The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-03-05
The Brother in Black.
EFFORT TO OBTAIN REFINED
AND CULTURED CORY. FIELD
HANDS.
Distinguished Southern Gentlemen 20
to Washington OH q Questionable
Mission.

Mission.
What Representatives. from South
Carolina Said before The Congress
sionaI Committee On Education.
At the joint hearing had on the 10th In
slant before the Committee Of the Senate on
Education and Labor and the House Commit.
tee on Education. upon the subject OF Ma
tlonal Aid to CoInmo Sci: onls Col. y Cow.
ard, Superintendent of Education for the
State Of South Caroliun, said:
Mr.. COWARD. tieTt!cinen, ! sllal make my
statement exceedingly brief. ] am satisfied
that you lcou no ar uilcnthtion here. ] VIII
only state u few brief points 10y way Of an
nouncing certain views on the subject OF nat
tiuInl aid t. education us 1t Affects my own
Stutr. By the last census South Carolina IS
credited with Il population OF g6.TD aud SONS
hundred. nbuut 81 per cent. OF which Is white.
the remaining Gu per cent. nearly c"lorcd.
Whatever there Is OF wealth and material
resources in the State IN almost entirely con-
ccntrated In the hands OF not exceeding 10
per cent. OF her pnpula:i' III, that Is. tnki!g In
The entire while pnrn:ntion alid an exceed
insly small per cent. probably not more than
j or 4 or or 10 per cent. ut The outside lpcrhaps
COLONEL Aiken has lopkeded more closely into
the matter than | have dUnc). Of cOlorcd poo
pit. who have Property upon taxes are levied.
/ doubt II more than d per cent. Of the col0red
population pay any tax upon property. The
State OF south Carolina annun'ly leNits upnn
the purposes OF cducutIon in the free public
schools, not for her cntlIe educational sys-
TEN, because she supports II State university
and also ali institution for the education Oi
the deaf AMI dumb and the blind, and gives
also aid tor the conduct Of teachers and nor
nal institutes every year amounting To about
81, l0J; but tho whole Income OF tnis 2.inill
aud the entire revenue from the poil-:ax
which Is levied upon the Votes less than nifty
years Of age is turned over TO the school fund.
The Stale of South Carolina has n little over
10000 square miles OF area. 1t Is less than
$1,000. ns 1t was formerly believed. You will
observe that the ratio Of reputation to the
area Is just about thirty per square mile. The
habits of tbs people, as you are well aware,
foliowed except in the cities. where we have
professions ind trades and m~trchantilc pur.
suits In our cities the difficulty in educating
our youths is largely diminished by c0-opcr,l-
tiOn. In the rural parts OF the Stale the diff
cultieS Is increased, first, by the spar sc!ieAs
with which that. population Is distributed,
and by the additional tnct that IRON the s-
cial condition OF affairs In our State We arc
obliged 10 open two schools, one FIR white
and one for colorrd, in every community. II
you will bear In mind row small q portion of
thu people have To pay This tax upon proper
ty. and how sparSely settle our rural pOpula.
ton Is In onr counties. and the Necessity for
hHvilk two schools, You can easily under
stand how it Is TINT although this tax Is SO
large only four months OF II school session Is
possible thus fur In our State.
We have about 1924 schools in the State,
with about $500 teachers, some few over. The
utmost that we can do In the way of paying
teachers Is IN average OF S26.3 per month for
male teachers Ind ABOUT 81 for females. The
extremes OF our teachers pay runs from S3
In charleston y 10 SIS In some OF the
counties: | mean the pay OF those holding
certificates us teachers. We ere opipeiI led
frequently to employ Il large number OF those
who are unable to pass the EXAMINATIONS,
nnd we give them simple licenses TO teach tor
one session Or one term, ns We call 1t In our
scho:l language nj home. so that the diff
Gully with us Is 10 get gOpd teachers for the
four months ut S2G, which Is not u salary to sup.
port q man Of any ability with O family for
an entire year. 1t is scarcely Il sufficient
salary for q young woman without any In
cumbrances In her living. Yet l do not see
how we are TO improve In this respect with
the circumstances around liz. We have been
battling with 1t very maniully:
y calculation was made Il few nights ago
showing that the State Of massachusetts uc.
votes 81 to cdncution tor about SIW OF proper.
~ that she possess. A similar calculation
will show that South Carolina %Gcvotes 81 for
her free pubic shoots for every go OF prop
erty. 1t Is impossible that this TAX could be en-
urged.
This is not the only difficulty; there re.
mains something beyond that, The white
peop.e have 80 long borne the burden Of this
taxation that there IL still some disposition In
al paris OIL our State u question the Justice Of
30 small q portion OF the community contrib
y u,llk W III SuIpUIl Ulu LIE cuuCdllOl VI I'LL
the remainder. There Is that disposition; l
stnie 1t frmnkly. Colonel Aiken Is aware OF
the fhct. Understand, me, gentlemen, the PEG.
pie OF the State, ut heurt the thinking men OF
the Slate IRE not all disposed to go back
upon this matter. The State is fully commit
ted to the support OF popular education, and
/ tnink | may truthfulIy say TINT upon that
ground she intends To follow the motto, nutiu
restigiu reSrOsam. She has no Idea Of going
back, but she eau only look forward 10 the
long vista of years in which to accom- pliSh NIL
the good she desires to accomplish in eliml-
mailing illiterucy from her borders. We ain,
in our public.scloOl system, not to complete
the educational ladder with one foot In The
gutter and The other in the university We
only hope to complete and make strong. per-
maIlent, thorough, and efficient the first six
and IL knowledge OF the fundamental princi.
pies oi law. II our public school system can
nccoinplish that we should be satisfied with
the result.
SO lar as the White people are concerried;
they have always had Il proper appreciation
Of educatioa. Previous to 1861 Sout! Carroll.
ma needed no public school system. Her PEG:
pie educated their children. The slaves. OF
course. were not educated 1t was not intend
ed they should be. Our social condition re-
Quired that they should not be educated but
things have all changed now. and though that
disposition on the part OF the whites to edu.
} cate themselves still exists, as Is now mani.
: tested by their supplementary In various parts
OF the : tate the free.sch0Ol fund for the cdu.
cation IF their children and for continuing
the school sessions longer than the public
school funds can run. | say that Is still mani
fest In the state but this large population
that has been thrown upon their own re-
sources and who stand upon an equal plane
OF citizenship must be looked after, and our
whole school fund Is divided without regard
to race strictly upon tie per capita Of school
attendance.
The CHAIRMAN. Do you say upon the per
capita OF school attendance?
o, Mr.; GowAf IN t GEPo1 r the per E, septic so of siHoG 81
divided into q certain number OF school
districts. The incomes of the . mill tax is
siEoIner to each OF the school districts in bis
county according 10 the attendance OF the
preceding year as ascertalned BY the proceed
Ing y'ar: u,..o.. ,,o
number who should have attended II there
had been the opportunity Without refer.
enc" to the number OF pupils needing instruc.
tiUn7
Representative AIKEN. Without reference
Mr.. COWARD. There Is no reference to
population. That is the only way We could
late every community to make rs large a
school showing us possible, so as to get rs
large an amount OF the public funds as posi-.
bic IN each district. VI course, 1t does not at-
feet the counties each county raises iccurd-
ing To its strength, but 1t effects the distribu.
ton In The subdivisions Of the country which
we call school districts. That is. Of course. as.
cerlained by per capita lists.
representative TAYLOR. Does that plan
work well In your State?
Mr.. COWARD. 1t works pretty we'll. There
may be some other plans that would work
better. / found 1t In operation when | took
charge OF the office. Ny predecessor seemed
To ate no difficulty about it. 1t was the best
We could do under the circumstances.
Senator CALI. 1t Is the only system practi.
cable anywhere. The State cannot puy for
chi drrn VINO do not 20 to school.
The C%IIAIRMAN. But suppose there Is no OPP
portuniiy to attend ! nd no reason why they
stou Il 70? The difficulty which occurs 10
my mind Is that IN a district without schools
they would hardly be uhle to attend under
such Il system.
Representative AIKEN. There Is the same
fnri lily Tor schools ull over the Stale.
The CHA1RMAN. l DO not like to have the
point obscured. l understand the gentleman
t" say that they distribute the money one
year upon attendance In the districts accord
in. TO the preceding year.
Mir. Yes.
The CHAIKMAH. The object thereby is to
stimulate attendance.
Mr.. COWARD. Let ME interrupt you for one
moment, anu you Will understand the whole
| thing better. BY our fiscal system Il are just
about one year behind ~ our tax levy thuL
Is, all appropriations made for "ne year are
TO BE- paid out OF tho tnxes TINT are gathered
durtrg the year, yet they ire never gathered
until The last part OF the year, about Norem.
her, and our shonl yei'r has terminated before
the time has arrived Tor making this nppor-
ton
senator CALL. Suppose there were no chill
.lren going to school the year beInic, would
they he prohibited from having any pnrt Of
the fund because nnb"dy attended schoul7
Mr.. ONWARD. In the district?
Senator CALL. YES, SIR.
Mr.. Coward. That case has never occurred
The,e Is no district In the State that has not
from iwO 10 ten schools; some districts have
aS high rs twelve.
Senator CALL.. II II had occurred, Of course
as provision * made whcrev, the children
attend srho"l there Is nothing in the law to
cover such q case.
Mr.. CowARD. No. sir; this money is left In
the hands of trustees. There are three truss
tees In each school district.
Senator CALL. The law simply provides for
asc%ertuining from the attendance at the
schools what the amount shall be.
Mr.. COWARD. 1t simply fixes that mode TO
arrive at n calculation.
The CHAIRMAN. Suppose there are two dis.
triciy puch nuXinY one lunureIl SchulurS this