The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-02-06

THU ESDSaAesssS "a
p.n,sc school sSsssna.
aaa so The following timely article Y
we oo ..s,,.son 81 The General Assembly
10 ue .-n.cr az rHE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
s,r,e 81 our politicians 90 nes yet sss =,
sSoas,nsnize the faes that anon Sae nass.ss
70 ,s people OF cur State snsi !, Is nv ~
Oh II our State ~ NEG m .sS y. =.
tu.s than our public We ao,noe
~ now OF the eoJored peopie, w WI aunl.
spsa some 100000 out OF the l,soV,voV ~ =,
De, population. We refer 70 .ne masse :. " !
our gn g;p population. We are therefore Q
our "a arnrised 70 observe the efforts which
sNR nan being made 10 the Aessisiss 81 J.
are nnsscalate the. system IN suca 9 WY !.
70 IShile they would leave sis /, eng name 3
i fess would engineer our paoils scnGe.s
!se, snc, position that death from gradual
,aso - Nm breath would only be asquestion o.
los! los ' II one thing IS more cerain tns s.l
.lu n,scr. il is that that tue pcop!e ,ei e 9
sss.e are determined taas sIe cnlau.s.so1
.ha statc--tbe poor as Ssn ~ r sns s,S III
shsn receive the eiemen,s o. am .t. ~,
snss and it is equally cersln Saa. .ney
ao san that the State shalt assume sas con.
a.. ths supervision, ana I'M NJ. guIuel Si
tlo, r,,ng on these schools; Ins. .Sulr1gus
Ini;,;on a. The system Is iascy .Ws,a Sl
.,Is and Mace In the mines OF oss ues III
QUIZ wba belongioa past genefatlon anu VIZ va ~
erS ,N )" fnrer uDon the stage OF new osaer
on, ;.;nss rs some of the PamnnRey tnsians
o. Gar inner on reservation In one ~. sns
sun SUI - sounties--pna and memorials ,.
"a once powerful and prosperous . lin.
r,sss gentlemen, fourteen years aHe s ssns'
10, md towards the close OF the ninetssn.u
s mM without the estates or the. siaVss'
s ssa trsinr 10 realize the ideal OF the pseuao-
s.ronjsl rornp which charact fIIs,Inn. s
sshsn Messrs, Mason and Hunter Represents
W NOM the United States Seuate anu aIe as
Gu eonch ont Of place In the present drama
s.. up p;chard Cnur de Lion -Wonid zoe aE
as as, paris Exposition. W e.alltves 10
.s NV ,nidst Of 8 complete 1oa!eeerse sssat,
WA wa hare ten years back marked out an en-
.;- rs new departure. $ Forward = now .
~. u,r only hope, and work, skilled laDor, tne
Mechanic arts, machinery, railroads, Iaeto-
r,es universal, educat!on-as the roao 20
,realtb and power--nrc accepted on all nanas
". ar only chance in the sharp competition
." ., riruI States, among which, as among the
H,,,tes, reigns the great law!of :" the; suryi-
val OF the fittest." 'r2 KS
One by one every great Stale in Europe
has committed itself heartily aud fully to
The principle aud the work Of educating the
masses Of its people. In England, In Scot
land. Ia France, in Germany, in Russia, In
Austria, in Italy. il isnow an accepted prin-
chile that the children OF the State are TO
be educated by the State, and it is true now
much more emphatically and over much
broader field than when the remark was
originally made By Lord BrouSham, that
atbe schooimaster is Abroad
There seems to be some fear that we are
having too much OF this sort OF thing just
now in Virginia, and the cry comes up from
the camp of the Dot-y et-eltirely dead Bour-
bons for one more assanlt-not by storm
ing party, but by sappers anfminers.
We have been fairly amazed to find on
our table a'.joint resolution" from the
Joint committee of the Senate and the House
OF Delegates proposing amendments tn
The Constitution" wherein. after abolishing
the county Judges and providing for SELF
perpetuatins magistracv (appointed In the
first instance by the Governor and the Sem
ate(, proceeds farther to abolish the Office
OF county superintendent :os schools (the
very hear. Of the whole, county system),
and then farther to abolish the State and
district school tax on property and limit the
whole school revenue TO the interest on the
literary fund, the .capitasion tax, and q
county tax ito be fixed by the magistrates
assembled in court) Of "Rot less than one
mill nor more than five mills on the dollar in
any one year." ~. Ia
Magistrates appointed by the Governor,
with the consent of the Senate, and with
the power OF filling vacancies in their ranks
BIZ nomination to the Goyernor--an essen
TALLY aristocratic body Of property-hold-
ers-are to decide what shall be the amount
OF this county tax, no State tax on prop
erty and no district tax being allowed
The present State tax on property is
spot less than one nor more than i've
mills" and, by way OF increase, the coun-
ties and the school districts may raise addi-
tional sums by tax on property for the
support OF the schools, provided such
tax so raised by the county or the district
8" shall not exceed five mills on the dollar"
1t is easy to imagine what would be the
condition Of public. education, in Virginia
when the new system should be fully in
The revenues diminished and
no local supervision. The schools to be
provided by a body OF men irresponsible
to the people. 1t iSa revival OF the system
Of li95. which was an optional-county sys-
ten. at the mercy of the county court, Of
whom Mr.. Jefferson remarked that they
ignored the whole subject, being practi-
cally self-perpetuating and irresponsible
body, generally composed Of wealthy
men, who did not wish to give
away their money for the education
Of the poor. That system OF course failed,
and twenty-four years afterwards. writing
to Joseph e. CabelI, Mr.. Jefferson observed,
"a Surely Governor Clinton's display Of the
gigantic effort of New York toward the edu-
eating her citizens will stimulate the. pride
to look to the reputation and safety OF our
country, to rescue it from the degradation
OF becoming the Bar barry OF the Union"
since this last date {hoW his. .ory repeats IT.
se!f!iwe find the same inf .uence still work
lng-to make Virginia The Bar6ory OF the
Unionln So
move in similar direction comes from
another committee-f,he House Committee
on "Retfenchment md Reform" We I'M
aerstand that THU, honorable committee
nave reported ELL to reduce the salary OF
The Superintend' ,nt Of Public Instruction
10 sl,6oO now $4,000. The present salary
OF the Superb ,tendent Of Public Instruc-
slon Is 50 emit: rely inadequate to the dignity
ana the impf Jrtance of the Office that we In
lefpret tn to mean that the activity and
zeal OF tbs officer, and the marked ability
%hen h'.s characterized his administration
81 lne Schools, are. regarded BY. certain gen
apne'l in the House as superserviceable,
aau they wish the educational machine to
oe ,tun under less pressure. i 20 80 .
VI course Except for the purpose OF de-
lying his assailaats) no person fit for the po=l