The Normal Star (San Marcos, Tex.), Vol. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 2, 1919 Page: 1 of 4
four pages : ill. ; page 16 x 12 in. Scanned from physical pages.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
n
THE NORMAL STAR
PUBLISHT WEDNESDAYS DURING THE SUMMER SESSION BY THE STUDENTS OF THE SOUTHWEST TEXAS STATE NORMAL
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
VOL. 7.
SAN MARCOS, TEXAS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1919
THE RURAL LIFE CONFERENCE
The Rural Life Conference, under
the direction of Miss Annie Webb
Blanton, State Superintendent of Edu-
cation, and Miss Lathrop and Mrs.
Cook and Dr. McBrien, of the Nation-
al Bureau of Education, held a two-
day session here Tuesday and Wed-
nesday. Owing to unfavorable wether
conditions, the out-of-town attendance
was not what might hav been expected,
but the Normal student body and fa-
culty gav appreciativ audiences thru-
out the program. These conferences ar
being held in all state scools offering
courses for teachers, as a means of
carrying national and state messages
direct to the people.
Idealization of the rural scool ran
thru the entire program as the silk
cord runs thru the fabric of the Fed-
eral bank note. Miss Lathrop referd
to her work as preaching the gospel of
the rural scool. The fact that more
than half of the children of the Nation
ar in these scools, many with biddings
and equipments tipical relics of a out-
grown past, presided over by yung, in-
experienst, and untraind girls who wil
be drawn into the city scools if they
make good, caused her to declare as
the climax of her major speech that
the rural scool is a national emergen-
cy. With men teachers being forced
out of the profession from sheer neces-
sity, and yunger men refusing to take
up the work; with some states spend-
ing only six dollars per pupil for pub-
lic education while others ar spending
fifty-six dollars; with one state paying
salaries just double what a neighbor
state is paying; with city scools in-
vesting for bildings and equipments
five times what the rural scools ar in-
vesting in Texas, rural property values
being equal to city; with the general
public at ease in a self-satisfaction
that the country leads in equal educa-
tional opportunities; with a lack of
highways retarding consolidation; with
suicidal living conditions for teachers,
and a life of drudgery for rural moth-
ers foren to an age of modern conve-
niencies; Dr. McBrein reacht a pitch of
simpathetic excitement in which he
declared the rural scool a tragedy. As
by common agreement all extolled the
rural teacher as the“'custodian of our
greatest possibilities and the limiting
factor of the entire educational sistem.
Miss Blanton insisted that, to get cap-
able leadership for the rural children,
scools must become willing to pay for
brains, character, and training, with
salaries commensurate with the res-
ponsibility of the position, the training
required, and the working hours. Mrs.
Cook observd that efficient service
must first be made possible for rural
districts and thus bring the people
more rapidly to a realization of the
benefits to follow. As a national prob-
lem and charge, the speakers insisted,
these facts must be workt into the
minds and consciences of the people
thru Federal appropriations, now be-
ing attempted by the hundred millions,
and state aid, now being attempted in
Texas by the millions. In addition,
encouragement is evidenst by business
broad-mindedness and the services of
professionally trained administrators
and supervisors, the employment of
whom is to be free from political in-
fluence and resident conditions. The
discussions were rich with thought,
stimulating illustrations, statistics, con
ditions, and history. Detaild consi-
deration of the more important ad-
dresses of the conference folloes ::
—W. R. H.
The Outlook in Rural Education
In this address Mrs. Cook sounded a
note of encouragement to the one, two,
and three-teacher scools. These, she
said, ar in a transitional state, recent
events, the world war among them,
having shown the heed for a change.
The rural teacher must not only make
his way into educational organizations,
but also into the public mind, because
he is inherently a community leader
and must prepare himself as such.
Of the astonishing facts brought out
by the war, none wer more astonishing
than those relating to rural education.
First, society has come to realize its
dependence on the farmer and hence
the need to educate him for his profes-
sion. Second, our sistem of education
has provd a failure in preventing il-
literacy, of which there is twice as
much in the country as in the towns
and cities. Third, the percentage of
fisical unfitness as reveald in the tests
for army servis, shows the need of or-
ganized fisical education in our scools.
As a remedy for these conditions the
speaker strest^ specialization along ev-
ery line of scool work. In seventeen
states the state superintendency has
alredy been made appointiv; in nine-
teen, the county superintendents ar ap-
pointed. This is done to take the of-
fises out of politics and fil them with
professional scool men, men of ability
and merit. There is, also, a great need
for scool supervisors,—perhaps one to
every forty teachers1—positions ambi-
tius teachers should prepare themselves
to fil. Finally, teachers should spe-
cialize in rural scool work. They hav
used the rural scool too long as a step-
ping stone to positions in city scools,
and ar not professional rural scool
teachers. The solution lies in realizing
these conditions and preparing ones-
self defmitly to meet them.
—H.H.H.
Educational Conditions in Texas
Miss Blanton devoted the first part
of her address to summarizing what
might be cald the educational-political ! Labels ar to be placed inside both
conditions in the State preceding her covers of each book, upon which ar
election to the offis of State Superin- written the name of the scool and the
endent of Scools. That is, she sumd u.o number of the book. When books ar
the history of the political struggle issued to the children, a record of the
within the ranks of the State Teachers’ book and number is to be kept by the
Association which resulted in her be- teacher. To gard against the wear
ing elected president of that body on
the platform of equal pay for equal
services regardless of the sex of the
person rendering them. The rest of
her address was devoted to a consider-
ation of the details of the three things
she is seeking to do for the scools of
Texas: (1) doing something more for
the rural scools than has yet been done
(2) bettering the conditions of the
grade teacher (3) advancing the cause
of woman.
In bettering conditions for the rural
scool the speaker thought that the main
thing was better traind eachers, better
equipment, longer terms. These of
course mean higher salaries and more
money for the scools, a great deal of
which wil hav to be raisd by local tax-
ation. .. Hence, the need of raising or
taking off altogether the constitutional
tax limit of fifty cents on the hundred
for scool purposes. This, the speaker
thought, could best be accomplish most
satisfactorily by voting for the amend-
ment for a new State constitutional
convention, which wil be submitted to
voters of the State this fall. Lessening
the number of recitations per day was
suggested as one of the ways of help-
ing the conditions of the grade teacher.
Miss Blanton concluded her address
by urging larger appropriations for
good roads and by speaking favorably
of the teachers’ union idea, not only
as a local organization but as a State
organization as well, since it upheld
the principles of democracy. She em-
fasized the fact that the teachers’ union
must make just demands on the de-
partment of education, that scools can
not be taken out of politics, and that
the only way unions can obtain just
rewards wil be in a political manner,
thru the legislature and the voters as
a whole.
Round Table Discussion
The gist of the Round Table Dis-
cussion conducted by Miss Blanton
was as folloes: problems of adminis-
tration of our free textbook law,
prompt payment of teachers’ salaries,
the teachers’ contract, course of study.
Certain regulations accompany our
new law in regard to free textbooks.
The person, to whom these new books
ar entrusted for distribution, must
furnish to the State a bond of an in-
crease of fifty percent in valu of books
receivd. Upon receit of these books, a
suitable place - must be provided for
storing—either cages made of wood or
steel, or rooms which can be securely
fastened.
and tear of usage, covers, home made
or otherwise, are to be provided. At
the end of each scool year the books
ar to be collected, fumigated, and packt
away until the new term. The State
has granted an allowance of five per
cent on valu of books receivd, for in-
surance, distributing, labeling, and
fumigating of the books.
The prompt payment of teachers’
salaries was barely mentiond. The
teachers ar to tel the trustees, in case
the funds run short, that there has been
a provision made so that they can
borro the money necessary to the pay-
ment of the salaries.
The teacheer’s contract was next
discust. The contract should be
binding on both parties, unless good
unforseen reasons arise. In case the
teacher or trustees should be unreason-
able, appeal may be had to higher au-
thorities.
In discussing the course of study,
mention was made of a committee that
has been appointed to work out a
course of study suitable for rural and
urban districts. This course should
not be folloed slavishly, but modified
to suit the conditions and circum-
stances of the community’s life.
An Hour With Great Men
In this address Dr. McBrien spoke
mainly of the influence of good litera-
ture—that is, the thoughts of great men
—on the teacher, and of certain quali-
ties that a successful teacher should
hav.
The successful teacher, he thought,
should be a good story-teller, able to
appreciate humor and understand the
valu of a good laugh. She should also
be a good reader. There should be a
greater demand for good reading, not
mere word-calling, and much stres
should be placed on the difference be-
tween the two, since nine-tenths of the
subjects taut depend, upon the ability
of the student to get the meaning of
the word from the printed page himself
or from hearing it given him orally in
reading. The child should be encourag'd
to read at home and thus spend a part
of his time at least in the company of
great men, getting acquainted
with them thru the printed page or the
spoken voice. Finally, there should be
a limit to the work imposed on the
teacher, either in the matter of examin-
ations or in other routine work, so that
the teacher may hav more time in
which to cultivate her leisure and get
further acquainted with the thoughts
of great men.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Normal Star (San Marcos, Tex.), Vol. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 2, 1919, newspaper, July 2, 1919; San Marcos, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth614185/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Texas State University.