The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1848-06-26
From the Terre Haute Express
COMMON SCHOOLS.

| have said that in well regulated system OF
Common Schools, instruction can be impaired
for about one third the amount usually paid
for similar instruction in select or subscription
Schools; and am informed that the correct
ness of this statement has been doubted by
some and denied by others who have heard me.
| therefore desire through your valuable paper,
to give some Of the evidence upon which re-
ly to sustain this statement.
The Hon. Samuel Galloway, superinten-
dent Of Common Schools in the State of
Ohio, in his report for last year, page 9,
says:
"lt has been well established by uniform
experience, In all places where various kinds of
schools have been taught, that education under
well organized general system is the leas,
expense. The testimony exhibited in the let
ters attached to his report. shows that the
usual annual price Of tuition in the Common
Schools, varies from 1925 to 1878. This is
about one-third of the price generally given
ior tuition IN Select Schools. Itappears from
the last report of the trustees and visitors of
the Common Schools in Cincinnati, that the
aggregate annual amount paid teachers was
S26,7l7 80, aud that 1920 pupils were en-
rolled during the year. These facts would
give 81, 81 as the rate for each, As the daily
attendance is reported al 4, 439, it is not prob
BILE that more than 6, or 1000 pupils may be
considered as having enjoyed the full benefits
OF the schools. Assuming 1000 as the number,
the price for each would be fraction over "a.
There can be no doubt that the tuition of that
number in select schools would have cost al
least $50, 900. As fuller evidence upon this
point, these facts, presented by reliable author
ity, may be given. In single year, in Massa-
chusetts, the amount paid for private tuition
was 1886, 900, whilst in the same year, the
amount applied to the tuition of six times the
number OF children educated i'm public schools
was S5l3,0OO. In one year in Connecticut,
5000, 900 were expended for the education OF
seventy thousand children in public Schools.
Facts might be multiplied illustrating the
same truth"
The testimony alluded to in the above ex-
tract, is contained in several letters wri
to Mr.. Galloway, by persons having charge of
schools in several towns and cities of that
great State, in answer to questions addressed
to them BY himself. The 9TH of these ques-
tons was-"What has been the extent and
variety of branches taught in your school, and
have the advantages for thorough education
been equal to those afforded i'm select schools. "
10 this question the reply from GAINESVILLE was
as fU!lows:
"The course embraces full English course,
including Mathsmatics, Natural Philosophy,
&C., also Latin Grammar and German. But at
present we are without Germar Teacher
There is no select school in the place IN winch
the highest branches are taught. II has been
tried repeatedly, but always failed; / meac,
since the existence Of the Public Schools
They are designed to be our rery best schools,
and we think they are"
The same question is answered By the Super
intcndent, Trustees, and Visitors of Portsmouth
as follows:
"rhe course Of study pursued in our school,
was more extensive, during the year for which
THIS report Is made, than it has been at any
previous time since its commencement. Be-
sides the elementary branches of an English
education, pupils have been taught in the Uni
ted States and General History, Natural Philo-
sophy, Astronomy, Botany, Political Gram
mar, (Mansield's) Geometry of Planes and
solids, Trigonometry, Mensuration, Algebra as
treated OF In Davies First Lessons and Davies
Bourbon Through method Of Inneterminate
Coefiicients, Summation of Series, and Theory
of Logarithms,) and Surveying and Travelling
as taught by Grammere. Those branches Only
are named which have been pursued by classes
respectable both in numbers and proficiency.
II should be added, too, that pupils who have
Prusued these studies were first required to
master thoroughly the more rudimental stu
dies, Arithmetic, English Grammar and Geog-
raphy.
| In addition TO the above named branches,
| provisions have been made for teaching Mental
PHILOSOPHY, Moral Science; Political Econ omy
kudlments OF Anatomy, and Physiology, Ge-
ology, French and Latin Grammar. 1t will be
seen by the above enumeration of branches
taught, that there are rery ftu Of our high
schools that offered to their pupils more tho
rough or extensive range of study, than that
taught in the Common Schools of this place.
There Is no Private High School at Portsmouth
and this of itself might probably be satisfacto-
ry. The demand for high school at Portsmouth
asa central point by the neighboring coun-
try. is supplied bya Common School"
| This question is answered by the mana
ger of schools in the city of Cleveland as fol-
lows:
| "The extent and vanity Of branches taught in
our Public Schools, is hardly sufficient to a f.
ford the advantages of a thorough English edu-
cation, but ara very near equal to those afford
ed by our best Select Schools.
j No funds have been obtained except by taxa
ton.
Our classification consists of Primary Gram
mar. and High Schools. (The latter has been
added within the past two years. We have,
in all, fifteen schools, taught by five male,
and seventeen female teachers, at an average
yearly salary Of $40 for males, and 5000 for
females. The maximum being $500, and the
minimum Sl3S.) The whole number of chill
dren In attendance is fraction over 1000