Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-01-22
From the independent Press.
Common School System,

| VI representatives, ;tt lIlp ld(e COSNiOI ny ~
large majority, but owing to the want of
time failed to receive the action of the Son
ate. 1T will coNn9 up before the next lcgis-
laturc, and will no doubt .be passed. into a
law. From the Importance of its provisions, i,
we herewith append II synopsis of its leading
features as wch as the Report of the Com
mittee on Education, which presents clear
viewof the defects Of the present Free School
| System.
The Bill atthoriias the toliariSsioncrs of
! Free Schools, in each District and Parish, to
establish one or moro School precincts. in
their several Districts and Parishes; to erect
a school house in such precinct to procure
teachers and to regulate their number and
salaries, and the system and conduct of the
said School: : and provides that all children
| between the ages of Z and II shall he onti-
tied to receive an education at such school.
The whole expense incurred in erecting
each school house, furnishing the same, and
! purchasing the land for its use, shall he de-
traYcd, onc-half by II tax, upon the property
and persons within the precinct in which
such School is situated and to that end the
| BoGrd of Commissionors in each District and
! Parish is made body polite and corporate
VITA power to hold real md personal estate,
ana to receive donations, dcviscS and bSQueSts
Tor the use of such school; and the said
Boards arc authorized to levy a tax upon all
persons and property, within the School pre-
clnCt, IN tho same manner aS is allowed to
| the Commissioners of tue poor to an extent
not exceeding 25 per cent. upon the general
| tax OF each person; which tax the several
Tax Collectors are required to collect and pay
over: and upon tho Certificate of the Tax
| Collector that such tax has bcon levied and
paid, the Comptroller shall cause an equal
amount to hc paid out of the State Treasury,
to the Board Of Commissioners, for tho uS& of
the particular school precinct in which such
tax has been raised, The monies so raised
shall be expended by Treasurer to he APP
pointed by the Board; and tho various Boards
are required to report annually. as is now re
qulrcd OF the Commissioners of the Poor
The annual expenses incurred in the cdu-
cation Of pupils, and furnishing books in
each school precinct shall lie rnil partly by
the State, and partly by tax, to he levied
and assessed upnn all the persons and prop
crty. within the precinct as herein before pro.
vidcd. The portion to bc paid by the State.
shall nc equal to that raised hy the tax upon
the school precinct, until such payment NY
the state shan amount to $5 for each pupil
taught
In those Districts and Parishes Thcrc no
School District is established under the Act.
the Commissioners shall apply the existing
appropriations rs heretofore; and when any
school precinct has been established. they
shall certify to the Comptroller General
the portion of the appropriation which should
be paid to the use Of such precinct. and this
amount when paid shall be credited against
the sum to be paid by tho State for cduca-
ton in such precinct:
The foregoing arc the leading provisions of
the Bill, the following is the report Of the
House Committee:
THE COMMITTEES on EDuCAToN,
10 whom WAS raiprrtI A IEll IA
the system ofPublic Education inthis State"
beg leave to Report, That they have cxamin-
ed the same as maturcy as thcirlimitcd time
would allow. The Committee do not believe
that the FREQ School system now in operation
is an entire failure. On the contrary, they
believe that it has done much good, hut they
are IS well satisfied that there are many de-
iects in its operation. The present system
should not bc abolished. but improved and
that IN every effort at improvement. We
should keep constantly in view the prominent
defects OF the present system, which may be
arranged in something Ike the following
order: First. The reluctance felt by par
cnts to admit )at their children arc paupcrs
and in need Of the bounty of the Stale Sc
cond Tie incapacty und want of proper
qualification on the part of the Teachers en-
ploycd. Third. The unsuitable and uncpm-
Portable houses used as School IIouscS.-
Fourth The inccmpctcncy and want of pro-
per attention ON the part of the persons APP
pointed Commissioners of Free Schools Fifth
The great inaGcquacy of tic appropriation
made for Free School purposes. Your Com
mlttce would regard a great success, any
plan which would remedy the GHfccis ndi-
Gated, and accomplish the great purpose of
educating the people. They are unanimous
as to no necessity of somc Improvement, but
they believe that much difficulty in the opc-
ration of the FiCe School system has been.
and always will be, encountered by any gcn-
cral system, from causes Which canrct he
hanScd--among which may bo mentioned
the want of uniformity in the condition of
tho different portions of our State. Some
Districts are rich, whilst others arc poor, ard
somc arc populous, whilst others are sparse
y inhabited. These are difficulties Inherent
in the nature of the subject so that it is i'm
possible to propose any genera sys tcm which
will work equally we'll i'm all parts OF The
",aatrg. Your Committee, however, arc
anxious to improve and enlarge the present
system, and in this spirit they have consid- I
cred the Bi! rrforrcd to them. Yhcy believe
that the plan proposed will remedy some, if |
not all the defects of The present system. - |
They approve the general idea of making the
system Common School, instcal of n Free /
School system. This is in unison with the
spirit of our institutions. and in other res
poets, desirable. They also approve the pro-
position, of cnlarSi 9 the means of education
by atdwnG the ci,zens Of particular por-
t!ons OF the country to tax Themselves for cd |
ucational purposes, and to receive assistance |
lor That object, from the Treasury of the
State. Your Committee approve tho pEnci-
pic and general plan Of tho BIZ They bayc |
no doubt OF its entire p"actcltility IN cities. |
tOwns onI yillo1os l,,,t ,I.o,, ,ro :, ,. ,,... /