Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-01-05
OUR COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM.

GNE1OOh > EAts
Some weeks ago, few stray thoughts on
the atsurdities and inequalities Of our pres
ent common school system found their way
by accident into our columns. We now
propose to give the matter more thorough
investigation, hoping that our humble effort
to call attention to a subject of such vast
Importance to orr grand old Commonwealth,
viii call forth and rally around our standard
wiser heads and ADLER pens than ours
through whose instrumentality the cause Of
education and the diffusion of general intel
hgence may be promoted
Our common school system was originally
designed, not only to equalize the facilities
for obtaining liberal education, but also to
equalize the taxation necessary for the ac-
cOmplishment of that object The great
underlying principle, upon which this de
sign was founded, consists in the fact that
the promotion of general intelligence is al
ways accompanied by an improvement in
public morals, the infusion of energy and
enterprise into communities, and as a conse-
quence, increased wealth and prosperity.
Upon this ground, the tax upon the rich
mans property for the education of his
poorer neighbor : SONS o,,d aa-.esl.4A...
considered as fairly repaid, not only in the
increased security of his person aud prop
erty, but also in lessened taxation necessary
for the building of prisons and the prosecu-
ton and punishment of criminals, as well as
the increased value of his property, conse-
quent upon the diffusion of general intelli-
gence. These were fair and just deductions,
and the experience of many years, even in
the present imperfect condition of our
school system, has abundantly proven the
wisdom and foresight of TIE eminent states
men who first laid the foundation Of that
noble structure. 0Gy object shall not be, tC
impair the system from whici, we have al
ready derived so much benefit but on the
contrary to point out defects and sugges
Improvements, that shall assist in compile
ting the proportions harmonizing the vari
Gus parts, and preparing for greater efheien
CIV anu uH6lulnGSS, tDdt, NlllCn lids dIGdu.
been the instrument Of much good. 1t i
at the very foundation of the structure tina
we find the defect, that more than all other
has marred the fair proportions and impair
ed the powers of the whole system. Itcon
sists in confning the application of th
great principle of equal taxation, equal ap
preparations, and furnishing equal facilitie
for education, to the smallest possible ex
tent of territory instead of extending it t
its utmost bounds 1t is limited to singl
school districts (of aohich there are 1925 4
theStote, each s1ith rate of ta.Cdt:5a dtfel
& ing from the Others, and gajgiag from Of
nail on the dollar for 5 months school
Obey district, Berks county to Is mills 0
the dollar for months sclootia Red Ban
district, armstrong county, instead of bein
applied TO the whole State alike. We car
not for moment believe that the men, VIII
framed our school laws, either designed ii
application of this great fundamental pril
ciple to be thus limited, or such gross in
qualities Of taxation to be imposed upC
the people. Great reforms are not accom-
plished in day. They require time.
may have been an oversight in the framel
Of the law, but it is more probable, tha
because of the bitter opposition with whic
the system first met, that the friends Of th
reform consented to limit the application
this part of the law in the beginning, hol
90 owrfnr,1 = cv~aI,,nllx+ L.
ton, which always meets great reform
should give way under the benign infuen,
of education and the propagation of hber
ideas. Why the effort to extend it has ne
er been made We pretend not to knoV
Perhaps the barriers of ignorance and pre-
udice have not yet been sufficiently brokt
down. If they have not we hope the d;
is not far distant when they will have fore
er disappeared before the tide of advanciI
civilization We design to show. from Il
school returns and statistics for 1864, in Il
first place the gross inequality and iniusti
of the present mode Of taxation, not on
between the various districts of the san
county but between the various counties
the State In the second place, that Ill
inequality and injustice result from t
present mode of distributing the State a
preparations, that the present methods
both taxation and appropriation discrin
nate against the poorer districts and in
vor of the richer, and the only way in viii
our schools can be made permanently ei
Gent throughout the State, and our schC