The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1853-09-21


: schools ia different enunties before the
establishment of onrsy stem a common
Schools. and Zoe several years have
bern irving 10 infnnn myself. in fari-
ous ~sys, on this obscure subject.
Ny investigations bring me 10 this
conclusion. viz: that il would be sery
liberal estimate 20 put at tsenty thea-
sand the number Of childres Win, be-
fore the adoption Of our Common schaol
system. attended part IL the time dur
ing any one year. or in period uf two
years. the country or ordinary subscrip-
ton schools Of the State.
Without going into nv sources Of
information. lew general facts will
sustain the above view and in fact |
need only make one calculation. and
one which all will recognize a. liberal.
Put the number Of counties at 70
this is over the mark. al the time al
lusled To- -and the average number III
schools at 10 To county. AND the ave-
rage number of scholars at 25 TO q
school; this gives seventeen thousand
i've hundred scholars. How many per-
sons can count a. many as ten country
sch""l houses which existed in their
counties previous to the establishment
ofCDmm0n Schools! How MANY c0un-
ties are there where FIVE could not be
found But that NAV not be under
the mark will say that twenty thou
sand children. at some time during a
period oi two years, attended the cum
try schools of North Carolina and |
here intimate that | should not be sur
prised il ] am, some day. able TO prove
that the number was not often greater
than ten thousand, and sometimes I'M
der.
What is now the number that once
in period Of two wears attends the
country or Common Schools?
| Ii is considered severe reflection
on our historical Efforts in North Caro-
lima that the name Of our first Gayer-
nor was suffered TO become problem.
What shall We say Of the fact that the
State has founded system Of Common
Schools. and BY ITS funds helped to
keep the system in operation for seye,
raj years, while so little vigilance has
been exercised over il that the number
oi the schools is not known and can only
be guessed att Members of the Lite
rary Board have estimated the number
as high as thirty five hundred my own
estimate is from twenty FIVE hundred
to three thousand. We will suppose
$500, and the average attendance %
to the school, and all the schools open
once, al least, in every two years this
gives US sixty two thousand FIVE hun
dred children at school in the State Mt
some time during each period of two
years. The attendance, however, we
all know, is greater at the Common
Schouls than it was at the subscription
schnols; in fact we might very safely
estimate the average at the former al
so, and 90 at the latter, while, howev-
or, there was undoubtedly a mnre re-
gular attendance at the subscription
srh0Ols.
Wemay, from the foregoing premises,
conclude, aud do affirm, that in eve-
ry period of two years there are three
tunes as many children going to coun.
try schoals as formerly, but there are
not and could not be three times as
many receiring an education. Ii there
we're, then more than tw0-tliirIs were
formerly ignorant. In fnrmer times
many, many boys and girls, attended
one, two, Or three shurt schnuls, and
then their education was completed |:
now the same set will attend, at differ
ent times, Tor many schuuls. Still it
is an inevitable conclusion that great
many more now receive the elements
Of an education than formerly, and
large maiority get better Quotations,
poor as our schools are said to be.
In number Of counties from one to
three moderately good subscription
schools have been destroyed. and in
their stead have been established Com.
mon Schools, which are not kept open
as long during the year buta consi,le.
rable portion Of those benefited for
merly BY the best subscription schools
now send to higher, or classical
schools, aud most Of the remainder
could raise fund to lengthen the term
OF the District Schools by using the
same excrtinn that had to be used to