The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-02-27
EDUCATION.

ucational Bill now before the senate
the following clear report on the
subject compiled from the report of
the commissioner by the New Or
leans Times Democrat may be stu
died to advantage. 1t is needless to
remind our readers that Florida is
in the van of the southern states on
this most important question, and
that this official report makes a
showing highly creditable to our
section:
"The United States has the most |
thorough, expensive and effective
system of public education of any |
country in the woIld. lis public |
schools include 10, 73S, 1872 youth and
its private schools 606,5l7 ont of
total school population of 1914 o,4G3,
showing that 81 per cent of the
school population of this country is
receiving education. To instruct
these boys 307, sO4 teachers, three
fifths Of them female, are required.
The income of the schools in 1884
was Sl10,567,567, the expenditure
SI03, 949, 52s, and the value of the
school property s240,635, 416. For
public educational purposes the
states expend one-third as much as
the cost Of the entire general gov
eminent.
zone of the most interesting por-
tions of the report is that dealing
+ with the south. The commissioner
speaks in most favorable terms Of
the interest taken in educational
matters by the southern states. He
finds large increase IN the number
OF schools in the south, in the atteu-
dance, in the number of teachers, in
their pay and in their general stand
ing and ability. 1t is somewhat I'M
pleasant TO read his remarks in re-
ference to Louisiana, that 'its public
school statistics are incomplete, and
those given are not at all encoura-
ging.' Still he finds encourage
ment for the future, from the fact
that the legislature of 1884 increas
ed the state appropriation for public
schools.
taking the south as section, he
gives a number of interesting facts
and comparative statistics. There are
in the sixteen southern states 4,2l6,-
976 white children OF school age
and 2,54644s enrolled; 2,O32, 926
colored children, of whom l,OO2, 1913
are enrolled The amount expen-
ded for school purposes is sl7,053,-
467. To overcome the difficulty en-
countcred in securing teachers 257
normal schools, with 500 Instructors
have been established.
s.The commissioner calls attention
to- the large increase OF school funds
in the south, but Notwithstanding
this and other evidences of prosper
ity there is need, in his judgment,
of larger provision for the instruc-
ton of the Illiterate of the south
than the states are by themselves
able to make In this connec-
ton he says:
"sAlmost without exception the
state and school officers Of the
southern states are agreed that their
states can do no more at present
They admit their increasing pros,
perity; they point, as they may vel
do. to the rapid increase of Their
school funds, amounting to some
thing over $2,OOo,o00 since lss.
but over against these facts they
call TO mind the continued depres
sion of all valuations in their midst
pros,ration of business
their want of school accommodation
and trained seachers, and, above all
the burden of iiliteracy which rest
upon them, and they declare tina
this illiteracy cannot be overcom,
by means of the state and loca
funds as rapidly as the interest o
the particular states involved an(
of the entire nation demand. w
hare even more impartial testimon,
= on this point.