Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-06-28
Trying to Fill a Rat Hole

We spend in Pennsylvania, in an
easy, ohhand, devil-may-carr way.
nearly nine million dollars per wear
on what we call our commou..chool
system. The drain Of the ~rhopl.tax
upon the resources of the people has
for many years b,.l ,tc.iily iucreas.
ing. We are so accustomed 10 il. and
so accustomed TO regard il a- an en-.
tirely proper and necessary load, that
we pay what j. demanded without
question, as we pay for pair Of boots
or a breakfast For fear that We
might at any time fail in our duty 10
the schools in q year Of bad crops,
earthquake, civil di.cord or pccuniary
distress, n provision was inserted in
the State Constitution that one million
dollars should be annually appropri.
ated out Of the funds in the general
Treasury, to be distributed tn the
common schools of the State. In So
far As the collection OF school money
goes, therefore, our -y-tom has attained
to remarkable perfection The State
pays its million Of dollars year by year
uugrudgingly, and whatever addition.
nj money Is needed j. collected with
an unsparng hand by the local autho.
rites, who are armed with competent
authority to make good any deficit.
But while th" money for the schools
has been forthcoming, the resultant
education for the mass of school child.
rem has by no means kept pace with
increased outlay. The primary school,
and the primary education which it
was the original intent of the authors
Of our school system to furnish To the
children Of the Sta.e are not furnish.
ed. In the State at large to find one
teacher entirely competent to the task
Of lmPartlug primary instruction is Ia.
take one out Of twenty among those
intrusted with this great business. In
the cities provision has not been made
to seat all the children who are en-.
titled to the bounty of the State. while
the public money is diverted To schools
Of higher grade, into which not one
pupil out Of ten in the primary schools
will ever enter The teaching in the
primaries Is cut short and cmasculated
to accommodate them 10 graded
system, which was never intended by
the founders Of our common school.
and which is an Interpolation and an
abuse in school management. The
system Is thus shortened al one end
and heightened at the other. to the
prejudice Of primary instruction and.
A. a rule, the children of the State are
no longer taught to Rad. write or
cipher with any degree of perfection.
l. it not time that the people who
pay the vast sum of nine million dol.
lars per year for the support Of com.
mon schools should look a little more
narrowly into the manner in which
this money is expended? ? Are the
small children of the State getting
nine million dollars worth Of rudimen
tary education let Legislature
yielding to the headlong impulse which
takes it for granted that money paid
for school purposes il money vel
spent, has voted to appropriate fv,
hundred thousand dollars in addition
10 the million dollars provided for il
the Constitution for commonschoo
purposes. To our mind there is NJ
item in the appropriation bill so i'm
provident aud uncaIled for as this one
In the first place. whatever money i
nee ded in school districts can be raisec