The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-06-18
Education.

To the Editors Of the Carolina Spartan.
GENrLEMEN: Believing that every tax.
payer in the State has right to express
AN opinion on the proprety or justice Of
every object for which appropriations Al
made by the General As emily Of the
State, will, with your permission, express
my opinion freely on the appropriations
made for educational purposes.
10 come 10 a correct understanding Of
the subject under consideration, i, is ne
ccsSary 10 resort TO figures, and though fip-
nres are but small strokes Of the pen, IN
al! money matters they constitute III C m os,
powerful arguments.
Up to december, 1851 |, the annual an.
preparation for the South Carolina College
was about $4,000, which, with an aver.
age sum Of $4,000 for buildings, made
the sum total of s25, 900. The amour,
appropriated for all the poor children in
the State was but $37 500, a sum totally
inadequate for the object, and that left the
great majority oftbe poor without the al
vantages of education. Convinced that
the liberality OF the State was dispensed
with partial hand, the Legislature of
that year doubled the appropriation for
Free Schools, giving the College the usual
amount; and thus il has remained since.
To be convinced, however, of the great in.
equality still subsisting between the rich
and the poor, it IS necessary only to know
the number Of each.
The number OF students now at the
South Carolina College, according to in
formation, docs not exceed one hundred
and twenty, Of whom doubtless some are
from other States; but desiring to be per
fectly fair, open and candid, we will give
the College her highest average amount
for the past four years, which will lie
about two hundred; of which not moro
that one hundred and seventy have l.een
of this State. twenty-five thousand dol.
lars Tor one hundred and seventy students
gives one hundred and forty seven (sI47)
dollars OF the public money paid annually
for each student at the South Carolina
College. Afer the reader shall have
looked over the preceding calculation, let
him follow me in another. According to
the last returns TO the Legislature from the
various Boards Of Free Schools, the nun /.
ber Of children taught on the free school
fund was l7,440) seventeen thousand four
hundred forty; which divided into the ap.
preparation Of 1884 (s14,4oo) gives four
dollars and twenty. six cents. Thus do we
arrive at the stubborn fact that from the
public treasury there are paid for tuition
Of the rich and wealthy al College sI47
annually, and for the poor and needy 81.
90.
a stranger, on reading the foregoing
statement, would reasonably inquire: How
much does the State Of South Carolina
appropriate towards tho education Of the
middle classesi And, in reply, he is told
not cent, sirl not a cent Astonish-
ment is pictured on his countenancc. and
well it may; for perhaps there is not an.
other instance " such blind partiality
throughout our widespread confcderacy.
We are a military people in South Caro-.
lima, and have any number Of officers,
from the governor down TO the orderly
sergeant, and will PROFOUND the question
to any one Of them, would il be poli,icl
would il bejusti to disburse the whole OF
the military fund upon the right and left
wirgs OF our army, and not give single