The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-01-17

have 36school Districts. And then,
upon the sup iition that the number OF
coloTeds children iii the County be equal
TO- one @onest third Of tie white, and We would
have two schools in every third District,
making IN all 4s school in the County.
Second. Then lei; the Legislature pass
an act declaring the .so-calle1 public
schools Of the State of South Carolina to
be ii fact what they purport to be in
3 name rec Common Schools, open to
.ail switho1t money and without price; 8
without the anomalous; ncongruous ad-,
mixture Of private and public funds to
run su ffes common schools; without any
written agreement between patron and and.
stessher in which it, Is Is agreed To- pay the
tsac6a an sxtsss Of rate above Uncle
Third. Let the Legislature abolish the
sper diem system Of paying teachers by
snacttng 5 Law that all tirst grade, teach.
! ers shall be paid q salary say $50 per
month no other grade be employed,
Unless It should be. fonnd that asuficient
number Of first grade teachers cannot be
had for. assist tants; then let the second
grade come in upon 3 salary of $40 per
month .9S;-'. ~
Fourth. We would have the teachers,
both principal and assistant, chosen each
year By the popular vote Of the Districts;
those elections to be held annually the
{ last Saturday in the year, and! all the
schools opened the first Monday in JAM
nav. The selection for teachers to be
made from those holding first grade GER
]. .tifcates signed By the County Board Of
Examiners. 5i.s
But perhaps an objection may bs
raised here that competent teachers can
not be had at $50 per month. To this
We answer that ne feel very certain that
sufficient number of competent Eng-
slish teachers cam be employed to teach
all the public schools Of the State at $50
per month land good sense and economy
would seem to dictate that we should
pay mo more than this, if competent
teachers are willing to teach. We our
self viii pledge that We will teach any
.spf Uncle Sans schools at the above
salary, and put in a first grade assistant
for $40 per month This would amount
to $50 per month for one school, Hence,
for teaching 4S schools one month would
be s., 400. Now, assuming that the tax
of tNc mills gives to, the County of An:
.dsrson s1O, 900, this, with the poll tax,
which is about S, 900 would make $13,-
600. This sum, at $50 per month for foor.
each. school, will run 48 schools about 81
months during each year. S
Hence, we perceive we would have 4S
schools sin full blast during '5} months
each year, with two instructors to each
s school at that.
But AN objection may be urged that
should principal and assistant each have
under his charge so scholars, that this
would only be about one-half the NUM- mum
ber Of children in the County between
the. ages Of Six and sixteen. To this we
would reply, that from past perience as s
teacher in the public schools Of our
Comfy, Ne are prepared to state that
the average attendance has never been
but little more than oas-tsird the number
Of children between the above named
ages. "a.
Perhaps another objector comes for
ward and says Five miles square would
be entirely too large for nll practical pur-
poses, because those children living in
any M, one Of the corners of your square
: would have too far to travel to get to
yonr school, We would very respect
fully reply, that those children who
should happen to live in any OF the cor
pers of the District would not have any
farther to 90 than many under the pres
emf arrangement do go-the distance be-
iing 8 small fraction over 81 miles.
We have frequently heard an objec-
Z ton brought to bear against this plan
upon the ground that our State is too
thinfy populated to afford enough chill:
dren to make school within the area OF
eyery five miles. But when we come to
test it with the facts and figures In the
case. we perceive at once how pnerile
this argument is; that it becomes dissi.
pated into ssthe thinest air" Do we not
see i'm many instances three or four
schools within the boundary of five
miles? And, mark you, this is the great
trouble; this is the principal cause why
Z the public schools have done 80 little
good. Four OF FIVE schools where there
should be but one, ranging in number o1
scholars from ten to fifteen, continuing
in operation from ten to thirty days
little, puny, lifeIess "ahairs' ''-emphati.
cally one-horse schools, taught by one
horse teachers. y
Now, these are stubborn facts, .sufi.
Gent; we think, within themselves tc
ey1nce 70 every IeHoCtiuS ulau shas oouis
plan similar to ours should at once be
::naugurated and set in operation. DIS
miss at once and forever all those incom
: petents presiding over. those small carica-
lures of schools throwing all the children
together within the boundary of five
miles; employ live, energetic, first grade
teachers TO each school, and just as Ger
1 tain as appropriate and weltdirectee
8 81 means bring about corresponding ant
4 desired ends, just so certainly will yor
see a great change for the better wrough
= 81 ! So s. ". 8. I.