Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1845-12-25

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to effect such system, shall be legalised fy the
| passage CT proper act Of Assembly lherefor.
REPORT OF THE MINORITY.
Mr.. SAMUEL. N. JAENEy, from the minority
of the committee, presented the following le-
p, port as substitute:
| The undersigned being a minority of the
| committee on ccmmon schools, not asserting
to all the views reported by the majority, beg
! leave o submit the following views and reso-
( lulion:
( The objeotto be kept in view, in devising
system Of education for a whole community,
is to diffuse intelligence and encourage virtue
as widely as possible Gcng the people, with
out subjectiug them to excessive taxation.
Should the system be too expensive TO gain
public favor, it cannot be adopted, or if adopted,
will not be maintained. And should the means
provided for popular instruction be too limited.
or confined to a portion only Of the people, it
will not answer the end in view, and must
fall into dsrepute
On examining the system Of popular educa-
ton now in existence in this State, 1t must be
acknowledged, that it has not dispensed general
knowledge among the people, nor does 1t pos
sess, from superior economy, any title to pub
/ lie favor.
The simple fact announced by the census of
| 1910, that the number of white persons in Vir-
ginia above the age of 20 years, who could
not read nor write, amounted to 58,7S7, being
about l-l2th of the whole white popula ton, or
/ 10th of the adults, affords conclusive evidence
that our state has not done her duty in pro-
yiding for her children the means of obtaining
even the rudiments of knowledge. 1t might
be supposed that people SO deficient in the
means of education, would at least be exempt
from its burdens, but this does not prove to be
the case; for it will be shown by the statistics
we are about to bring forward, that the money
now expended from public funds and private
| subscriptions, to support the primary schools
and academies of Virginia, and atfording in
s:ruction to less than half the children Of a
suitable age to 90 to school, would, if judcious-
J ly applied to well arranged district system,
afford to every child in the state an opportuni-
ty to obtain good English education.
1t has generally been supposed, that the pop
ulation of Virginia is too sparse to admit Of the
| introduction of such system, and we acknowl-
edge that in few counties this is probably
the case; but in many of the counties, the white
population ranges from 9 to 20 persons per
square mile, and the average for the whole
state is nearly IL. Now it appears that when
the state of Maine established her common
school system, which is one of the most success
full in the Union, her population only number
! ed twelve per square mile, being not more
dense than many of the counties of Virginia.
1t may readily be shewn, that a county with
! Is inhabitants per square mile, has, within a
compass of four miles square, sufficient num-
Der of children to form school of convenient
size.
I A district OF four miles square, contains an
area of Is square miles, and computing Is per-
sons per square mile, would contain 24O inhab-
itants. Allowing the children from to Is
years Of age, to number one fourth Of the inhab-
/ itants, (Which is the usual proportion,) there
would be 60 such children, and supposlng two
/ thirds of them TO he constantly at school, would
be IS scholars, and the expense of tuition
woald be about $500 per annum, requiring an
expenditure of about 81 rs for every white in
| habitant. s..t -.'.l
But suppose the district to have only 10
white inhabitants per square mile, the area
would have to be increased to 5 miles square,
and schoolhouse in the centre would subject
some of the children to the necessity of going
about 2 IL miles to school. Such a district
would contain IS square miles aud $50 inhabi-
ans, and would afford a school about the same
size and involving the same expense. The
area of Virginia is about 5000 square miles
and had in 1910, 1856 children between
! the ages of 5 and Is; and surprising the whole
State to be divided into school districts contain
| ing each IS square miles, would require 2720
schools. to which add for the cities and Dor
ouehs the number of schools and academies
they had in 1910, l29, making in all $3.50 and
allowing $500 per annum TO each teacher. ihc
whole ccst for the State will be 1854, 700, be-
ing 81 81 l-2 for each child between the ages
of 5 and Is. According to the auditors report
ofthe present year. the number Of schools in
| l22 counties is 3677, which if they contain
the same average number as exhibited b. the
census Of 1870, viz: "a scholars each, would
make sc. 2zS scholars, and estimating the cos,
ofinrion ut 50 so FER qnarer. would amount
| to 1882 $50, and deduct cost Of proposed plan.
| shews saving Of ST. ,7S0,, besides education
more than double the number of children than
are now at school in the whole State In or
der to illustrate the sui ject more fully. we will
take for example the county of Albemarle
| which comprises an area Of about 700 square
miles, and had in 1910 white population of
| l0.512, of whom 1912 are children from 6 to
Is yearsof age. 90 asasia sai laF esg
/ According TO the last census, there were in
that county Is academies with 400 scholars
and 81 primary schools with $50 scholars ~
Now if We estimate the tuition in the acade,
mics at Sc per quarter, and -, the primary
schools at 50 50, the aggregate amount will
( be $13.460. But let the county be divided
/ ;rt1, AAg.ch,<,I <lctr;rto ~a,+a;,,;,r ao.l &