Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-12-05

mechanic would und the work. With til
!. deliberate opinion Of a body as The Boar
J., of Trustees before mel did not rcrup'e TO q
:, gard this as an einsrgeasy' in which, the publ
interest demanded .whatdver appropriation coul
be made from the eonliEsent fnnd, without pre-
judceSto the cust6mafS drafts uponsit.-: TIL
assistance which ] wassable to render, enable
! The Committee to madEa contract upon yer
favorable terms, and thEs,work has been compile
ted within q shorter period than was though
possible. The College appears in renovate
beauty, and the tide ofits prosperity-ha has ha'
no ebb. TOO
The entire cost of ihe new building is $22
! s02.00. OF this sumShnve advanced out o
i: the contingent fund SIs0e0. An aPpEopriatio
Of 81, 1902 will be neceslaIy to fulfil the obliga
tion of the :Board'with fte. contractor Mr. Cow
| mover. Ihave paid fof ordinary drafts on th'
contingent fund, 81 ,0zQ5s There are certain
rewards offered for tGs apprehension of fugi
tives:from ju.tioefby neseif and predecessors
whiehma hereafter senslituten claim on THU
fund. s,s - .as:sSs - -. g, 7. : =
The Military Academies are mostsuccessfull,
conducted and continues 4seadilyto grow in pub
lie estimation. Though but Of q few year.
standing, their fruits ats;nlready felt in every
district Of The State, anEIunder your fostering
care, the harvest in iimsSWill bs rich aud abun'
dant. They will be esfdiHdsto be stronger safe.
guards than forts and dftifications. :. The indi
gent young man who lls himself thus gener.
ously trained by his iStafor the duties Of lie
can mover forget that hehas Stateto live for
-he will alwayE feel thStkhe hasa c'aim upon
him, land in the hour ofhAr trial, will regard no
saorifce too deat :indafA5ee Of her institutions.
Wise policy dictates that capacity for good
should be enlarged to at5; extent of our means.
Too much praise .eanaotsbe awarded 10 Gen.
James Jones, Chairmand the Board of Visitors,
for.ihe unse6sh defo.io6with which he watches
over and guards their Interest. He has just
reason to be proud of tbe success which has
crowned his efforts, and1he Stale may congrat-
ulate herself that the experiment. was ntrusted
to the guidance of onaao. highly qualified for
the task.
With but few exceptions, have reviewed
the regimenta of the first and fifth military d.
visions of the State, andahe regiments of Char
lesion and Laurens 3Djsficts. was gratiIied
with the military spirit eaineed, and the know
ledge of tactics which has been generally ac-
quired. The Adjutams Ind Inspector General
found always at his post and it affords me much
pleasure to testify to, his zeal and efficiency in
the discharge of his duty, 1t is not necessary
that should urge ;uponEou the Importance of
keeping up our present nilitia system. Our Pc
culiur condition, tand aba dangers to which we
are exposed both, frafE within and without,
should preclude the H6aght of abandoning it.
1t is not desirable, norris st practicable, to make
regular soldiers of our. sItizens, butt is impor-
tant to teach: them at asa ttIs rudimepts Of that
seicnee-dpo Re's opissintst rely for
security and defence. The muster field, like the
school house, has its lessons. It inculcates the
duty of obedience, the virtue Of courage, and
the sentiment of patriotism-and without these
elements, the standard of character can never be
high.
The Free School system will receive at your
hands that consideration which its Importance
demands Its results have fallen so far short of
its object, TINT it may be pronounced failure
Its defects ha, been long felt, and yet nothing
ha. been done except to double the sum Of
money to be wasted under bad system. 1t
requires thorough and entire reformation. 1t
is unfortunate that the end which was evidently
contemplated by the act Of 1911 has been aban-
doned, and that what was intended to introduce
gradually general system Of common schools
has been perverted 10 the exclusive education
Of, paupers. In my judgment We would return
TO the policy of 1911, and seek to inaugurate
system which, in its ultimate development
should bring the means of education within the
reach of every family in the State. A perfect
scheme cannot be matured at once. 1t is easy
to devise beautiful and consistent plan, as
thing of speculation, but il could not SO readily
be put into operation-par,ly from The want of
means, partly from lack Of interest in the bene.
fits of instruction, and especially from the inl-
possibility Of procuring competent teachers
Our incipient measures should look TO the double
end of creating popular demand for education,
and Of furnishing instructors able 10 supply It.
Normal schools, as being too exclusively profess
siona, are unsuited to The former purpose, and
until that ia accomplished, nothing is gained by
the preparation of teachers. 1t seems to me
that in conformity with the principle that knowl-
edge deseends, and that the supply creates the
demand, the first step should be 10 establish
high school in each district in the State, in which
pnpils could be prepared for business or the uni
versity, and from which certain number OF in
digent young men Of industry and promise
should be sent to college at the expense Of the
State, upon the condition of devotiDg themselves
to the office of teaching for specified period
after their graduation. The next step should be
to institute, rs teachers and pupils could be OBJ
tanned, inferior schools in every portion of the
land, until the means Of instruction nre made
accessible to nl The high schools, as prem-
mary measure, would be real and efficient pro-
vision for popular instruction. Light cannot be
confined "A city set on an hill cannot be hid"
Intelligence is essentially diffusive, and whatever
increases learning in one portion Of the commu-
nifty, eevates the standard of thought in ALL
The high schools would at once create demand
for the inferior, and furnish the means of provi-
ding them with teachers
If the State, however, should decline to en-
bark in general system, and should continue to
restrict It's appropriation to the INDECENT, the
principle which Mt present regulates the. distri-
button of the fund should certainly be changed.
Bv our public policy, education is denied to one
half of our population. The other half who
constitute our political vitality, are unequally
distributed over the State; and it is this portion
of our population whom Il is our duty and our
policy to educate. The distribution should be
in proportion to white population. If the State
undertakes 10 raise fund 10 educate the poor,
it should be spent where it is most needed
Under the present method, no more money is
allowed in one section for the education of five
or six hundred children, than in another for ten
or dozen. In matter of such vital importance
to the State, district and parish lines should be
disregarded. Whether we live in the mountains
or on the sea-board, in the midst of light or sur.
rounded byignorance,we eall equally interested
in the noble work, and into whatever benighted
part of the State the rays Of knowledge can be
made to penetrate, we should feel as citizens ol
the same State; enjoying one renown, and linked
to one destiny, that the partial blessing is the
general good. If the rich do pay largely to the
ton, and they will consult true policy BY eontri