Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-09-09

Contributed for the Commercially
ssZeno," in his first article on educational sub
jeots, gives quite deplorable view of school
matters in Delaware, but he does not tell the
whole truth. From the tenor Of! his remarks
one would infer that he does not know the actu-
al condition of the schools, in Sussex county at
least. The law obliges us to raise thirty dollars
per district, before drawing the State funds,
and a great many districts just raise that
amount and no more. The apportionment of
State funds to each district in Sussex county is
generally little over sixty dollars. This year,
it is sixty-two dollars and lightweight cents.
Put that to thirty dollars, the sum required for
each district to raise by taxation or voluntary
contribution, and we have the liberal gum of
ninety-two dollars and lightweight cents, for
the school year. Taking thirty dollars per month
as the average of our teachers wages, Gladly
teachers generally receive twenty, and gentle
men teachers sometimes forty) and we have
enough funds for three months, putting Incl
dentals at the lowest possible figure. True,
some districts raise as high as two hundred dol
lars per year, but they are the exception, not
the rule. The average time of school is certain
ly not more than five months.
Many have wondered how it is that Sussex
county receives less per district than New Cas-
| tie and Kent countless One reason deserves
mention. Some tlirty-iive years ago We built
court house. Five thousand dollars of the school
fund, derived from the sale Of the
State lands) were taken, whether
rightly or not, for this purpose, and has
never been replaced. We thus lose three hum
| 1ral all Tt IL m ha hat ON.
Levy Court at its next meeting will attend to
this matter, and have the amount replaced. A
part of the members were in favor of ordering it
paid at the last meeting, but they were in the
minority.
AS to books we have all varieties. No differ
ence how poor text book may be, some copies
of it will find their way down here. We have
some good ones, to be sure, but often the varie-
ty of them compels teachers to have three OF
four classes where they would rather have
but one, OF readers we have San
ders, Sargent's and McGufTey's; of geogra
phies, Aitchell's, Warren's Corneil's, Monteithi
6c. Grammars, arithmetics, and spoilers are
hardly 20 much diversified, but the rule will
them as with the others is to get whatever kim
the country merchant may happen to have.
,, Our school buildings are generally small
about 1Sx22,) and poorly furnished with schoo
apparatus. There is not one school room in tel
that has respectable black board. Comfortable
seats, desks, teachers platforms and geographi
cal charts are almost unknown. The writer at
tended public school in Sussex county from
1857 to 1870, and for seats we had benches mad,
of pine slabs without backs. They have beer
|
upright and seats exactly level, compelling thei
occupants to preserve an angularity by no mean
pleasant, or else to slip forward and make a hal
circle with the spinal column.
There s quite difference between the &C
quirements of the children of Sussex county
Delaware, and those of adjoining counties of Ma
ryand. Take Wicomco for instance. Tn
examination of teachers, improvement of scho
buildings, together with the length of the sclloc
year, as compared with ours, has placed hel
children far ahead of ours of the same age oil
the road to knowledge. knew one worthy cit
izen who moved from SusseX to Wicomico he
cause lie had large family of children an
could not think it right to debar them of educa
tional privileges.
Some of our citizens think that new lal
. could be framed which would need hut few ofiit
-, GERS in addition to the Levy Court. They sa
.. two examiners FOR each county would be suif
: cient, and that the amount needed to run eigl
: Or ten months school in each district should /
added to the county tax and collected with it, il
= stead of each district levying aud collecting 1t
own tax as is now done. The Legislature ce
y tainly should not daily longer, but should mai
-. more adequate provision for schools than is no
- afforded. PLAIN SPEAKER.
" DELMAR. Del, August 1871.