Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1827-01-20
To be continued.
. ~y~ WD--
FOR THE E.NQ UiRER
Thoughts on the present plan for educating the


FOR THE E.NQ UiRER
Thoughts on the present plan for educating the
poor
| 1t is known 10 US all that the sum OF S4ooO0
has, for several years past, been appropriated out
of the Literary Fund, and distributed 10 the seve-
raj counties OF the state in proportion TO their po-
pulation, to be applied TO the education oil the
! children of the poor IL is certainly proper that
the Legislature should enquire what are the benefits
which have resulted aud are likely to result iron SO
large a sum of money annually expended Those
who wish to mske up their minds understand'nsiy
| on the subject, obtain almost every necessary
informa, ion by perusipg condensed view - oil the
Of the school commissioners in the dill
! ferent counties" annually made out by the Second
| Auditor, and communicated TO the Legislature.
Car efnl perusal OF that important document VIII
render it unnecessary that much should be saidb
! the friends of the appropriation. The following
| few remarks respectfully submit'ed:
| ls. The present plan is simple, economical, and
easily executed These, il will be readily admit
ted, are verv important characteristics of almos,
| every plan or continuance They are, however,
peculiarly important in all plans tor primary edit
| cation Such plans Tusl necessarily be executed,
by men residing not only in every county. but in
every district of every county These will be
men who have their business to attend TO,
| and which they will attend Ia in preference to eve
! ry thing else. great proportion OF such men
will not take the necessary time and pains to un
deIstand any plan respecting education that is COM
| plicated; aud if they should be brought UNDER
stand il, they will not take the time necessary to
| execute il. The present plan Tor primary educa
ton in this state, is the most simple aud easily
executed, perhaps, that could possibly be devised
The practice pursued on this subject in some, and
probably in most counties in the state, is the fol
| lowing. The school commissioners of the county
or majority of them, meet at the Courthouse on
| the first day of the October term of the county
court that being the day when their year, by law 4,
| expires. They audit their Treasurer's account;
then each commissioner present states the number
Of schools in his district the price OF tuition, Sc
A note is taken OF these particulars, and he conf
missioners either jointly make out the annual re-
| pHrr for the President and Directors of the Lite
rary Fund, or they appoint committee TO do IL
! in their name. The court of the county, hich is
then sitting, is informed that school commits sionefs
| Tor the ensuing year 20 be appointed. As the
| same commissioners usually agree TO serve again,
the same persons usually appointed. As
they still in the Courthouse, they assem-
BILE again and elect their Treasurer and Other off,
| GERS tor the ensuing year, or, if from any cause
they do not elect their officers that time, they
meet al the November term following and make
the election. Thus II is not necessary for the
school commissioners OF tie respective counties 10
meet more than once, at most twice, during the
year; anu when met, only an hour two of their
time is occupied. If they meet merely to elect
| their officers, only few minutes will be
\
who are also county court magistrates, to attend
upon their duties school commissions s, and also
| 10 sit several hours OF the same day members of
the court. When the school commissioners have
| returned home, their duties for the remainder of
I the year plain and simple, and easily exc
| cu'ed, as can well be imagined.
! The business proceeds as follows: When the
| people of any particular neighborhood find that
they need a school, they ascertain how many pay
scholars can be obtained; they then apply TO the
school commissioner OF the district TO know wha,
| assistance he can give them? He lets them know
ho~ many poor chldr EN- he will nay for, and the
teacher 10 informed that he must keep an exact ac-
count OF every day the POOR children go 10 school
as no more time will be pad for than they actually
attend, and that he, the schoolmsster, will be re-
quiz ed 10 make oath 10 his account. The school
begins, aud the end of each quarter or half yea
the schoolmaster makes out his account, makes oath
10 ii, anu presents 1t 10 the school commissioner,
| who, ii he is satisfied with the account annexes
| All order The Treasurer for the AMOUNT. Here
are meetings OF the people of the district, of
the respective neighborboods be attended, and
consequently, time lost in doing Here are no
complicated asrang TO be made; but all is
simple, plain and easily performed, without loss OF
line, or interference IN any way, with the COM
mi-sioner's private business. II is also ex-
tremely cheap and economical The whole annual
expense oil carrying the plan into effect in county
of medium population, will seldom exceed fife en-
/ or twenty dollars
The plan is not only simple, cheap, and easily
executed, but it is 2iIy peculiarly adapted to the
| sparse stale OF our population Ii is fact known
| TO every one, who has paid the least aten ion 20
the subject, that, in country situations in gnia
| English schools seldom kept than one, two
or three years in succession, in the same school
house or in the place. The course usually
pursued with respect TO country schools is this:
| When the people of any particular neighbourhood
find they have children enough TO form school,
they unite and build temporary school house, as
nearly n the GENRE of the neighbourhood as they
can find suitable situation. They employ a
| teacher and the school begins If the pcorle are
generally in moderate circumstances, and own but
lew slaves, the services of several Of the scholars
will be needed in the summer season for agrcul'u
| raj purposes. " :.ia. the school will pro-
bsby continue only during the winter months
and ne discontinued in The summer, to be renewed
again the next winter; but if The school is CONT
nueJ through the summer well the winter,
the will the literary wants OF that neigh
bourbood be supplied. IL one. two, or three
years, il is found that that neighbouIhood cannot
support a school any longer, and OF consequence
| the school is discontinued. The school house j.
left unoccupied, or leased, given gratutously
some poor tenant, TO be resumed, perhaps, some
years afterwards school house. or m ore proba-
bly, suffered TO mouder into ruins. But, although,
| The school association we have mentioned, is dis
solved, there probably some Of its members who
still need school. They associate themselves
with others who also need school, but live il a
different direction from their first associates.
Thus new association Is formed; new school
house is built, and like the former one, occupied a
short time, and then like j, sbsndoned In this
manner our school associations have been huctuat-
Ing from the first settlement Of the country to the
present day; and thus, II appears to- me, they