The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25
The Great Need of the Times Is Ret.
ter Teachers and q More Punctuhl
Attendance Of Scholars. -..
AnREyI1IE Sc Novomher

ABBEvILLE, s. c., november IS, 1885.
interested directly in the improvement Of the
schools. Without your support we cannot ac-
complish the good we have In view, and which
is so much needed. We desire to infuse more
life and VigOr into our languishng public
school system, to arouse the torpid energies Of
teachers, to correct, as far as possible, the
carelessness and indifference of parents, and,
SO to administer ,n the school ! laws US to gain
Efficiency Of all our educational forces. If the
present condition Of our PUBLIC free schools,
Which ReoPs mainly depend for the
1 predict that, within O few decades, the re-
cords Of illiteracy and ignorance Will startle
us with just fears of our freedom, safety, and
tranquility, and bring blush Of shame to all
intelligent and patriotic citizens of this grand
old county Of which we and our fathers in the
past have been so Justly proud.
1t is an APPALLING fact that large portion Of
hopelessly deluded in supposing that their
children are receiving benefit when the
truth is, incompetent teachers are absolute
tinitcly worse, the precious time and mind OF
the children. The people should rise up In
their might and indignation and demand Of
those who administer the school laws, that
higher qualifications should be required of the
teacher than that he should be somebody, like
Plato's man, "wth two legs without feathers"
to keep school from sunrise to sunset. The
people of Abbeville county do not want, at
ers. "POOr teachers are a curse to community,
worse than the frogs and lice of Egypt, for
where they prevail to a considerable extent,
rupt t religion" We do n not want i simply a
place for a relative who is out Of employment.
"Highly educated is. generally, better re-
do not want recruits from the ranks Of those,
who, however renowned they may have been
in war, have failed at everything else they un-s
dcrtook.
"Better for
That Heavens lightning blast his very soul
And sink it hack to Chaos lowest depths,
Than, knowingly, by word or deed, Re send
A blisht upon tue trusting mind Of youth"
Let me quote and endorse the language Of a
recent Issue of the Liring Church, published In
Chicago:
awe employ policemen to watch our houses
at night, lest a thief entering in may steal q
dozen silver spoons, but who knows what
thicvery of Il virtuous character is going on
amid the prOmiscuOus crowd of boys and girls
in the public schools of our cities? Parents
and pastors should not only instruct children
at home and in the Sunday-school. They
should follow them to school. They should
know what they do on the way. They should
be perfectly informed as to the social sanitary,
and moral influences of the schoo-room and
the play ground. Granted that the State has
no right to impose upon our children any form
of religious observance or any type of religious
belief: has the State any right to subject our
children to immoral influences? The State
does not propose to encourage or allow tho
children Of its citizens to be surrounded by
such influences, yet they arc on the increase.
1t rests with the moral sense of the commun-
ity to tolerate or TO eradicate them. Teachers,
pastors, and spiritual masters must work To-
gethcr to guard our children in the public
schools.
"Alorcover, as it is tho acknowledged purpose
of the public schools to provide for the chill
drcn entrusted to them, first and finally, ln-
tclcctun training, it is the right and duty OF
those who have the good of the children most
WI ,,SS That f,pi IN ~
the best that can be had. Any one who has
knowledge of the condition Of our public
schools over Il large section Of our wide do
main, knows that as q 'nle, the instruction
.Ority of cases the intellectual work, for which
the public schools exist is poorly DONE The
results are mcagrc and mean. The money OF
the taxpayers is sIuandcred on badly-con-
trivcd. poOrly-vcntjatcd, mpcrfcctly warmed,
ostcntatiouS architectural montrositcs of
building: and the time and health Of the pu-
under the incompetent tutelage of tyros, who
are ..hircd' by the month In a majority of
our public schools, it is safe to say, the. scho.
arS are not taught anything thoroughly ana
absolute incilicirncy of the great mass OF our
schools. They are not only throwli" away
their srh"o-tuX. they are bHsitinS me pro- p;
poets Of our children, by submitting to this .
state of things We have heard nom more
than one experienced teacher III our schools
Of higher education, that not one In hundred
has been fairly trained in the common Eli
dish branches.
This is not TO say anything against the pub
lie school system. aS such, but to protest
nw;,ins. The abuse Of it. The people pay for
the best and they have right to insist upon
havin. the best. They pay the State for sccu-
lar education, and they should demand re-
suits commensurate with the outlay. Wig
ilnncc is aS much the price Of education as Of
liberty. Civil service reform is as much need
cd in school boards as in tho higher depart
mcnts OF public administration.
GEO e. HODGES,
School Commissioner \. &.