The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-02-09

Education by the State.
To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
AS there is now pending in the Legislature
proposition to make an additional appro-
priation for the purpose of increasing the
endowment fund of the State University, 1
desire to say through the Journal that in my
judgment, the Legislature does not want to
do anything of the kind. There are many
reasons why this should not be done.
First-The people are already heavily taxed
for school purposes, which they are paying
willingly, and which they will continue to
pay so long as they are all Immediately bene-
fitted thereby, by bringing the facilities of
education to the door of each child of the
State, but when it goes beyond this,
and the opportunities and the ability
of the people to enjoy it's privileges and be
benefited truly become so inhnitesmal
that the most powerful glass fails to develop
it, then they become FESTIVE and will seek to
throw it off.
And certainly this is the result of the
State in its effort to furnish higher educa-
ton to the people. In the last twenty years
the university has not enrolled on an aver
age 400 students, graduating each year about
twenty. Now, when we remember that the
population of the State is about 100000 |
submit that the benefit accruing to the great
mass of the citizens by the educating of 400
of them yearly at public expense is so re-
mote and exceptional that it cannot be de-
Tended or justified on this ground,
nor as being in harmony with
that long and wellestablished prin-
cple in political economy that all
taxes must be levied, collected and dis
bursed with direct reference to the imme-
diate benefit the party paying the taxes re-
H. =
life, liberty, the pursuit Of happiness, and
the enjoyment of private property. And
this benefit will appear all the more remote
when we also remember that large per cent.
of the persons graduated from the university
enter the professions of law. medicine, and
the more polite las the world has it, pursuits
among men.
1t is a common-school education that
should receive the fostering care of the State
government, and every dollar of tax raised
Tor educational purposes should be appro-
priated to the development and building up
Of our System. ALI the pow
ers of the commonwealth should be brought
to bear to the accomplishment of this pur-
pose. Let the common schools be kept open
at least eight months of the year. and the
school fund be increased to such an extent
that teachers can be paid anywhere from $50
to $75 per month
Let the school age be from six to twenty
one anu IllG pcIlOQ DtlMGtII olA anu lOuI-
teen compulsory. With our common school
system thus strengthened and built up. edu-
cation would be brought to the door of
every person, and all or nearly all would
thus obtain a fair knowledge of reading,
writing, photography arithmetic, grammar,
geography, history, physiology, etc, which
would qualify them for the varied duties of
life, such as farming, mechanics, tradesmen,
merchants ana business men generally, and
make them intelligent citizens, understand
ing the duties and powers of government,
welding the ballot safely and settling all
questions of political character coming be-
fore them to the estinterestS of the country.
Now, this is the kind of a system for the
maintenance of which the people are willing
to be taxed. 1t is tax that benefits equally
each child in the State, not simply 400 of
the 400, 600, or one for each 1000 And this
is all the State should undertake, all that it
has a moral right to do, and has reached the
end of its functions when this is accom-
plished. E. B. REYNOLDS.
HAGFRsTOWN Ind.