The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-02-18
The Cost Of Free School Education
...Some STRUCTURES on DR.. Burns.

S0NGSOuAG
To he Editor Of he ENteHlgtHeT!
The remarks of Mr.. Burns, at the
Teachers Institute, SO fur rs he speaks Of
textbooks, attempting TO teach technical
grammar ut too early an age, and waste
timC in taking up studies In the wrong
order. is well adapted TO this locality,
and will be productive Of moro good than
all that has appeared In the lNTELIIdEN'
GER for the past year, In reference 10 tho
Board of Education and Teachers lnsti'
tutc.
The most astonishing portion Of his
statement is as follows: IAN estimate
''made some years ago, states the cost OF
"conyiction Of criminals in Ohio, TO be
"abOut $50 head, while the school tax
twas about Sc u bead, Of those Of school
"agC. Hence while 1t costs something to
"etlucate n child, and make Of him good
'and useful member Of the body polite, 1t
''cOsts forty times us much 10 convict one
"Of evil"
The Mayor Of Philadelphia has stated
that it costs less to educate n pupil In tho
school district Of Philadelphia, than in
other States, where education Is impaired
on the free school principle, and repre-
sentcd the cost per head, per year, ut $l2.
The Superintendent Of the Wheeling
School district, represents that It costs
less in his independent free school district,
10 educate u pupil than It docs in any city
or State in the United States, representing
the cost at various amounts, to different
individuals, always below that Of PhilG-
dclphia.
| do not know what it costs to educate
a child in the State Of Ohio, or in Phila'
lelphia. and I have not the statistics at
hind to make calculation for Wheeling
for the year 1e09' The facts and figures
for 1858 are Us follows:
The real and personal property in the
city school district In 1868 was $0Ol3,232,
the assessment made by the Board Of Edu.
cation was IS cents on every 800 Of real
and personal property.
The number Of pupils in attendance
in that year was 1920, making the cost oi
tuition per pupil per year $2S.4G. Six years
being the average, makes the cost Of edu-
eating child in the Wheeling district
$170.7G. -..
1t Is both amusing and insulting to lis'
ten to class Of men estimating the cost
Oftuition in free schools
Some take the amount paid the princi.
pals as proper estimate, and contend
that the principals pay the teachers under
them on the plan TINT the Superintendent
of the Water Works pays his engineers
out Of his salary. Others will admit
that the salary paid the Super
intcndent, principals and teachers Is
properly chargeablc to the account
Of tuition, and deny that the grounds,
school houses, fuel, blackboards, brooms,
ink, printing, &c, &C., Gun be charged 10
the account Of education, and dcnouncc rs
enemies of free schools oil who differ with
them. l..
If the State Of Ohio can educate forty
children for $SO-thc cost Of conviction
of one criminal-thc State Of West Wiz.
einia could convict two criminals at $50
Her head for less than tho cost Of tuition
for one child. ~
SIr. Burns, before closing his remarks,
referred 10 the controversy of the Bible in
the schools. Lam Protestant and have
no belierin the iniillIabflity Of falliblc man,
and do believe that there Nrc other causes
in connection with the management OF
the public schools, that Protestants and
Catholics have greater cause Of offence
than they have in regard to the Bible, pro
or con.
II would be more becoming both to
Professionals and Catholics to enter their
closets and thank God that there Is no law
10 compel either to send their loved
ones TO free schools, If they fear they will
he taught to he mistaken; that they arc
permitted to assemble them around the
iamily hearth and teach them to speak the
truth, where no one has MS yet had thcau'
dacity to enter, attempt to molcst, or make
afraid Of violating free school rules, con-
COctGd for contemplate purposes
'.' SUM CUIoUR.