The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-06-12
happy week to us aud to the friends of pub.
lie education throughout the State.
| A GOOD THING FOR RICHMOND "a A coon

THING PoR VIRGINIA.
1t requires no reflection to see that for
moral effect and for educational effect on
the State at large there is no one practical
feature so important as to have strong
| school system at the State capital. Most
fortunately we have it. And it is stronger
and better than is known even TO the Rich
mond people generally. Tt has improved
constantly, and will continue to improve.
But take 1t Just Us we have had it for the
| last nine years, no such teachng was ever
done in Virginia before. and no better
school.teaching is now done anywhere that
know OF. The best judges who visit the
schools say so. Anybody Will think we'll OF
the teaching who will 20 and see it.
Sound educational work is the most
difficult Of alt work; and when chill
dreu have to be organized and taught
by the 5000, with 500 In a school. it is no
| light matter. And il even true friends say
that there are faults yet remaining. wereply,
BE patient, and remember that
GROUND WAS BROKEN IN THIS FIELD ONLY
TEN YEARS AGO.
The work has grown from year TO year on
our handS-not rs rapidly as the demand
has grown, and not rs rapidly as the city
has grown, two facts which demand your
attention-Dut the number OF school-chil-
dren has gone UP gradually from Z, 400 to
5000.
To teach and to train 5000 children in
one organization require the best methods,
and the best teachers, and the best manage
ment all through. When we think OF the
work that was to be done, and how we'll it
has been done, may we not say to all who
have been concerned in the doing of it ::
"Well done, good and faithful servants - :?
And what shall we say for the children !?
We can say a grand thing. We can say
that no body OF people in Virginia, young
or old, ever so faithfully improved their adj
vantages rs have done the children OF the
public schools of Richmond. Out OF every
hundred names Oh the roll, ninetY-seyen OF
the children were present every day this
year.
MATCH THIS IF You CAN
in any other schools, or in any church, in
any society, in any body of trustees, or
councilmen, or legislators. Can you find
any other organization whose absentees do
not exceed three per cent. Of the whole
membership? Whether the weather be
pleasant or unpleasant whether it be SUM.
mer's heat or winters cold. whether it be
sunshine or storm-thcse 5000 pairs OF lit
tie feet patter along the payements by the
hands of the clock.
The gas and the water may cease to flow
in the pipes, but at the appointed hours the
streams of children flow back and forth as
unfaiine and as bright rs the ebbing and
flowing tides. Thus the citizens OF Rich
mond have the evidence that their
SCHOOL-MONEY IS NOT WASTED
on idle brains, but that it is light sown in
eager minds, who will multiply and shed it
again in glory and prosperity on the city
| bcstowinG it. But, ladies and gentlemen,
| this great work OF education which the city
| has undertaken to do must have the means
Of subsistence and means adequate to the
work. The title, public free schools. docs
not mean a school that costs nothing.
Everything costs. however free. The
Hastings Court, the ire-engines, the
street-gas, the fountains, the rare eXotics,
the tish-akes, maintained at public cX-
pense, are free, but they cost money never
tlleless, and good deal OF it; and so these
public gardens. where Richmond grows
her future citizens, cannot be cultivated at
the expense OF the gardeners. This funda-
mental fact has always been understood by
the enlightened authorities OF the city.
Richmond was particularly fortunate in re-
spect to the municipal authorities who
were in oficezwhen the city school system
received its fine organization under
THAT MASTER EXECUTIVE, JAMES Il. BINFoRD,
The appropriations for current expenses
have ranged from S32, 800 to $5G, 900, gene.
rally exceeding $4,000. Besides this there
has been expended for buildings-moSt
wisely and economically eXpended-an
annual average of over $4,000, the bulk OF
which, however, was expended in the earlier
years.
And here it may be we'll to remark that
the wisdom OF public functionaries, as oI
individuals, is displayed chiefly in the man
ner in which they divide out, or make use
OF, such income as they have, be the same
more or less. Concerning other depart
ments OF the municipal government [ IN
not so particularly Informed, but do no
think that there has been any eXtraragan
use Of the public money appropriated to the
education department.
Let us look into this statement for q mo
ment. Let Us compare the
COST OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS,
not in any unfrlendly spirit, but as mean:
Of asccrtaining whether this system, witt
its paid officers and complicated machinery
has proved as economical IS II some othe
plan had been adopted. In 1872 (and have
no later statstics) it cost on an average
$500 to send child to private School II
Richmond for nine months; the cost in ttli
public schools for the same year was Sl3.4l
ner pupil, counting everything. The COS
last year in the Richmond public schools
counting all forms OF current expenditure
was S12.23 per pupil; in other words
nearly three fourths OF The ordinary cost o.
education was saved by this public system
Now apply these averages TO the whole
pumber OF children in the public school:
last year-namely, 5.269-and you can set
what combination and system and careful
management will do in saving the people:
money.
The total cost OF educating these chill
dren in the public schools was sG4,440.
THE COST AT PRIVATE RATES
would have been S22S.095. The difference
in favor OF the public schools is Sl63.Gj5-
that is, supposing the same number OF chill
dren to be educated, the people OF Rich
mond save over S1G3,0 In cash every year
BY using the public system. No words car
add anything to the testimony and to the
logic of these figures.
Let us make another test. How about the
cost OF the public schools in Richmond, a!
| compared with the cost in other large cities
outside OF Virginia? For convenience,
use table which | find in the Richmond
School Report for 1874, showing the
Total cost per capita for support Of public schools
| IN Tho foiiowfnp- named cl les based upon number
belonging and on all expenditures tother than new
washinrion SHu $40 61
| S,vonnsh - .....,.......... 10 a
| f,hicago ...,.,,.,............ Is 81
! 7 omiSvflIc ..,.,,......... 90 J.:
| Roston. ........... 81 81
St Louis ........................... II 81
New ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 27 81
Pittsburgh. Observation-Disclosures. 19 z: