The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1884-03-28

/ bic, instruction IN the arts OF INDUSTRY aitd
| the instruction of females IN such branches
/ Of technical or industrial education as are
suited TO their sex, which instruction shall
be free to all, without distinction of race
color. nativity, or condition In life: Pro-
rided, That nothing herein shall deprive
children Of different races, living In the same
community but attending separate schools,
from receiving the benefits Of this act the
same as though the attendance therein were
without distinction of race.
Sec. O. The money appropriated and ap-
portioned under the provisions Of this act TO
the use of any Territory shall he applied to
the use of common and industrial schools
therein by the Secretary of the Interior.
Sec. 7 relates to distributing In the District
Of Columbia.
Sec. 8 explains this Is not to establish an
independent system Of schools, bat to aid
the development of the local schools, and
provides each State and Territory to be en-
titled to Its proportion shall for the first five
years expend for like purposes at least one
third the same appropriated by the United
States, and for the next five years a sum
equal thereto.
Sec. 0 provides that one-tenth Of the sum
may annually be applied to the education Of
teachers of common schools, who will agree
for one year thereafter to teach at the usual
salaries in the common schools of the par
ticular State or Territory.
Sec. 10. No part of the money Is to be ex-
pended for rent or to construct buildings.
Sec. IL. All school privileges are to be
equalized as nearly as possible TO oil children
of school age.
Sec. IL defines the ministerial duties OF
school officers In connection with this appro-
prlation, and provides the penalty of forfeit
ure for misapplication thereof or non-com-
Pliance with the law.
Secs. IA and Is relate to the duties of the
United States officers In cases of forfeiture
and the administration of this law.
On Tuesday of this week the Senate had
under consideration the amendment of Har-
rison TO section 8, requiring each State and
Territory to contribute from the first an
amount equal to that received from the Ma.
tional fund. As no test vote has yet been
reached we have no means Of estimating
even the probabilities concerning the passage
Of this bill, but 1t Is one we most heartily
indorse. There Is no better way to get rid
of "the surplus" that is troubling Congress,
and If necessary there should be sufficient
tax added on whisky, which Is responsible
for three-fourths of crime, to provide this
fund for education, which is its greatest pre-.
ventive. Especially is universal intelli-
gence, educated intelligence, desirable in .
Republic, where the people rule. And yet,
more than one-ninth Of the adults of the
United States cannot read or write. Igno-
rance clothed with power is ever dangerous.
We have made suffrage universal; education
should be. 1t is computed that at the pres
ent time there are In the United States
2,l5O,O00 male persons over q years old who
cannot write, and that one voter out Of every
seven In the United States cannot even write
his own name. One million of these are
white. The total illiterate white voting
population is s52, 665, and of blacks ole, $50,
making total Of 1860. PAS; and this is ex-
elusive of the tens Of thousands who can
only write their own names. There were
15,303, 535 scholars enrolled In 1880, and
$751; 1852 Of them did not attend school at
all. 1t is proposed, If possible, to encourage
those who do attend, and induce the others
10 do SO.
1t is a somewhat remarkable fact, and one
that Montana Is justly proud of, that the per
centage Of illiteracy among its whites OF ten
years old and over is less than any other
Territory or State in the Union, being only
% per cent. This will make our allowance
under the above appropriation relatively
very small; but 1t is an advantageous disad-
vantage, and gives a pleasant standpoint
from which to give our hearty concurrence
in the measure to aid common schools.