The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1867-02-02
Tor the Clarion.
rommon schools. No. ..

ures to ascertain and get cell IN hand, the
entire school fund Of the State This will
be work Of some difficulty. but indispensa-
bic. The grants. donations and Legislative
provisions for the school fund in Mississippi.
In former times have been liberal, and had
they6een happily managed would have fur
nished this department Of the publicinteTest
with ample resources. The common schools
Ought to have been hundred fold better
than they are; but unfortunately our eOnsti-
tuition and laws have failed TO provide an
officer Of State whose duty il il to attend 70
this business. No wonder public education
langUishes when there is no one to superin
tend work Of such magnitude and diff
Guilty.
2. If the fund has been so diminished as
TO be altogether inadequate to the demands
OF the State let measures be taken. if posi-
BILE, TO increase it. These, il is true are
times Of burdensOme taxation and impOvsF-
ishment but public education is a vital in
terest that cannot safely be deferred We
can not afford 70 fail so far behind other en-
hghtened communities The value of every
mans property IS ar stake; and, more i'm
pOrtant still, the security Of our domestic,
religious and social welfare is involved.
Some of our sister States resort TO direct
tax; IL Louisiana this Is, or was one mill on
the dollar; IN Kentucky few years ago, by
a popular vote of four TO one, il was raised
from two 30 three mills on the dollar win
not presume TO recommend a measure of this
kind to the Legislature. they viii know
best. But the school fund should be made
ample by some means In the large view
and the long period, it is a grand economi-
cal agency TO the State. We are at this mo-
meut endeayoring 10 induce immigration
We want an increase Of our honest indus
trious, laboring population A poor man
with family of children, win hesitate to
remove TO community where there are no
common schools. Even Canada offers to ev-
cry child in her dominions an elementary ed
ucati0n free Of cost. If capital in Missis-
sippi would compete with capital elsewhere,
il must remember its relations to civiliza-
ton, and must offer TO labor similar inciden-
tai advantages.
3 Let the system be rendered uniform
throughout the State. Where every county
has different plan, it is impossible for the
State to place the whole under any thorough
supervision, in the absence of which no
good results need be anticipated. Expert
euce in various States has proven the abso-
Lutte necessity Of uniformity. Without it,
/ indeed, we cannot consider ourselves as hav-
ing any system At all.
1t is not the purpose Of this article to pre-
sent the details of a system. The members
Of the Legislature viii have lights before
them which others have not; and doubtless
the Committee on Education viii be COM
posed of able and well informed gentlemen.
But long familiarity with such systems viii,
perhaps, justify me IN suggesting a few
points:
First The organisation should be as sim
pie as possible. Three or four grades of
official rank viii be sufficient. i General
experimentation Comm issiOHcT Of Public Schools
appointed by the Legislature or the Cover
nor shOuld be the head of the whole system.
/ Better do nothing than attempt to do with
out this State fuuctiouary. In fact a Super
iutcndent without a School System, would
be far preferable to a School System without
a Superintendent; for the former, with the
school fund at his command and the Cover
nor and other State officers an advisory
Board could accomplish much but the
latter would be an inevitable and utter
failure. 4 County Board Of School Commits
sioH0s, should be the next rank of officials.
In sparselv settled States, counties bear a
similar relation to head quarters, that the
townships do in more densely populated
communities, This Board can district the
whole country and appoint the local com
mittees The last rank of officials is the
District Committee amenable to the County
Board. Experience has proven that one man
is more efficient in this position than a
larger number.
In the full development of the System, a
County Superintendent might become very de-
sirable.
Second Experience favors the plan of
rendering aid, rather than the system of per
fectly free schools. If the State can place
the means of an elementary education with
in reach of every child, at the cost of a mere
tritie, it need not wish to do more. This
plan has better effect upon the community
and greatly multiphes the educational re-
sources of the State
Fret, 4 State Normal School for the edu-
cation of teachers, should be put in operation
at the earliest possible moment. To this
part of the subject, however, / will devote
separate article.
Before closing the present communication,
let me say, that the Legislature may find
themselves surrounded by so many difficult
ties with diminished fund, iuIpuy erIsn-
ed State and a white and black population
to provide for separately, that they can not
satisfy themselves with any system that can
be matured during the present session. In
that case they might follow the example set
by several of the other States under similar
of adopting a skeleton of
system, establishing a State Normal School
appointing General Superintendent and
charging him with the duty of celebrating
the full details and submitting them to the
at future session
In lcob the Legislature of Georgia was en-
gagged IN warm discussion of a BILL for
system of Common Schools,
reported by Committee. Hon. W H. Stiles,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
arose and offered substitute, authorizing
the Governor to appoint Commissioner of
Public Schools, to visit the various coun-
ties of the State, to prepare one or more
plans of organization suitable TO the whole
or to certain districts of the State to diffuse
by public addresses a knowledge of existing
defects and desirable Improvements. and re-
port on the eXpedieucy of establishing one
or moro thoroughly organized Normal
I fo
the course of his remarks, which were full of
point and truth, the speaker said alluding to
the condition of education in the various
states of Europe:
Education enters into and constitutes an
important part in the administration of
government In each country there is .
Minister of Public Instruction. who consti- +
tutes a part of the ministry or cabinet. tbe +
same as the Minister of War or Finance, and .
who controls the whole subject of education
throughout the Empire
1t is gratuitous in most of the countries.
the expense of tuition is borne by the gov
and in others the fees are very
small, and eXacted not so much with view
10 support the system, as to enforce a lesson
Of domestic piety, establish parental author.
ty. and vindicate personal freedom"
1t Is compulsory; and everywhere the at
tendance on schools is enforced. either
through the police orsome school authority
In this country, every State which has adop-
ed system of public schools, has at its
head either commissioner or some other
officer with the same powers and duties.
lnder another name
A system without 4 commissioner vould
re an awkward and unwieldv body witopt a
head, which could not be moved, or if cana
Die OF moving at all, would be like a shin at
'ea under full sail. and without helmsman;
{ would move on only to destruction In
raining this substitute, experience and ex-
'erience alone, has been my guide.
The salary of this officer is placed by the
I'll on an equality with any other Official Of
he State, IN order to command the hest
alent of the country To thorough
of the existing systems of instrnc
on IN every part Of the world, and the the
,ry and practice Of teaching, the commits
l0ner shonId combine, in no ordinary degree
legislative. executive and judicial talent
Is sRould De man Of elOqueuce. as well as
man Of business, who might as occasions
.emanded, rise in speech to Just appreoia- ,
ION OF the vast interests of this subject. or
.eScend, when necessity required. to the /
details of business in all its branch !
s. I
liz requires time to perfect, and patience
nd energy TO carry into successful opera- !
ION common school system Wherever {
has been done it has been mainly through
DC inStrumentality Of faithful Snperin-