The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1872-01-27
Public School SNStepe.

Upon our desk we have the report Of Prof. NJ.
A. Newell upon the Public School System OF
the State of Maryland 1t is full of valuable
information to all who may be interested in
the cause of education, and contains many ex-
cellent suggestions, although we cannot en-
dorse all the recommendations it offers.
Itappears that during the year 1871, there
were 1890 schools in blast in the State
The number of scholars enrolled In the city
and counties number 115,6S3. The entire ex-
penses of the system, exclusive OF buildings,
amounted to $1,I79,O1S.3O. The chief Difficult
ties pointed out in the report that operate
against the better success of the system, are
the embarrassments that are the inevitable
fruits of a lack of sufficient funds.
The expense of building was less last year
than the one proceeding it, but the report says
'ahis merely indicates that the available funds
are exhausted, and that we are putting OIL I'LL
tomorrow what we are not able to accomplish
today" And it further states that "it would
be more satisfactory if the money that is
actually needed, could be had regularly year
by year." This is correct. A regular amount
of money guaranteed, year by year, for three
or four or five successive years, would enable
the Commissioners to operate accordingly and
work to better advantage. Then they are not
hampered by an abundance of funds one year
and deficiency the next
1t is the tendency with some County Com
missioners to reduce the school tar in preference
to any other,when they are compelled to make
financial retrenchment from political or other
pressure This is bad. The school system
should not be subjected to such risks. This
makes the system the puppet of the County
Commissioners.
The report suggests that half tie salary Of The
teacher should be made to depend on the average
daily attendance of the scholars In behalf OF
the teachers, we say this would be gross injus-
tice. In country schools this matter is almost
beyond the power of the teacher to remedy.
Fathers who cheat their sons by keeping them
at home three days out of five to work, and
mothers, who indulge their daughters by al
lowing them to remain at home whenever they
wish to, are the folks who must be reached to
remedy this. There is where the evil lies.
A series of valuable recommendations are
suggested as amendments to the school law, as
follows Q) A county tax of 10 cents on the
hundred dollars in the discretion OF the Board
of School Commissioners. (2) Teachers to be
appointed by the county Boards instead of by
the local Commissioners. (3) Further provision
for the gradual education of the colored chill
dren. (4) A State Normal School Building. (5)
The transfer of the Academic donations to the
county Boards for High School purposes. All
of these press their claims upon the people.
All of them are good suggestions. And the
Legislature cannot fail to give them grave con-
sideration without meriting the censure OF
those who are earnestly working and waiting
| for
''The good time coming
when every child in the State shall be taught
the rudiments of an education. We feel like
devoting special column Of thanks to Prof.
Newell for the revelations he makes and the
recommendations he urges concerning the
colored children of the State. He says "the
State school tax is distributed among the
counties in proportion to the population, @htte
and black, between the ages of and 20. BY
this means every county in the State receives
$1.52 a year for every colored person in it
between these ages, sum that would be suffi-
cient for the current expenses of such elemen-
tary schools as would be necessary at first
And yet we are told that the money expended
| for colored education in the State (S4,61l. 40
"was little more than nine cents a head for the
colored children of school going age" We
claim that this is gross injustice. 1t should
not be tolerated.
Prof Newell we'll says "there is no argument
| in favor of the education of the people that
does not apply with equal or greater force tf
the education of the colored people, now thai
they are free and entitled to the elective fran
4 cnfse.
We 1.-THE Legislature will at once act upon
these recommendations and give them the at
tention to which their merit entities them.
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