Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1847-05-06
COMMON SCHOOL CONVENTION.
10 the People Of Indiana.

~ tne GcOPtt % lmOfima.
During the late session of the Indiana legislature;
aJolnt resolution passed that body, recommending
State Common School Convention to be held at Indi-
annapolis on the fourth Wednesday 26h day Of the
present month (May) This assemblaee is to be COM
posed OF individuals. voluntarily attending to delibe
rate on the great subject Of school education
Boon alter the passage Of the resolution, meeting of
the citizens OF indianapolis called and resolutions
adopted, inviting the cooperation and attendance of
all persons friendly to the cause of common school
education throughout the State and that literary
soclatlons engaged the promotion Of education and
voluntary assemblies of the citizens be requested
send delegates to said convention. This was done in
The absence OF any form being designated by the leg
Isature to the Of constituting the conven-
tion-the great object being to procure the attend
ance oil the friends of the cause, either personally
through their representatives.
resolution also adopted, for the purpose Of
extending the hospitaties of the city of Indanap polls
to the members of the convention, and a Committee
consisting of Messrs. Blake, Hubbard and Hannaman
was appointed, to make arrangements for their enter
talnment, while in the city.
third resolution adopted, appointing a COM
mttee, consisting of Messrs Beecher, Ames Bayless,
Ray, Butler, Bolton and Cressy, to correspond with
and procure the attendance Of gentlemen from abroad,
and prepare and issue circular, setting forth the OBJ
Jects Of the convention, to be circulated throughout
the State.
Several Of the members. of this committee being
now absent from the city, their places have been sup
piled by the appointment of Messrs. r. Mayhem, ID.
v. Culey and III. p Coburn, to act in conjunction
with those now in Indianapolis.
The committee in looking the whole ground,
have avaied themselves of information ssontalned in
the report of Mr. Mayhem, late Treasurer OF. State
and Superintendent of Common Schools, as the best
within their reach.
This report contains a tabular statement showing
the amount Of congressional township surplus
nue., salne and bank tax funds in sixty counties,
~01I - - -
of common schools-making aggregate of 81 ,346,-
1872 III in said counties. From the remaining thirty
counties no returns had been received. The state
ment also contains the number of children from FIVE
to twenty-one years of age in fftysix counties, the
number attending school in of the countless &c.
The Superintendent, commenting the above,
remarks
Admitting that the subjects reported stand in the
naming thirty the in the above, the
suit would be that the following funds and
in active operation in State for the purpose
OF sustaining common schools, TO witt
Congressional Township Fund.- sl,4l0942 so
Surplus Revenue Fund, 5is $50 40
Saline Fund.- l469 so
Bank Tax Fund.- t2s45 20
Total above estimated, s2,0I92ss 40
'In the of saline and bank funds, the amount
at this time is somewhat larger than appears above,
the distributed during the past year general
" embraced in the above reports. The number OF chill
dren from 1--WE to twenty-one years is reported from city,
sir counties at 2ll sS5 admitting the proportion
in the remaining thirty counties and the number
the State would be 340522. Il sppeafs also from several
of the reports that portion of the children in several
counties had been omitted the numbers not having been
given by the township trustees. From these facts
may reasonably down the number of the children in
the State at 350, 600.
BY reference the few counties that have reported the
number Of scholars attending school, will be that in
counties about onefourh Of the whole number have
attended in others, about one-half in of them
rather one-third and averaging in the number
ported about Sc per hundred leaving "a hundedhs Of the
children of Indiana without benefit of common school
instruction.
II trust and believe that the reality Is Quite dis
couragng this picture represents The county Of No.
bic shows that Of 2074 children 1900 have attended
And in the county of Lagrange although the number is
ascertained the auditor gives the opinion that three
fourhs of the children have attended school, These gen.
eal facts Indicate, that with few exceptions bat little in
has hitherto been manifested in the subject edu-
cation, and that great effort has yet 10 be made And
what is to be the direction of that eortt What remedy
20 be applied What movement to be made, bring this
cause into efficient operation
at gratifying observe that the nefcency in the
operation Of our school system is attracting
ton among the people large. and consequently claiming
consideration in legislative halls, heretofore I'M
known and there appears determination ferre.
the evil and apply the remedy"
We would gladly place before the public the saln-
able suggestions of the Superintendent at length but
we have not room in this address. We recommend
the report to the attention Of those particularly who
will attend the convention 1t will be found in the
Documentary Journal, shortly to be distributed with
the Laws, In the different counties of the State and
II s desirable that reports should be brought 10 the
convention from counties whefe no reports have been
made by the county auditors.
Indiana, II will be perceived from the above is
richly endowed with fund sacredly set apart for the
use of common schools, amounting to bereen tlco and
three millions Of doLars. On the score of dollars and
cents alone, this sum is well worthy the attention of
the people of the State, In its appropriations but when
we lOok at the obect-one so closely connected with
the perpeulty ofOur glorious free insutiOnsthe best
feelings of the heart awakened-patriotism, phi
lanthropy and christianity, all urge action.
In conclusion we would remark, that we have in
formation from different parts of the State where the
people have been moving this question: which in
dlcates large attendance at the convention AS we
trust improved system of common school education
IS to BE- the fruit of the convention desira BILE
that their should be attendance from every county
in the State As proof that the people are right on
the subject of common schools in Indiana we cannot
forbear giving the result of vote in this city, At
recent charter election the question was decided whe-
Their the voters would submit to a for free schools
or not when there almost unanimous vote in
the affirmative.
OVID BUTLER, Charm Cor Com
N BoLToN, Secretary.
0rEditors throughout the State respectfully
requested to publish the above, and call public atten-
ton to the convention.
The New York Herald abiding to the Mexican
war and the Independent Treasury as calculated to
ing from neutral paper, may possess some weigh,
n, rUuhf md Lad LIZ