Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-03-30
= fEyx ANDRIA, VIRGINIA.
TUESDAY, MARCH 80, 1875.
iity school Report.

1.-The Third Annual Report ot the Superln-
tendent of Public Schools for the city OF Alex
gandria, Va.," is>a neatly printed pamphlet OF
some twenty pages, containing much valuable
Information relative to our schools. Alter
brief sketch of the proceedings of the year, the
changes in trustees, teachers &C., &c, it gives
the statistics Of the last four years, showing
gradual decrease 10 the number of children CO.
rolled, but an increase in the average atteD-
dance. Thus while the rolls for 1873 "A show
that one hundred and forty three less pupils at
tended than in the year preceding, three more
were 10 average attendance; 10 other words,
those who entered stuck.
The Superintendent thinks, however, that
fewer children attended school at all than 10
former years, giving the following statement
in support of bis opinion:
IAN examination of the school census shows
that OF the4, 35l persons of school age % to II
258 are under six aud just one thousand be-
tween sixteen and tWenty-one so that there
are O93 between the ages of six and sixteen.
OF these seven hundred and sixty four, not
quite twenty-five per cent attended pubic
schools.
"By the courtesy of Mr. Henry J. Nevett,
then Assistant Commissioner of the Revenue,
| was enabled to obtain statement OF the
number of pupils attending most of the private
and parochial schools, and estimating the at
tendance at the schools which Were over
looked, or the conductors o. which refused in-
formation on the subject, (for / regret to say
that some two or three were discourteous
enough to do SOL found that the whole num-
Der of such pupils, after deductng those resld-
ing outside the city limits, or under six or over
sixteen, was about eight HUNDRED, or twenty
five per cent. more.
Thus it will be seen that only halt our
youth between six and sxteen received any
education whatever during the year. Lynch
burg had forty.three per cent. of her entire
school Formulation Is to 81 in her public schools;
Stanton, upwards of forty Petersburg, thlr-
ty-three Richmond, twenty-seyen Ports
mouth, twenty-five; and Norfolk. twenty-tour,
while we had but nineteen, the smallest 10 the
State, and, probably, the smallest in the Un-
ion Washington, with II, 403 white persons
between 6 and II. by the census OF 1870, had,
in 1872, 935 such persons In pubic, ADD
5,4l4, iu private schools; nearly elghty-hve
per cent being under instruction, while we
have but fifty. five per cent. of those between
and l6 10 the colored public schools OF
per cent. of the population between and II,
and in Georgetown it was forty per cent.
while our enrolment in all colored schools,
public and private was but thirty-siz per cent.
Of those between and Is. y
He adds "These facts are alarming, aud
it is our manifest duty to apply. remedy as
soon az possible. The question is, what is that
remedy? The most obvious answer to that
question is, ga compulsory school law. But
nine States of the North and West, have al
ready enacted such law, and would 1t not be
we'll for us to await the result OF their action
before trying the experiment? | presume 1t
would. Yet rcannot see 10 a compulsory law,
any such invasion of private right as Its oppo-
nents discover No State provides that the
child shall attend public school, or, 10 fact,
any school at all but merely that it shall be
taught some months during the year; the chief
are too few. If all men are to vote on my
rights of persons and property, [ have the
right to demand that they qualify themselves
to understand those rights. If am to be tax
ed to support schools, have right to ask
that those for whom they are established De
required to attend them. 1t may be said, In
deed, that some parents require the labor OF
their children; in the present impoverished
condition OF our country that is doubtless true;
but why not provide, for the present. that chill
dreu must either go to school or work Why
should the many, white aud black, who are
growing up in idlcncss about our streets and
suburbs, trespassiDg on fields and gardens. and
committing petty thefts, be sheltered behind
the iew,-the very few,-who doreally work =
After giving the items OF receipts and ex-
pendi,ure, aud contrasting the cost of educa-
ton here with that of the other cities Of the
Commonwealth, (all of which We have pub
lished heretofore, and speaking of the services
rendered to the community by the parish
schools of Christ and St. Mary's Churches,
and the colored school taught by Mr.. Lloyd,
under the auspices of the Episcopal Church,
which he says educate one-fourth as many
children gratuitously as there are in the public
schools, and thus save two or three thousand
dollars year to the tax payers, he proceeds 10
speak as follows of the improvement IN schools
"On the 3lst of December, in the four years
our schools have been in operation, We bave
had the following enrolment, viz:
1871 1872 1878 1874
White Children 447 APO POI i93
Colored Children 1874 277 26l PSI
Total GIL 697 652 ia
And the average attendance has been
White Children 800 349 353 446
Colored Children l56 246 23S 26U