Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-12-21
VOLUME 80; NO 81.

animation Of this point, we are constrained
to adhere to our own proposition, as first
made, to distribute the fund according to
the number Of schools. This we believe to
be the only method by which any near ap-
( Proclamation to equality of taxation and uni
formity of educational advantages can be
obtained The chieGohjectionto this method
would be its tendency to unnecessarily in
crease the number Of schools; this we believe
would be entirely obyiated by requiring each
school district to provide for building and
contingent expenses by local taxation This
would doubtless be a sufficient check upon
an undue multiplication of schools. We
viii now endeavor to give few additional
reasons, why we deem our plan the more
likely to accomplish the desired result AT
first thought, it would appear that the pres
ent method Of distribution, according to the
number Of taxables, ought to produce the
result desired, and it was doubtless intended
SO to do at its adoption, but on careful ex-
animation it viii be found that It's failure
results from well established laws of popula-
ton and sefeet upon the value of property;
These are, that as population increases the
value Of property increases, and that as the
density Of population increases the average
cost Of education per scholar decreases, while
the reverse of both these takes place where
population decreases, that is, the value of
property falls while the average cost Of edu-
cation increases; thus in Bucks county, we
find the average cost, per month, per capita,
is but 43 cents while in Forest county it
amounts to $2,12 or nearly FIVE times as
much as in Bucks These differences in
cost arise from the fact that in densely pop
ulated districts each school has the maximum
number of scholars, perhaps 20 or so, that
a single teacher can successfully instruct,
but in the sparsely settled districts it often
becomes necessary to have schools where, by
reason of distance and bad roads, there viii
be but Is or 20 scholars at most, yet there
must be such schools or large portion of
the children Of the State be left without the
means fobtaining even the most elementary
education. This single case will fully ex-
emplify the utter impossibility of arriving at
any near approximation to equality by Alr
Householder system. Taking his own
figures we find Forest county would get but
5000 IS when the actual cost Of instruction
in 1864 for four months was 81, ,242.00
Thus by his distribution she would get but
two months school Bucks county v Hould
get $50, 5b0. 5U Wnere uvse Oe i..-s. ,.~.l~--
in 1864 for S.28 months was $47, ,924. 90.
Here we see the rich county of Bucks would
receive from the State an amount sufficient
to keep her schools open months at the
average salary Of teachers for the whole
State, while the poor county of Forest,
though paying precisely the same rate of
tax as Bucks, would only get sufficient to
keep her schools open 2months. Does this
look like equality? Ab uao disco onaes.
This is probably an extreme case, but the
same general principles prevail throughout
the State and render any system based upon
population, whether Of children, adults, or
taxables, Objectionable and incompetent to
sired equality. By the method We propose,
of distributing according to the number of
schools, the $1,000, 10000 would give to
each of the u, 500 schools in operation in
1864, 1927 80 enabling each to keep open 5. 4
IA months with the average teachers salary
of $22.79. This would give Forest county
81 ,7S2, IS and Buelz s2o. .657. &c and enable
each tokeep its schools openthe same length
of time while bearing the same rate of taxa
ton.
This We believe to be the nearest approx
nation possible at present to the true spirit
of our common school system. With this
view of the subject we shall await the action
of the legislature, with the hope of seeing it
acknowledge the true aud fundamental prin-
ciple of our school system and make the
richer portion of the State assist in proyi-
ding for the education of the poorer, instead
of as heretofore making the poor assist in
supporting the rich.