted that such a method would i.e hlghl) undesirable. However, there is no reason for elect Inn a county superintendent by popu lar vots which would not be equally valid when applied tC R city superin? tendent. "The election bj a board chosen by the people Would merely g|VS til' pen ph a sensible way of Unding tii" Ihjsi man. \i present the choice of the pople is limited to those who seek I he p! IC< The people of a count \ should ha c the privilege ol huntlni for the best man. In spite of the ap pen I to democrat \ which is sometimes raised la Justify the present system, our lack of confidence in its merits is rellee'tcd in the meager salaries BAPATA WITH LARGE FORCE AT? TACKING FEDERALS N EAR CAPITAL CITY. federals Bend Urgent Appeal to City for Reinforcements.?Minister of War Blanquett Announces Federal Victories at Masattan and Topic. Mexico City, Dec. 11.?-A battle Is raging today near Lake Fochimllge, between Federal! and Zapatista' Rebels, three thousand being engaged. The Federals have sent an urgent ap? peal to Mexico City for reinforce? ments. War Minister Blanquett today re? ported that the Federals have defeat? ed the Rebell attacking Mazatlan. Ths Hebels have also been repulsed at Tepic. which we are willing to pay to those whom we have chosen. County Assistant?. "No county superintendent) how? ever sftlCientt can adequately super? vise the country schools of a large county. He needs the same kind of assistants which the city superinten? dent now has. He should have: "A county supervising teacher for country schools. He would visit the un? trained teachers in their school rooms, show them how to organize and manage their schools, and how to teach the common school brunches. These supervising teachers should have charge of the school improve? ment organization as it has been car I rled on in this State. "A county supervisor o;' negro schools. As stated above, the negro I schools of South Carolina are most Of them absolutely without supervis? ion of any kind. We are not even aide to (heck up in any way the en? rollments of the schools, although the equitable distribution of the 3-mill tax depends on the correctness of this enrollment* Through the assistance Of the. Jeanes fund negro supervisors of industrial and agricultural work have been employed by several of the County superintendents. This work should be extended to all the coun? ties. "A county director of elementary agricultural work. This position v.UI Correspond to that of the organizer of the boy ' corn clubs. The county superintendents and county demon? stration agents will no doubt agree that the boys' work demands all the time of one man. This officer would work under the direction of the county superintendent of education and the State director of elementary agricultural education. "A county director of the girls' can ? nlng club and home arts. Tho desira? bility of this officer has already been i proved in South Carolina? In ordet for her to do her best work she must be directly related to tho county school system which possesses th? authority and continuity to her work. She would coordinate the county work of the United States government and Winthrop college directed toward practical home ma king. District Trustees. "The district board of trustees Should also he a continuing body com? posed of three members, one of whom should be chosen each year for a term of three years. This board Of trustees should be the local advisory commit? tee of the county superintendent and county board of education. "They should hold an annual meet? ing of the school patrons and voters of the district at which a report should be made of the receipts and expenditures of the year. They should also present their recommendations and financial budget for the new year. The last Item of business at the an? nual school meeting should be the election of the trustees. If a district fails to avail itself of the privilege of electing a trustee, the county board of education should nil the vacancy. "The money for the support e>f the schools should come from three sources ?the state-, the co inty, and the district. At present there" are glaring disparities in the par capita e?f sehexd revenue' in the various dis? tricts of the State arising from the unequul dstrihutlon of wealth, tin unequal race distribution, and es peeiaiy from the presence or absence in the district of railroads, power plants. or other public Utilities. Throe source Support. "in my opinion it is highly desira? ble that we have a state appropria? tion or a state t;(\ sufficient to guar intee school term of three months In < \ ei y school district. "There should be in each count) a county tax sufficient to provide foi three more months. "There should be ;\ special district tax sunlt lent to provide for th< School building and incidental ex? penses iind Secure the additional school term desired by the district Fart of the Ktate appropriation should be used t? ene.'ouroge the local district to help itself by Voting a special tax "At present one of the most glaring disparities in district revenues arises I i o ni the I act that a Schoo I dittVicf h I the riebt to impose a special tax on puhlli utilities situated within Its HUERTA LOAN REJECTED. OFFER TO PLEDGE PRIVATE FOR? TUNE DECLINED BY FRENCH BANKERS. Mexican Dictator, Hard PrClTtl for Funds Appeals in Vain to French Financiers Who Are Advised by Government to Advance no Money. Paris, Dec. 17.?The offer of Gen. Huerta, the Mexican dictator to pledge his private fortune and the fortunes of the members of his cab? inet as security for a loan to Mexico was rejected by a French group of financiers today. It is understood the French govern? ment advised the group to take this action because of the attitude of Presi? dent Wilson towards Gen. Huerta. ROOT WON'T RUN. Wouldn't Take Republican Nomina? tion if Offered. Washington, Dec. 10.?During the currency debate in the senate today Senator Root, replying to Democratic criticism, announced that he had no presidential aspirations, and would I not take the Republican nomination ; if it were offered to him. Senator Hoot I renewed his declarations of Saturday i that the administration currencv bill did not provide proper safeguards over an over-expansion of money. Throughout the afternoon the fight raged again around this phase of the bill. Democratic senators insisting that the measure carefully guarded against any danger of Inflation or consequent panic. Administration forces defeated another attempt to amend the bill when they laid on^he table an amend? ment by Senator Hitchcock, proponing I to increase the federal reserve board from seven to nine members. Tne I motion carried 35 to 38. _ RAILROAD PRESIDENT DEAD. J, W. Thomas of Nashville Victim or Pneumonia. Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 17.?J. W Thomas, president and general man? ager of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis railroad, died early this morning of pneumonia. TEDDY IN nilAZIIi. Thcdore Roosevelt und Patty Arrive Aboard Paraguayan (.uiiboat. Corumbia, Brazil, Dec. 16.?Theo? dore Roosevelt and his party arrived here today from Porto Murtino aboard a Paraguayan gunboat. He leaves shortly for the interior on a , hunting expedition. A large crowd j greeted the party on its arrival. borders. There are many districts In South Carolina in which the railroad pays half of the total school tax. It is comparatively easy for such a district to maintain a school, while an adjoining district which the railroad ; doe not touch is placed at a great disadvantage. "For this reason many school dis? tricts In the State have been gerry? mandered so as to take in the great? est possible railroad mileage. A dis? trict which Is blessed with a large railroad mileage running through a swamp where nobody can live has sometimes considered itself exception? ally blessed A minute's thought will Convince one that a railroad, a power plant, a telegraph line, a telephone line, or any other form of public util? ity should not be considered *n object of exclusive taxation by tho school district through which it passes. On the other hand, it should be an asset of the entire territory which it serves and from which it obtains its reve? nues. "In practice the present condition works disastrously both for the gen? eral public and for the public utilities. The more abundant revenue and the better school facilities which arc made possible for the towns on the railroad have a tendency to attract the people ,from the surrounding farms and consequently to decrease farm productivity and the earning power of the railroad which pays the taxes. 'The only solution Which 0< curs to me is to segregate the property be? longing to tb?. railroads, power plants, telegraph lines, telephone lines, and other public utilities ami to levy on all this property a State tax which will provide lor the expenses of the state government, Including the State school taxes already mentioned. These forms of property should then be ex? empt from local taxes. This, however, Is a phase of the winde tax question Which now demands the best thought ot' our people. Tin? School. "While it will be many, many years before the one teacher school becomes a thing of the past in South Carolina, the inevitable tendency in tiie more progressive communities will be in the direction of a school employing at bast three teachers. Such a school affords a better classi llcation of the pupils, stronger so? cial Incentives to rood school work, and an opportunity to introduce spe? cial work in agriculture, homemak GLASS ATTACKS ROOT. SAYS NEW YORK SENATOR IS BOUNDING A FALSE ALA KM. Replying fco Charges, lie Decleree Tiiat Currency Bill Now in Con gross is Far From Hodgepodge of Errors as c laimed by Root. Richmond, Vau, Dec. 1?.? Represen? tative Carter Glass, chairman of the house committee on banking and cur? rency, in an address here tonight warmly defended the administration's c urrency bill against the "greenback ism" and "hat money" charge launch? ed by Senator Root In the senate on Saturday and retaliated with a sharp attack on Senator Hoot. "( in the door of the United States senate last Saturday, said Mr. Glass, "Senator Root Of New York charac? terized the measure as 'greenbackism run mad,' and unacquainted with the subject which he undertook to dis CUSS, he described it as proposing a return to the reserve issues of 1896. "I take it that the duty of a sen j ator to preserve the public from na? tional harm is more than overbalanced I by his moral obligation never to sound a false alarm and never to ' permit himself to be deflected from the path of strict truth to gain a point of vantage. And yet he did sound a false alarm and sounded it j upon information which he himself admits he secured second hand fror; another senator. ) "When to one's reputation is added his renown as a great lawyer and hi.s fame as an international statesman, I und the subject involved relates to the temler fabric of national credit, when such a man trifles with a sub? ject of this moment he is guilty not only of grave Indiscretion, but of downright treason to bis country*" "All that I have said of Prank A. Vanderlip," said Mr .Glass, Bumming up a sharp reply to the statements made by the New York banker, "may be accentuated and applied to Mr. Hoot. God alone knows how men who understand the currency bill so little as to charge it with greenbackism have ever gained control of banks ' with a capital of $25,000,000 or have i ever attained to a seat in the United I States senate." KING MEN ELIK DEAD AGAIN. Latest Report He Passed Away Last Friday. London, Dec. 17.?A dispatch from Jibuti, Africa, says that Emperor Menelik of Abyssinia, died last Friday. King Menelik, who was born in 13 4 4, has been reported dead on sev? eral occasions. Special dispatches from Addis Abea last February an? nounced his death and the succession of Prince Didji Jeassu, one of his grandsons. MRS. PANKHI RST I REE AGAIN. Refuses to Eat ami is Released from Hol Iowa y Jail. London, Dec. 17.?Mrs. Emmerline ! Pankhurst, the suffragette leader ? who was re-arrested Saturday was I again released from Holloway jail to : day. She refused to take nourish? ment, and was in a state of collapse, i. ?*?????? term of two months and a winter term of six months with a fall and spring vacation. When the school itself is not In session tho teacher will still live in the community and will have charge of the boys' and girls' agri? cultural and club work. "The school* will be a community centre. In its auditorium the com? munity meetings of fathers, mothers and young people will be held. Its library Will expand into the commu? nity library. The school will utilize the knowledge and experience of the whole district in its daily work. "In many cases a teacher's homr' will be built at the school house and his garden and the school experiment plot will serve as the central agency for the dissemination of agr.cultur.il knowledge throughout the commu? nity. "Though the universal attainment of these ideals must be placed indefi? nitely In tho future, there are now many schools in South Carolina which are steadily approaching them." iiiK, and manual training designed to Secure a better adaptation of the BChOOl tO the needs of the CO umimi ty. An efficient country school will gradually acquire some of the follow? ing distinguishing characteristics. "The teacher, or at leas: the princi? pal, will remain for a term of years In the same position. Re will be elect? ed for a period of at least three years, and the country school will follow the lead of our best city systems and adopt a salary schedule under which the te.teller's salary will be in?'T* ised with Increased experience and effi? ciency. "The school term and the vacations will be arranged to meel the com? munity necessltlea The minimum term will be ? Ight month* The tent her will be employed for the year and \m1i be given n vacation of six weeks, In sections where it is neces ;,iy for Iho children to work on the farm I he school will have a summer TO ENFORCE SERVICE LAW. INVESTIGATION OF INTERSTATE COMMERC I: ( (>M M1KSIO \ SHOWS MAN V VIO? LATIONS. Railroads Must Conform to Present Hom of Service or Must Submit to New Regulation??Many Waited Continuously for Over Twenty Hours. Washington, Dec. 17.?Apparently as a forerunner of new demands from the Interstate Commerce Commission that the railroads of America prove their efficiency of management or submit to new regulations, the Com? mission today issued a report show? ing that the roads have violated the Hours of Service law lor trainmen in ?61,332 instances during one year. That is -01,332 members of train crews had been forced by traffic de? lays which the report declares were wholly preventable to work more than the legal limit of 16 hours continu? ously. Great pains are taken to set j forth the argument of the Commis? sion that since these violations of the statute were avoidable, the public will expect them to cease. The investigation leading up to this summary ht.s been under the direction ot Commissioner McChord. It has gone into the record of every delay of any train in the country, so far as shown on the books, and has brought vigorously to the attention of many railroad officials the failure of their companies to report some of these de? lays. One of the points emphasised is that the accidents leading to the working of the trainmen from 18 to 05 hours continuously have as a rule occurred early enough in thb period of the run to allow the sending of re? lief crews. This has heretofore be>n denied by the roads. Another discov ! ery is that while some lines fl?ve vio lated the law In a wholesale manner, others in the same territory r?hd with similar traffic have avoided more than a slight percentage of delays. The four worst offenders, as shown by the report, are the Baltimore and Ohio, the Illinois Central, the Penn? sylvania lines west of Pittsburgh, and the New York Central. On the Balti? more and Ohio, 5,253 men were kept continuously at work on trains from 16 to 17 hours; 5,973 men from 17 to 18 hours, 3,500 men from 18 to 19 hours. 2,000 men from 19 to 20 hours; 1,300 men from 20 to 21 hours, and 15 from 45 to 55 hours in this measured year. Causes for the delays range from derailments in the instances of 88, 317 men, to collisions in the case of 9,910, with landslides and floods credited with 17,985, and coupler and drawbar defects, 33,360. Miscellan? eous car defects account for 17,753 of these violations of the law, and congestion of traffic 13,812. Not only have the trainmen been compelled to 3tay on duty past 0>e ltJ hour limit, but the Commission de? clares that railroad telegraphers an?: train dispatchers have in 3},1 ce*5**3 been worked past the legal maximum of hours. The totals would be, J|fsn" er but for the fact that roads paving less than 25 violations per year are excused from reporting. Commissioner McChord, after p)l?w ing that the degree to which, f ach road has lived up to the Hums, of Service Law, has had no apparent re? lation with anything except it.? pwn policy, points out that the inquiry has already brought good results. '-nc past six months have seen a remark? able decrease in the number of vio? lations of the statute, in spite of a certain percentage of traffic delays. He concludes that the companies have only to realize the situation and they will remove the last factors leading to the law breaking. These roads have paid to the government during the year, In tines on this score alone, $156,000. The Hours of Service Act was sign? ed March 4th, 1907. but *as not fin? ally upheld by the Supreme Court to its enforcement until May, lill, when it was decided that the rail? roads must report all violations. To? day's report is the Ural showing of a full fiscal year's work. since the i facts a> to overwork were made avail , able. i DIG PARCELS post BUSINESS. I Two Hundred and Fifteen Tons a Day in Chicago. ChlCSgo, Dee, 17.?The parcels post business originating In Chicago this month averages two hundred and ' fifteen tons daily and the stamp sales .lining the last ten days at the Chi , Ago office hav e been over a million dollars. MISSIONARIES IN PERIL. Hex oil in China Throntons Lives of Foreigners. Hongkong. China. Dec. 10. ? Many foreign missionaries are in peril from a revolt In Southeastern China. British officials were notified today that hundreds of natives have armed themselves and, led by agitators preaching "Death to Foreigners" are burning isolated villages.