The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-01-23

keep us from BOTH"
That was sound doctrine then and under that
political system, if reduced to practice.
With us it is sound public policy to enlighten
the people, from whom all political power must
rightly emanate.
The theory that man is entitled to selfgov-
ernment is advancing throughout the civilized
world like an irresistible wave. This is due to
the more general spread of educated intelli-
gence among the working masses of mankind ;
a fact which has led a distinguished political
writer to observe that "even bayonets think" :"
Let the youth of South Carolina be educated,
that they may stand abreast with the foremost
in this advancing march of intelligence. The
common schools should be multiplied, and
puEctual attendance upon them should be en-
forced by law. The immense number OF abb
sentees from the schools already established
renders it imperatively necessary that the Gen
eral Assembly should, without delay, enact
statute to enforce the attendance at school OF
all children of scholastic age, whose physical
and mental conditions will permit. To that
enc I invite the earnest attention of your
honorable bodies to Section 4, Article !O OF
the State Constitution, wherein it is declared
tha; ''it shall be the duty of the General AS
sembly to provide for the compulsory atten,
dance, at either public or private schools, of all
children between the ages of six and sixteen
years, not physically or mentally disabled, for
a term equivalent to twenty-fOur months at
least Provided, That no law to that effect
shall be passed until system of public schools
has been throughly and completely organized,
and facilities afforded to all the inhabitants OF
the State for the free education of children"
No sagacious statemen will doubt the wis
dom of this Constitutional provision, or the
policy of rigidly enforcing it by statute. Even
if compulsory education were not expressly
authorized and enjoined in our organic law, the
right to enforce it would still be unquestonable,
on shat principle of self-defense which pertains
to States as it does to individuals.
Il State has the same right to arrest the
growth of ignorance in its population as it has
to check or suppress an incpient .pcstilence.
Indeed, its right and duty in the former case
address themselves more forcibly to the public
conscience, and more deeply concern the COM
mon welfare than in the latter. The skill of
the physician may stay the march of the de-
stroyine pestilence, and the due enforcement
of known sanitary laws may break its force,
but the fearful evils that spring from the mis-
directed power of great multitude controlling
the government of free State, and themselves
controlled by ignorance and its twin-brother,
crime, inflict disaster without remedy, and
cat like a cancer into the very fibre and vitals
of society.
An excellent system of public schools,
modelled upon that of New England6the
land of the school house-has been thoroughly
organized in this State, and the facilities for
free education, as designed by the Constitution,
are now afforded our people, and therefore the
compulsory attendance, at either public or pri-
vate schools, should be enforced by law, as
required in the constitutional provision cited:
The facilities for popular education should
be annually increased, and the proceeds OF the
tax levied for that purpose should be sacredly
set apart for the libt II and unfailing main
tcnance of our system free common schools.
in every valley and Upon every hill top the
school house should be seen, standing as the
true buwark of a free State-a fortress well
designed and strongly built to arrest the march
of ignorance and vice.
] ask for this, the fourth annual report OF
the State Superintendent of Education, 1.-THE
Hon. J. X. Jillson,) the careful consideration
of each member of the General Assembly.
cannot sufficiently commend this officer for the
untiring diligence, and the rare fidelity and
efficiency with which he has discharged his
important trust amid the greatest cmbarrass-
ments
lie deserves we'll of every friend of the peo-
pie, and may be Justly esteemed an educational
benefactor to the State.
THE PENITENTIARY.
1t has cost much more to maintain the State
Peaitentiary during the present year than Mt
any former period, from the fact that the ap:,
preparations for its support were and are still
unpaid and nearly all the necessary supplies
were compelled to be obtained on credit at
greatly enhanced rates, because of the uncer-
tai.ty of speedy payment This extra cost is
estimated in the report of the Directors here
with transmitted, at not less than ten per cent.
above the cash prices of the supplies thus OBJ
tained.
ghc Penitentiary began the fiscal year, com.
mencins November l, 1871, with deficit OF
SIT ,557.11, which has not yet been paid. The
total resources of the Institution, for the fiscal
year ending October 81, 1872, were as follows; o~
Appropriated. ......-.................SS0,OO 100000
Hire OF convict labor, sales, &C.. 4,7l769
SS4,71769
The expenditures for the same period were
S74699,44, leaving unexpended SlO,0lS25.-
Deducting this unexpended balance from the
deficit above stated, namely SIT ,457.1l, leaves
an actual deficiency of 81, 1856, for which
amount the Directors ask and | recommend
th%t n special appropriation he maze:
The Superintendent in his report claims, and
1 think with reason, that the sum of S74 ,G99, 43,
given as the aggregate expenditures for the
fiscal year, should be abated by various items
therein detailed, and that the real sum eXpcnd-
ed for the support and construction OF the
PRISON, for the fiscal year which commenced
on November l, 1871, should be estimated as
The very able and lucid report of the Super
in.endent exhibits the gratifying fact that the
South Carolina Pcnitentiary has thus far cost
for its construction much less, relatively, than
any similar building in the country, while in
plan and material, being of granite, it is infe-
rrior to none. He institutes in proof of this
fact, from official data comparison betwcen,
th, cost of the North Carolina State Prison and
our own; in the former, the cost per cell was
g 047 while the cost per cell of the Peniten-