The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1879-12-19
satSrq, politqs and he Current gews II ahe aap

4BER ID. ls5s
sS 5. Wetako the folloYinS Srm the aisou 8
sion IN the Legislatutssdpon the bill o.
|allow tie Aeople in the several school dis.
tricts to LEG q tag u IL mills for the pur-
pose oGestaBhshing Graded Schools
Gen. Kennedy said: Mr.. Spsa +, my
object in asking for the ipostpoal kbt sof
this bill till to-day was in order 3kat thS
members might have an opportunity of
consi dering such an important matter as it
is. l regard it as 80 important and SO
much connected with the welfare of South
Carolina that no member should hastily
come to conclusion upon it, 1t has been
aptly said by some Que that the American
who has not made up his mind on every
subject is curiosity, and he that reserves
his opinion is still more of curiosity -
After most grave and deliberate considers
tion, have concluded to support this Ell
l asIeper,ed BY the c9nsmittee and as amended
[Shoufd be added to il. l need not speak
to this House of tho great principle which
has been established in the full light of the
nineteenth century-that it is necessary for
the State to take charge of the education
of her children. The doctrine has been
wisely formulated thus That of things
necessary to the general welfare tho State
should do what it can do best, aud leave to
the individual what he can do best. This
great principle Of education has taken held
of imperial Prussia, monarchical England
and republican France and Switzer!ana,
and i'll this country every State in this Union
has, to greater or less extent, considered
the subject.
New York devotcs ten millions to educa-
tional purposes; Massachusetts, four mil.
lions Missouri. owe. two millions; Louisi-
ana, over half a million Kentucky, one
million .anafe half. South Carolina has
wheeled. ip(B line, and between the poll
tax and the two mill tax raises 1870 900.
From the last report of the State Supcrin-
tendent of Education it appears that 122,-
463 children attended school during the
past year, which would give s3 per capita,
while for those who should attend it would
give 1.25 per capita. The average tune
that the schools have been kept open dur
ing the past year is three and one third
months. The average pay of teachers is
| S25 per month. Has South Carolina done
her duty in proportion to her population to
the demands upon her and to the illitcracy
among her people? We do not ask IN in.
creased tax. But We do say that We have
an immense population growing up in ig-
norance, and we ask that the provisions of
this bill be adopted that cities, towns and
villages which desire to supplement- the
State fund by imposing tax upon them
selves be allowed to do SO. Aud the Chief
kpSaaese in doing so~is in>cSdcr to establish
d wRat Is Known as graded schools. Now
confess that when I began tn, investigation
of this subject | did not know what graded
school was, and l take the liberty of read
ing description of what graded schoo
is from definition which | have obtained
while searching for information on the pucs
ton.
"Ordinarily, graded school is so nance
simply from method Of classifying the pu
pills; but in this State it means, in addition, ,
school supported partly by funds raised
from other. SOURCES. Wells, in his book cr
graded schools, defines it to be school in
which the pupils are divided into classes
according to their attainments, and in
which all the pupils attend to the sam,
branches of study at the same time. Al
the pupils in any one class attend to pre-
cisely the same studies and use the same
books. In each room there will be frs,
and second classes; and it is important that
the identical pupils who constitute the frs
class in ono branch should constitute the
first class in every branch pursued by the
first class. By this arrangement when one
class is reciting the other is preparing fo,
recitation, and an alternating process kept
up through the day. affording pupils ample
time to study their lessons and the teacher
ample time to instruct the class"
This simplifies instruction and afford.
more time to it. In school of mixed clas
ses half an hour might be devoted to clas.
OF only one or two scholars.
This bill provides that such schoo
shall be established in every city, town ant
incorporated village where it is desired
No one will deny the necessity of a hicl
school. In each ofthcsc communities, and va
rious plans have been proposed whereby tc
meet the necessity. One of these plans il
to have the people contribute certain
fees to supplement the public fund and t,
make these fees compulsory where the par
ties agree to pay them. An objection tc
this is that it tends to give the control O
the public schools too much into the hands
OF few individuals who contribute to thci
support. Another objection to it is that i
does not tax man according to his abilit,
but according to his willingness, and il
certain months of the year it would be
inadequate to meet the exigcncics of those
months. Another plan is to divert tho