The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-04


An Address on ttto Public School System
OF South Carolina, Delivered ut Anaer-
son, Before she Anderson I Educational
Association. on 27th September, 1870, by
W. O. Benet, Esq. OF AbbeyilIe. Ma
v------ 'f f
lRUBLIsHED DY REQUEST or THE AssocrAr1oN.l
Afr. President and Ladies and Gentle.
nicn Of the AndeTsoD Educational Associa.
tion: When, some two months ago, I
addressed the Abbeville Teachers Asp.
citation on the subject of our public
schools, did not expect that the opin-
ions l advanced would be received go
pleasantly then and published so widely
afterwards. It seemed to me that be.
yond the intelligent and indulgers au-
dience who listened to me, my words
would fall like seed by the hard. .trodden
wayside of educational discussion. It
was, therefore, gratifying to me person
ally, and satisfactory and cheering to me
as citizen of South Carolina. to find
that my address was to some extent ia.
strumentel ia stirring up lively and
prolonged discussion fon our public
schools, in which the newspapers in all
corners OF the State took part. Still
more gratifying to me was your invita-
ton to come here and address you on the
same important subject; high compli-
ment which did not look for, but for
which I thanh yon. I came at vour cell
the more readily b. ause, since the 40.
beyille meeting, tn State press has re-
vealed to mesnOt only the weak points in
my argument, but the strong points also ::
and gladly embrace this opportunity to
consider more at length those divisions
of the subject which have received most
attention and provoked most discussion.
THE SUBJECT
which was asked TO bring before you is
not simply education-an inexhaustible
topic If considered in its widest sense !;
nor even public education, which is edu-
cation considered in its relation to the
state; but it is the PUBLIC school system
this subject saves us the fruit!ess, though
may be pleasant, task of reviewing the
boundless expanse of education or even
OF surveying the more limited though
still wide-extended domain of public ed.
ucation; and it enables us to concentrate
our powers of vision and our thoughts. as
It were, with focus, in thorough ex-
animation anu close inspection of our
own educational feld--our public school
system. did not come here to deliver
an oration-the field ask yot. 70 survey
with me contains few flowers Of rhetoric.
came here to talk, to talk plainly. prac-
tically, strongly, with clearness and sim
plicity. am not teacher; can there
fore advocate the teachers cause without
being charged with doing SO lucr; causa.
am not politician, and therefore /
need not busy myself to gay only such
things as may lie agreeable to my hesrers.
came mere at your request to give YOU
the result of some years. experience and
much reflection in connection with our
public schools Q subject of. infinite i'm
portance to us ali; subject surrounded
with great difficulties and giving rise to
an endless diversity of opinions: SUBJ
ject which with US in South Carolina is
the vital question of tte day. On this
subject l have much more to say than
can well be overtaken in a public ad-
dress. therefore throw myself on your
indulgence lin case may trespass OF,
your patience-which I am anxious NOT
to do--and without further preliminary
remarks shall FIRST address myself to n
brief review of the history of
o'hAS fDoNAAioN I'm SOUTH CAROLINA.
In this State from the earliest period of
her colonial history, attempts, more or
less successful, bave been made to estab-
lisli systems of public education mora or
less liberal, the first State-aided school
having been founded in Charleston in
!7!O. We then read ofsState COLLEGES
being established about ITO at Charles
ton, Winnsboro, AleEandria and Cam
briHOa Than in INK f,,,c,,
South Carolina College, with whose his
tory and noble work we are all acauaint-
ed. Down to this date tie efforts of the
State in behalf of education had all been
directed towards higher education. and
the beneficent results were ouch as tc
justify the proud boast Of the South Car
olinians OF the eighteenth century that
throughout their Commonwealth high
schools, grammar schools and colleges
were offering classical education to all
their sons. and that ia addition raat,i-
dents went to the British Universities
from this State than from any other of
the thirteen colonies.
THE apooR scHooLs.n
Poverty and popuiatioa increase nar;
PasSis. AT the beginning of this century
tho greatly increased population of this
State included q numerous class of poor
peopic VINO were unable to bear the en-
tire burden OF tho education of their chill.
dren! Therefore, in 1871 q State nppros
: priation was made fc1s the henefit sof
poor scholars" The appropriation was
small, but es tho benefciaries were COM
paratively few in number, (alI being
white children, the class of poor whites
really. obtained more substantial aid then
shan issnow obtained bySthem from our
vast public school fund. For instance.
the indigent white people in Abheviile
Jcnntv before the war obtained nhnnt
$4,000 q year from The poor school fund /.
nowthe entire white population receige
from the public school fund only about
. $4,000 year. With some changes and
improvements la 1888, lthis old ffee
school Tor rather free sclolar) system was
continued until thewa In thus aiding
higher education (which is not remune.
Z r!ative nor aelfsustaining J, and slso pay
ing for the education of the INDECENT
ronr, South GSrnlina taiiFstinsl q ssiaA q nd
enlightened poiicy, and fillfilled towards
her white population her whole duty as
a Stste In the matter of education.
THE EFFRcrs or THE WAR
was utterly subversiye of tto ante 5cil.iss
system OF education. ALI State aid and
State-aided educational institutions were
swept away 40 by a delnge. when Che
Ssar was oyer, che people of South Caro-
iina saw that all old things had passed
sway, and behold all things had become
\ new. Among the new things the most
stFiEtng was the enfTaachiaenent OF the
eoiored people, oy which the voting pop
m,ation yS OF tlie State was more than dou,