Newspaper Page Text
Educational JVe Ips and Progress
Five hundred new country schools are to be
established for the benefit of the Indians in Indian
Territory. The United States has appropriated
$300,000 for that purpose, and the new school
houses will be built during the coning' year. What
effect this will have upon the coming generation
of red men can only be imagined. It shows the
interest that is being taken in that new country
to educate all classes in the community.
As an illustration of the interest that is being
awakened all over the world in the matter of
providing moral as well as intellectual training
for children in schools, we quote the following
clause from the will of the late Mlle. Louise Le-
Mere, of France, in which she gives 100.000 francs
to the establishment of a triennial prize for school
mistresses in France:
“I give to the Academic Francaise de I’lnsti
tute de France 100,000 francs in trust, to apply
the income therefrom to the establishment of a
triennial prize to be paid over and donated to
such lay school mistress in the territories of
France as shall, in the judgment of such Acade
mic have most distinguished herself by her moral
influence over her pupils and by her zeal and suc
cess in inculcating in their minds sound principles
of morality and virtue.
“My object in giving institutions in France so
huge a part of my means is twofold—namely, to
raise her from her present low moral state, and
thus prevent her from doing such harm to this
country, in which she exerts so potent an iiHln
once.”
A bill was introduced into the Illinois House of
Representatives on February 7 through the action
of the Educational Union, of Chicago, and referred
to the committee of education, Hon. Cassius AL
Clove, chairman, which should receive more than
passing notice. It is intended to promote Bible
reading in public schools, and is known as House
Bill No. 222. The design of the bill is to have
portions of the Bible read without sectarian com
ment in the public schools. Nine states already
have definite laws for Bible reading in their
schools, and considering the present-day need of
instruction in morals and ethic principles, it is
time that every state took action giving to the
Bible its legitimate place in our system of pub
lic. instruction.
Dr. 0. I*. Hay, an attache of the American Mu
seum of Natural History, of New fork, is in At
lanta making a study of Georgia’s fossil turtles.
There are three splendid specimens of these in
the state museum at the capitol, one of them being
the only known example of a particular species.
This specimen was dug up near Montezuma. Ga..
about thirty years ago. Dr. Hay is preparing a
monograph on prehistoric turtles, and after com
pleting his work in Atlanta will go to Austin,
Texas, for the purpose of examining some interest
ing specimens owned in that state.
To acquaint South Americans with the educa
tional resources of American institutions, Colum
bia University will dispatch Dr. AV. R. Shepherd,
one of its faculty, to the leading cities of South
America early next summer. The following an
nouncement regarding the trip was made recently
by the Bureau of American Republics:
“The director of the International Bureau of
American Republics, in accordance with the new
and enlarged program of the bureau to develop
closer relations with Latin America, on the intel
lectual and educational as well as the commercial
and material side, announces, by authority of Dr.
Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia Uni
versity, New York City, that Dr. William R. Shep
herd, professor of history in Columbia University,
whose special interests and studies lie in Spanish
and Spanish-American history, will make a trip, as
a representative of Columbia University, to the
leading South American commercial and political
.capitals during the summer of 1907.
Th? Golden Age for March 21, 1907.
“The object of Dr. Shepherd’s trip will be to
cultivate personal relations with the leading states
men, men of letters, and men of affairs in iSouth
America, to carry to them knowledge of the
educational resources and opportunities of Ameri
can colleges and universities, with a view of bring
ing about closer relationship between the Latin-
American republics and the United States. While
absent, Dr. Shepherd will also collect material for
the course of lectures on South America which he
is to deliver in Cooper Union, New York City, dur
ing the spring of 1908, as the Hewitt lecturer of
Columbia University.
“President Roosevelt, Secretary Root, and the
Latin-American diplomats are much interested in
Dr. Shepherd’s trip. It is hoped it will reciprocally
result in the sending of South American men of
letters to the United States. The director of the
bureau is in correspondence with Latin-American
officials and universites to perfect the arrangements
for Dr. Shepherd’s visit.’’
A Student Agent.
At the Georgia “Tech” is a student whose
course should be an inspiration to every young man
attending that great institution, and. indeed, to
struggling students everywhere.
■
’Az'- z *'
■ < r
I<■* m» . ■
• - ?' • • w
k ‘ H
/-J
■■ JHb
Mb «
' I >Jv
tI ■
- Br \
■ MB M
JI b b **** **
A. J. PHILLIPS.
Air. Phillips, perhaps, remembered that from
James G. Blaine, up or down, nearly all great men,
at one time, sold books or took subscriptions for
papers. Anyway, being the son of a faithful
Methodist preacher, he (determined to take one
of the burdens from his father's shoulders by
working his own way to college, .After graduating
at the South Georgia College last June, he began
work for The Golden Age. His tact and energy
soon began to tell, and the management felt sure
he would be a winner. As a result of his
splendid, tireless work he has been enjoying the
fellowship and blessing of students and faculty
at the “Tech” this year, and since he is a thought
ful young man with a conscience in his work, he
finds pleasure in remembering every day that he
has canned inspiration and blessing into every
home where his vacation work carried The Golden
Age. We expect Air. Phillips to do even better
for himself and the paper during the coming sum-
mer with our new proposition, and we commend
the example of this plucky “Tech” student to
boys and girls everywhere who “mean business”
in their purpose to prepare themselves for wider
usefulness.
Statistics on Negro Education.
Prof. George Herbert Clark, of Mercer Univer
sity, in a recent article in The Standard, on the
subject, “The Progressive Negro,” discusses most
interestingly the status and progress of the negro
as shown by the negro fair conducted by the Geor
gia State Colored Agricultural and Industrial Asso
ciation in Macon last fall. The part of the article
which may prove of interest to the raders of this
department consists in tables showing the educa
tional advance of the negro, which we present be
low :
Hie tables here given, byway of summarizing
the advance of the Negro in Georgia since 1866,
were prepared at the Georgia State College (Ne
gro), Savannah, by M. N. Work and J. G. Lemon.
Painted on hrge charts, they met the gaze of all
comers at the fair, and impressed the writer as
the most important and significant exhibit present
ed :
1. Illiteracy.
Persons unable to read and write.
Os school 10 yrs. of age
Year. age. and over.
1866 96 per cent. 99 per cent.
190612 per cent. 44 per cent.
2. Public and Private Schools.
Number of schools.
Year. Pub. Pri. Total.
1866 o 79 79
1906 2,830 251 3,081
En rol 1 ment.
Year. Pub. Pri. Total.
1866 0 7,792 7,792
1906 200,000 20,000 220,000
Number of teachers.
Year. Pub. Pri. Total.
1866 0 25 25
1906 4,250 458 4,708
Cost of instruction.
Year. Pub. Pri. Total.
Year. Pub. Pri. Total.
1866 $ 0 $ 20,000 $ 20,000
1906 750,000 300,000 1,050,000
(100 white teachers in colored schools in 1866.)
3. Normal Schools and Colleges.
Approximate value
Year. Number. of porperty.
1866 3 $ 2,500
1906 24 2,000,000
For the third successive year the gold medal
awarded annually by the Royal Astronomical So
ciety of London to the one person who has done the
most, during the last year to further astronomical
works has been awarded to an American. This
year the medal has been bestowed upon Pro. Ernest
. Brown, who holds the Chair of Mathematics
in Haverford, Pa., College. The winning of the
Royal Society’s medal is a world-wide honor.
According to Prof. Knight’s “Recollections,”
Prof. Traill, of Edinburgh University, one day ob
jected to a candidate for graduation who was a
native of Ceylon, on the ground of false spelling.
“Why, he actually spelled ‘exceed’ with one ‘e’!”
said he. “Well,” instantly replied Prof. Hender
son, who filled the chair of pathology in the uni
versity, “you should remember that he comes from
the land of the Singal-ese.”
Prof. Czerny, of Breslau, remarks, with refer
ence to the complaint that children are overbur
dened with woik in school and at home, that the
chief harm is done by allowing children to asso
ciate with persons older than themselves, which
tends to over-stimulate their minds. They should
spend most of their time with other children of the
same age.
W. T. WINN, Fire, Accident and Health Insur
ance. Both Phones 496, 219 Empire Building.
9