Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-16
NATIONAL AID TO EDUCATION
"PAYMENT ny RESULTS.
Money should not b. Distributed 60 the
states-A system ~ fnsp-c,ion- Chronic
weakness "f the Executive.
BY GAMALIEL BRADFORD or CAMBRIDGE
MASS
(Copyr ghled 1881

/ lnere Oeen IN the Northern states any nor
ulnr hostility To the S nth. While IL wa
felt that our "eTring brethren" must b
cOerced aud even slaughter, q If necessar
Tor the preservation of the Union, IL wa
felt also that they were suffering fror
sins no more theirs than ours, that the
had inherited a state of society whlc
vas Just IA much curse TO them MS Il
us, and the parting with which involve,
enormous sacrifices aud social di,orunu
cation. The extension of universal sui
frrge TO the blacks may or may not hnv
been Just and wise, but to u communit,
which feels perhaps as much us any tina
ever existed the force of the golden rule
II carried an uneasy sciousneSs Of IN,
| humiliation and evaporation which sucl
action must have caused to the s ,utherl
whites. Il is the fundamental article q
orr or ed again, that democracy can
not exist II peace without at least com
mon school educatlpn-monry thrift, fo
example, being impussihle without Sum,
Knowledge of northumberland with In,
fearful accounts of illiteracy, almos
everybody who thinks Mt all, feels that ",
have before us on OF the greatest dan
gers which threrteu the republic an,
'nch as can he exercised only by an ex
tenSive system Of common schools.
FOLLY OF DISTRIBUTING MONEY TO THU
STATES
But When we come 10 ask how the ma.
tional aid is 10 he brought to bear for,oh
tanning this result, difficulties at once
spring up 20 great that one is almost dis.
coulugrd by the fear Of dolu. more harm
than good.
ol I'll eXpedients, that which seems 10
combine the greatest possible amount OF
eVll Is to distri ute money among the
state governments in proportion IT, the
amount OF lllitrracy In the respective
states. In the first place, so far from
promoting education, IL would offer a
premium upon ignorance. OF course the
appropriation must be for series of
years, aud those states would get the
most money which showed, not the most.
nut me least teaching. Under the old
English poor law the most aid was given
10 the man who had the largest family
III the greatest misery, and the process
was rapidly reducing Eug and to cnun-
try OF pauperS, till it was arrest d by
the poor law reform of nfty wears
ago.
In the second place simple transfer of
money from the national to the state
treasury would by no means involve n
certainty that it would be iudictously tx
pended for the benefit Of the schools. If
1t did, state administration in the South
must be in much higher stage of nd.
vancement than II is In the North.
"PAYMENT by REsuLrs.n
1t is not d fflcult To Imagine a system
which would accomplish what is desired,
that is the system known in England as
payment by results" Suppose it were
provided, that, taking the degree of Tilt.
eracy as starting point, any state
which should provide certain num-
Der of schools in proportion to popu.
lation, which should secure a certain
number Of scholars and certain degree
OF attendance measured by a timetable.
together with certain degree of schol
arships, measured by prescribed standards.
should be reimbursed one-half, or any
other proportion Of the amount il had
expended IN attaining these results, with
less proportion of payment for less re-
suits. 1t might be further provided that
each state should make The same arranve.
meht with localities, assuming to each
county or town, as the case might he its
due proportion of the national subsidy
upon ils showing the same evidence ~
progress, the state government SUMMING
up the evidence and presenting il Ia the
national government, and then receiving
the subsidy as total and making the To-,
cal distribution.
CHECK by INSPECTION.
The check upon this would be in n ma.
tional system Of inspection. There wonla
he attached to the department of the in.
terror a bureau Of education. which
would issue blank forms of the reouire.
ments, to be distributed through the
SOUTH ana would appoint inspectors to
traVei through the region, assisting in or
ganlzlng the schools, examining them as
10 progress and guiding them as to max
ing out returns. There would be in this
no Interference with local qoyernment
no centraizing Of power In the federal
government, tecause the function of the
Inspectors would ne purely advisory, say.
ing to the local authorities, an Won Do
SO anu so, you VIII get your money; 9TH
erwise not" The reports of the insnact-
OTIS ana tue returns of the SCHOOLS would
'uih'sn Information OF lnestimable value.
WEAKNESS OF THE EXECUTIVE
scheme Of this kind Implies dagra.
OF administrative organization and IN
w AhuhC ~ seem DurNlV
ianciful. IL would not, however. at ali
exceed that which may be seen at snv
Time In the management of some of orr
great railway companies, and the want ~
IL III government affairs is weighing onite
as heavily in proportion upon the North
as upon the South. The weakness Of ex.
ecutive government is making itself felt
IN every branch of the body polite. bnt
IN one more than education
massachusetts, stands in the front
rank OF states in reputation In
TINS respect, and enormous sums are
spent every year upon our schooIs. Vet
There is growing doubt whether AIDE.
quate results are obtained In point M
TACT, very little is known about IT, Every
town and city is left to the discretion ~
an elected aud generally unpaid school
committee, There ia no state inspection
ana no state system, no real enforcem,
OF attendance and no standard OF progress
wniie private institutions are eyerywhere
reSorted to by those who can afford Il
me returns of the census point strongly Ia
an increasing proportion OF illlteracy and
an increasing violation of the laws which
ia tneory forbid the employment OF
children in factories IN tho naoia,. -