Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-10


ed by the board of public instruction--it
meet and fix upon proper sciie, &C. &c
| which Is not TO cost more than S $1,000
Tie plan OF the building TO be furnisllec
| v the board of public instruction, &C.
| The university To have az many prolcs
sorslnps, not exceeding ten, as the visi
! tors may deem necessary for teach hing the
various and numerous branches 10 be
] taught-'Phe salary of each proiesso 10
be S 1000 with tuition fees, &c. We have
no room for the multiplicity of the de-
tailed provisions of the bill
| Ii also makes provision for sending on
! from the primary schools 10 the colleges,
| and thence TO the university, those pupils
| possessed " OF promising and sound un-
derstandlng,' who are TOO poor To odu-
| cate themselves. These provisions are
| as Ingenious as tbcy are liberal.
4 meniber OF Tie General Assembly,
who represents that portion of the people
OF the state among whom Mr.. Jefferson
resides, having requested that gentleman :
advice and opinion on the measures pre-
per 10 beadopted in regard 10 the literary
fund, has lately T. ceived from him the toll
loving highly interesting communication,
IN reply 10 letter addressed 10 him on
The subject of the system of primary
schools, set forth in The bill offered onibe
9th INST. IN the House OF Delegates, as
substitute for the bill reported by the
committee Of schools and cole es [:
Monticello, Jan. Is, 1918.
DEAR SIR,
When, on the 9th inst. | was answering
yours of Dec. 30, was so overwhelmed
With letters TO be dnsWered, that could not
take time TO notice the @bicciion stated,
that II was apprehend' d that neither tho
people, nor their representatives, would
agree 10 The plan of assessment on The
wards forihceXpenses otthe ward schools
i suppose that by this is meant the pc
cuniary expense of wages to the tutor
for, as to what the people are TO do, or to
contribute al kind, every one who knows
the situation of our people in the country,
knows it will not be felt The building
the log houses will employ the laborers of
the ward three or four DAYS in every 20
years. The contributions for sub is,ence,
II averaged on the families, would be or
lbs. Of pork, and half a bushel of corn
for family of midcling circumstances
not more than two days subsistence of
the family and its stock-and less i'll pro-
portion as ii could spare less. There is
not family IN the country so ponr us 10
feel this contribution. 1t must then he the
assessment OF the pecuniary contribution
which Is thought so formidable an addi
ton TO the property tax We now pay TO the
state, that neither the people, nor Their
representatives would agree to- Now,
let us look this objection in rlie face, and
bring II 10 the unerrlng test of figures =
promising that this pecuniary lax is 10 he
OF $50 dollars on a ward
Not possessing the documents which
would give me The numbers to be quoted,
correctly TO an unit, l shall use round
numbers, so near the truth, that, with the
further advantage of facilitating our cal
culatlons as we go along, they will make
no sensible error in the result. | will
proceed therefore on the following postu-
latcs, and on the ground that there are in
the whole state 100 counties and cities.
The free white inhabitants In TIE In every
OF all ages and sexes, at state. :an ayera pe
the last census were. 600, 600 6,OoU
The NUMBER of militia was
somewhere about. sc, 600 800
The number of captains
companies, of 81 each.
would be about 1900 10
Free white Inhabitants for
every militia company,
600 e01.-I200. 500
The fax on property paid
10 the state is nearly 10000 8 900
Let us then proceed. on these data. TO
compare the expense of the proposed, and
OF the existing system ofprimary schools
have always supposed that the wards
should be so laid off az to comprehend
The number of inhabitants necessary to
furnish captains company of militia.
1 his Is before stated at 500 persons of all
ages and sexes. From the tables of NOR
tally (Bufon's) we find that where there
are 500 persons of all ages and sexes,
there will always be ii i'm their 10th wear.
l3 and fraction in their Ith, and ID in
their l2lh year /; so that the children of
these three years (Which are those that
ought to be devoted TO the elementary
schoois) will be a constant number of 40 :;
about enough TO occupy one teacher con
stantly. His wages of $50, partitioned
on these 40, make theirfeachlng cost s 81
apiece, annually. If FIVE reckon as many
| heads OF families i'll ward as there are
| militia Gas think we may, the unmarried
militia men balancing, in numbers, The
married and unmarried exempts) S $50 on
81 heads of families Of levied equaly)
would be pa on each. At The same
| time the property tax on the ward being
S5000--l2, or S4l6, and that again sub
divided on 81 heads of families Of il were
levied equally would be 20 on fami-
ls. of middling circumstances, the tax
which IT now pays TO the state. SO that
TO 6 90, the present state tax, the school
tax would add S 81, which is about 36
cents TO the dollar, or one-third TO the
present property tax: and to the whole
state would be S $50 x 1900 wards, equal
TO 10000 of lax added TO the present
| s SOC, 900.
Now LET us see what the present prima-
ry schools cost us, on the supposition that
all The children of 10 IL and ID uears oil