The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-09-06

p 0if tlcult To secure com p0i6HA, tIlctSil1
.,achers for the m ca ger pay We can offer. lac
mort i've months session 1 regard the most
feature OF our publlc-schooi sys-
EN-. -. -, Move and
petter schuol-houses with good furniture Ion,
2 err sessions, an increase OF teacht rs pay. ana
means to furnish INDECENT pupils with text
hoks The Blair bill would give lis the money
TO remedy all these defects and enable US 10
make our public schools what lhey snouio DC
the pride and glory OF our land. | rejoice 10
know that you among this tilends OF the olii'
aud YOU may rest assured that your consul
tuepts IN this county will, to man, help To iioio
mn vour hands whilst battling TO gain this great
boon for your State and your country 1he pup-
lie schools are the only hope Tor the eoucAtlon .
of the children of the people. ana an earnest
zeal In behalf of this great ease is, 70 my ptnu'
the strongest evidence of true patriotism w
sinia IL doing all she can TO euusdtg He, ,,tt
al en- but 1t would require double the amount
annually appropriated TO meet the pressing
needs OF her PUBLIC schools,
"A very small Der cent. Of orr white people are
able 10 educate their children III private
schools, and such schools are entirely put OF
The question among the cbltreG race. aus 90
ucation OF the negroes Is greatly retarded on
account of the extreme poverty ~ IN a lauS,
the pal ents are too poor TO buy The Ut cessary
text books for their children oILen III af
dozen pupils trying 10 prepare ipeif Iessons
from one book. The public funds are so tlfa-
tied that the dis trict boards do not 1eel war
ranted to expend more than q few dollars eacn
year to furnish books to indiEept pupiis. Inc
name OF every mem Der OF the flitlet Oo4 4ss
who WORKS and votes Tor the Blair educational
bill will be honored in Virginia and his mem
oIy will be cherished and reyered to the latest
generations. Allow me To thank you III behall OF
the people of Cumberland for the interest which
YOU manifest in the cause Of public education
Very respectfully, - co,eo,
[ have letter from G. E. CaskIe, Su-
perintendent Of public schools for Nelson
County. Virginia. Mr.. Caskle writes as
follows: ,ooo
Lov1NGsros, VA. January 8, 1888,
SIR: Yours OF The 9Th 1nstani recelveh In
answering the InterrogatOries tnefelp pro-
pounded will use the figures shown Dy my an
nuai re port Ior the school year ending July 81,
lSss / do this because 1 suppose 1t would be
fatrer than TO take any one month OF the pre-
sent session as the basis OF my answers
First. The school population OF this county Is,
aceol ding to the last census, 1900: Wh1te, o,t9t
coiured, 3,lS5; total G,719.
SECOND The enrolment for last session was :
White ISL; coloIed, 1,bbU; Total. 3.Sll
Third. The average daily Attendance during
the same period was; Whites, l,loj; coiofeu'
7O4; total. l. SOL. .,., ,,xs,,,> 20
five months There are three schoois i'll the
county which run six mohths alI the othets
run Gully We months except such as are closed
sooner BECAUSE OF failure 10 make the required
average or some reason of that sort. Inc aver
age last wear was just five monthg.
Fifth. The cost of the Whole system llnclud-
ing all expe nses-my salary and eVerythlng)
last yearwas So cents per mont per pupil ell
rolled orS2.95 for the session per pupil ehrolle ed
sixth, The cost for last session., laciuhlng
everything. was 81 q per month per pupil III
average daily attendance. or SOL Tor tie SEES
sion per pupil in average daily Attendance
seventh. There are now in this county ninety
schools. of which about twenty five houses De-
long to the school hoard; The residue are cab
ms log houses, etc.. which the people let us
have. VI the twenty five which we own. ABOUT
eight are good houses: the Others are mostly
log about two thirds of which are heWed log 5
and the Others just built OF round poles VI
those furnished by the patrons about the same
PROPORTION of heWed and rOLnd-log buildings
exist With the exception of the eight men
toned above all of these houses are III Dad lc-
are hardly fiji to he occupied at all Last Year
/ was foIced to conuelnE some, and II 1 did hoy
duty would condemn others now some OF
them have board roofs, held on with logs tr
rocks; some others have sliding wi6dows-i E.,
plank windows without any glaSs-abd when
YOU omen the window To let i'll the light you
leave q hole, In many of these houss The
chinking is knocked out and The teacner has To
uaub 1t up with mud as best as he can.
L think 1 may safely say that all the furniture
we hav., lncIud ng desks, benches tables,
chairs ETC., iOr the ninety schools. is not WOE h
over $9l. The benches usually, i'll Tact win
very few exceptions, have no backs, and in
many inst ances are made Dy splitting log liz
Two and boring holes in Which legs are put,
thus mak ing two benches. With the exception
Off very lew schools d few of these benches, Il
small black board. and a plank nailed To tne
side OF u house for writing desk, cons. TUE
the furniture. There Is not Il map. & ODE, chart,
Or any thing OF that sorL III d s1bgle school in
The county.
Eighth our teachers are paid a ,rding to
the grade OF certificate they hold--nist grace,
$50 per month second grade. So; third grhti ,
$40. Tie average Salaiy last year was SZ3 I .
Owing to the hack OF ILids The trusts es OH Ii
prefer a third 10 first grade teacher, hecau I
they are cheaper. OF course thus Jui.s tn
schools very much.
Ninth, To cover the county and proyile
school facilities to ali I'll the people We lie' d
about Is or IL more sci. OILS Tue couhtio is 50
broken and moui tainois that II qnir ii
larger number OF schoo tLan II it we more
level. Our ann II -. - Is TO 50 locate -eh,,'is
that no person will be over mile f. IN :.
school. Yet in III A, they 3 mile
and in some Instances SO or / miles.
weather these latttr persons are p!aC, icaiy Il. =
barred of ali school privileges, nnd irrtgu-
attendance makes the school but little be- / t
to the scholar. ami Tie sci.oil1 ii dIsa.iVaht e
to the school. We need houses fearful y, hI-
where we have them we net Il To repair them
We need school apparaiu us, maps globt s. chart
etc, We should Iun the schools lea
two months longer each year and III the Id
towns and villages where The children are n \
compelled to work, the schools should b. rtl
for nine months.
owing To scarcity of funds We a-e Unable te
pay the school trustees amy salary. Hence htS
can not give the time and attention 10 tlit
duties OF cir office which is necessary Tor Iht
proper performance OF those duties; ana o
course the county superlntendenis are uadly
paid. They should be able 10 give their whols
time to the schools.
Hoping that your efforts in behalf OF lhs
"BIaIr blil' may be successful. remain.
Yours resptctfully, u. T.. CASKiE.
HON. j. YoST. Washington ID. C..
have received from other counties Of
the district similar letters, all telling I
tale that ought to touch the nation !
heart.
And yet. strange irony of fate, this II
the State that gave away an emp re aIa
stipulated i'll the grant that one slXL, emf
part of it all should be dedicated TO tdu
tional purposes. Millions and tens d
millions are annually paid topublic school
from Virginia s pltndld gift, and yet whel
her own children ask for d 1.-THE of d tltht
of her great largess, for the crumbs. aS j
were, that fall from the SumptuOuS tabl
her bounty has provided, the request fall
upon ears that will not hear. applause
They who refuse aud again refuse Il
stretch forth the strong arm OF The n
tiouai Government and lift this people
into light are assuming a fearful respon
Sibtlity, the consequences OF which they
must face. You vote millions every zeal
to an army and IA navy To protect the Ma
tion s interests and uphold the flag, ye
not cent to those who when the rea
peril of the future comes must bare thei
breasts TO the storm of shot and shell II
the nations defense applause Mil
lions more are expended in the cOnStruc
ton of irOncladS and the erection of for
tifcations against an enemy that will new
or come whilst all unheeded the yer
fOundat ions of the Republic are bein
sapped and at the door of millions c
households the deadllest foe to peace ant
happiness stalks in and takes possession
Applause
Tens of millions are devoted to river
and harbOis that commerce may be pro
NOTED Shut not dime to stay this seethiD
tide of ignorance that darkers the land an
year aft er year grows in int lslty and vol
ume. APP ause. What excuse C; yo
give for tins wanton. shameful neglect q
an interest OvershadOwlng in its proper
tions and which reaches into every fast
ness of the mountains and all the valley:
that lie between? Will You tell then
again that the Speaker is alone responsibl
and then return and re-elsct that Speake
without a dissenting voice? Applause.
Unlettered and CT edulOus these people ma
be, but once deceived they do not forge
the deceiver. They know now that edu
cation is the rule and not the exception
they know that he who wins in the battl'
of life must be panoplied for the fray; tina
their children must he armOred with intel
ligence ere they Can hope to contend wit
the children OF the North and West.
From the embrace of that environment
which for generations has held them will
chains Of iron, they are slowly it may be bu
none the less surely, emerging. And b
who seeks to perpetuate their old condi
ton will reckon without his host. /
spark of hope has been kindled in thei
breasts by the promise of the Blair bill
by the promise tn 1t the children to com
after them shall not inherit their pitiabi
lot. They see the dawning OF new da
IL. =