Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1866-07-11
The School Tax,


The School Tax.
The shareholders rebellion would
never have been inaugurated, had the
people Of the South tor the past thirty
years. believed in the payment Of lib
eraI school tax; and it would never
have been crushed, had the people Of
the North and the West during the
same period, refused the payment OF
said tax for The education CT the mass,
cs. Had a good common school sys-
TEN been adopted throughout the
southern States thirty years ago, the
nation would not to day stagger un
der her heavy debt of three billions.
No intelligent citizen can longer
deny that the school tax i, the best
tax, the most remunerilive Us we'll as
the most important, that be is called
upon TO pay. Far better than an in
vestmenL in five twcnlies, excellent as
that may be, is the payment Of a gen
erous school tax. For many years
our leading educators and other close
and intelligent observers have in some
degree appreciated the great blessings
which this particular tax was confer
ring upon Us as a nation. But n,t
even these men could know the full
value Of the investment which We OF
the North had been making from year
to year, ataii the hour Of sore trial
came, and oar nation was plun.ed into
a protractcd civil var Other and
heavier taxes we have paid TO meet
current demands upon The public
treasury, but this tax has proven the
seed corn which has multiplied itself
ten thousand fold, for it Was the abd
ing influence Of the Common School
that saved the nation. And in pre-
serving our nationality, who will pre-
tend to estimate the blessings it has
conferred, not only upon ourselves as
people, but upon the human race the
wide world over,
When therefore, we have found this
investment to pay SO handsome q div
idend, what better policy can we
adopt than TO increase our annual in
stalments 1t is tie part of wisdom
to reap the full benefits which this tax
is able to confer Towards this IA
tional view Of the matter, popu ar sen,
timent i steadily marching on" Pa
rents see more clearly than ever be-
fore that it is better, far better, to ex-
pend part Of their means upon the
education Of their children than to givc
them a few additional acres or bequeath
them a few hundred dollars more in
their wills. They have learned that
property may be lost, that wealth may
take to itself wings, oflentimes leaving
the bankrupt wretchedly poor and ut
terly hopeless, but that good cduca
tiOn, backed by reasonably good de
gree OF energy, is a cash capital which
can neither be lost nor stolen. And
since the public schools are open to all,
this large class of patrons is desirous
that they shall be rendered as efficient
as any other schools made prominent
by private enterprise.
The time was-nOr is the period
very remotc-when the blind pub
lie" grumbled at the payment of a tax
much lower than is now paid willingly
in many cases gladly The beggarlv
pittance paid the teacher but a few
years ago, has been increasing until in
somc localities it fairly deserves the
name Of salary. Salaries double and
treble those formerly paid, are now ad-
vertised in many directions. and the
profession of teaching is taking more
dlgnlled rank since teachers them,
selves are better qualified, and the
public is growing into better appre-
citation Of the true character of their
labors
But the school tax in most parts of
the country, is still far below what the
Importance of this interest demands.
and whatever other taxes may 20 low.
er, because OF a decrease in the ma.
tional debt or a reduction of the ma.
tional expenditure, this must continue
to 60 higher, in order that We NAV
build better school houses. furnish
them with better appliances of teach
ing, secure the services of more de
voted and better qualified class of in
structors, and carry our common
school system, Of noble capacity and
richest promise, to far higher degree
OF eficicncy.-Lancaster EUeaing Er.
press.