The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-01-25

The Peabody Fund nnd the West VIr-
xinia Schools.

Einia Schools.
a meeting of the Board of Trustees
of the Peabody Fund was held in Balti-
more Friday. The report of DR.. Sears
the agent contains an interesting &C
count of the Schools of this State, OF
which the following Is an abstract:
Scarcely any State in the Union is
making more vigorous exertions in be-
half of general education. in proportion
| to its ability, than West Virginia. The
liberaIity of the people in taxing them :
selves for erecting schOol-house and
supporting schools is all that could be
desired. Two years ago there were no
school houses in the State, except few
academy buildings. During the last
year three thousand were erected. The
ment in having few among the youth
who nre qualified to teach schools. and
few men who have the requisite know
ledge and experience to organize and
suPerintend.schOOls TO remedy the for
mer evil one normal school has been
opened, and second is waiting only
for funds sufficient to pay the salaries
of teachers. The school laws of the
State are conformed in great measure
to those OF Pennsylvania and Ohio. The
State superintendent appears to be we'll
qualified for the duties of his office, and
the county superintendent whom l
saw are self.sacrificing, efficient men.
Every thing, therefore, appears very
pOrmisingL although the system is yet
in its infancy"
a particular account was given of the
conditions on which appropriations
were made. In general it would appear
that for every 81, 600 given from the Pea
body fund about 50, 700 were raised by
the people, besides what they paid for
Soma
tiOns, also, were generally made, such
as increasing the number of teachers
and prOlonging the schools TO period
Of ten months.
At Fairmont 81, 600 was given to aid
the support of public schools, and $500
AS an inducement 10 open the normal
school, which had not yet gone into
operation for want of funds.
In MOrSantOWn there is an excellent
system Otpublic schools, for whose sup
port no aid was needed, but as the State
Agricultural College in that place has
been induced, by the great scarcity of
common school teachers, 10 open nor
NAL department during the spring term
OF every year, provision was made for
twenty-five young men to attend that
course OF instruction the coming spring,
each being aided to the amount OF so.
In MOundsville, where 400 children
were attending the public schools, and
y
house had been erected at an expense
of $40, 600, the sum of 81 900 was given
on condition of increasing the number
and prolonging the terms of the schools.
In Parkersburg the annual expense of
the schools is $4,000, and still, of the
1000 children, only about 500 are re-
ceiv4ng instruction in them. Here also
an expensive school house has been
erected. The amount of aid granted
($lj ,OO0) was on condition of making
further provision for the accOmmOda-
ton of those children for whom there
IS no room in the public schools. The
town OF Charleston pays $4,000 for the
support of it's schools, under fourteen
teachers, but it has no good school
houses. On condition or supplying
this deficiency and adding three
months 10 the length OF its schools, it is
to receive 81 900.
In Clnrksburg there is a good sys-
TEN of graded shOOls, accommodating
400 pupils for period OF seven months
ut an expense of S5 600 AS cOndl-
ton OF receiving $1,000, the school au-
thOritiCs we're requested to increase the
corps of teachers and prolong the
schools to ten months. The same
amount was granted 10 Grafton on
similar conditions.
In Martinsburg there are, l, 600 children,
for the instruction of whom only seven
teachers are employed. The expenses
of the town for school edifices and sala
ries of teachers have been heavy. The
sum Of $1,000 was given to encourage
tho people to make ample provision Tor
the whole population.
The Normal school at Guy0ndOtte
received aid to the amount of $500. Some
of the county superintendents hold
teachers Institutes for six consecutive
weeks during the vacation. TO each OF
these the SUM of 500 was given. The
State superintendent was informed that
5000 would be placed at his disposal if
he would see that the teachers of the
State we're furnished with Il journal OF
education.