The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-05-21


good, and the text books all that could be de- |
sired, unless the teachers bo competent, in |
character, habits, native intelligence and ao- |
quirements for proper discharge Of their du- |
ties, failure must bo the result.
Wo arc glad, therefore, to have il in our |
power to state that wo believe our Commission |
ers have succeeded in making judicious mp |
poiutnlonts for tho schools under their charge
Mr.. HsNRY p. ARCHER, tho Principal of the
st. Philip street school, hos served n regular
apprenticeship at teaching. lie Was vico-Prin-
cipal at tho Friend street school long as that
establishment was in existence, then was elect
ed ono Of tho assistant teachers Mt tho High
School Of Charleston, which position ho filed at
tho time ho was elected to his present post. We
have been several times at the st. Philip street
school, and hayc come away every time with
better opinion Of tho system in use there, and
tho admirable manner in which il is carried
out. AS in oil other educational establish
mcnts wo hayc visited, since tho close of the
war, College, High School, and Female Somi-
naries, SO here also We noticed the effect of the
war. 1t is safe, we believe, TO assume that our
youth of both sexes, and of every condition,
have lost at lenst two years in their scholastic
progress Boys, of mn ngc and size who should
he i'll the Fifth Reader, 'through all the sums
in Davis, in algebra, Snlust md Ncnophon,
now rcud i'll the Third Reader, pursue long di-
vision, or are beginning 10 feel their way in
decimal fractions, and know nothing of "gran-
mnr," save it is retailed in chnteohetical
doses by ono ROSWELL c. Smith. Tlero nre
individual RECEPTIONS, of course, but we believe
our statement is correct us q rule. While this
rctardution is certainly 10 be regretted, it is
not necessarily irrcparable loss Many of
the greatest thinkers Oh these subjects, who
wcre moreover, practical men, hold that boy,
whose physicnl education hns been well oared
for, who commences his school education ct
| twelve years of nge, other things being equal,
in the long run usually has the advantage over
him who begins school nj five or six. Every
ono can call to mind instances of this charac-
ter. If, therefore, our boys and girls shall,
during the next few years, havo tho benefit of
regular attendance at school, taught by good
tcachers every trace of this loss will soon be
obliterated.
The ST. Philip street school has had 1000
pupils on its roster since July, 1866; when it
opened. Tho average attendance lnst month
was 9GS.
The Friend street School opened May %,
1869, and was burned December IL, 1861, con-
tinucd in the building Of the German Friendly
Society until August 1868, when it was dis
continued. Up 10 that time the number of pu-
pills enrolled had been 259s.
The Girls High and Normal School of the
State of South Cnrolna opened Nay %, 1860,
and closed in August 1864; up TO which time
the entire number of pupils had been 481.
This institution, under the charge of Mr.. F. a.
SAWYER, took rank with the very best of its
kind in the land, and its graduates may now
be found engaged as teachers in every State of
the South. This school was rcopencd in Jnnu-
ary last, Rev. II. NJ MooD being the Principal.
The average attendance ut this school last
month was 90.
Tho Morris street School opened in October,
1860, and was discontinued February IS, 1865.
Up to that time it had 1900 pupils. It was un-
der the charge of p. F. SAITH, Esq.
During 1861, when all these schools were in
full operation, they had an average attendance
of 2573; the maximum being in March of that
year, 2G90, with 70 tcachers. The number of
| teachers engaged ut present is 80, inclusive of
connected with the Meeting street school,
which is in charge of Mrs. ISABELLA BLAIn,
and Lust month had 2l2 pupils.
The present buildings are inadequate TO nc
commodate the half even of the children who
have been applying for admission; and we ear
| nestly hope that the Board of Commissioners
will soon have it in their power to put up other
| buildings, and thus increase the facilities for
common school education 10 the full extent Of
the public demand. We feel the importance of
this subject-an Importance that cannot bo
overrated Our people must be educated and
the education of the State, like the education
of the individual, must commence with tho
| foundation. Educating from above downward
| is very slow process, as has bcen repeatedly
and abundanily demonstrated. The beginning
must be with the common school, and wo hope
our future legislators will bear this fact in
mind.
The present Board of Commissioners Of Pub
lie Schools for this city consists of tho follow
ing gentlemen: Hon. G. G. MEAMINGER, Chair
man; Hon. HENRY BuIsr, Hon. W. u. ponrEn,
Hon. W: ALsroN PRINoLE, Hon. wM s. HgyE-
ny, Hon. G. ii. SiMoSToS, and Messrs. P. J.
CoooAS, FREDERIcK RIonAnDs, JonS RUSSELL,
c. NJ. FuRMAN, ". ]. BENNETT, F. A. SAWYER,
and BENZ. LUCAS.