The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-09-06
c., WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 6,1871.

was not pursued rs o profossiun, bu
was an asylum for the halt, the main
cd, the blind and tho deaf, or NOR
stepping stone to some other business
!, He gave humorous picture of
young man who aspirod ta succee
him in the Cokcsbury School whio
he had just resigned, and concluded b
saying, that education must cont inu
;ip an unsatisfactory condition, as lon
as our schools were at the mercy o
such applicants. .
! THIRD DAY AUG. 25TH.
| The subject Of school organization
was resumed, and Prof. B,bbit of tn,
South Carolina University occupied
the attention Of the audience for Owe
an hour, describing the working o
the public schools in Massachus It's
He said they we're graded in five
grades the infant, the primary, the
intermediate, the grammar, and tn,
high schools. AS a general thing, th'
teacher had forty pupils, twenty iu
each Of two classes, so that when 6
dull boy ;"smarted up," he jumped
into the upper division, and when 6
smart boy "dulled down." he fell into
the second class. The Board of su
pervisors served without pay, and en-
ployed a paid superintendent to exc
cute their plans. This was an admi
rab:e System, economical and eff
cient. Mr.. B. said worry few pup;ls
ever entered the high schools. IL
our town of 5000 inhabitants, but
thirty pupils were in the high school,
and very few went to college. II
called on to state the worst fault OF
the system, he would say it was the
tremendous pressure brought to hear
upon the pupils. No excuse for tar
diness or absence ever prevent, d loss
of marks. He had known childr. n
to get out of bed to attend school, and
to 60 back to bed, as soon as they got
back home. The strain upon doli-
cate child was so trying, that parents
were obliged. TO- send their feeble
children to prisafs teuchers. He
considered the pupils as prepared by
the syst en- for teaching, but usnot fitted
for housekeeping or for the ohari-
ties of life. The joint education of
the sexes, too, he thought hatohed out
quite numerous brood Of growing
hens. The Professor was listened to
with with unaagging interest to tho
The Rev. Dr.. Furman then took
the floor, and said, he feared he was
too old co change, and might be de-.
nominated an old fogy. lie feared
to trust the State with the business of
education, which he regarded as tho
hcaven-given prerogative of parenta
to attend to. He did not believe in
separating religious instruction from
education, and would be obliged to
vote against Mr.. Stuart's suggestions,
if it came to q vote. That he feared
to trust the present legislative au-
! thorities with suoh power as the
/ control Of education. FL preferred to
let the matter be left to present agen.
cies. We were apt to forget that the
war had interrupted our plans and
! prevented the full beneficial efforts
Of the excellent system wo had previ-
Gus to 1860. Education was not even
now in as bad state as Mr.. Stuart
seemed to believe. Let us trust q
little to time. AS to the South Caro-.
; lima University it had once fallen und er
a malignant Influence, and might do
80 again. Let us be cautious. He
thought that the Institute had bette or
confne itself TO the improvement of
its own members, and believed it was
!; already doing great deal of good.
The entire speech of the venerable
speaker was exceedingly pleasing, be.
cause so sincere.
Mr.. b. r. Stuart said that he per
ceived that Mr.. Archer had just come
in and thut he would reply to him,
and then to DR.. Furman. There was
no difference of opinion between Mr..
A. and himself, as he might see by
reading his first suggestion. How
to make the rotten things throughout
the State called primary schools eff
cient, and how to stop the present plain
wastefulness and robbery existing
under the garb Of education, was the
question, aud he knew of no better
way than to have high school nea,
at hand, to reject and send back al
applicants from primary schools tha
had been imperfectly taught. The
people would then soon discover
how inefficient those 80 called pri
mary schools really are.
AS to the remarks of Dr.. Furman, tn
question Of education by the Stat
had now gos beyond debate. 1t was set
tied in all civilized countries that tn
State should educate, tho State con
stitution settled 1t in South Corolina
Money was being spent for tho pur
pose, but spent ia such II way that
was downright robbery. Il beoarn
the education of the State to sugges
reform. He was persuaded thei
opinions would oary weight. Almo,