The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-02-17

10 two of them Is equal 10 the amount
tolen by Lord (2) Byron Evers and his
associates in one DAYS transaction with the
swamp Land Commissioner.
But why Truth" should have taken the
Meridian Asylum under his protecting
Al gis, / cannot imagine unless 1t be attn.
buta0le 90 the fact that its history filed
with open violations Of law and inexcus
able extravaganza commends itself to hi
broad and liberal ideas of dealing with the
public money. But it is not nv parpose 10
dicuss the Meridian Asylum. | shall leave
it to the tender mercies of the Grand Jnries
invited there TO dine, and allow the special
committee charged with the investigation
of that institution to decide, whether or moi
the State shalt pay for the champagne said
Grand JnrOrs consumed, aud in my nexI
will proceed u analyse the startling figures
which a thorough investigation OF our
school system discloses.
NoTE-In yesterdays article this state
ment S20a 600 to two high schools" should
have read 100000.
-NUMBER g.
Mississippi has now six Colleges and
High Schools supported in whole or in
part BY the State-three white and
three colored which are open ten
months IN the year. She has about ten
thousand common schools, which are
run four months in the year, and to the
unwise and unnatural disproportion in
support fund distributed by our com
mon mother, / now desire to direct the
attention of the skeptlcal reader.
respectfully refer him to the reports oil
the Auditor of Public Accounts anC
the Superintendent of Public Educa
ton, (the last in print at this writing)
for veritication of the following figures
-lss2-
Total amount appropriated to the Col
ieges aud High schools IS 1880 D
Total amount paid out OF the state
Treasury to the credit oil the Common
School iund...-... l69,S1Z
Total number Of Students in the Col
leges during the year mot exceeding 81
Common schools ............ .............. 2l4,os
Average per capita allowance 10 the
College students, paid out of State
Average per capita allowance TO the
boys and girls IN the Common Schools,
paid out of state Treasury g-Rine Cent
1855
fetal amount appropriated 10 the Col
leges and High Schools, .......S 10000 0
Total amount paid ont of the State
Treasury to the Common Schools. 1875 2ai 0
Total number of students in the col
Ieges and High Schools. ...-......... 95
Total number Of pupils enrolled in the
Common schools. ...,,............. 1869
Average per capita al owance 10 the Col
leges students, out Of state Treasury los S
Average per capita allowance TO pupils
in the Common Schools paid out of
Stale rrasry Sereafy-four cent
leges-per month, about $3.50 90 or per
term Of ten months ....-.....-S 1900
Avera salary OF Teachers in the Com
mon Schools, per month, SIS, per
term OF months-.... Jf2 O
Our school system is like a pyrami
with the apex towards the gfounc
We expend $780, 900 Gin round numbers
on less than 1000 of the favored sou
and daughters of Mississippi, in tn
space of two years, and during the san
period we dole out to the 250,0 bow
and girls in the common schools 1870
600, or about $3.50 each. Under tn
practical workings of such an educa
tional system as ours, who will be SUI
prised, when told hat there is not no,
money enough an the State Treasury I
pau the semi annual distribution to N
common school fuadi And if ''the edu
cation of the masses is the safeguard I,
a free people" who will deny the pror
osition, that the protection afforde,
Mississippi in this progressive age,'' j
weak indeed. For the further ilIustrs
ton of this branch of the subject.
beg the indulgence of the reader, Will
| present few facts and figures con
nected with the a. & NJ College:
The President of that institution
tells us: "In the two sessions since m
last report (lSS3 and 1884, and 1884 an,
1889, we had for the first, PSI students
| (122 in the College classes, 1876 in th
| Preparatory Department. graduatin
class, 9; in the second session. 29l stu
dents (l4l i' the College classes, $50 il
the Preparatory Department., gradu
ating class, 1l.")
During these two years the Stat
Treasury contributed 9,92S.11 to tn
support of the College, and the proceed
CT the farm, dairy, etc, swelled thi
amount to S89,70S.41. The averag
number of College students in attend
ance during the two years was t32, an,
the average number of Preparation
| Common school) students was I45
Now, if we concede that it is a correc
public policy to appropriate out o
the State Treasury more than $40
per capita to enable a majority O
the boys at the A. & ". College I,
study what ought to be taught i,
every common school in the State
while less than one dollar is distribute,
to each of the boys and girls in tn
State less fortunate than themselves. tn,
estimate should tie made on an averag.
attendance of pa each year. A simpl,
calculation, then, will show that tn,
State appropriation for 1854 and IS8.
amounts to the neat little sum of SI6I.
81 per capita, annually. But suppos,
the State should deal with the prepare
tory young gentlemen, a large number O
whom reside in the locality of the Col
lege, as it does with its poor children
and cut them off with a paltry dollai
each. Then it will be seen that fol
every student in the College classes. a
this institution, the handsome sun, 81
S326.00 is appropriated annually. Anc
let 1t be remembered that thi.
amount does not include board, clothing
or books 1t stands for tuition oaiy
which is all the State proposes 70 Gonat,
to the bene6ciaries of any of its Colleges
Pretty steep tuition call il, in view Of
the fact that $4,000 per term of ten
months is all that is charged by MANI
of the most renowned educational inst.
buttons in the land. Indeed the Pres;.
dent of the A. & NJ. College tells us in
his last report: Tuition is free to Mis-.
sissippi students. Boys from other States
are charged tuition fee of 5000 for
the session" This, construe to mean
$40 90 for term of ten months, and I
take it the A. & NJ. will be accepted ~
standard authority on this point. An
other branch of my investigation reveal
ing the results accruing to the people Of
the State from an outlay of 1904 600
(see Governors message 1866 was Ia
me astounding. The President save
.Of n living graduates IA Of them are
engaged At farming or kindred persuits. ,
The word Kindred persuits" may. and
probably does embrace the maioritv of
the fourteen farmer graduates turned ouf
of the A. & NJ. College during the al
years it has been in operation. a.
told one of the number is tomh.
stone agent, and II the Governor
gives rs 4 correct idea Of the farm.
ing operations at the A. & II. e
bis last message, when be tells Is: atbe
farm has been conducted sc pecnn;s-S
l...a y vnainfasn that this 4>,<,ss..s.s..~S