The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-12-13

The PuSlls schools Of North carolina
7If NJ ana yirRinIaI


The PubIls schools Of North carOlIsa
h "a and virginia. M
North Carolina, before entering into the
war, possosssd public school fund
amountlngt6 $4,000. Unfortunately
Il was invested in the state banks, and RS
those institutions went 70 ruin during the
financial difficulties incident 70 the war,
the end oil that struggle saw the school
fund diminished to about $4,000, The
state legislature then, In an effort TO extri.
cate the commonwealth from ils financial
embarraSsmentS, authorized = loan Of
So 100000, The capitalists oil tho North
would have none Of It, and the state anGn.
CiOrs, thinking that II the school fund was
invested In thiSloan II would have the Of.
feet Of increasing the value Of the state
bonds, tried the experiment. The school
fund suffered again, for not only did the
experiment fall, but the Supreme. Court
OF the state decided the law establishing
the loan 10 DO unconstitutional, and In OK.
Treating the fund only about 500, 600 10.
NAMED Of The original s., 100000. Under
all these niSiortunes q prosper.
Gus state Of the public schools could
not DO expected. With 49,, $50 children
between the ages Of Q and u, the State APP
prOpTiated last year $I62,6l6 81 for the
public schools. This provided for 3,S4l
public schools, with liB,0Sl white pupils
and 81 All cOlOred; 30 that there arc morU
thap 10000 OF the poor whites and blacks
growing up without any education. The
average salary OF teachers Is about So IL
per month, which gives an idea Of the low
TAle Of their qualifications. The only good
graded school In the State Is one In
Raleigh for white children with 800 pupils.
Provision for this was made by special
law passed by the Legislature, while a
new school law also passed both houses
was rendered null and void by the speak
or neglecling 10 sign II before adjourn.
ment. There arc only two normal schools
In the State-one white and one cOlOrCd-
and they only tit teachers for the lowest
grade oil schools. The rich and wel.tO.dO
citizens send their children 10 the ACAde.
mics, which are equal TO the grammar and
high schools oi the North, and they seem
10 be we'll satisfied with the present con.
dltlon Of affairs,
DR.. RuGner, the Superintendent Of Pnb.
lie Instruction for Virginia, In his annual
report explains the extraordinary decrease
In the number OF schools and the pupils
attending them. His statement Is that
school debtS had been previously allowed
10 accumulate 10 such an amount that the
local boards determined 70 open no schools
and to use the income 10 the payment Of
those debts. BY taking that course in
many counties the fund accumulated be-
You'd the amount required, 30 that during
the current year the number Of schools
will be equal 10 any previous year. With
4s3, 70l children between the ages Of 8 and
p, oil whom 202, $50 were cOiored, there
were only l0S,074 pupils enrolled In ?,4Ol
schools, while during the previous year
there were 4,6i5 schools and 202, PA sChol.
ara. In the Whits schools there were
1880 enrolled in 1879, with an average
daily attendance OF 44,640, and in the
colored schools S,7BS enrolled, with an
average daily attendance Of 1881. DR..
Ruhner sAys that the moral effect oil the
troubles has developed q sudden, power.
tul and apparently unanimous determine,
ton on the part Of parties and people to
maintain the school system at all hazards,
and 10 protect II from spollAtion. The cost
Of the system has been SSll ,O02 81, which
Is at the ratio Of IS cents for each pupil
enrolled, and 81 IS for each pupil In aver.
age attendance. The teachers employed
In the white schools were 20S9, while
there were only AIS attached 10 the color.
cd schools. The average monthly salary
Of the male teachers was so o., and OIL
the females S24 IS. The superintendent
has apportioned the funds applicable to
the public schools under the Henkle
bill, amounted to S459,5l5 9j, among the
cities and counties. Richmond city re,
ceives Sl9,7l6 80.