Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-02-02


will be opened, in supplying the iron works
on the Juniata, while the rich iron ore of
the region will be brought back by the re-
turning cars, thus establishing a reciprocal
trade, always the most profitable.
COMMON SCHOOLS OF PENNsYLvA-
MIA.
The Pennsylvania School Journal, for Jan
uary, contains the proceedings of the Con-
vention of County Superintendcnts, which
are of more than ordinary interest. A reso-
luton was passed recommending to the De.
partment and to the Legislature that the
School fund be raised by general and equal
taxation throughout the State. Also, that
the minimum time of school term should be
extended to six months. These resolutions
were adopted on Mr.. Haupt's (Superintend-
ent OF this county, motion. This we think
would be altogether just and proper, as it does
not increase the taxation in the poorer coun.
ties, and would place on all an equalization
of taxes throughout the State, to defray the
expenses Of keeping the schools in operation
amount of tax laid last year, in the different
counties, ranges from, half mill to twenty
mills on the dollar. A fair estimate, based
upon data at hand shows, that by equalizing
taxation three mills would keep the schools
open six months, instead of four months as
now, under the present system of taxation.
There is nothing more worthy of general
consideration than plans for the dissemina-
tion of intelligence among the rising gene
ration to whose care the public welfare must
soon be committed. Upon their intellec-
tual and moral development the future des-
tiny of the State and nation must depend,
and at this time our whole educational sys-
tenn deserves an unusual degree of attention
from all patriotic citizens.
The returns of the respective counties for
1866, disclose the fact that in only eighteen
counties outside of Philadelphia did the
average school term reach or exceed six
months. In twenty-nine counties it was
less than five months. These short terms
are injurious alike to pupils and to teachers.
Many children receive no other education
than that afforded by the common schools,
and when the term lasts only four months
child, in the language of Mr.. Coburn, "re-
mains at home eight months, during which
time he forgets fully one-third of what he
learned in the four, so that, as far as pro-
gress is concerned, he has but about two and
rwo thirds months schooling in the year"
Such children-say from the ages of six to
sixteen-and it is estimated that thirty
months tuition is all that can possibly be
obtained, on the average, by pupils who rely
solely upon the common schools of districts
which provide for only four months tuition.
This is a very meagre provision for the
education of the children of Pennsylvania /;
yet this is all required by her laws, and
very little more is granted by the action of
many districts. Short school terms are also
one cause of the scarcity of competent
teachers. Their compensation is very small
the average salaries being $685. for male
and $26,3l for female teachers per month.
There is little nducement for any person to
c's"'" VIZ P'oPSi NutIl, even
at these low rates, only four months en-
ployment can be secured.
In school architecture, furniture, appara.
tus, and uniformity of textbooks, many i'm.
provements have been made from time to
time, but the county superintendents report
that "the number of schoolhouses in the
State unfit for use is ,S4S; the number with
insufficient grounds, or grounds unsuitably
improved, 6,2l0; the number with injuriou:
furniture, 1915; the number with INSULT
cient furniture, 3,972; the number wholly
without apparatus, 1,s47 and the number
that have not adopted uniform textbooks
2,012." These statistics speak volumes il
regard to the actual condition of many o.
the public schools of the interior. A schoo
''unft for use," with "injurious furniture,
"wholly without apparatus" without "uni
form text books" ano "ungraded," with pu
pills of all ages and varied capacities, depen
dent upon single teacher for instruction
is likely to do moro injury to the body thar
beneat to the mind, by the limited amour
Of instruction it confers.
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