Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1859-01-14
BEDFORD. PA. FRIDAY, JANUARY IA, 1859

mere material interests, or the care of local adj
ministration,- the one to the local
sovereignty of the people, and the other to prI
vate or associated enterprise, should also pre-
sent for consideration aud promotion intellect
ual and moral claims of peculiar Importance.
1t is at this period in cur history that the sys-
ten of public education challenges the attention
of the most unobseryant And | shall be much
mistaken in tne cautious but stadfast character
of the people Of Pennsylvania, if their Repre-
sentatives do nos make il the first object of
their solicitude.
The annual report. Of The Superintendent of
Common Schools will lay before you tho present
condition of the Common School System. and
Of its operations during the past year. Your
close and scrltinizing attention IL invited to the
details of that document
Including the city of Philadelphia, it will be
observed, thas there were in public schools Of
the State, during the year which terminated on
the first Monday of last June, 628 ,201 pupils
these were instructed during an average term
of little over fye months, in / l,2Sl schools,
by, 1886 teachers, at total cost of 81, ,427,-
1924
Here is public interest, which, - whether
we regard its Famifeations into every portion of
our social fabric, its large cost, the important
powers over the present which it wields, or It's
incalculable Influence upon the future, ,-undoubt-
edly tracscends all others committed TO the
care of the secular authorities. This being the
case, | have no hesitation in asserting that the
time has arrived whenits full Importance should
be recognized, and that its due administration
should be made the duty of fully organized
aud effective, as well a separate department
in the government.
But the mere care and promotion Of our sys
tenn Of Common Schools : important and extern
sve as it obviously is, should not be the sole
object of such Department If it is true
that the power to punish crime includes also the
right to prevent It, BY providing for the proper
intellectual aud moral training of tie people,
ii would seem to follow that the department
charged With the latter momentous duty should
also be 10 possession Of all the sources and sub
jects of information, calculated to shed light
upon the object Of It's action Hence the col
lection. saEssn cement, aud practical deductions
r i ,oh iadgIstrfial stststes s from
blindness and lunacy from crime III its various
/ forms and Developments together with such
control over all the literary and scientific in-
stitutions in the State, as shall bring their full
! cOnultlOu iutU fiSW3 ShOoA1 @i7C SS'Ohs. ~ NhS
/ same Department.
Therefore, | most respectfully, tut earnest
+ IL, urge upon your favorable consideration, at
the present propiteous moment, the oreanlzl-
ton of such Department. in the room Of those
for the care of mere matter whose agency has
been or soon will be discontinued by the on
ward and upward progress of the Common
wealth.
A suitable Department of Public lnstrue-
ton, will not, however, of itself, effect all that
IS needed in this direction. The general re-
suits of the Common School system, already
cited, show the Importance of It's nature, and
the magnitude of its operations. 1t we look
also, into its special statistics, the conclusion
will be equally clear that certain improvements
in its working machinery are equally lndlspeu'
sable.
1t is needless to attempt to prove the truisn
that the properly qualified teacher is the lie
and success of the school, But the facts are
startling, that Of the 1928 teachers of oul
public schools, exclusive of those in PhIladel
phia, ouly 5,0S7 are reported as "qualified' fol
their important trust while 1851 ere returned
as ssmedium," or such as are only tolerated til
better can be obtained and that 2,3l3 are
stated to be "nnGt." In other words OF th'
569,SS0 children attending the schools out O
Philadelphia, only about 23o, 600 Qess than one
half are under proper instruction from inferior
teachers; 1000 are actually in charge o.
persons wholly unfit for the task.
This presents the subject in light that car
not be shut out and, though the great anc
commendable efforts recently made by the tea
chefs of Pennsy ylvana, for their own improve
ment, are fully recognized, it can not be con-
cealed that there is a work yet to be done, IN
this relation, which would seem to be beyond
their unaded power to accomplish
When, however, we look further into the
special statistics of this branch Of the system
the material for Improvement is found to be oi
the most promising kind. vi the l2,o2S tea
chers OF ou: common schools, lO,oo9 ara under
thirty years of age, aud, l0,946 are natives Of
Pennsylvania; and a larger proportion than IL
most of the other States are permanently deyo-
ted to the profession of teaching. 10 render
these fit for the position to which they aspire
undoubtedly one of the most useful aud honor
able in the woodland to raise up constant
supply of we'll qualified successors, is the woik
to be done.
Various modes Of effecting this object have
been suggested or tried bur, after mature re-
! Aection, am led to prefer that devised by the
Act of May 20, 1858, entitled San Act to pro-
vide for tho due training of teachers tor the
Common Schools of the State. II places, in
relation to the State, the teacher on the same
footinp with the members Of such Of the other
learned professions az have been recognized by
publi, authority aud it is to be regretted that
The nrostration of business and scarcity OF
money, thai so soon followed the passage Of the
act, had the effect of checking many laudabie
efforts TO put its provisions into operation.
Under these circumstances, does it not become
the duty of the State to afford as or at least t(