The Russellville Democrat., 1878-10-10
PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN COUN- TRIES SPARSELY SETTLED.

tiOn with public schools, past and present: that is the sparsely settled condition of large portions of the State. Can schools be maintained in thinly settled parts, where fami- lies are scattered over large area of country, miles apart2 It is much easier to abuse the past than to re- form the present, but if the real earnest friends of education have feasible, practical plans, they ought to present them at once.
 It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of having every child which is to become voter, a father or mother, taught to read and write. If it can be done let 1t be done quickly, but elimination of those gone before will profit no one. We readily agree with our con- temporary, the Atkins News, from which the extract above given is taken, that the sparseness with which SOME sections of our Stste are settled is barrier in the way of the suc- cess of the common free school sys- tenn IN THOSE LOCALITIES. But be- cause every neighborhood, whether it contains bakers dozen of chil- dren or not, cannot be provided with an efficient free school nine months out of the year is no reason why the school system of our State should not be perfected, sustained and fos- tered with the most jealous care. Give us g good school system any how, so that those localities where there is population sufficiently dense to sustain schools will have the certain guarantee of good public schools; and so that immigration may direct it's tide to our State with the full assurance that our people and our laws are in favor of educat- Ing the masses and that our State will provide public schools in every nook and corner of her territory whenever it is settled with subjects for instruction. The difficulty our contemporary complains of, or rather, points out, (the sparseness of our population will be obviated sooner by giving to the world the assurance that our State has school law which makes provision for the adequate and efficient education of all her youth, than by anything else. A good class of immigration is never gong to take up quarters in any country or State which neglects the educational interests. It is only roughs and the refuse of society which will seek home where there are no educational facilities. Any well-to-do, intelligent man in seek. ing Q new home looks at this matter at once; and it is not so much the question, "have you good schools in operation," so much as the inquiry ''has your State good school law, a law which encourages the public school system and contains provis- ions under which we may have ade- quate and efficient facilities for schooling our children" which he will ask. live have the law whereby it is known that our State recognizes the importance of a public school system, intelligent immigration will not halt because our people are neg ligent and do not avail themselves of the benefits of the law, but it will come ahead and do what we do not do-put the provisions of the law into practical operation. And right here let us say is the secret of our failure to have good schools and good roads we fail to enforce and put into operation in a thorough manner the laws which we have on these subjects. The best school law Tn the world will do us no good if we allow school officers 10 disregard its provisions as is done by directors and other officers under the present law. In fact with few changes in the present law we believe its strict enforcement would result in giving us good schools. One change is to alter the method of levying the tax whereby the school revenue is raised. The State owes it to her people to provide for the education of the masses. We want to see her ac- knowledge this obligation by taking