Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-01-20
Enr nc enquirer
uCOMMON SENSE"

Far nc Enquirer.
"COMMON SENSE"
Meesrs Editors: In your paper OF The Sd inst,
appeared over The imposing signature OF Com
mon Sense" communication, hs author OF
which seems 10 suppose, thai he had 50 cum
plelely monopoized that quality, that, in What
he is pleased 10 call 10 derision "a great Con-
yention of the wise men OF this State, there was
not enough OF il 10 enable them 10 make The
simplest ari,hme,ical calculation. To casual
reader of tina. article, who woald look NO further
or deeper into The subject than its author does, il
must seem tina, Providence had certainly dealt
most hardly b. The members oil that Convention;
when their oblnse mental faculties are compared
with the superior discernmen and judgment Of
The writer Of Common Sense"
Permit me, !hen, al once 10 remove IRON The
minds o. any such readers, impressions So un-
Jus, 10 the impartial dealings of Providence,
and 10 relieve Common Sense" oil The sovereign
pity, which, no douni, he in his supremacy OF
intellect feels for his Bautian iellow-cizens Of
The Convention, by shelving, that ne has made
only half OF the calculation necessary Tor his
article, and that not correctly. Had he COM
pleted it, am sure hatthough he may not quite
he would have had tho much TO write the article al
uded TO- la future, let me advise him, 10 believe il
possible, that among $50 inteigen, gentlemen,
some Of whom have devoted years 10 particular
subject, there may be some who are capable 0!
forming as correct opinions on tha, subject as
himself.
He saws a,here are 2l5,0o0 children in this
State Of The age 10 go to school" The census "l
1870 gave 1866 between The age OF and 10
years But lake his number; and, a, his estimate
ui The average cost OF each childs tuition, taken
flom the experience OF other states, OF as oo, u
would require as he States, 1000 per aonum
10 sehooi Tia, number of children And where, he
asks, 'sis this to come from pant then follows
up the question by The assertion, that The scheme
"propc.ed by The Education Convention, and
made the subject OF a memorial 10 the Legislature,
suggests The six per cent. interest OF Inc Literary
Fund 10 meei this eIpense"-lhat is, 81, 9sl %
available for the support oil system lhal IS 10
cost 1000 dollars per annum"-an assertion,
which, as will not attribute 10 him an Intention
10 miss,ae facts can only &c accounted Tor by The
sole alternative supposition, that ne was So
Possessed with the idea OF The stupidity oi
the Convention, tina, he has ventured 10 al
ribule 10 j, This grosses absurdily, and TO Grill
| else and ridicue a document which he has
not re7d and concerning whrh he is entirely ieao-
| rani! In Justice 10 that body, then, the least that
the writer OF "Comnion Sense" can do, would be
| 10 publish The scheme proposed BY the Education
| Conventions" and il he fails 10 Go SO, hope,
! Messrs. Editors you will do il for him. II will
then he seen, that the Convention, so far from
overlooking The imporlan, question OF where" The
| funds were ITO come from" did provide in their
scheme for both the principles and mode Of the
REQUISITE local county taxation for The support OF
| public schools. That this clause OF their plan
may he obnoxious TO some objections, and sus-
| cent;le OF sume advantageous amendments by
! the Legislature, TO whom they confidently sub
| ,ni,,cd il, the members OF that Convention were
men Of 100 much moGesipto doubt. But they mad
also 100 mu.h common ssesc," Gil may say so,)
and enlightened yea 10 LEI that consideration m
duce them 10 do noting, and not to take The oes'
plan they could agree upon, because each could
moi obtain exactly that which he thought best.
Nor is Common Senses" recollection, or more
probably hearsay information, concerning what
occurred in the Convention any more correct,
than his ACQUAINTANCE with the scheme proposed
by il to the Legislature. No one else, will ven
ture to say, remembers hearing any OF The gen
| tlemen, advocating This SYSTEM declare in The
Convention" either once, or "aeain and again, IN
reply 10 hints thrown out, that their people would
not consentto an increase of taxes;-besides, that
was mol subject Tor them 10 consider, it be
longing the Legislature" Ga The contrary The
i.
would cheerul!y contribute The requisite taxation
for the support oil the public schools-an opinion
fortified by resolutions adopted by The people
themselves in believe, every public meeting on
The subject which has been held in the Stale
And. whist they submitted not only this part, but
the whole of thrir scheme, 10 the Legislature,
their action upon this part iisefs sufficient proof
that they did deem "ths subject Tor them TO
consider"
/ Blu, let us return to "Common. Senses" estimate.
that there ARE 2l5, 600 children TO be educated at
an annual cost Of II $4,000 dollars, or of SO
so cents each. This sun, estimating the area of
the Stale to be 6S 5000 square miles, would afforl
10 every district, of five miles square, for the sa-
lary of its teacher 5000 sum found Sufficient 10
secure soad teachers, both in this and in other
States IL the districts be made only four miles
square, in WHICH 10 child will have 10 60 more
than Two miles 10 school, and the average distance
10 the school will he but one mile, Tie whole cost
will be 81 235, 600, or SIS "a perchid, allowing
The same salary 10 The teacher These sums are
but averages, and will, OF course, be varied, ac-
cording 10 the wants and means Of The people oil
each county or dislric, by themselves. Now lei
Us complete The calculation, by adding that ialf OF
i, which the author OF "Conmon Sense omitted,
viz: The estimate Of the present cost Of education
IN Yrainia According 10 The Second ACditor's
Report Of December, 1874, there were So 81 poor
children in The Stale, Of whom only % 1863 were
al scho for an average of fiy-nine days in the
wear, al an arcrsge cost Of l-6!h cents per
diem. II all attended Ten months, or Two hundred
school days, their tuition would cost S14295s 80
cents. But besides these 53,l55 poor eiildren,
there remain of the 2i5,000 OF Common
Senses" estimate lGi, S45 who are 10 he schooed
al The expense of their parents. And al what
COST Al no school il is presumed Tor less than
Sl5per annum-at scarcely any for less than 800
10 S25; in towns al from $50 10 $50: whilst mosl
OF those, whose parents can afford it. are SENT for
want Of coed schools near 10 them, 10 boarding
schools al an expense OF from 800 10 5000 per
aunum. Making The estimate al The far 100 low
average of twenty dollars per annum, we have 81
2"6 900 dollars, as the cost OF educating these
l6l ,S45, which, added 10 the 442 956 dollars, re-
oured 10 educate tie INDECENT children, gives as
the amour, necessary each year, nnder the pre-.
sent spr,n, 10 educate all The children in the Com.
monwcai,h the grand total OF -, 6I9 s5S. But
some one will say who believes liza, any thing
like that amounts expended in Virginia on edn-
cation? No one. But neither do one fourth oil
the children of Virginia, according 10 The Ctnsas
attend any school. And in The same way j.
might be easily demonstrated, that The tuition OF
even this fourth costs more Than Common
Senses" estimate Of lhs expense Of educating az