Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-05-01

law requires athats the tyastees shall visis tho
schools from time to time. and take care that
they ese conducted aeeordipg to Law and with
the utmost efi ioiency., 1t ia not reasonable
TO es peot our. trustess to ride over nearly
Sninety5two square miles and visit twelve or
fifteen schools from "time to ti,ne," without
compensation. j have been th form ed that IN
those States where free schools nre success
that the districts are five miles square with
SCHOOL house in the centre. In our large
districts there is more or less wrangling about
tho location Of schools The results are very
poor school houses and many children kept at
home. lf our schools were permanently
located, think soor citizens weolti provide
better sohoolEhouses. The most eerious objec>
ton to large. districts perhaps Is this. With
twelve or fifteen schools in q district about
two,,thirds fthems mhy open with the sobol
lastfo year; the others two or three months
later, consequently the district fund is not
equally divided y z bAs l9e5ai'ErFef & =
Thet term Of free common schools
Of the State is 8 ITO months. 1t is clearly
evident that very little practical benefit can;
be. accomplished ii short term schools, The,
school fund Of our State is certainly inade-
qnate. when we take into consideration that
in many sections of our State that tho citizens
depend principally on the frse school fund TO
pay the tuition of their children. Taking
facts, circumstances and tho financial condi.
ton Of our State into consideration, j do not
think it would be prudent to inoreasc the
school tax at an early day, especially when
wetako into consideration that ut least 95
per cent. of the two mills school tux is paid
by that class Of our citizens who in return
get about 4G per cent. The Stute Sapern,ens
dent Of Education, in his Inst annual report
to tho Legislature, says: II would recommend
that all Incorporated towns bo granted the
right to levy tax for tho support Of schools
within their limits. Twill be observed that
the grant ofspower to lovy and collect the tax
is suggested, and not that the Incorporated
towns be required to do so. BY restricting
the right to voto for OF against the tax to
those citizens who own prescribed amount
Of property, d it will not be within
those who own nothing to impose
q tax upon their muro fortunate
neighbors." As there was no net
paSseu on inc au0Ve recommendation, take
it for grated that the system Of free schools is
not very popular With tho taxpayers of this
State. When we Look at tho iparcial condi-
tion Of our State apd our impoverished cti.
zens, who are just beginning to recover from
tho cffeots Of the late war, wo are ready to
oxclaim that the State Of South Carolina
is not prepared nor able to mako the FREQ
common schools IL success. Wo certainly
will fail to educate our future men and
women in schools whose average term is
3 10 months. am in favor Of compuls
sorry national system Of FREQ schools. 1t is
well known thata large onss Of tho inhahie
tants Of tho Southern States were made oiti-
zens By the National Government. there
fore think it tho duty of the National Govern.
ment to educate them.
In conclusion let me insist upon our oiti-
zcns to build good school houses, where they
have mono, and employ good teachers for
term not lcss than nine months. v Give your
teachers a living salary. Get good text books
for your children. Stop wrangling about tho
location of schools Every person canrot
haze n school house Mt his door. Do not
depend entirely on tho small amount Of public
funds to educatc your children, if you do. you
will certainly full. 4ia' II.
=