New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-31
fCommunicated.l
Tho Old Story Democracy Down OF
Public Schools.

EDITOR REPUBLICAN,:
Everything that tends to educate the
children of the great mass OF working peO
pie, whether white or black. is gall and
wormwood to the good old Southern citi
zen. The public opinion Of the North, and
OF all enlightened and progressive coun-
tries. is 40 decidedly in favor of free public
schools that the enemies thereof usually
try to conceal their real sentiments, and
attack our system under guise of economy.
their object being to render the system in
| efficient and worthless by destroying all
enlightened supervision, and thus reduce
| the public schools to the condition they
were in under the old.tims management
previous to the war.
1t is q very common assertion made by
these lovers Of the good old times, that
schools were then more numerous and
better than now. A few facts from the
census of 1870 prove how groundless this
assertion is. In 1870 more than 200 white
voters could not read their ballots nor
write their names. The youngest Of these
were eleven years old at the beginning of
the war. This shows something Of the pub
lie school system under which these thou.
sands grew up in ignorance.
At the same time the number Of white
adult females unable to read and write in
Louisiana exceeded $4,000. Such we're the
fruits of former school management. But
We have moro proof than even this. have
in my possession a manuscript volume con-
taining the annual reports of the Secretary
Of State during some ten years, when that
officer was also Superintendent of Educa-
tion. These reports were never printed, at
least in book form, and their contents are
but little known. On January 13, lS47, a
report was made which contains the follow
ing:
The report on public education which 1
have the honor to present on this opening
of your session is still less satisfactory than
the one which submitted last year.
therein informed you that out of fifty
six parishes of the State. only seven had
forwarded to me any returns relative to the
situation of their pablo schools, and that
since the establishment of our present
system OF public education the same in
difference has invariably prevailed, SO much
so, that my predecessors in Office had never
been able to collect the information required
by law.
Oh, the good Old times Another report
shows that in the year 1871 the sum of
S44, 47 was spent for the support of COM
mon schools in the State. During the same
year the sum of $ll0,633 was paid out of
tbs public school fund for the support of
colleges and academies. Poor. people sent
their children to the common schools; the
sons and daughters of wealthy planters
filed the colleges and academies. And
these reports repeatedly recommend the use
Of all the public school fund for those higher
institutions and the suspension of all the /
free common schools in the State. As q
reason for this the report of 1913 says:
Under the present system of public
schools it is impossible to make good schol.
ars; or even to receive a common education.
A hundred extracts from these reports
might be given all showing the utter failure
Of the State authorities in those DAYS to
provide for the education of the common
people.
Coming down to q later period it ia in |
structive to look through the book wherein |
Mr.. Lusher recorded his failures and the |
Failures of the General Assembly Of 1867 |
to establish schools even for the white race,
to whose education he limited all his efforts.
We find recorded against most Of the par
shes: "Report sent for" REPORT sent for"
No report" etc.
Compare the record thus LEFT, both before
md since the war, with the full and com
'lete returns now given from all parts Of
he Stats under a Republican system. 1t
q true, that during the Warmoth admins
ration some cases Of embezzlement and
waste Of school funds occurred, but even
hen tie number of schools was greater.
nd the improper use Of the money much
ess than in the good old times" And
ince the present administration assumed
he management Of our pu bic schools, no
'ss Of funds has happened, but the number
f schools has largely increased X.