The clarion., 1885-01-28
EoE THE CLARION
Public Schools.

| FoE THE CLARION
Public Schools.
The money appropriated by the Stat
| Tor educational purposes, should certain
| " be 50 expended as to do the creates
good to the greatest number. Such
| lOweyer, Is not the case at present, ant
this is not wholly The fault of the law
out Is caused i'll part by its not being
observed.
Parents owe to their children, main
1aiaancc, protection and education, anC
It all were able II give them the requi
site education, i. would not be the dut,
Ot the state TO furnish it. But thers
are parents who, through thriitlessnes,
or mistortude, do not possess the alb lity
and the children of such, as 10 educal
ton, may properly be regarded as the
wards OF the State, Intelligence being
Indispensable to the stability and success
OF our popular form OF Government
But this duty OF the State does not
exist outside of the evil intended 10 be
remedied. a good rudimentary educa
tIon Is an ample qualification TOR the
duties of citizenship, neither individual,
SOSithi VI PJlillGAlJ tiuu DO SltlZSH SsUuiu
Dc taxed to confer more than this on the
children of others. To extort money
from the citizen by taxation, To educate
the children of others, beyond the point
requisite 10 discharge the duties of eiti-
Ianship, Is downright Communism
The IaDOrer, the tlller of the soil, the
ale haulc, the merchant, or other person
engaged IN the ordinary industries OF
lite, Is not better prepared 10 perform
his daily duties 10y an acquaintance
with the sciences or with any language
besides his own. The person who reads
well and inIeiligently, writes legible
hand and is capable of making readily
all ordinary arlthmetical business calcu-
lations, is, lis To education, fully equip
ped for the proper discharge of his per
sonal, social aud public duties, and to
win success in life. Moreover, with
this start, no boy or girl whose happi-
ness or usefulness would be thereby
increased, need fail 10 find the way and
means OF attaining a higher education.
Both i'll England and i'll this country,
many of thos. who have been distiL-
SuIshed Tor learning and usefulness,
nave been selt-made, r-Illy and truly
the architects OF their own fortunes"
just as well might tax be imposed
to aid all parents, the rich as we'll as the
poor, in furnishing food and clothing to
their children, as to impose a tax for
the purpose OF their classical or profes-
sional education. The natural duties
aud responsibilities OF parents, should
in no wise be unnecessarily interfered
with by Government. Such interference
is not calculated to give stamina to the
character OF either parent or child, but,
on the contrary, its effect must ever be
enervatlDg and pernlcious to both.
The State is now doing far too much,
by taxation for collegiate education, and
far too little for the proper elementary
education Of the needy masses.
Besides this higher education-at the
cost OF the taX-payers-is only secured
by those who are least III need of asSis-
tauce, and who, without such assistance,
would be educated. 70 leave home and
attend a boarding school, is necessarily
attended with considerable outlay,
even though tuition is free. The expense
Of going to and returning from the
school, of board, including lights, fuel,
etc, aud the additional cost OF clothing
among strangers, is quite beyond the
means of those, who, without the public
schools, would grow up in illiteracy and
ignorance. On the education of each OF
the seven or eight hundred pupils at
tending Alcorn University, Iougaloo
University, the Oxford University, the
A. Il NJ. College, and The Holly Springs
Normal College, the State now annually
expends SO or 500; whilst upon the
masses through the country, who really
need assistance, there Is annually ex
pended, upon each, not exceeding Sl.50.
fms small sum is the annual appropria-
alton fer each educable child in the
state, SO far as the common schools are
concerned. The Universities and Col
leges, too, are kept open nine months in
the year, whist the public schools ex-
cept in u few towns, are limited to five
months.
In still another way, not only are
our most needed classes greatly wronged,
but the constitution and laws OF the State
are tiagrantly violated. Inc teachers
of the languages, music, art, ETC., in
quite number of private high schools
and colleges, are paid III part from the
Common School Fund. These are
branches not embraced ia the Common
School curri ulum, extravagantly hber-
al rs 1t Is, and such payments are there
fore illegal. Furthermore, many of these
institutions are strictly denomlnational
that is, have been established by, and
are under the control of some particular
branch oil the church, or some religious
sect, and for this reason, also, the Con-
stitution aud laws toroid their participa-
tion IN the Common Scnool Fund.
The constitution requires the estab-
tishment of Il uniform system OF free
public schools by taxation Between
these hybrid nstItutlons-partly public
and partly private and pubiic schools
proper, there Is no uniformity. Ihe con
stitution requires all public schools TO be
controlled py the public school officials
Of the State, whereas these pirate public
schools are under the management and
supervision of boards OF trustees ap-
pointed by Methodist Conference, a
baptist Association, Presbyterian
Synod, or some other religious body.
There are large Genominatiopals schools,
which publish their annual catalogues,
giving the full particulars of their com-
prehensive curriculum, and prescribing
their terms, and OF course requiring So
much 20 be paid by the patrons Tor
every branch taught, and which at the
same time receive pay from the Common
School Fund for every pupil who Is a
resident of the State.
The case of Otken VS.. Lamkin, 56
Mss, 75S, furnishes al authoritative
exposition OF the constitutional prinei-
plies underlying our common school sys-
tenn. The Supreme Court in this case,
liter stating the several provisions OF
the Constitution, says: 1T Is manifest
| under tnese provisions, that no portion
of the school fund can be diverted to
the support of schools which in their
organization and conduct contrayene the
general rule prescribed" That is to say,
the fund must be applied to such schools
only as come within the uniform system
devised, and under the general super
vision of the State Superintendent and
the local supervision OF the County Su
perintendant; are free from all religious
sectarian control, and ever open to al
children within The ages of i've anc
twenty-one years. ENQUIRER.
Frozen Kindness.
The world is full of kindness thal
never was spoken, and that is not much
kindness at all The fuel in the stove