The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1878-09-05

permanent FODDER. The result will
be beneficial, not only in m educa-
tinhal point of view, but also as
regards the material interests of the
town. livery pupil retained at
homo means a saving of certain
sum of money, to be otherwise ex-
ppndod.
During the first five months the
school was supported from tho
public funds. For the next session
it will receive three hundred dollars
from tho Peabody fund, and the
oltizens will subscribe two or three
hundred more, thus securing, at a
private expenditure of q fow hun
drad dollars, O. yoar's instruction of
a hundred and Atty pupils whose
tuition foes under the old system
would havo amounted to more than
three thousand dollarsl These
graded schools solve the problem of
qduoation in poverty-strickon South
Carolina. Without tn em, thou
sands will grow up in absolute
ignorance.
The aboye is the result. of the
experiment in Win46boro. What
WinnsbQro has done, other towns
can do, if the people are in earnest
and if competent teachers are en-.
ployed. ~-.N
For raising tho nee essary funds
three sources exist, Tho amount
supplied by tho school fund should
be for school Of n hundred and
fifty pupils seven or eight hundred
dollars. Three hundred or four
hundred and fifty may be secured
from the Peabody fund. The bal
ance can be raised by extra tuition
and by private subscription, To
maintain a school Of the above
mentioned size at least eighteen
hundred dollars should bo raised.
As to the manner of obtaining aid
from tho Peabody fund information
can DO had on application to
Superintendent II. S. Thompson.
a few points connected with it may,
however, be mentioned here, The
trustees of the fund will give three
hundred dollars to every publie
school of one hundred pupils main
famed for ten months with an
average attendance of eighty>fve
per CENT, or four hundred and fifty
dollars for hundred and fifty
pupils the samo time with an
average attendance of eighty-five
p or cent, provided in each case that
the current funds from other
sources are double the AMOUNT
asked from the Peabody fund,
Application must be made at the
beginning of the year on blanks
furnished by the State superintend-
ent of education. The promised
amount will be paid at the end of
the year on proof that oil the con-
ditions have been complied with.
A few words in conclusion con-
cerning the third source of revenue.
It would be much better to revive,
in Incorporated towns, at least, the
provision for local school tax,
than to trust to individual subs
soriptions. Some argue that the
school fund is already too large.
That this is On error is conclusively
shown by comparison with other
States. South Carolina raises O.
little over a dollar for every child
within the scholastic age. Many
other States raise seyep or eight
dollars per capita, several others
from twelve to ffteen, while Mas
saohpsetts raises each year twenty,
one dollars for every child within
the prescribed ages. It is absurd
to say we pay too much, or even to 7
hold that we. raise anything like
enough, Besides, it is easier on
the individual to pay tax than pay
tuition. A tax of four mills on ton
thousand dollars is required to
raise forty dollars. Yet how many
citizons worth rot the half Of ton
thousand dollars now pay twice
forty dollars year ip Tuition fees 7
A local tax is the cheapest means of
raising money; Every one is aware
Of tho abuse Of tho local tax during
the days Of Aadicalism. But It can
be so hedged around with restric-
tions as never again to become O
burden. The scheme is as follows
Let it be confined to those towns in
WHICH graded schools ore located:
Let the extreme limit of the levy
be fxed at, say, two mills. Let. q
vote of majority of those porsons
paying taxes other titan, poll-tQn be
required to lovy it. The Taxpayers