The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-10-19
EDUCATIONAL REFORM.
krHE DEFECTS OF OUR SYSTEM OF
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

kTHE DEFECTS OF OUR SYSTEM OF
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The Need Of Competent tTeaehers.-So. 6.
The next topic upon the programme sketcn-
ed in the first paper OF this series, Is the "es-
tablishment of State norma! school as re-
quired by the ordinance OF the convention OF
49," This topic can be combined, 30 as 10
avoid tedousness, with the suggestion Oh
estate board OF examiners for giving certin'
Gates, ofdiherent grades, to teach IN the puo-
lie schools of the State.
The ordinance of '6s requires a normal
school to be established "within I'VE years.
Three years have gone, and no motion mas
been made. And yet it is evident that the
State is afflicted with most inefficient set OF
teachers, and that her public schools, outside
of Charleston, cost more than they are worth.
Is there a remedy, There Is, and very
simple and efficient one. Let board OF ten
teachers of known capacity and attainments,
from different portions of the State, be ap-
pointed board Of examiners, TO
meet in Columbia at set times, for
the purpose of examining those who
desire to teach in the public schools.
Pay them FIVE dollars day and mileage. Let
their certificate become of great value, BY rea-
son of the strictness and impartiality OF their
examinations. Let them establish certificates
of different grades, and be very chary of ever
giving certificate of the highest grade to any
one who does not wrench it, BY literary merit,
from them. Let certificate of some sort from
lem be, moreover, absolutely necessary to
teaching in the public schools at all. Let those
teachers W no get only the lower orders OF GER
tiOcates be displaced, as soon as practlcapie,
By those who get the higher grade OF certih.
Gates. Let no applicant be examined by 8
teacher or teachers from his or her county, but
In the presence Of all, by members of the board
from other counties. And let unanimous
vote of all members of the board present Re
necessary to comforting certificate to teach
upon any one al all, for then, perhaps, one
gentleman or one lady If Roman virtue may
be found among the board OF ten who Will in-
terpose-his or her veto to protect the children
of the State from an Ignorant or Incompetent
Instructor, no matter what sort OF an appeal
be made to the sympathy of the board.
When applicants for the certificate TO teacn
fall to get 1t. Let them 60 at once to work and
study, and try for 1t again. To assist them IN
80 doing, establish in Charleston or Columbia,
or in both, State normal school. And here
TIE question Of sex and of race presents itself,
and must be met, unless the matter Is to be
unfairly dealt with. -
AS to the question Of sex, so far as procuring
teachers is concerned, it can be easily dispos'
ed of. The State College and Claain Univer'
sity, Or State high school for colored stu
dents, will prepare young men quite sufficient
ly to present themselves before the board Of
examiners, and If it cannot do 80, let us have
dohe with such university, high school or
college, Moreover, the work of common
school education is Gone mostly by women,
In the proportion of at least three to one. In
that spirit Of practical compromise, then, rec
commended throughout these papers, let the
State normal school, at its first inception AZ
least, be school for girls and young women.
But now the great question Of race comes up,
and cannot possibly fairly be avoided. 1t must
he met. and shall be met boldly, though With
becoming distrust of the writer's judgment.
II ia proposed to meet it thus: C0tored girls
and Young wonen must be admitted TO all o.
the privileges of the State normal school,
Charleston is the proper place for such
school. because of the existence there o.
model schools for both races. which those pre-
pairing to teach can attend and observe
and when convenient assist in teaching.
II white women desire to teach, but Will
not attend the normal school to learn now
to teach, they can nevertheless appear be-
fore the State board of examiners for exam
iaation after learning elsewhere. But colored
girls and women have no other place IN the
State except State normal school to go to-
and to 1t, therefore, let them go. Nor Will II
be necessary, so long as political feeling and
social prejudice run high, for the white pupils
and the colored, at the normal school, to re-
cite together, or sit together, or take recrea
ton together, or be classed together. Tha
the races are distinct, and should remain dis
ttnct, is q proposition that commends itself tc
the wise of both races. Different parts OF the
same building, and different hours ofrecitation
in different sections, can be assigned, If botf
races harmoniously agree upon course ol
iudicious peace and compromise to the two
different, and ever to remain distinct
races that constitute our population. Say
however, that the whites will not attend, and
that We must wait until our resources are
equal 10 two State normal schools, one In
Charleston and one in Columbia. Very we'll,
then: but let the first Of them be open to col
ored girls and women, and let the white peo
ple wait for the second. This Is the bes
course in the Judgment of the writer. II
kothers see better course let them state 1t fol
the consideration of the public. But let moi
any one who pretends to write about State
education for this present generation of South
.Carolnians dream that he can shirk this great
element of race, of race.prejudice and race
rights that enters so necessarily into the pro.
,blem. Neither let the race Temporarily only
In political ascendency neglect their great op-
portunity of conferring unutterable present
. and future blessings upon themselves by
practical common sense in their dealing with
the rights and the passions and the prejudices ol
the white minority in legislating on the subject
of education. Such an opportunity never did
come to any race but this one single time.
The matter has been temporized with already
too long, But now, and not single season
fr;a ic n.