The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-06-05

ucate his children at expensive "pay"
schools or colleges.
Let us see how nearly we arrive at
the truth by putting this idea into
practice. There are, in this land OF
the free and homo Of the brave.
when all men are popularity said to be
equal, really three clasSes of society
the poor class, the middle class, and the
wealthy class. The poor man, if he
owns q home worth a few hundred dol
lars, pays a school tax. The comfort.
sbly.of man of the middle class who
owns a fine farm or houses and lots in
town,pays a school tax. The man who
is rich in lands and houses and stock
in railroads and banks pays a school
tax. Which Of these three classes re-
ceives the full benefit of our common
school system? Not the rich
man. His children frequently are new :
Their education is begun by a govern
ess or tutor or at private school and
completed in seminary or college
Not the children of the poor mau
They are sent to school at the age OF
six perhaps, and kept there until at ten
or twelve or fourteen years OF age, the
necessities Of the parents compel their re.
movaI from school-the boys learn
are kept at home to assist the over
worked mother of the generally large
family. Neither girls nor boys have
acquired more than a knowled &c of
reading and writing, slight acquaint-
unce with geography, and suf-
iicient one of Figures to
answer the most ordinary
purposes Of life. Occasionally Il
bright boy OF girl goes little Tar
ther and leaves school with the con.
ciousne,s that if fate had been kinder,
he or she might have pursued with ad ..
vantage the studies now general.
y comprising our common school
course.
Which class is it then that receives
the actual benefit Of our public schools
as they are now conducted? 1t is the
children of the well.to.d mid
die class, Of the men who
can afford to buy books and clothing
for their children and keep them at
school until they are eighteen or TWEEN
ty years Of age. The school tax is no,
considered burden by these
men because they feel tina,
it inures to their advantage many fold
But as the common school course i,
enlarged and improved and made to
embrace all the branches comprising Q
"liberal education the school tax in
creases-increases for the poor maj
whose benefits from il do not increase
and becomes a grinding BURDEN
creases for the rich man who neye
takes advantage Of its benefits, and i
often felt by him to be an unjust bur
den. Hence we see that the two er.
tremes of society, the poor class ant
the rich class, endure the burden o
the school tax to educate the children
Of the middle class. The remedy fo,
this manifest injustice lies in reducipu
the school tax, which necessitates re-,
ducing the expenses of the common
schools and is arrived at by making
the common school course embrace O
knowledge of reading, writing, arith
metic and the rudiments of other prac-
teal branches. These, if well taught
will enable the children of all classe.
to become well informed citizens, will
lay the foundation for 'liberal educa
ton which may be acquired by othel
means than AT tne public expense and
will reduce the school tax SO that the
poorest man will feel it no burden and
the richest no injustice.
MADDIAnn