The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-04-21
Message from the Governor I'm
Relation 10 dhe Public
schools.

! GENTLEMEN: The constitution makes il
obligatory on the Legislature Ito encourage
by all means the promotion of intellectual
scientific, moral and agricultural improve
ment." 1t specifies for that purpose but
three sets ofagencies Free public schools,
schools of higher grade" and one or more
agricultural colleges
The ''fTee public schools and the schools
of higher grade" are called for by the sec
ond section of article eight. The '.agricul-
tlral college or colleges are not provided
for it that article until it has reached its
eighth section. And this separation of two
| classes OF institutions as shown by the ar
ranSement of the sections of the Constitu-
| ton, is made still more broad by the fact
that the two classes are maintained from re-
sources altogether different. And, inasmuch
! as IN addition to these marked distinctions
| between the two, they are furthermore.
! made distinct by inherent differences OF
character, the conclusion Is irresistible that
the administration prescribed for the public
| schools and schools of a higher grade is not
| that contemplated. as il is not exactly prop
| er, for the agricultural College or Col
| leges." This may be held, therefore, to give
| us the option of considering whether or not,
/ and to what extent if any, il is eXpedient to
refer any part of the question OF any Agri-
cultural College or Colleges from the Com
missioner OF Agriculture to the Board of
| Education.
a uniform system of free public schools is
| called for by the constitution Immediately.
/ nut Tic ceJdDilSAIuGnLO I scDOOls Oh Il ni2ntf
| grade as soon as practicable makes that duty,
to some extent, optional as a matter of time.
And i'll exercising this option of Judgment.
| we are left free to do so under considerations
| involving the question OF our immediate
means. The duty of the moment-that of
| establishing common school s-will be found
to absorb so much of our present resources
that we may very well hold the creation OF
schools of a higher grade, As soon prac:i-
cable. a work ofthe future.
Great systems .hOul1 bp of N npaVatiOr
by steps cautious and slow. The circum-
stances by which our educational system is
surrounded, place it, Notwithstanding the
success of such a system elsewhere, in the
attitude of an experiment. l recommend.
in view of this consideration. and in view,
further, of the pressure of the common
schools upoIbour available resources, that.
for the present, we stop short in legislating
on the question of education at the limit to
which we are commanded absolutely TO 90
by the letter of the ConstituIiOn-the estab-
lishment of uniform system OF public
schools.
Our common schools can obtain, at first,
none but an ordinary class of teachers. An
ultimate improvement on that necessity of
starting must, of course, be looked forward
to and in order to set the means of that i'm
provement going at once. l recommended
that the option given us on the subject of
schools of higher grade be SO interpreted
as TO demand, as measure of initiation, the
immediate establishment of one normal
school for the education of higher class of
teachers. Beyond this, it appears to me
that the whole work being thus set IN mo-
ton on the smallest possible scale, we ought
to await observation of its working before
legislation shall attempt further approach
to the completeness of result that has grown
up nowhere save Is product of slow eXpe-
encc.
But while moving along cautiously, do
not propose that we shall fall behind the du-
ties of the hour. Whatever of expense it
may entail on us, we have no time to spare
in taking steps for compliance with the con-
ditions under which the general government
has assigned as a muniticent endowment for
the establishment of one or more agricultu-
raj colleges.
One normal school we cannot dispense
with, even by the very outset of our educa-
ton system. AS the white teachers obtain
able at present for the common schools, are
more advanced than those teachers who may
be obtained at the present amongst the col
Ored people, it appears to me that our first
normal school for the training of teachers
should be devoted to the education of teach
ers of color. As a measure OF economy,
advise that, instead of building new
structure for a training institution, the Leg
islature appropriate $4,000 for the purchase
Off it cannot obtain no memorial as a tree
gift--the property of the American Mission
airy Association at 1ugaloo. The five hun
dred acres of land attached to the school
buildings at that place, suggest that these
lands be utilized as model farm anu that,
therefore, while we comply with the require
ments of Congress, we assist the resources OF
the normal school by assigning to it, in con-
Sideration OF an agricultural professor snip
and the direction of the model farm, three
ffths of the federal donation for the estab-
lishment OF colleges of agriculture
The TugaloO institution L propose as
High School and an Agricultural College,
for the people OF color. Three titths OF the
federal grant applied to that establishment.
| propose to apply the remaining two-iitths
to the uses of the whites. With that view,
| recommend that residue of the donation,
be applied to the founding of chair of agri-
cultural chemistry and the working OF
model farm, in connection with the Univer-
sity OF Oxford.
Having thus glanced briefly at the ques
ton of the employment of the grant for ag-
ricultural education, l return now to the
subject of the common schools.
The consideration of such system invol-
yes, in the first place, an estimate of the
amount of the work to be accomplished
An analysis of the State census of 1866,
shows the population between five and
twenty-one-the limits assigned tile school
age by the ConStitution-to number 304,
600, The duty before us is seen, thus, to be
that of providing Stree common schools" for
the school-geing children embraced in
population containing 100000 of school
age.
The records of the school-facts ofthe sew
eraI States would be tedious. The Nation
al Bureau of Education has saved us that
inconvenience, by having published an ag-
gregate ofthose facts for 1S67-'6S in so many
States and Territories, as twenty-four.
The results differ widely in several cases;
and even when averaged, may differ materi-
ally in the case of the school-systel here
They are however, the product of a very
wide experience; and embracing large mas
SEES of population and great variety of cir
cumstances from the Atlantic to the Pacific, |
may be taken amongst ourselves as tle
closest practicable measure of the facts
Seventy three per cent of tue whole pop
ulation of the school-age, attend the schools (
of their respective districts. Forty-three
per cent. of that whole, represents the aver |
age daily attendance of the schools. APP /
plying these proportions to our own case I
we arrive at the conclusion that, while our /
population within the school-period Of life.
numbers 100000, weare called on to provide |
ehool-accommodation for an attendance |
aggregating about 222,000 an average daily I
attendance ofabout 10000.
The figures of the National bureau OF
Education enable us to approximate, not |
only to the amount of work TO be done, but +
to, also the, requirements tor its perform /
ance. They show that the number of teach /
ers TO be employed average one male teach
er for every hfty-three scholars. ana one fe- /
male teacher for every thirty-tour scholars
lon the basis OF the average daily attend
ance. Applying these figures to the state OF
Mississippi we arrive at the conclusion, |
that the machinery of our school system
must include about ,, 400 male teachers ana
3, 500 female teachers. And inasmuch as the
number of schools or districts given in the |
aggregate of the National Bureau, show one |
such school or district for every thirty-two /
pupils of the average daily attendance, the /
number of our school houses-disregarding |
the comparatively few cases in which the |
districts of the returns contain more /
schools than one-must be about 1000.
The annual outlays represented IN the
figures of the National Bureau, serve as |
guides to the OUTLAWS called for here. They
tho oocf cf% ,,iti0, Of the annual rate of /