Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1870-11-04
For the keo,cee Courier
T" The Free, or Common School
Fund.-

MR.. EDITOR: AS "The Free or Common
School System" enacted by the last Legisla-
turc, is general in its provisions, making rich
and poor, white and colored, equal bcnefc-
iaries or recipients of its benefits, and as there
has, from this circumstance, OF its being gen.
eral in its nature, an erroneous impression
been made upon the minds Of many persons,
both white and colored, in regard to the pay
ing of the tuition Of their children for the
last scholastic year, we therefore wish to show,
from the facts and figures in the case, how
the matter stands.
great many persons think, that as the
School Act makes provision, or rather legal
ICES the paying of tho tuition of all classes
and colors Of children, "without regard to
previous state or condition." that therefore
the tuition of all has been or will be paid for
by "the public" The tuition of all would
have been paid upon the following condi
tions First, hud the Legislature appropra
ted enough money; and, secondly, had all the
time which the children attended school been
''Tut in" during the public scholastic year
neither of which was the case
The School Commissioner of this county
in the county, between the ages of six> and
sixteen, is between three and four thousand !;
but, in order to have round numbers, we will
put it at three thousand. Now the proper
ton of "the free or common school fund.- of
the State and county, belonging to Oconec, is
$2,248. This sum would have been, had all
the children in the county. white and colored,
attended school during the whole time of the
last scholastic year, q fractioD less than IS
cents per scholar or, in other words, it would
have paid the tuition of 224 scholars. during
the whole time of the last public scholastic
year Thus we perceive that only a fraction
over one fifteenth Of the children Of tie couinn
ty could have attended the "public schools
during the last year! The, number Of days
reported to the Commissioner, by all the
teacfers 10 the public schools of the county,
is about 200, making 1876 scholars for one
scholastic year, which IS a fraction less than
one fifteenth of the children Of the county
that have been taught "on the public" the
last year.
But to DO a little more explicit, the public
scholastic year commenced on the let Of No
ven'ber, 1869, and closed on the 24th of
June, 1870. Very few schools of the ooun.
ty commenced before the lst Of January,
some no. until February, while others CON-
menced still later. Hence very few of the
schools embraced one. half of the public soho
l"stic year Consequently that, part, of the
schools taught after the .24th Of June was not
recognized by tho Commissioner as "publio,"
aud of course will not be paid for by the
State Superintendent Of Education.
But few words in reference to the cnolored
schools of the county, and of these there were
but few; and in consequence of this, political
capital was manufactured, in' regard to the
election Of school commissioner, during the
canvass which has just closed. We heard q
radical stump speaker in political harrangue,
which he delivered to- the colored people, tell
them that the reason of their not having
schools was IN consequence Of the con, mis-.
sioqerS not locating them % Now this wa vas, g.
unquestionably, not the reason, for no school
can be located by The oommissioper unless
some person 40 teaohefpresepts himself before
the examining board, convened by the COM
| missioher, sobm,ts to 90 examination. and IL
found 'oohpetent to. teach according to the
acquisitions Of said board. @ Now was this