Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-02-01
Education in the Rural Districts of Our
state-want of Reform.
tFrsm the Sforgantown star.l

Ma. Observation-Disclosures former communion
ton, asserted the propriety of adopting a system
of Free Schools in this State, shall for the
present attempt to sustain my position upon the
following proposition: This System would Gre
ate uniformity of Schools throughout the
State, all moving on regularly and harmonious
~, like the various appendages of some gigantic
machinery, all receiving their impetus from one
common cause Then the youths in every town,
village and neighborhood in the Old Dominion,
would have an opportunity of acquiring at least
a common education. Now under our present
system, there are hundreds, yea even thousands,
growing up without a knowledge of reading
and writing, not having even school house in
their neighborhood. Mlonongalia county was
amongst the first settled counties in Western
Virginia. Let us take view other school houses,
or rather of the sites where school houses are
needed. We have in our county some half dOz-
zen villages or more. Let us examine their IA
cities for schools. There is Granville Hamilton,
Cassville and New Brownsville all pleasantly sit
uated on the Dunkard Turnpike road There is
Smithtown OF the MorgantOwn and Bridgeport
Turnpike. These villages contain wealthy tner-
chants, thriving farmers and industrious me-
chHnics, and not one of them has even a school
house. 1t is true, most of them have adopted
the habit of procuring church, or rented va
cant honse, or Workshop, when they can pro-
cure the services of a suitable teacher; but with
one or two exceptions, they have no regular
schools Look at Vaudeville, the houses dolting
the banks of their quiet stream for about a
quarter of mile, but no school houses There
\ is the neighbprhood of Martins Church. and
Bethel, which may properly be called the ''land
of school teachers" But a few wears ago each
| of these neghborhoods had school house and
regular schools, from which have issued many
Teachers and some noted orators, amongst whom
we may name one of our present law-givers,
/ (Mr. Davis. But now while they look back to
their alma matters, behold they are gone Ono
OF these buildings has crnmbled into ruins, and
tho other has become private property, and
these neighborhOods, containing many far
out school houses in which to educate their
own offspring. This picture, kind reader,
| is view of the wealthier portions of our
country. But this state of affairs is not pecu-
| lar to our own country. In examining the sta
! tstcs of education, according TO the census %
| 1850, we find that Virginia has u population C
nearly million and half; and that ont of that
number only one hundred and ten thousand, or
one person out of thirteen, attend schools. W..
also find that there are eighty eight thousand
| five hundred and twenty persons in the State
over twenty years of age, who cannot read or
write Now, is not this an alarming state OF
affairs: 1t certainly is. But it will not be 9TH
erwise, while we have no system of schools;
| have SchoOl.hOuSeS in which to carry on our
schools. And l presume that every close obser-
yer is convinced we never will make much pro.
gresS in this cause until there is an entire change
\ III school system. Is it not Just as impOr.
tant that we have good lighthouses and regu.
lar schools, rs that we have good court house
and jails, and regular courts of justice? And l.
so, is il not just as reasonable to levy tax t.
Support the one as-the other? w.