The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-02-25

Almost every one thinks lie could make
good school law, or at least make great improve.
ments in our present one. Now, TO make
school law to suit every one would be about as
difficult matter as it would be for tailor to
cut from the same measure Il coat which would
fit every man in the county.
propose making few suggestions, not sup
posing that our legislators will say Eureka"
and Immediately adopt my recommendations
and not even supposng that any of those law
makers will ever read what have to saw, but |
write to the people who are interested, hoping
that they will take these ideas into considera-
ton, and act on them as they are wise or other
wise. Our public school law has been often
changed Without in my opinion, being much
improved.
y large majority of the people are, believe, in
favor of public education; but The question
arises how far has the State Il right TO educate
lis population? / think that there are two
parties concerned III this question, the person
educated and the person who pays for il. l
think that the tax payer should have some saw
about how his money is spent. am unfortu-
nately nst one of the large tax payers, but
certainly would not ask the public 10 rive nv
children classical education, knowing the diff.
Guilty that tax payers often experience in raising
their tax when called upon for it. | may not
be supported in my opinion, but ! think that
a good English education is all that the public
should he called upon to give its pupils. As
far as cducaion'is concerned this will fit boy,
or girl either for that matter, for almost any
business he or she may wish to follow 1t will
qualify boy, if otherwise capable, to fill any
official position under the government and
| many of ourmost eminent professional men have
had nothing more.
In our State, many thousand dollars subsidiZ.
ing colleges academies &c, arc either thrown
away or fall far short Of the purpose for which
| thcy were nomlnally appropriated. | think if
the people we're consulted they would not vote
one cent for any of these purposes. fall of This
money was applied to keeping up the common
| schools think the tax payers would not be-
| grudgc to pay what more it would take 10 keep
| the schools running throughout the scholastic
! year some may say that if this were done "A
! poor hoy would have no chance of pcttiuw n
! classical education. But how many poor bows
get such an education under our present sys-
! TEN? Not very many, | fear. | am, however,
OF me opinion that poor boy who has The
natural abilities and ambition sufficient to make
an eminent man, will rise from a good English
education basis to any position for which nature
qualified him.
In this county, We have high school and Il
graded school, and the teachers salaries alone
| III these two schools amount to over $1,000
| per annum. ! believe that the Board of
School Commissioners in establishing these
schools supposed that they would be generally
patronized by all parts Of the county, and all
| the pupils in the county desiring to attend them.
were invited TO do so. But licy have proved
to be OF local benefit only, as but few pupils
outside of the town in which they are Located.
have attended them. Now, if we are TO have
higher schools than the common public school,
every part of the county should have, as far as
possible, equal benefit of them.
We do not suppose that the higher branches of
even an English education can be taught in all
the public schools. But suppose we take this
$1,000 and instead oftwo have ten higher schools
established in different parts of the county, 80
as to bring them in moderate distances of every
section. For 500 year we can get good teach.
crs capable Of teaching all that is required short
of the classics. In these schools teachers could
he educated capable of conducting the common
schools.
The manner of appointing the school board
is very unsatisfactory 10 the people. No one,
believe, supposcs that the present mode of ap.
pointment is at all constitutional, as it is Ger
tainly cXtra-iudicial. There is nothing which
comes home to the people more than theil
schools, and they naturally wish to have some
say in conducting them. Under the present sys
TEN, the people have little more to say in the APP
pointment ofthcir school officers than they have
in the appointment Of the Queens Court
| There should also be a school commissioner
from each election district, so that every school
could be under the eye and knowledge of some
school officer. YOSEMITE.