Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-10-10
n sPECrAToR AND GENERAL ADVERTISER
For the SPECTATOR.
The County Schools.

- ~ -
For the SPECTATOR.
The County Schools.
In pursuance of q prerogative universally &C
corded to any citizen of free country. to dis
cuss fairly and fortunately, over his own or an
assumed name, any subject Of public interest.
in respectful language and with avowed MOTIVE
an article signed Peace" and devoted to our
County Public Schools, was published, two
weeks ago. in the SPECTATOR. The article
referred to criticised the official conduct OF the
County Superintendent, but was free from pas
sion, temperate in tone, and contained noword
Of personal alIusion. nor other offensive renee
lions, either expressly or by implication-to
which any just man, conscious Of well dis
charged duty, could:have reasonably excepted.
In fact. such intention was distinctly disavow-
ed. Said County superintendent, however. es-
sayed to make what purports to be a reply,
covering nearly a column in length, in which
by inuendo and indirection-he INDUCES. al
most from beginning to end, in low. scurrilous
reflections and personal illusions that are
wholly unworthy any gentleman, and could
only have been intended as adiversion from.the
real questions at issue. They are not entitled
to notice. and they shall not serve their purpose.
Proceeding then at once-in the brief space we
now have-to the only part of his reply ESQ call
ed) that is worthy of notice wiz: the increased
efficiency and great results he claims to have
secured in the schools), let us 60 to the official
records-the State Superintendent's Annual
Reports-and see what these great results are,
and ho,0 long since he secured them. They sure
ly ought to have begun to be visible-w1th his
increased funds and facilities-within two or
three years. Surely last years Annual Report.
the last that has been published-that of 1851
ought to give overwhelming evidence OF them.
Does 1t do it? We will see.
It may be observed, by the way, that 1t was
very clever in the Superintendent to select the
year Of 1873 for the purpose OF exhibiting the
comparative advantage OF his schools and other
statistics of later years. That was the very
year, II we mistake not, to which allusion was
made in our. other article-when the school
funds of the State. which had been dwindling
for several years. were SO extremely reduced SO
much SO that the schools in some counties
were actually suspended. We find that the
amount of State funds for this county for that
year was only $s766. while the same fund for
last year Q8SI) yielded the county the handsome
amount OF S11 OF SO. But let us take these years
and see. And If we do. and stick to the record,
and take the prominent villages first. 1t is sure
ly fair. The Superintendent numbers among
his Graded Schools: STARTS Draft. Mt. Zion,
1fimbles, Spring HUI. Parnassus. Ensanuers
Church, &c. Why these same schools all were
In operation in 1878, we learn, with one or two
exceptions, had as good facilities and as many
pupils but they were not reported at Graded
Schools then. nor is it believed that they areso
regarded now-even by the teachers and
NOT p,1fh 10 In efo1soD III.
ney West End, Ne,o Hope, C1urchyille, Green.
vile, fiddlebrook. &c? These orethe prominent
places; how did their Graded Schools compare
in 1873 and 1887 At the place last named we
learn that the teacher of 1873 is still in charge
of the school, and 1t is safe to infer that no ma
terial difference exits in its character, except
SO far as his increased experience may haveim-
proved it. This is by no means true Of the
others. We hardly think the Superintendent
himself will claim improvement for single
one of them. The record shows the West End"
in 1878, under a most popular and experienced
teacher, had assistants. and 40 pupils; In 1881
1t had 100 pupils. Mt. Sidney, in 1878. had 4
teachers. l67 pupils, and ran months; since
then its old principal has established his first
class private school there, or near there, and we
think it almost too great q stretch of even the
Superintendent's estimate Of Public Schools.
to put down Mt Sidney's of 1881, as flourish
ing Graded Schoolr' Waynes5oro, in 1878. had
teachers and 100 pupils, and 1881 we cannot
find q trace of a Public School in the good old
town; and the accomplished teacher has gone,
we are told, into other business. 1t is said that
a school-buildng has lately been erected there;
but the private classical school that has been
built up on the ruins of the old public one-to-
gether with the two similar private institutions
that have sprung up in the neighboring con-
gregations OF Thinking Spring and Mt. Horeb-
Is likely to make 1t long time before we will
see Public Graded School there. equal to the
old one. But the shortest, or quickest way to
compare the Graded Schools of the county at
different periods. is to estimate the number of
classical scholars. Now. try this method =
Still taking the old year of 1878. with its er-
trennsly reduced school funds. and comparing
Its records with the boasted advantages and
improvements of the very last year Of which we
have any record at all. What do we find?
See! The number of pupils studying the higher
branches. in 1878, was $50 white, and colored;
In 1884, 1t was Al unite and colored! Is theren no
significancy in that?
Now, turn to some of the other statistics.
touching the common schools generally OF the
county, for the two terms specified. CThe Su-
per1ntendent took the year 1878, we'll stick to
1t; and we have not now accessible to us. any
other official record, except Its. and the last
published report of the State Superindent. viz:
tnat OF 1so1.) Remember 1o7o's STATE 1uno 1or
our county was sS1oo, wnlio losis was sll.OzI.sS,
togetner Win mucn larger county ana ols-
trlct 1und. NOW look out Tor MS greatly IN
creased NUMBER OF schoois. teachers. and pupils
his long terms, and his other grand improve
menus!
- %, -. -. % ~, 'oo.' ~, upeu ""o A-1
Wnlte, ~ coloreo, total al. In 1851, the num-
Der of schools opened was l26 white "a colored
total. In the terms heino the soma Rut non
oh.or,,o, - ,o-o -. , ~ S1o DNo w"
observe! IN 1885, the teachers, whose average
pay was males SSl.7S' females SAD per month.
omoereo i@ whlte ana ~ col"red, total Isl.