New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-11-12
SUCCESS OF THE SCHOOL WORK.

| ScEooHAOos o1O 10 CucCccUluX U0yOu
the most sanguine expectations of il
friends. In every parish of the Stat.
and in every Incorporated town Thereof
may now be found free schools, to whic
, the children Of our citizens. regardless q
race or color, are welcome; and within tn
next twelve months, not only will the mum
Der OF schools greatly increase, but school
houses, now the greatest of our educationa
necessities, will be erected in such localitie
and IN such numbers as to give the bes
proof of the success of our educational sys
tenn.
Never before could this much be said o
Louisiana. Had the newspapers of ou
State withheld their assault against tn
school authorities, and rightly informed tn
public Of the honest intentions and earnes
purposes Of our school officers, mucl
more might have been accomplished within
the period in which our free school system
has been in operation; but, Notwithstanding
their opposition, and the violence anG
maliciousness of their misrepresentation
the people whose children were either to bt
educated in public schools or grow up t.
manhood and womanhood in darkness and
ignorance. gladly welcomed the educationa
facilities offered by those having the echoo
work in charge, 90 that to-day there ART
| more children under instruction in our State
than at any previous period in her history
Lest We may be accused of giving this
subject too high q coloring, or of saying
what may not be supported by the facts, we
will give our readers the benefit of data
which we have secured from official com
munications from the school officers in the
parishes and towns throughout the State
and now on file in the Office of the State
Superintendent of Education. We will
begin at home, and say something of New
Orleans. In this city there are reported by
the board of directors fifteen hundred
more pupils in the public schools than were
in attendance year ago. Taking this fact
in connection with the remarkable manner
in which the teachers salaries and other
pecuniary obligations of the city school
board have been met. and we have occasion
only for the heartiest congratulation.
Formerly, under the regime dubbe Dem
Ocratic by some, the funds which should
have gone to the payment Of teachers were
used to such an extent for purposes of spec
ulation that 20 be school teacher was the
next thing to being pauper. Following
the period when this was true Of the school
officers, came the Wickliffe method of deal
ing with the public school funds. This was
not method which required the shaving If
teachers warrants, nor the bartering of
them on Carondelet street, as was the GUS
tom of the old ring. 1t was more direct and
simple.
The City Council of New Orleans used
to, in former times, make an annual appro-
priation of nearly three hundred thousand
dollars, in addition to the State apportion-
ment, for the support of the city schools,
and still, when these schools came under
the jurisdiction of the present State author
tiles, there we're debts against the public
school fund Of upward of two hundred
thousand dollars. Without any new appro-
priation from the City Council, and with no
other means than those provided by the
State, the old legacy of a two hundred thou
sand dollars debt has been paid IN green
backs, while the salaries of teachers and the
other claims against the city school admins
tration have been honestly and faithfully
paid. Having said this much of New Orleans
let us 60 into our neighboring district.
Carrollton, where there were no schools in
operation two years ago, has now two in a
very flourishing condition. Last year one
Of these schools had one hundred and
twenty-five pupils; this year it has one
hundred and fifty. The increase in attend
ance Of pupils in the other is in the same
A private school in that city,
which had last year about fifty pupils. now
has but nineteen, because the citizens prefer
the public schools. The board of directors
are talking of having an additional school
and of building another schoolhouse.
We have obtained some impor tant and |
interesting statistics relative to the work |
performed by the several school divisions, |
which show that light has been brought out
# chaos. When Mr.. Conway took the |
,ffice he found only two books to inform
him Of the condition Of his charge. These
wO books served but to make confusion |
worse; they conveyed no intelligence. Con-
the new superintendent and his
Mr.. NJ. C. Cole. were compelled
o begin as if they had had no predecessors
Then it was that our school history COM
aenced. The most improved methods were
ought for, and those most applicable were
hosen to govern our system of education.
)ne great hiatus was completely remedied.
Cnder our new law it was necessary that
he State Superintendent and all his subor-
inates should transact business according
o rules, and these rules were put into form,
0 that the least observing teacher or
cholar could readily understand how to
roceed. Blanks were sent to the six di-
isions, and thereafter directors, teachers
nd other subordinates could not give any
excuse for not recording the
ondition of their local affairs. Not Q dol
ar could be received or expended without
he fact being noted, and all other import
Mt items relative to the schools must be
rritten down, and finally forwarded to the
tate Superintendent. In his Office these
,cords are transferred, in condensed
'rm, to q large book, a glance at which
i'll show the exact condition of each divi-
on. This system, if pursued, will here. +.
fter furnish history of our schools, such
, was never thought of by former officials.
hese blank forms have another usefulness.
nd being in a manner dependent ON the l