The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-12-19
yoLsME IS,
NEW SERIES.

prpil ard tearhcr and in many ways tile whole school
must suffer from the delinquency Of q few -f
8 The injury that the public at large snirrs from
irregular atten lance can never, in some OF lis most
important features be fully estimated. ltdestoys,
in some degree, the usefulness on efficiency OF the
schools, and must TO The same extent, foh the com'
mnnity of their BENEFITS. Any dDlinntion OF the
average culture of people Is q loss that can nell
tber be estimsed nor atoned for. Just in p opor-
ton to sich culture have always been the happiness
ard prosperity OF the community. The public schools
are supposed to afford such cuiiuf-a cnlture suit
ed 10 the wants OF cur nature, 8nd calculated 10
make men and women useful members OF the soci-
ETY. in which they move and Of wi ch each Is an in
trgral patt. No less than this WAS intended by tho
iuuuryrs ef cur system, and no less SHOULD be Will
lingly received as its Legitimate fius II ihea
some refuse TO become the recipients OF its b'es-
sings or avail themselves of them only in pirt,
certain amount oi cultured intellectis lost to the
community, while ignorance with all its attendant
evils is at the same time increased. Elements of
prosperity and happiness rej cted, and the seeds
az q. il Planted in tic body polite. Any one who
r., cts the schools heu,ccntis provided by the
state and allows or compels child to grow up in
ignorance. not only wrongs The Child bu rjures tho
state. l. t, ft.f. .. s.
But aving for the present tins view OF the snb
iec and looking at it from peennary standpoint
| We fad material for more papaUls aud substantial
| arguments. Here VIC have data i; hand from winch
to esm,te. in dollars and CENTS the inji sun rcd
by the public from irfesulr attendance. The ftcts
are su 90 stive and of nature TO awaken the soE-
ritu ,e Of every friend of the free schools of our
| state. -HH l.4ss sl,i p
| is good or bad. Teachers services, fuel and con-
tinpences school-houscs and repairing, all cost ex-
| actjy ns much The tax payers pay for the cduca-
tion of nil the children in the state whether they
avail themselves of it in full, In part or not at al
iIc,cs. uplpss pupils attend The schools and rec4va
their helicts the cost of their Instruction is money
thrown away. II is plain, too, that The loss wh no
in tho same proportion that they foil TO }yai Them
selves Of the blessings Of The schec., Bearing this
in mind the tolal attend tice, the average attend
ance the number OF m,u.hs taught, an I the cost
of instruction per month, for each pupil, as these
facts ar. found in the State Superintendests Report
for 1861 afford usa basis of calculation from which
We may dete, mine, with consiieribe accuracy, the
l,ss 10 the state, any district in the state, from
! ir1ettIir attendance. We can not, however, OBJ
,ain results, reidly correct, because We have no
means OF ascertauiag the value OF school property
Ih; State Superintendent has, We believe MADE no
altcmpt 10 ascertain tis important tro. lie gives
us she amount expended in buying lots and build
ing i.,sss, but as this is 4 permanent investment,
and not annual expenditure. II can moi DC useu ~
such q ea'cu9ton. result, absolutely true, Wou'a
lie obtains1 by adding to the above named Items OF
expense the rie,et the value of all school prop
orty. But as this last item is not within our reach
our results will be somewhat less than the actual
loss. Ii may he remarked, however, that part a
|
apcy between the total aud the acreage atteniance
is the result of providential causes. We do not
know low much; but as it would be manifesily np-
fair to iucluie irregular attendance from such caus-
@, il cur calculations, this would make our resuls
rather more than the actual loss. IL, then We let
thes- two important but ndetermiuate items biahce
, each other, we shall, We think be Sutcin'J qccu-
rate Tor all practical purposes.
The whole num,cr ofpupis ia the public schools
Of Bsdfyrd Borough, ia 1861 was So, While tho
acreage attendance was only 225. 1t will %
seen inst the d;ltrci CO lctwecn the t"H and The
acreage attendance WIS l25 pupiis That il, ih3
Borough paid for schooling l25 pupils more than it
| Actually schnoled. The cost per month for each
pupil vas 50 or 2. % for the term of four months
twill readily be seen, that the loss 10 tax payers
was l25 X 22l=$273 90. AT the same rate If the
schools lad he N open ten months the loss woul
have been SSsT SO, or u lhss of 81 per cent OF a
the money expended. Assuming the same hasi'
and following the same course OF reasoning We nave
prepared tho following table; showing the total nt-
tend nee; the average attendance; the loss ~ o.
teudAnc the loss in money for the tune the SCHOOLS
were ,Iy open, The ioss at the s'ine rate i'r
ten months; ami t:la loss per cent. on tho m'ney
expended; f,r each district IN ,dlord COUNTY, the
| county itsel a nd tie State at large. H '.-Hh