for the time when these demands will be made by the people. In the meantime, I cannot but comply with their wishes and endeavor to bring them into an appreciation of the ideas here set forth.

At present our tax for the support of the elementary schools, including the State tax of fifteen cents, is forty cents on the hundred dollars. This is not sufficient, and I believe the full amount allowed by law ought to be levied. The poll tax, including the State levy, is $2.00. Some provision ought to be made for erecting and repairing school buildings without having to depend on the elementary school fund for it. We ought to have an elementary school fund sufficient to run the elementary schools nine months in the year. In order to secure greater efficiency in the school instructing force, while the rural schoo's are only five or six months in length, I believe it is a good idea for one teacher to teach two schools. This will secure him constant employment, so that his heart and time can be devoted to the work.

We had a compulsory school law enacted, but we found it defective in many particulars; so that an attempt to enforce it, while materially increasing the attendance, did not meet with the approval expected. The trial has made us doubtful about the wisdom of forcing ideas on people, for which they are unprepared. Public sympathy does not yet favor the enactment of such a law; and with the masses antagonistic to it, its enforcement is very difficult, if not impossible.

On the whole, however, the public is becoming more enlightened and more in sympathy with progressive ideas. With continual agitation of educational uplift, these ideas will gradually be absorbed by the public mind. With such a change in the attitude of the public mind, educational reforms will be demanded, and persuasion will be a thing of the past.

COUNTY INSTITUTE.

FACULTY AND DIVISION OF WORK.

A. C. Duggins, Superintendent, Conductor.

Institute opened 11th day of July, 1910.

Institute closed 22nd day of July, 1910.

Number of days devoted to written examinations of teachers, 44.

Complying with your request for a general report of the public school interests of Bedford County, I beg leave to submit the following:

Libraries-Bedford County has a good teachers' library with five or six hundred volumes of good books, which are fairly well read by our teachers. This library is to be supplemented very soon by the addition of a goodly number of first class books.

The county has three Public School Libraries with good substantial cases and a good selection of books. We hope to have several others established soon. There are a number of private school libraries in the county.

While considerable attention has been given to school improvement, and many school rooms are showing the results in their appearance, no school improvement associations have been organized.

Three thousand dollars have been spent this year for new houses, improvements on old ones, apparatus, etc. More must be spent before all our houses are comfortable.

In some sections of the county there is an imperative need of consolidation in order to make the schools more interesting and efficient. Better roads would add immensely to the welfare of our county schools.

No county high schools have been provided for. Bedford County has good city public schools and training schools at Shelbyville, Bell Buckle and Wartrace, with high grade secondary schools at Normandy, Unionville, Flat Creek, Hilltop, and other points. This supply of advanced schools seems to militate against the establishing of county high schools rather than in favor of it.

Our school tax, State and county, is 40 cents on the hundred dollars. No special tax has been levied for school purposes.

There has been an improvement in the daily attendance of many of our schools, but this improvement does not appear in others, and is not sufficiently marked in those where it exists. Sentiment for a mild compulsory law is growing in the county, and teachers who are certainly the best judges, are outspoken in their demands for relief from this annoying irregularity in

attendance.

The County Board of Education has declared by resolution that the teachers' salary shall depend, in part, upon the general interest manifested in the cause of education as shown by attendance upon annual institutes, monthly teachers' meetings, etc., a record of which is required of the superintendent. This has a salutory influence in securing the attendance of lukewarm teachers.

COUNTY INSTITUTE.

FACULTY AND DIVISION OF WORK.

W. E. Thompson, Conductor.

Teachers-Miss Maggie Campbell, T. A. Floyd, C. F. Shott, Miss Louise Goggins, Mrs. Cassie Gattis, T. J. Fariss, W. J. Mullins. Institute opened May 30, 1910, closed June 11, 1910. Number of days devoted to written examinations, 2.

ENROLLMENT AND ATTENDANCE.

As per your request I submit the following report of school progress in Benton County:

SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

One $60 school library has been established this year, receiving $20 from the State Library Fund. Interest has been aroused in the work which promises fair to result in several more libraries

soon.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT.

A strong county organization has been effected. Miss Moore started the work June 14th and almost every teacher in the