The Ripley advertiser. [volume] (Ripley, Miss.) 1843-1897, 1846-01-17

,,,,,, ~. s,sis. 4, be- dsagnaied by the Log
t,',,.a ,,,s,.s f.lete1rr ~ geographical dIvi'
80 10 ,,cb of ,h 81 there sbou Il be an
.,,usl osyment of cRbt hundred do lars out u
tle remaining eight thousand, Nothing y
eleafct 10 INV mind tbas that tie College VIII
p,t sueeocd. without the aid n AUXILIARY schools
Tics, schools need not, and indeed fbou'd not
he Ia the immediate wcinny OF the Co1ege' ou'
nj surh points ~ TO give II the most eihcient ao
and al The same time 10 dihdsc The greatest a.
mount Of intelligence among the people. The
language Of The Act Of Congress m making ihe
Grant Of land from which we derive this fund is
that at shall be vested in the Legislature OF lhe
State in trus, for the support Of Seminary Of
Earning" This language, "a Seminary OF
learning" has been thought to limit the Legs
lature 10 the es, Enlistment of one school, and to
negative the idea that that school could
have auxiliary departments. II has seemed to
me 40 palpabe that the Trustees could so act as
10 carry ont the great object OF the trust which
was the diffusion Of knowledge, that have no,
fallen into what is to my mind constrained
idea of the law of Congress. II does not neces
aary follow, that because the Act OF Congress
said "a seminary" that it meant there should
be one school under one roof or that the "Seml
nary" and all it's auxiliary departments should be
in the same enclosure, or even IN the same CITY
or town. TIE spirit of the Act of Congress is
carried out by the establishment OF one Semi.
nary, University or College with such auxiliary
departments as are necessary to its success
These should be UNDER THE SAME GENERAL sU.
prsv SIGN AND CONTROL and be located al such
points as to be of the greatest advantage TO the
main College, and TO the cause of education.
There must yet be another and still more
useful class of schools mean the common or
free school. The l6h section OF land IN each
township. set apart by wise enactment OF con
gress for this purpose, have been most shame
fully neglected. The inattention with which
these lands have, in many instances, been treat
ed, makes il very apparent, TO my mind, that
whatever system OF schools we ADOPT, must De
taken under the supervisory control OF oflcers
who shall be responsible to the state. There
must be some general head, and there must be
an immediate responsibility OF that mead
TO the state laws. The people in mass will
never REQUIRE responsibility. and they will new,
er act uni,edly and constantly as one man for
the common good: each one will content him
self with actirg for himself, and the general good
will 90 unattended to. OF the ten or twelve
s hundred sections ofschoo lands heretofore, and
now, under the control of the citizens of the
township, | have not been enabled to ascertain
that one hundred have been well managed
Some of them have been trespassed on and de.
nuded of their valuable timber; and in other in.
stances they have been leased, and the money
has not been collected. In mary instances it
has been collected and sqandered in the fewes
number of cases have there been free schools
kept by the proceeds.
recommend the passage Of law for the
election of school commissioners IN every coun-
", one by the qualified electors Of each police
district, and that it be made the duty of this
aboard of school commissioners" to inquire into
and ascertain the exact condition of each six.
teenth section in their respective counties.
recommend the appointment of general school
commissioner to reside at the seat OF govern
mont, who shall receive his appointment from
the governor and senate, whose duty it shall be
TO require Of and receive from the school com
missioners in the several counties semi annua
reports OF their proceedings in regard to tn,
sixteenth sections and other matters entrusted
TO their charge. 1t should be made the duty o
the county commissioners to hold meeting
quarter yearly, at the county site, and when
ever the interest arising from the proceeds Of
school section is sufficient to pay a teacher,
should be their duty to employ competed
man and establish him in school. Whenev
there ia a surplus, the consent Of congre
shonld he obtained to its transfer and use IN II
next adjoining township in which there IS q
fciency. They should, without delay, lease
the sixteenth sections, now undisposed OF, a
report to the general commissioner the amot
for which each one was leased, furtner
commend that all the fines and forfehufes,
lard, retail, and other licenses, and all OIL
funds that now go into the treasury other IN
the legitimate taxes on property, be relinquis
cd to fund to be established and called
f..r hat ho ifov N q cnllQ
ed from the several counties, and placed in
..school fund.- and further recommend tina
tax of five per cent. on the amount of the ST
and county taxes be assessed and collected
nualy for the benefit Of the school fund.- e.
mate that from these sources, (not including
literary fund now on handy we will der
$4,000 annually. This fund should be plat
under the control of the general commission
10 be used in aiding the estab ishment Of f
schools-the fund to be apporioned among
counties, each according to its white populati
taking the census of l645 as the present basis
apportionment 1t should be the duty Of
school commissioners to establish schools. A
whenever the funds Of the township was ins
ficient to employ teacher, portion of his '
ges should be paid out Of the general fund; a
the whole should be free. school in every
habited township. at least a part OF the year.
the fund would employ teacher but for thu
months, let the school be taught for that len!
of time. Such is the plan which have devils
If it does not meet the legislative sanction,
hearty CO operation is rendered in any OF
scheme which gives reasonable promise OF 9
cess. In the final arrangement of any P
much must be included by way of detail VIII
it would be inconvenient to embrace in &c
raj recommendation; and hope it may not
roneidoppd aa stonniuO he vond ho lruifu Of n
priety to say it will give me pleasure to aid