The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-01-27
THE CITY FREE SCHOOLS.

The following report OF the Commissioner
of Free Schools of Charleston, for the pas
year, will be read with peculiar interest:
To the General Assembly Of heaate Of Soul
The Or Commissioners u of Free Schools for th,
Parishes of st. Philip and ut. Michael respect
fully report =,
duties of their Office up to the present time
and Notwithstanding the destruction OF one o
their best school buildings, they have now II
their schools more children than at any previ
GUS period. The quarterly Numbers in the
schools at any former time was 1880, while
there are now 2S18, OF whom 2024 are white ant
1874 colored. The colo1ed school occupies the
Morris-street school-house, which is the lns
and best building erected by the board, and is
organized and conducted upon the same plar
with the white schools. The deshtution of the
nnnils has induced the board to make greater
allowance for books for coloIed pupils in indi.
gent circumstances, and it will be seen by Ex.
hiblt Il that the amount expended per cdplo
ia larger. The difference in the respective
number of pupils arises from the fact that
other schools for colored children have
been furnished from other sources, and thus
provision has been made for the entire colored
population of the city. This result ID made
evident by the fact that while the board has
which have been offered, not single colored
pupil has been excluded, and the building pro-
yided for their accommodation has still room
for several hundred more. 1t is proper to add
that the colored school has been well conduct
ed, and it's pupils, under the care OF kind and
patient teachers, have greatly improved in de-
POI tment aud knowledge.
The amo Int expended during the last year
is $45, 748 80, of which more Particular detail
H., haraxr2fh onhnnitfa6
marked Exhibit F.
The finances of the board are embarrassed
by the failure of the State Government to make
the usual appropriation for the last year from
the State Treasury, and the board respectfully
ask that this omission may nov be supplied,
and that provision be also made Tor the coming
year. Unless this shall be promptly done. the
board will be without the means of carrying
on the work entrusted TO them.
The board deem this fitting time to present
to the General Assembly the results Of their
work since the Inauguration OF the present
system OF public schools in Charleston. They
have. therefore, caused tables to be prepared,
setting forth these results in the various de-
tails which they presume would interest the
public, and they ore submitted with this re-
port. AS general result from these tables, it
will appear that for period or ten years. dur
ing which this system has been in operation,
there have been admitted into the schools
1856 children, and that theirI education has
cost S310, ,430 40, on average OF SIG 81 for each
pupil. This average will compare favorabfy
with tho amount paid elsewhere, notwithstand-
ing Tie fact that for several years OF this peri
cd the expense of education was largely in
creased by the depreciation Of the currency.
saThe board further report that they have
always regarded the normal instruction OF
teachers as an integral part Of public educa-
ton. They have therefore, deplored the
necessity which compelled them to discontinue
it upon the scale which was originally design
ed The destruction of one OF the Public
Schools, and the withdrawal by the Legisln-
turo of the appropriation for tho Normal
School, were the Causes Of this result, and they
earnestly hope that both these .clnmities may
soon be repaired. They take great pleasure
in stating that the injury to the public has
been materially reduced by the generous con-
tribution made to this object by the Trustees
of the Peabody Fund. The sum OF fifteen hun
dred dollars has been supplied by these gen
tlemen during the past year, for the purpose
of promoting normal instruction, and two
classes Of pupils have been formed numbering
about sixty, ofwhon two-thrds.are preparing
to become teachers. This wise and judlcious
application of their funds is most encouraging
in its results, End The board hope that the ex-
ample will react upon our own General AS
sembly, and induce renewal of the appropria-
ton which was formerly made by the State.
Respectfully submitted.
G. G. MEMMINGER, Chairman.