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activities. The school is for the whole community, adults as well as minors. It must make contribution to the economic, industrial, and social life of all the people, as well as to their intellectual life. When it does, it will become the center of community life, and its efficiency will no longer be in question.

NECESSARY REVENUES.

1. State Appropriations to be Increased from 25 per cent to 33 1-3 per cent of its Gross Revenues. But for a parliamentary technicality, the schools would today be enjoying this larger bounty. The friends of the schools in the State should see to it that the school sentiment in the coming General Assembly is as strong as in the last, and leave no effort undone to secure this greater revenue.

2. Bond Issue for Building and Equipment as Noted Above. The annual school fund cannot stand the constant drain for building and repairing. The school term will remain short and the building be unsatisfactory as long as annual funds are thus perverted. The burden of permanent improvements should be distributed over a series of years, and the wise County Superintendent will project plans to that end.

3. Larger Local Levies. The success or failure of the schools depend, in the last analysis, upon local school sentiment. The State-at-large can do only a small part of the work; the bulk of the revenues must come from the counties. Our great duty is to convince the people of the value of school work. If we can only do this, adequate financial assistance is sure to come.

HIGH SCHOOLS.

The County High School movement in Tennessee dates practically from the passage of the General Education Bill of 1909. It is true that a general high school law had been passed as early as 1899, and ten or twelve counties had taken advantage of it to begin high school instruction. But since 1909, under the stimu

lus of State aid provided in the legislative enactment of that year, three times as many counties have established high schools as in all the ten years preceding. There are now one hundred and eleven public high schools in forty-five counties-thirty-seven of them being of the first-class-that is, offering a four years' course of study based on the eight grades of the elementary school.

It is gratifying to record that the movement continues, a number of counties having made the necessary provisions for them during the present biennial period, namely: DeKalb, Haywood, Polk, Bradley, Morgan, Williamson and Giles. In the last named county in connection with the high school a valuable private school plant has become available, thus giving to the county, on a small tax, at least one first-class school. County Courts in several other counties have appointed committees to report on the matter at their next meeting; in many others campaigns are being waged or planned to secure favorable action from county authorities, and there is every indication that a number of additional high schools will be established in the next few months.

Two mistakes are apparent in the high school movement already. Some counties have attempted too many, and the result is a number of small, indifferent schools doing a poor grade of high school work. It can scarcely be doubted that before many years elapse it will be necessary in such counties to wage a campaign for the consolidation of high schools just as we are now doing in the case of elementary schools. Few counties can expect, with present assessment values and the maximum high school tax rate allowed, to raise a sufficient fund to maintain more than one first-class high school. And one first-class high school with strong departments in agriculture and domestic science as well as the conventional studies, is worth a dozen inferior schools which only pretend to give high school instruction.

And this brings me to mention the second mistake. Too many county high schools are but poor imitations of city high. schools. They are not giving to the country children the type of education adapted to their needs; and in consequence are not getting that grip on the affections of the people which guarantees proper moral and financial support. I hold strongly to the opinion that a county high school has no right to exist for any

length of time unless it does something in the way of teaching agriculture and domestic science. Every county high school should have a demonstration farm, with adequate equipment to give scientific instruction, should have laboratories and apparatus for genuine work in home economics. But it will be a long time, perhaps, before necessary and adequate equipment will be furnished and high school people cannot afford to wait.

I have urged upon them everywhere, in the absence of better menas, to organize high school corn clubs among the boys and canning and poultry clubs among the girls; to make intelligent use of the government bulletins which are readily secured, and thus give their pupils an introductory course in practical agriculture and domestic science. This will show the people what use they can make of meager equipment, of their serious endeavor to respond to the demands which are being made upon them, and when the people are convinced of the value of the work there can be no doubt of proper support for continued and increased activity.

It ought to be urged on the people, however, that if vocational training, if agricultural and home making courses are to be given satisfactorily, larger investments of money in the educational process must be made. This type of training is being expected, but adequate provisions has not been made for it. It costs much more to educate the hands than it does to give ordinary mental training. This fact, I suspect, has not been generally realized; and, until it is, satisfactory industrial training in the schools need not be expected.

It will not do to conclude from this recital that there is anything discouraging about the county high school movement. Far from it and directly to the contrary. There are already some really first-class county high schools in the State and they are responding to the needs of country people in a most satisfactory manner. In nearly every school courses in theoretic agriculture are offered; and in some- -to be exact, 10- demonstration farms have been provided and practical scientific agricultural instruction is given. A group of fine young fellows, specially trained in agriculture, is at work in the county schools, and their influence is being felt, not only by students, but by their parents and in the material development of their counties. Domestic

science departments have also been introduced into a number of schools. In many cases they have only meager equipment, in others it is reasonably good. Wherever such work is being done the interest of pupils and parents is intensified, and the effect in the general community life is evident.

It should be added also that there is scarcely a high school in the State which is not affecting for good the elementary schools of the surrounding country. Whenever a county levies a high school tax and puts a high school into operation, almost immediately the other schools of the county are benefited. The very fact of longer terms for high schools is causing the people to take notice and to think of longer terms for the elementary schools. The incentive to pupils of lower grades which the high schools give, the help given to the teaching force of the county schools, all contribute to the general school situation. And if the people of any county are desirous of improving the schools of the county, no better step could be taken than to urge upon their county courts the necessary tax for establishing a county high school.

In other pages of this report can be found a detailed statement of the high school work in Tennessee, prepared by the State High School Inspector.

NORMAL SCHOOLS.

The General Education Bill of 1909 provided for the establishment of three normal schools for white students, and one agricultural and industrial normal school for negroes. The previous administration determined the location of these institutions, adopted plans for the various buildings, and began the work of construction. The presidents of the four schools had also been. elected and the majority of the members of the various faculties. When the present administration assumed charge it found this existing condition, and frankly accepting the situation as it was, proceeded to carry out in good faith every contract that had been entered into and to develop the schools along the lines marked

out.

The buildings of the East Tennessee Normal School at Johnson City and of the Middle Tennessee Normal School at Murfreesboro were sufficiently advanced to be ready for work in the fall of 1910; these two institutions were formally dedicated with

appropriate exercises to the important work of teacher training, the former on October 10, 1910, and the latter September 11, 1910. The work on the West Tennessee Normal School near Memphis, Tenn., had not progressed so rapidly, and in consequence it was September 10, 1912, before that school was opened for the reception of students.

The preceding administration had adopted plans for the Agricultural and Industrial Normal School for Negroes at Nashville, but no contract had been given for the construction of the buildings. Contracts were made immediately and the work of construction rapidly pushed. No special opening ceremonies have yet taken place at the school, but the buildings were far enough advanced to hold a summer session in 1912, and it has been in successful operation during the present fall. The school has not yet been formally dedicated.

It has been the honor and pleasure of the present Superintendent of Public Instruction, in co-operation with the State Board of Education, to formally open the three normal schools and to dedicate them to their important work.

The two normal schools in operation for the first year have had a remarkably gratifying record. The Middle Tennessee School has enrolled 718 bona fide students during the three quarters and the summer session, in addition to 165 high school students and 245 in the observation and practice school. The East Tennessee school enrolled 477 normal school students, 189 high school students and 136 in the observation and practice school.

Neither the West Tennessee school nor the Agricultural and Industrial Normal School was in operation during the period for which this report is made, but it may be noted here that they both have started off with large enrollment. The West Tennessee Normal has enrolled during the fall term 330 students and the indications are that there will be a large increase during the next term. In the summer session of the Agricultural and Industrial Normal School there were 250 teachers from the various sections of the State. The fall term began with 230 students, and the enrollment has since increased to 340.

Already the normal schools show the need of additional equipment. During the spring and summer quarters especially they

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