The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-06-02
Cur Educational Needs.
MCHENRY. Nav %,

public schools, IL is SO SeluoIll llIaC
we see anything in regard to either
the condition or to the lettering
of the schools of our own county, that
perhaps anything relating to them
will be interesting to your readers.
AS the present era, however, marks
such an interesting event in the edu-
cational interests of the county, l
trust that the people of this county
see too clearly their future interests
to be oblivious to anything that Will
result so largely to their advantage,
since it is matter susceptible of such
easy proof, that an educated commu-
nifty is more industrious and orderly
than one which is not educated.
1t requires but very limited
amount of intelligence to compre-
bend the intimate connection which
exists between ignorance on the one
side and crime and pauperism on the
other.
If, therefore, education lessons
crime and disorder, ard produces
wealth and industry, it is matter of
true economy to make liberal levies
for public schools, and thereby di-
minish the enormous burden of tax
alton required to suppress disorder
and punish crime.
The leYies made by our commits
sioners may appear liberal, yet they
are inadequate to meet the demands
of the schools. We find the School
Board enormously in debt and una
BILE to pay teachers promptly, or to
pay salaries sufficient to secure the
services of competent teachers, or to
build the necessary school houses.
Now, since such is the condition of
our School Board, there are causes
which produced it, and those causes
we should endeavor to remedy.
1t is no FAULT of the children of this
county that they are living in
sparcely settled community, and if
the State owes to one child in its
limits an education it owes it to
every one alike-as much to the
children OF Garrett county as those
living in Baltimore city.
In other words, it is no fault of the
children that they are living where
education is dear, and because it is
dear is no reason why they should
not be educated. 1t is easily COM
pretended, then, that to one or to
both of the sources from which the
school fund is derived, namely, the
county and State, we must look for
relief, if we wish the children of this
county to receive the same benefits
from the public schools as the chill
dren of other counties receive, The
question is, to which can we most
justly look? Garrett county resolves
more than twice as much from the
State for school purposes as it pays,
and the county levy is perhaps larger
according to its wealth than that of
any other county in the State; hence
1T would. perhaps, seem improper to
expect an increase from either source.
But it should be remembered that
the object is the education of the
and that each county is not
to receive that particular portion
which it pays. If the object is to pay
to each child an equal amount for
educational purposes, without look
ing to the result obtained, we cannot
look to either the county or the State
for any more than we are at present
receiving. But this is certainly not
the grand object in view. The edu-
cation of the masses should. and GER
tainly does, mean the equal benefit
ing of each child. That is, giving
each child equal school facilities as
nearly as possible. Allegany county
has about three times the population
OF Garrett. and receives for school
about three times as much,
but the population of Garrett, one
third that of Allegany, is scattered
over territory greater by one-half.
Therefore, it can he easily compre-
nended why the schools of Garrett
cost more according to the number
OF scholars than the schools of ALLIE
gany and other counties. And when
we compare the assessable property
of Garrett with that of Allegany
the fact that it takes greater levy
on each one hundred dollars worth
OF assessoble property for school pur- !
poses, becomes still more apparent.
In justice, then, to the children of
the county think we can reasonably
look for larger amount from both
the sources mentioned.
Of course l do not mean to say that
additional legislation we
can receive anything more from the
State but, looking to the equal ben.
citing of each child, it does appear
hat to distribute the State SCHOOL,