The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-07-07
THEGENERAL CONVENIENTLY AND
THE STATE SCHOOLS.

A Convention of school superinten-
dents WAS held at Putin Bay on We'd
nesday last, at which the question OF
illiteracy in the United States, WAS dis
cussed, and some very interesting Stats
tics were produced, showing TO what II
great extent ignorance prevails in this
country The opinion was there ex-
pressed, that il would be safe TO count
the number of illiterate persons As fully
one fifth the population over ten
years Of aye, the largest single element
being =, $4,000 colored, while the num-
Der of native white ilite-ate was
placed at 2O87,OOO, and the
total white ilHterate at 2,s52,OOO.
OF the latter class l,GlS,00O are male
adults, of which it Is estimated that fully
1000 600 nearly one-fourth of all who
voted at the last Presidential election
are legal voters, and are believed to COM
pose one-tilth of all the voters in the
United States VIXEN the last census WAS
taken.
This showing is enough 20 start any
friend of education to thinking seriously,
and very naturally, remedies for the evil
were extensively discussed at this Con-
vention. The most prominent question
which arose was the relations of
the National Government to this
question. The opinion was
maintained that it would be alike uncon-
stitutional and improper for Congress to
interfere with the management school
systems within the State. These must be
organized, developed and controlled by
the State. Congress can only offer en-
enlargement, aid and cooperation. The
powers reserved to States should be exer-
cised 10y them, and any attempt by
Congress to interfere with them
would be- rs dangerous as 1t
- unlawful. More than this, the
United States should not undertake to do
for the States what they can do aS
well for themselves. 1t is much better,
when possible, that local affairs should be
wholly administered and provided for,
within the State. Even in so import
ant a matter As education, the National
Government should tender assistance
only when necessary to supplement the
efforts of the State Government
That doctrine is tolcrably sound, and
had the convention then recommended
WAYS and means by which the States
alone should meet and remedy the great
burden of ignorance, it would have been
NIL right. But this was not done. To
the contrary, il was strongly urged that
y National Bureau of Education should
be established, on the ground that
The different States would not attend to
the matter if left wholly to themselves;
and that circulars conveying necessary
information would neither be 50 accurate
and trustworthy, nor of such weight rs II
they proceeded from one grand centre,
under the auspices of the general govern
ment. True, there is nothing so terrible
even in this, at first blush, but its danger
consists in that such bureau would lead
directly ON to national Intervention in
the local affairs of State, and this dan
ger is verified by the further proceedings
of the Convention itself. Fort was fur
her maintained that the Irrational govern |
,nent should exercise beneficent super
vision over the work of educa-
ion in all the States, and when portion
# these have fallen behind the rest in
the means Of instruction,
hrough crippled resources, brother causes
n both, it should encourage and stmHu-
ste the establishment and Improvement