St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1878-06-01
Public Schools.
IN. o. City Item.]


Some people appear to have a very
decided objection to sending their chill
dren to public schools because of the
promiscuous associations involved, or
for anti-republican reasons, based on
pride OF birth or position. But no mat
ter how we'll Or ill-founded the obiec-
ton, it does prevail to considerable
extent, and consequently very respec-
table percentage of the educable chill
dren OF the country are sent to private
schools. According to- Superintendent
Lusher's report there are 1914 public
schools in this State, attended by "a 800
children, and 306 private schools, attend
ed by 20,693. 1t appears, therefore, that
even IN this impoverished common
wealth more than a third of the pupils
attend private schools. Of the 54,39O
who go to public schools, 21,849 are
colored.
The legitimate inference drawn from
these figures is, that as rule the chill
dren of the working classes only attend
the public schools, and they should be
so arranged SO to be of the greatest pos
sible benefit to those who attend them.
Out of comparatively limited revenue
devoted to school purpose it is not good
policy to devote 50 large a portion for
the maintenance of high schools as to
cripple the educational institutions on
which the "bOne and sineW" must in
the main rely.
We have recently glanced through a
report OF the Commissioner OF Educa-
ton for Ohio, and note some suggestive
facts In the public schools of that
State there are 100000 pupils enrolled,
OF which large number only about three
and one-half per cent. attend the high
schools, though the teachers employed
in the high schools receive fully ten per
cent of the entire sum paid to all the
teachers in the State. Such a condition
Of affairs, it is obvious, does not vindi-
cate the principle OF equality before
the law"
Of the the $4,000 school houses in
Ohio, only 140 OF them, OF one per cent,
are distinctly high schools. The whole
value of school property is about $780,
100000; the whole value of high school
of the Whole value OF school property in
the State. Thus it appears that fifteen
per cent of the State funds devoted to
the erection of school buildings and ten
per cent OF the money paid to teachers
are devoted to the higher education Of
three and a half per cent of the enrolled
pupils, but in reality only two per cent
of The children of school age in the State.
AS IA Western contemporary well OBJ
serves: "a common school education
does not mean an uncommon educa-
ton. It does not mean a smatterlng
of every thing and a thorough under
standing of nothing. 1t does not mean
fancy education but practical every
day education. 1t means that children
shall be taught Thoroughly how to spell,
read and write. Also that they shall be
thoroughly grounded in arithmetic
not only as to the theory but as to the
actual practice. Also that they shall be
taught geography, grammar and history
with as much thoroughness as the time
allotted to the average scholar at school
will permit.
Such is the education that should be
given in our public schools. To aim at
anything higher is to imperil the entire
system, High schools should be sup
ported by those for whose benefit they
were chiefly intended.