The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1878-09-11
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TERMS CASH.

'ooe' VI w. 9SSu''"s oo q ~ PelF.1e GIN,
penditure OF i few huudrcd dolssgs,
years 1nstructi6n~of a hundred and
fifty pupils whose tuition fses snder
the old system would baye aas saated.
to more than three thousand
These graded schools solve the prob
lem Of eslucatiou in poverty-strickea
South Carolina. Without them, thou
sands viii grow up. in absolute igno.
rance.
The above is the result Of The ex-
perimeut in Winpsboro. What
Wiuusborp has doue. other towns can
do, if thc people are il earnest and
competent teachers are employed
For Easing the necessary funds
three sources exist. The amountsup
piled by the school fund should be, for
school Of a hundred and fifty pupils,
seven or eight hundred dollars Three
hundred or four hundred and fifty
may be secured from the Peabody
fund. The balance can be raised by
extra tuition and by private subscrip-
tiou. To maintain a school Of the
above mentioned size at least eighteea
hundred dollars should be raised.
AS to the manner of obtaining aid
from the. Peabody fund information
|'can be had on application TO Superin
teDdent 81. S. Thompson. few
points connected with it may, however,
be mentioned here. The trustees Of
the fund will give three hundred dof
lars to every public school Of one hum,
dred pupils maintained for ten months
with an average attendance of eight
FIVE per cent, or four hundred and
fifty dollars for a hundred and 6fty
pupils the same time with an average
attendance of eighty five per cent
provided in each case thas the current
funds from other sources are double
the amount asked from the Peabody
fund Application must be made al
the beginning Of the year on blanks
furnished by the State superintendent
Of education. The promised amount
will be paid at the end Of the year on
proof thas all the conditions have been
complied with.
A few words in conclusion con
cernipg the third source Of revenue.
It would be much better TO revive, II
incorporated towns, at least, the pro-.
vision for q local school tax than 10
trust TO individual subscriptions.
Some argue that the school fund is az
ready too large. That this is an error
is conclasiVely shown by comparison
with other States. South Carolina
raises little over dollar for every
child within the scholastic age. Many
other States raise seven or eight dos-
lars per capita, several Others from
twelve to fifteen, while Massachusetts,
raises each year sweaty-one dollars for
every child within the prescribed
ages, 1t is absurd to say we pay too
much, or even to hold that we raise
anything like enough. Besides, It is
easier on the individual to pay q tax
than pay tuition. A tax of fourmiills
on ten thousand dollars is required 10
raise forty dollars. Yet how many
citizens worth not the half of ten
thousand dollars now pay twice forty
dollars year in tuition fees To-
cal tax is the cheapest means ofrais-
ing money, Every one is aware Of
the abuse of the local tax during the
days of Radicalism- But it can be
so hedged around with restrictions as
never again to become a burden. The
scheme is as follows: Let it be con
fnec to those towns in which graded
schools are located. Let the extreme
limit of the levy be fixed at, say two
mills. Let a vote Of a majority Of
those persone paying taxes other thar
poU-tar be required to levy it. The
taxpayers will then have the matter
in their own hands, and cannot be
compelled to pay the tax, against
their will. The restriction ofthe vote
to certain class is perfectly legitl-
mate. The Constitution provides ez
pressly that no capitation tax, other
than the poll-sax, shall be levied
This local tax is therefore, to be paid
only by those persons owning property.
And as the poll-taxpayers are not
affected by the levy of this extra tax,
they have no right to demand vote;
while, if the tax is levied, they are
benefited indirectly through the SUI
perior advantages afforded Of educating
their children. Since it is much sim
pier for town to levy tax Of I've
hundred or thousand dollars than
for the citizens to subscribe that
amount, an earnest effort should be
madeto restore this tax with the limi-
tations mentioned above. This meth
cd is in vogue in very large number
of States.
It is needless to cry out against the
public schools They are fixed fact.
They are cheaper than private schools,
and can be made better. In perfect
ing the system, South Carolina will
be marching abreast, not only Of
every other State il, the Union, but
of Germany and other European
nations. No one in casting a glance
over the State and seeing the large
number of children, born Of educated
parents, now growing up in ignorance,
will deny that we are relapsing. and
that something must be done speedily
to check this downward career The
surest remedy is the organization of
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