The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1857-07-11
(Conaanuntca1ed)
MALLET WooDs, PARISH OF ST.. LANDRY,
June 30th, 1857.

- i,
June 30th, 1857. (
Messrs. Editors Ope1ousaS Courier
It might be deemed presumption on my
part to descant on subject so tedious al
Public Education, but as it is the duty O
every man to contribute his share small as il
may be to the welfare and progress of man
kind, feel it a duty incumbent upon me, il
order that they should be brought to the
knowledge Of the community in general anc
more particularly to novators themselves, tc
endeavor to adduce some facts; longer pro
crastinatlon on my part to point out this state
of things, would be undoubtedly adding to it;
continuance. Public education and public
roads are subjects SO reluctantly attended tc
in some parts of this parish, that it is high
time that some one should try to advocate c
reform, or suggest meansto remedy the evil!
thereof the indifference manifested for the
former, at least in this neighborhood, that il
is scarcely deserving of its share of the mag
nifcent boon of the $4,000 which annually
inure to this Parish, to be applied to the diff
fusion of light among her 1900 schoolable
children. We see with grief that only one
fourth of that number are benefited by this
gift.-To whom may be attributed this apathy
and slothfulness existing (as it appears among
the largest portion of the poor population
This is, Messrs. Editors, problem that good
many, you included, could not so easily solve
Though there is some known facts, to many
devoted friends of the system, that the bad
working of it, is in some parts to the penu-
riousness of Directors, in one way, but it is
not generally known that there are several
and more powerful causes to be imputed to it.
and impeding the wheel from revolving, look
ing at that, very innoxious in its superficial
appearances, but not the less pernicious in its
effects, to the largest portion of the poor popu-
lation, when INDUCED upon, and are infringing
at the same time one of their most sacred
rights
1t is in many instances, stolidly believed
tresults shows and vouchsafe for this assertion)
that among the poor men, there is none en-
dowed with hardly enough intelligence to be
intrusted of such an office as school-direetors,
in order they could provide for themselves,
that feels the direct necessity of it. The very
men in whose hands it oug hit to devolve, if
we do not want to let it go into oblivion and
nought.> Why sehool-houses should not be
built where it is most densely populated,
seemingly as they ought to be, for the con-
venieney of the greatest number affording
them, instead of precluding, efficient means
to attend to it, and be educated which is the
only atonement they can expect to get in COM
pensation of their misfortune, if it is q mis-
fortune to be poor? This, Messrs. Editors,
deserves the close attention and scan of the
Well-wishers of that class. Directors of pub
lic-schools in many places are wilfully play
ing off with that office with as little regard as
a boy would with geW-gaw, deserving but
very little, if any at all, of their attention
and when the payment time comes, they very
layishly draw on the Treasury to perform the
they have contracted. without pre-
viausly inquiring whether they have received
from them (teachers) full value for their
checks. Teachers are allowed too, by diree-
tors to fulal the arduous duties Of several pro.
fessions and Offices of reward and trust, and
every one of them, of course, cannot be dis
charged neither faithfully nor agreeably to
law rendering in fact the one contemplated
for the public good, at least, to allintepts and
purposes dnavailab ble.-Please Messrs. Edi-
tors, to inquire candidly from the most skilful
blacksmith of your town, were he to put sew
eral pieces of iron in the fire at one time, if
some of them wouldn't be in great danger of
being damaged, if not totally spoiled, before
be could have them all worked right | said
before, that men were thrown away or discar-
ded, when they would be the very men that
could discharge punetually and faithfully this
important Office for them, deriving from it the
direct benefit putting in their stead. men
that are perhaps more competent, but sur
by so many distractions in their own
affairs, and not feeling the direct necessity of
this institution, being above it, but at the
same time deyoiding the hopes, by their inac-
ton of the poor men, of seeing his offsprings,
for some time to come, in better condition
It happens too, under the present system of
that teachers and directors are
very often placed in precarious position to-
wards each other. Directors contracts and
binds themselves, towards teachers, to pay
them certain sum of money at such appoin-
ted time (knowing not whether they will be
able oftentimes to meet their engagements,
because the money is not in their hands) when
the appointed time comes, Mr. Teacher takes
his piece of paper in one hand and bis hat in
the other, walks up very politely to Mr.
Treasurer to receive his due, when alas he
receives the awful answer of: there is no mon
ey, sir, to the credit of your district. It is
a fact that arrives sixty times on one hundred:
/ mean in all the parishes generally; under
this i'll success Mr. Teacher is compelled to
go back home disheartened, and almost stun.
ned, because he had calculated upon that
money to pay his debts, as an editor Of pa
per does of his clients to pay his type-setters.
Dir. Director, of course, feels bad to see his
check unpaid. being morally, if not civilly,
bound for that amount, and feeling that he
has induced that teacher in error and decep-
ton. How can this be remedied! Well. in
my humble opinion, it can be easily done for
the benefit of all, except the Treasurer. I
would advocate to discard. as to that purpose,
the Parish Treasurer. whom for their shares
curtails the State School fund of $4,000 for
their little services. and put the money in the
hands of the l53 Directors, subjects to fulfil
tba a;raaf;or throuoh the State fhosa 159