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

run on. Besides supplying money, it is
the duty of the State
FIRST, TO FURNISH GOOD Teachers.
Speaking generally, good teachers are
neither born nor do they grow; they
have to be made. They are made only
when there is demand for them the
multiplicity of bad teachers is owing to
there being small demand for good ones.
The complaint about bad teachers is a
very old one. Roger Ascham, the tutor
of Queen Elizabeth, complained in his
Schoolmaster that men were more careful
in choosing groom for their horses than
teacher for their sons. To-day, one of
the most serious obstacles in the way of
our school system is the employment of
incompetent teachers. This is not pecu-
liar to South Carolina. The common
school teachers of the Northern States,
outside of cities and towns, are generally
of low standard. In many places they
are as bad as our worst. I read that in q
French district of Canada petition from
school-teachers was signed by some of
them with their cross-mark. We should
have good teachers here, aud by proper
means we can have have them. have
the authority of distinguished English
educator for saying that America fur
nishes the best material in the world for
the making of good teachers. One of
the worst effects of the present disburse-
ment of the school fund is the discour-
agment it gives to good teachers, where
by the best are driven from the field.
The unconditional distribution of the
fund encourages the unnecessary multi
plication of schools, which leads to the
unnecessary multiplication of teachers.
This causes the lowering of the teachers
pay and consequent lowering of the
teachers standard, for the teachers
standard rises and falls with his salary.
But the great desideratum in the train
ing of teachers is the
NORMAL SCHOOL.
Without Normal Training College no
public school system is complete or can
succeed; and our public schools, with
their army of over three thousand teach
ers, will never be able to do work worth
the money expended upon them until
each teacher shall have either Normal
School certificate or a University di-
ploma. The Constitution directs the
establishment of Normal Schools (Art.
x. Sec. g. within five years after the
adoption of the Constitution" There
should be one, perhaps two, Normal
Schools for each race, situated conve.
niently in Charleston, Columbia and
some up-country town of sufficient popu-
lation to supply four or FIVE hundred
children for the experimental school at
tached. The Normal Shoots could be
established and maintained without any
additional tax, and our General Assem-
bly, should at once attend to this matter.
1t is the duty of the State,
SECOND, TO ESTABLISH HIGH SCHOOLS.
While diffusing elementary instruction
the three ..R's-reading, 'riting and
'rithmetic-what have called the knife,
fork and spoon of education-it is the
duty of the State to encourage and foster
higher education. At present higher
education is practically discouraged,
which, especially to the poor man, is
great injustice. Under the old "free
scholar" system, the poorest boy in South
Carolina could enjoy the blessings of a
High School and University curriculum I;
and some of the illustrious men of this
State were such "poor scholars" Under
the present system, the poor mans son is
| limited to the commonest and coarsest
educational fare, and even the better
classes are discouraged in their efforts to
give their sons good education. The
State should establish and partly main
tain one or two High Schools or Graded
| Schools in every county, in which schools
the pupils might 60 beyond the narrow
| bounds of elementary instruction. Such
High Schools could be supported with
out additional tax.
1t is the duty of the State,
THIRD, TO TEST THE QUALITY OF THE
WORK
done in her public schools-to see that
she gets the worth of her money. 1t is q
striking fact that there is not one thing
to show the value of the education given
in the public scbools-not a thing in the
State Superintendent's annual reports,
nor in the reports of School Commits
sioners, nor in the monthly reports of
teachers. With an unbusiness-like blind
ness that is astonishing, the State lavish
ly pays out her money for education and
cannot tell nor find out what she is get
ting in return for it. She knows nothing
either of the quality or the quantity Of
instruction given. No doubt she is fur
nished with statistical tables showing the
number, sex and color of the school
children, the average daily attendance,
the number studying each subject, the
certificate, color and sex of the teachers,
and the length of the school session.
But all that is only interesting informa-
ton; it affords no test by which the work
done in the schools can be valued. To
remedy this glaring defect system of
inspection is necessary. The School
Commissioners have visitatorial power,
but their general incompetence makes
their visits and examinations fruitless of
good. Our system needs six or eight
STATE SCHOOL INSPECTORS,
set of well-quali6ed men, acting indie
pendeutly of the teachers, whose duty it
should be to visit all the public schools
once a year, and subject the pupils in
each to careful examinations on certain
subjects, the teachers pay being greater
or less according to the number of pupils
that might pass successfully. In this
way the work would be done by one set
of men-the teacher; and its value
placed upon it by another SET of men
the Inspectors. Thus also the public
money would be wisely expended, not
according to the number of pupils simply,
nor their age, nor studies, nor according
to the teachers certificate, nor the length
of session, but chiefly by the results OBJ
tanned. Payment by results would act as
a most salutary stimulus on the teacher
and parents would boon discover that in
this way the best teacher would be the
cheapest to them. No solid objection
can be urged against the establishment
Of system of inspection. 1t would cost
but little, and it would powerfully con-