Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1871-12-07

Total naaiese - - 99,7S2
Uhsta Soro o,eu ~ 41,24O
cnioref3 females b6,2Q7
Total j females 81, al
roto, sb,+a ! (. S2,1s6
Total eolored o. : - t4 = 'i4,soo
Total scholastic population, 1869 l97, Hs
The returns of this. year. will show
scholastic population smounting, IN the
aggregate, to more than 200 GOO. 80 :,
The Ihole number of pupils attending
the free common schools Of the State, .1of
the scholastic year 1871, is about 81 ,oss.
The whole number Of free common
schools in the State Is 1889. :. 49,.
The whole number of school districts
in the State is 462. IN 3ns.
the State are kept open about six montnfs
TIE whoienumber of teachers employ
NJ %ales 1e sne puDN0 ''AO0-' - . i,15o
Females -. ,7Oo
rota, 1855
The Ss average salary paid to teachers is
$35 per month.
The following is an exhibit of the
school funds of the State for the fiscal
wear ending October 81, 1871:
Regular legislative appropriation $3.50, 600
Amount of poll tax collected, es-
timated at N,UO
Deficiency appropriation 10000
Total. -, $4,000
A majority of the school districts
in the State have voted a school tax,
but the superintendent has no means
of .ascertainiug the aggregate amount:
There is evidently a great lack Of
interest in the cause of free common
school education, and it is hoped that
some :practical and simple plan: for
raising a school revenue, by means Of
local taxation, will bespeedily devised
dsthat. the people interested inothe
general. results o. . education, will,
through their personal influence, aid in
extending means. Areasonahle degree
of progress, taking. into due consid--
eration the adverslties and difficulties
encountered, has been achieved in
the educational work. during the scho-
lastic year. The school attendance.
for the year l87l..mere than doubles
that OF 1870, The. school. law, "
though not faultless, will not fail to
produce very favorable results If it
be properly, enforceo, and the super
intendent testi6es that the people are
gradually acquiring an interest in. the
cause of pubic schools
It will be noticed that SS5 per
month has been paid to-. teachers,
male and, female, throughout the
State. ! am surprised at the high
average Of, COMPOSITION paid tor
this service, as tits well known that
the qualifications of O.. large portion
of these teachers would not enable
them.to earn over one:third of the
pay now received in any other. yoca5
ton they might adopt. It is the du-.
ty of the General Assembly to inter
pose in the expenditure Of the appro-
priation for this; purpose, anf while
advancing the means Of education
limit the amount paid teachers to
such compensation as their services
would legititnalely command. In the
higher grades Of schools in our towns
and cities the teachers who can fiji
the situations are entitled to compen
sation IN proportion to: their qualif:
cations; but IN the country schools it
is we'll known fact that the teachers
generally employed can do but little
more than impart the rudimen,s Of
common school education, and yet
they receive. the pay of first class
teachers this extravaganza in dis
buryng the appropriations for schools
is one OF the principal causes hat
embarrasses- the superintendent OF
education
Ii no portion of the United States
are school teachers regarded as
benefciaries- of the State, but they
adopt the vocation as a, means OF
gaining livelihood, and in country
places the cost of living is a mere
triAe, and The compensation is pro
portiouably reduced. The same rule
should be adopted here that prevails
in other sections of the country, and
school commissioners should give this
their attention, for, to ny personal
knowledge, very large and extraya-
giant CLAIMS Tor tue services Of teach.
ers- have been fayorably acted upon
by the Legislature, whereas t;le: par.
ties making the claims could not havs
earntt-twenty-hye per cen.. Of The
compensation demanded. thus rob.
bing the, children who needed the
benefit Of the appropriation tor edn-.
cational purposes. | trust this mat
ter,wil engage your earnest attention,
as it must be patent to every MEM
Der OF the Legislature that the fore.
going is no exaggerated statement OF
the waste d. public school funds.
would further recommend that
you menorialize congress, through
our representatives; on the adoption
of:a national system of education,
and more especially on the snbIect-ot
contributing means towards the edu-
cation of that class of children of the
Southern States who have been hith
er:o deprived of the means of educa-
ton III pursuance Of the constitution
and laws of the State and nation. At
the close of the recent rebellion those
held in slavery were turned loose up
on the world with neither education
or even houses to shelter them, but
were LEFT to the mercy of those who
had but recently held them in bond
age. 1t could scarcely be expected
that assistance would voluntarily be
rendered them by those who felt that
great wrong had been inflicted on
themselves by the loss of this class of
legal property. They have, therefore,
before them years of struggling and
hardship before they can, unaided, sue
ceed in educating their children and
prepare them for the duties of citi-
senship. Ahational system Of edu-
cation, supported by the General
n