Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-11-10
THE FREE SCHOOL SYSTEM.


versation while in Anderson October Goth,
and the benefit of several suggestions ne
proposes to make to the Legislature, rela-
tive to changes needed in the school law of
South Carolina. twill be remembered that
Capt. Rice was last Tuesday elected State
Superintendent of Education. His speech
delivered here was full of good sense and
enthusiasm for the cause he represents. 1t
would do good if delivered in every county
in the State. No thoughtful man will deny
that there are many changes needed, but
Mr.. Rice was eminently correct when ne
said that the greatest necessity was to pop
ularize the public school system. We can
not afford to 60 backward, and he who
would tear down the system without Offer
ing something better, would throw barrier
in the way of the progress of his country.
Many people are opposed to any KIND OF
public school system. Many claim that the
old ante-bellum system of South Carolina
was the best the world ever saw. Both
classes are mistaken. South Carolina can
not afford, if she would, to fold her arms,
and, looking so indiferently at the progress
of States and nations, boast of her ability
to take care of herself without any public
school system; the ante bellum system
served it's day, suited the times in which it
was operated very well, but the post-bellum
conditions demand better, wider, a deep
er system. But what changes can be made
that will improve the system that was
thrust upou us by our political enemies, and
has been unwillingly operated by the Dem
ocratic party since 1875? Every fair-mind-
ed man must concede that an increase of
the number of school districts, thereby
greatly diminishing the size of the present
ones, would very much facilitate the work
of school officers, and unquestionably rem
der the workings of the system more efti-
cient. AS the law stands, that arrangement
can not be effected. The poll tax stands in
the way. Now, the polls must 60 to the
school district from which they are collect
ed. That entails upon the county treasurer
an immense amount Of work now, while
the school districts are conterminous with
the county townships. Cut the townships
into three or four school districts each, and
nothing short of a census could enable the
treasurer to keep his books straight. The
matter can be very easily remedied by the
legislature, and we respectfully call the at
tention of our representatives to the matter.
Let the law be so modified that the poll tax
shall be apportioned as the 2-mill tax is now
done. That done, and the schools will have
guaranteed to them closer supervision and
more efficient work on the part of the teach
ers. That slight change we suggest our
selves to our lawmakers, and trust they
will give it that attention it deserves.-An-
derson hatellige,acer.
>----------
DUST STORMs.-A recent number OF the
american Meteorological Journal contains an
article on the notorious dust storms of Pc
kin, These occur in the dry season, espe-
cially in winter and early spring. They
come on at irregular intervals, perhaps six
or eight times in the season, and last about
three days. The wind is westerly, most
often northwest, and blows fresh or high.
The condition of the streets of Pekin, evil
as that is, would not account for the heavy
clouds of dust that come down with the
storm. The mouth and eyes have to be
protected from the fine dust, which pene-
trates the closest room, and makes food to
taste gritty. This abundant dust is spread
over a large area. It extends eastward
from Pekin to the sea, and southeastward it
regularly descends as far south as the Yellow
river, and sometimes Shanghai, ten degrees
of latitude away. The writer of the paper
says this vast quantity of dust must come
from the great deserts OF Mongolia. A Sc
ries of observations during one of these
storms showed fall in the barometer: The
clouds, which the day before had been un-
broken, rapidly cleared away, the sun was
so obscured that it could beinspected by the
naked eye, and it was also set in ring.
The wind showed diurnal variations, the
air was dry and one had feeling of malaise
and nervousness. After the wind went
down, the barometer remained high for
day or two, and after its descent there was
another, but much less marked, dust storm.
The storm thus appears to have been gale
accompanying an area OF high pressure,
which came from the desert of Cobb and
travelled eastward. The dryness of the wind
and it's abundant dust were in part due TO
this desert, which lies west and northwest
of Pekin, and is not far away. In his great
work on China Richthofen discusses the ge-
ological effects of these storms, which are
observed throughout the south and west OF
the Desert of Cobb, and further west they
are much worse than at tPekin.-Nat,1e
SPLIT Ten DOLLAR NoTEs.-A new de-
parture in the matter of counterfeiting mon
ey was brought to light at the United
States sub treasury in Baltimore few days
ago. A somewhat worn ten dollar govern
ment bill was presented at the cashiers
window with request for change, Whlch
was given. The note was sent to Washing
ton as mutilated currency, and was return
ed with the information that one side OF
the note was good, but the other side was
a we'll executed counterfeit of the original.
1t was found that a genuine ten dollar Dill
had been split, the face being separated
from the back, seemingly impossible un-
dertaking. The original face with coun-
terfeit back had been used, and it is quite
likely that the genuine back with well
executed counterfeit face has been passed
in some other quarter. More recently
another $40 "front" was presented at the
cashiers window with a similar request for
change. The clerk at the window, suspect
ing the bill, told the man who handed it in
to wait moment until he could consult DIR.
Bishop, the sub treasurer. DIR. Bishop re-
cognized in the note the familiar game and
said it was worth just IS. When the clerk
returned to the window the man had left
.I,.,,t ,,,,;+;no for bic ohanua The Sub