The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-22

tax ieVIcs provided in section 20 char
. ter ., laws OF l5I9- Under this section
! 2 county with properly valuation not OK
! cecding S5,Js1c5l. can levy one per cent. foI
! general purposes, and is thereby enabled &C
! rais" j3gJJ0. But should the valuation be in
J creased 70 SJ,l9t.0cJ the county authorities
/ can levy only One-half Of one per cent. yield
! ing revenue of only %25,Ie0. If, therefore
| the sum OF 5000 is required Tor current ex
| penSes, the county must either increase it,
| assessed values al once from S5G9G.0t:Jo SI0+
| C10,CD0. or keep such values below the first
| named sum. The constant tendency. there
! fore, is toward low valuatiOns. This diff
Guilty might be renedied by authorizing q
! levy Of one per cent or a valuation of ss5,ltj0
: 03l. ana providing that the .evy should he de
creased one mall for each 81 so 900 increase Il
valuation:
SCHOOL DISTRICT BOND LEyIES.
Under the provisions Of section IS7, chapter
-, {. l.. OF 1873. it is made the duty of the
Board OF County Commissioners of each
able property in each school district in such
county. a tax sufficient TO pay the interest
accruing upon any bond issued by such dis
trict- anu 20 provide a sinking fund for the
final redeIlD DtsCn Of the bonds.
II sometimes happens. either from neglect
or purpOScly, that the duty thus cnjuiDed IS
not performed. and no provision Is made for
the payment Of coupons Or bonds until long
after maturity. As the majority Of the
ScIDO! district bonds are owned by the per-
nanent school fund. would ii nos be well 10
give the State Board OF School Fund COra-
missOncrs authority to fully protect the III
terests of the funds in their guardianship by
conierTing upon them power 70 make the
necessary levlcS in all cases where County
commissioners nave refused or neglected 10
do co:
PUBLIC EDUCATION.
The school system Of Kansas embraces the
common schools, the University, the Agri-
cultural College and tie Normal School.
The constitution makes it an imperative
duty OF the Legislature ''to encourage the
promotion of intellectual, moral, scientific
and agricultural Improvement by eSta blish-
ing q uniform system of common schools
and schools OF higher grade, embracing
Normal, Preparatory, Collegiate and Cniver,
sity Departments The duty thus enioincd
in our organic law has been supplemented
by an unta.EnG and even prOdigGi generosity
on the part Ct the people of the State III the
facilities provided for the education of our
youth. The f:rsC public thought in everv
settlement in Kansas has been the SchOCl
house. IRE best constructed and mos
costly building in every town, city or hamlet
OF the State Is the public school. No Kansas
community, in the darkest days it has
known. has ever felt TOO poor to pay for
school house and employ teacher. When
the people we're living in dug outs thcy voted
bonds to build Il comfortable school honse
or the mill. Believing education to be -
better safeguard OF liberty than Il standing
army, and that on il tie future destiny ard
glory of the State must funGam entally rest,
no touch of parSimOny has characterized
the relations between the taxpayers OF
kansas and our school system. The cx
penditures of tho State for public education
exceed the aggregate of all its other eX-
pCnditureS
The report of the State Superintendent of
Public instruction shows Il school pOpula-
tiOn-betwCcn the ages of i've and twenty
one Yc2rS-of 4ll.2jD an increase Of .s,9Sl
over 1SSj. The scholars enrolled numbered
3Gj,G9l, an increase Of l7,ig3 over the enroll
in 1888 averaged j6ilI7; for the year just
closed SJ1.:-s.l-i3n increase of 81, l4 In iS14
the enrolment was only 1888 and the at
tendance 1856. These figures show an i'll
crease, in ten years. OF lGS,013 in enrolment
and i23. 80 in attendance.
The teachers employed in the public
schools III lSS} aum bered o.eS; i'll lHt. S;Si2. OF
whom 2.;'9j We're males and 5.4% females
Average wares paid teachers. per month,
males, S40.T0; females. ;S}2.S5. IN 49, there
were 5,OGi teachers employed of whom 2,:6j
were males and 2,GSi females. The average
wages then paid were: males, S35.2A: females,
$3.50. The increase in the average wages
paid indicates an increasing demand for bet
ter QuGiiic2 ICacheTS.
The school bIiidiCGs and grounds are val
ucd II sj,tla.5S3. There are 6,66 school
houses, Of which III were Dailt during the
past year. In ls14 the schGol houses num-
berpl only 3.543, VALUED ut $3.50 Increase
in number OF school houses during the past
ten years, 1862; in their value. Sl,I2j,4y7.
The receipts and expenditures for school
purposes, during the school year ended July
3lSt, 1854, are shown by the following exhibit:
ReceiptS-i5a!anCe in district treasures
August Ist. 1SNl. ..;iS.27lS1. Amount received
from County Treasurers from district taxes.
s.. I2l tatj,--j; received from county school
funds. S.;s4. "A n: from sale of school bonds,
So, ,UtG54; from all other sources, Sl49,2I1.-
Is. Making total OF Sj.332U5J.35
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. paid for teachers
wages, Si.iS9.I ~ G.; fOr rents. fuel and Incl
dentals. Ssh ,!42.I7; for iitcrIrieS and school
apparatus, :syi,t2.51: Tor sites. buildings and
furniture, 6,se3l A; for all other purposes,
SIbI,S52.i2 Il Total expenditures for school
purposes during the year. &. So AtS-::,,S. Bal
ancC ii the hands CT District TrcasurCrS,
July 3lst, 1884, S59,0S107
School Fund--Thc investment for the per-
mancnt school fund for the fiscal year ended
june 9th. 1853. aggregated s:s59 Elf55; for the
fiscal year ended June ;;jth, 1854. S.i2.S6l; 1or
the period from June ;$fh 10 December LIST.
vested money belonging to this fund, re-
manning in the State Treasury December !,
last, was -, l63..5.
THE COUNTY TEACHERS INSTITUTES
are doing eEce!l@nt work. ard the money ap
propriatcd for them by the State is wen
spent. Our school system must depend for
its success largely on the spirit and enter
prise Of the teachers, and these Institutes,
furnishing normal education to the great
body CT our public educators, and promoting
and fostering = spirit OF Pride III their pro
feSS;Cn, are Of important md general benefit
For 50 large Il body OF officers the teachers
of Kansas rank we'll. But there is room for
improvement and Il is worthy of inquiry
whether an Increase CT the work OF the
County Institutes would not he wise.
EIGHER SCHOOLS.
Our institutions of advanced education
seem to bc il a t0ursshing condition. Cn-
dOuh:edly the common school system IS in
fnitclY more valuable TO Us as i state than
the higher Institutions, hut both are ncceS-
sary to secur" the best results in the fcrma-
ton o. wise ana intelligent coTmunitv-
Kansas is now :; great, pOpulOus and wealthy
State. and can afford TO be liberal, though
not eXtrTivagant. II providing for our ;rstit1l-
tiOnS of higher education. The public schools
SbDni1 - harmon
the University, she Agricultural College and
the Normal School, feeding them with the
best blood and brain of the State. The
graduates OF all the institutions. as rule,
remain permanent citizens of Kansas. and
give Us tie benefit of their knowledge aud cf
the discipline to which they have been sab
jected. The higher schools OF learning have
always been the home and nursery OF pro-
gresS ard freedom, even in deSpOtic Govern
ments, and their liberAliZing, conservative
and up-buiidinG results among free people
cannot be OvercStlaated.
The three gre;:: educational institutions of
the State should each, however. continc lis
work to the purposes for which it was es-
t9DlisnCd. No one OF them should attempt,
nor he permitted. 10 trench on the field as
signed the Others. There is room and need
for them all. each in its legitimate province.
The State does not need ana should not DC
asked TO support, two or three universities,
or agricultural colleges, or normal schools,
but it ought to, and no doubt will generously
support one institution in each of the fields
of work and duty indicated by the names OF
these homes of learning.
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
The condition Of the University, its pros
poets and nes1S. arc fully stated in the re-
ports of its Regents, its Chancellor, and its
heads of departments. The Regents state
that substantial and gratifying prosperity
has marked its history during the past two
: ears. The new chemical building has been
erected ard equipped. The board has wisely
ordered the diScOntnuance OF the lowest
course, and tsker seton look
ing TO the early diSconuuuance OF the entire
preparatory department, so that the strength
of the faculty NAV be devoted wholly TO the
work Of higher education.
The University had 81 students enrolled
during the last fiscal year. and is steadils