The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-02-20
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attached to the public schools. Efforts, par
TALLY successful, were made to classify the
pupils; rules and regulations, affecting pupil
and teacher, adopted; class books specified,
and course Of study marked out for the
successive grades Of the schools; especial
attention on the part Of the teacher was
insisted on TO thorough training OF the
children in the elementary branches. The
"minutes'' book OF the Board shows the
discussion Of questions Of abiding interest.
II time allows, some OF these We will touch
upon before we shall have done with our
public schools. In the spring Of 1853 the
Board OF Directors divided the district into
sub districts. This subdivision answered
the requirements of the State School Law,
adopted shortly afterwards, and the Board
Of Directors elected in March, 1868, carried
ont substantially the system inaugurated by
the previous Board. Schools were opened
in districts where practicable, and some ma
teriai improvements made in the classifying
OF the pupils. The extraordinary claims Of the
previous year, together with. the pecuniary
endorsements OF the country operating
against liberal payment Of taxes, still
cramped the efforts Of the directory, and the
| schools closed at the expiration of eight
months, etill carrying debt for the next
year.
We think it questionable whether the
Board acted wisely in continuing the schools
SO long. The evils of debt probably. over
balanced the good resulting from forced
condition Of things; and an extension OF one
or two more months services is poor re-
turn for the delay Of payment to teachers,
or the sacrifice they are compelled to make
on their warrants.
The number of teachers employed during
the term Of 1853 was "a.
Average compensation per week Of the male
toachers, $l6.66
Average compensation per week of
female teachers, 8.66
Average cost per pupil per week was 22.0o
Cash received from the county and
State, -3,0os.74
| Cash reed from City, 3,45I.15
Cash reed from III. w. Sample, $4,000
Total cost Of tuition for the term, o,052.S7
virginia Young Chrisiians.
The Young Mems Christian Association Of
Richmond, Va, retracted its invitation to
Bayard Taylor to lecture for them on the
stupid pretext that they did not know, when
the invitation was given, that he was con-
nected with the Tribune, and that his leo
ture on Humboldt was in6del in sentiment.
Taylor, in bis reply, suggested that they were
very ignorant, as every intelligent man in
this Union knew of his connection with the
Tribune for twelve years past.
The other point Taylor settles in the fol-
lowing manner:
You speak of my lecture on Humboldt with
80 much assurance, that presume you must
have heard it. / cannot suppose that you,
the President Of an Association which claims
| to be pre-eminently Christian, would make
so grave charge against any one from hear
say or imperfect knowledge. - You knotr,
therefore, that the only points in that lecture
which have any reference to religion are
these: defend Humboldt from the charge
VI thuuSfitfs ckotluk NY ucilcI tHut ubeH
religious feeling formed the basis Of bis
character, and, furthermore, / dissent from
the assertion Of q few narrow-minded thee
logians, that science 10 necessarily atheistic
in its tendencies. confess to profound
astonishment that you should consider such
opinions an evidence Of "scepticism," indi.
eating want OF belief in s'the divine inspi.
ration and authority OF the Sacred Scrip.
lures" If the belief that Humboldt was
not an infdel makes me one, by the same
logic, If believe you to be m infidel,
prove myself Christian.
In conclusion, let me say that have trav.
eled in all the principal portions Of the earth
that know all forms Of government and
all religious creets, from personal observa.
ton and study but that nowhere, in any Of
the lands or races most bitterly hostile te
Republicanism or Christianity, have ever
been subjected to narrower or more in
sulting censorship.
! Yours, for free thought and enlightened
Christianity. BAYARD TAYLOR.
i VISIBLE ADxIxrURs.-The Supreme Cour
OF Ohio has given its unanimous decisio,
against the constitutionality Of the act o
the last Legislature, taking the right to vot
from all whom the judges of elections nigh
suspect OF visible admixture OF African