The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-12-12

There have been enough laws enaed
already for the present, Let US enfce
what we have before we cry for pre-.
: ! : I'D +
a farce, a curse, a sham, and many
other such names. Speakers and writ
ers who apply these little epithets to
our public schools always pretend to
be friends to the cause of education.
They always tell US how anxious they
are to see the public schools prosper,
but they hint, if they do not say, that
the public money is misapplied; that
too mach is used to pay worthless Off
GERS; that much might be saved by
making the secretary of State the At
torney General, or somebody else State
superintendent, and that thousands of
dollars could be saved by making the
sheriff the jailer. the county judge or
somebody else county commissioner.
Next, be tells US about what a poor
set of teachers We have, and winds up
by saying we ought to have such a
system as Illinois, Pennsylvania, or
some other Northern State. just here
let me say all such articles are penned
either through malice or ignorance.
That is such writers are enemies to the
Public School system, or else they are
ignorant in regard to the difference be
tween our system and our northern
neighbors. Let US make few COM
parisons between our own State and
some of these model cradles of litera
ture and see why we do not make as
favorable show as they do.
We paid last year, out of the State
treasury, S760, 749 20, that is 81 90 to
each pupil 10 the State. The Super
intendent of Ohio reports that the per
capita was 81 40 in his State. That is,
Kentucky pays out of her State treas
ury 81 90 to each pupil, while Ohio
pays only S140. But Ohio supports
her schools by local taxation, paying
So, ,l53, 442 63; this is more than eight
times as much as we pay altogether.
Mr. Wickersham, State Superintendent
OF Pennsy ylvania, says "Ths appro-
priation Is paid out according TO the
mum ber of taxables, and not per capita;
but if the Kentucky system obtaiaad-
Pennsylvania, after paying the county
superintendents and Normal Schools,
could not pay over fifty cents to the
pupil child" Yet Pennsylvania raises
by local taxation S8,0O0,0OO: Indiana
levies tax of sixteen cents (four cents
less than Kentucky on each 500
But Indiana pays for Public Schools
nearly S5.0000O (about seven
times as much as We pay and the create
er portion of this is raised by local
taxation.
Illinois pays twenty cents on one
hundred dollars Gust the same that
we pay), yet she pays to each pupil
FIVE dollars and sixty cents. Nearly
S6,000,000 Of this fund is raised by
local taxation.
Michigan pays from the primary
school fund S2IS 035. General Statu-
tory tax (two mills on one doliar)
S508,55l 81; aud by local taxation,
S2,34l ,923 IL In Massachusetts the
income of the State school fund is
SSS,613 So. while the amount raised
by local taxation is 81 1855, ,523 90.
Now, let all those who profess to ad
mire the systems of the Northern
States examine these figures carefully.
These croakers who find fault with
our system say it is a farce, because
we pay only 81 % to the child But
this is more than most of these model
States pay Iu fact, if many of our dis
tricts could be removed to these north
ern States, they would not get cent
from the State, as many Of them pay
no money to those districts that DO not
vote the local tax. Now, if we admire
these models, let US follow in their
footsteps. If you want our system to
compare favorably with theirs, the way
is clear. Let me repeat, our laws are
good enough until we learn to enforce
what we have. Any district 10 the
State, wishing to improve its school,
can do so by local taxation What
our system needs more than anything
faln0anns1DnaS1E1l : = sEss .sslssna<
that convicts can be profitable employ
ed on the public highways. we shall
then think they may be of some use to
US IN building better school houses.
Bu. we must arouse public interest on
the subject of education before we can
expect to accomplish much. either in
schools roads or any other public en-,
terprise. The penurious fellow who
pays 81 for. hat, 50 for boots and s.
for coat, goes back to the merchant t
!: grumbling because his suit did no
last all winter, while his neighbor. by
paying few more dollars for his suit
has clothing for two winters. So we
by our peuurious system, have no
money enough to employ good teach
ers, but take such as eau be had for
the little money We have. The eouse
quence is that our schools are failures
| Now, good school, like good sui
OF clothes, costs money. If We fee
too little interest in the cause to con
tribute anything, we may expect il T.
be too little worth to educate our chill
dren. But if we pay money euougl
to secure good officers and good teach
ers, aud then manifest enough iuteres
to see that they are employed, then
but not till then. may we expect goo
results. But l said all those who wer
constantly decryiug our system wer
either ignorant of the workings 0
school systems, or else they we're, a
heart, enemies to common schools. A
this may be denied. | shall, perhap.
have occasion to refer to this assertio
in some future article. This one ha
already grown beyond my prescribe
! limits.