Wednesday, July 10, 2019

O.B. Jones Describes New Farm Life Boarding School in China Grove, July 9, 1919

From The Carolina Watchman, Salisbury, N.C., Wednesday, July 9, 1919

Rowan County Farm Life School

The Rowan County Farm Life School has come to stay. The school is now under the direct supervision of the U.S. Department of Vocational Education in co-operation with the State and County Boards of Education. At the recent session of the Legislature the following men were named as Trustees of the school: A.M. Hanna, chairman; F.D. Patterson, secretary; P.A. Earnhardt, assistant secretary; J.B. Linge, W.J. Swink, D.L. Neal, B.L. Phillips, J.S. Hall, W.D. Graham, I.T. Bailey, I.C. Shaver, W.P. Sloop, C.A. Brown, C.M. Fisher, Colonel A.H. Boyden.

While this is being written, workmen are assembling the material for a splendid boys’ dormitory to be finished about the first of October and which will be equal in every respect to the one already built for girls. Both buildings will be equipped with steam heat, electric lights, and baths with hot and cold water. The building when completed will be among the best of their kind in the country. Each building will have three stories. The first floor in each will be occupied by class rooms, laboratories, heating plants, etc. The dining room and kitchen will be in the girls’ building. Each building will have a reception room. The office and music room will be located in the girls’ building. Each building will have an infirmary room.

The farm now has 50 acres, 30 acres having recently been added. The farm consists of a well arranged barn and some modern machinery. There are several head of livestock, including some registered Guernsey cattle and Duroc hogs. Arrangement has been made for pure-bred poultry from the state poultry farm and for several colonies of pure-bred Italian bees. Among other things planned for the farm are several smaller buildings, including a modern poultry house, a wood-working shop, a well equipped creamery and dairy room, and a meat curing room.

The Home Economics Department is standard and up-to-date. The sewing room is furnished with Singer machines and other equipment necessary for the most efficient work. The equipment in the cooking laboratory is made very complete. Additions will be made to these departments as the needs demand.

The High School work necessary for vocational students will be done at the Farm Life School; thus it will not be necessary for our students to go down for their work.

The work in Agriculture will embrace Crops and Soils, Animal Husbandry including Poultry and Bee-keeping, Horticulture, and Farm Management including Farm Accounting and Farm Engineering. Supervised practice will be given great emphasis in this work. Each Agriculture student will be required to take, either on his father’s farm or the school farm, some farm project under the direction of the Agriculture teacher. This feature of the work has proved very interesting and very practical.

The work in Home Economics will embrace Cooking, Canning and Preserving, Sewing and Dress Making, Nursing and care of the sick, care and feeding of infants, and sanitation and hygiene.
The expenses will be made as low as possible. Good wholesome food will be provided and furnished at actual cost. There will be no tuition charges.

Neither skill nor ability can be acquired from books alone. Both require active participation in the productive operation of those vocations, in which it is desired to become efficient. Books are necessary, but practice is equally necessary for this reason, the vocational schools have been called into existence. We are looking for young men and young women who are eager for this sort of training and who will come here with a serious purpose and an ambition to get the best preparation for their life’s work. We shall not allow dancing, card playing, and other practices which tend to hinder the work of the student. We shall insist on attendance at church and Sabbath School. Clean, wholesome entertainment will be provided from time to time, and we shall strive always to make the dormitories as nearly like the best regulated homes as possible. Our faculty is made up of college trained men and women.
--O.B. Jones, Director, China Grove, N.C.

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