The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-29
The Public Schools Again.

will soon be called upon to enter the
school-rooms for the session, 1SS9-90.
These teachers are doubtless better
prepared for their work now than ever
before. If they are not they should be,
because they have had the opportunity
OF attending at least one Normal In
stitute, some of them perhaps more.
It is reasonable to suppose, then, that
they will begin work with better IDEAS
better methods, and better Judgment
as to how they should train the chill
dren of the county. Many of the mis-
takes of the past will be arolded-1or
teachers do make mistakes-and many
wild and fauciful theories Will be
thrown aside as untenable and un-
wise.
These teachers, then, are ready to re-
port for duty, and are only waiting lor
some favorable opportunity when they
may fall into line.
The teacher being ready, the duty OF
the people is apparent. -
In South Carolina, as in mos&~other
States, there is what is~4shown as u
free school fund-~4his fund is raised
mostlH-by a direct tax on the people
This is the case especially in our STATE
In other States part OF the fund IS
raised by other means, which neeo
not be mentioned here.
The primary object of a free schooi
fund is to educate those people VINO
cannot educate themselves. In other
words, it was primarily intended for the
help of the poor man. This notion or
intention has now been lost sight ofand
all people, irrespective of wealth or
position, receive an equal amount OF
the fund. About this, the wisdom or
expendiency of it, have nothing TO
say. I can only say that the Tree
school is a fact. A free school, pure
and simple, can and proposes to give
the children of the State only very
limited education, only enough 10
raise them above the rank and file
of the illiterate. With the small
amount appropriated for the purpose 1t
can possibly do no more.
\ school supported by the general
school fund.- and receiving aid from no
other source runs in Newberry County
81 months on an average. IS tnis
school term long enough? is the ques-
ton which every thoughtful man
should ask himself The answer can
be nothing else than an emphatic mo-"
How then can the school term be
made longer? is the next question that
arises. Under the present conditions
liberal private subscription is the only
way to bring about the desired result
Additional taxation might be resorted
to. but such is inexpedient and impos'
sible at present. Were it possible
doubt whether it would be wise at the
present time.
The first method is the one that we
must look to now to bring about bet
! ter schools and longer terms.
Let us see what it would cost per
son to have good school in his com
munity. Suppose that the school has
an enrolment of twenty-five scholars
and the majority of our schools have
more than this--and $500 is the
amount wanted to ruR a school nine
months, and that the school gets SlOt
from the public fund, then the amount
TO be paid for one scholar, one year
is only IS, or not quite Shopper month
| Now there are few white men in oul
county unable to pay this small amount
There are some, it is true, but they
would not be expected to pay.
Ifa man without good school IN hlS
community is forced to send a child tt
school at a distance from nome, II
would cost him as much for one yeal
as it would cost the entire community
TO have a school like the one men
toned above. Another advantage tina,
the long term has is, that there 4
USUALLY a better teacher on band. The
community that pays the best usually
has the best teacher. Some may thlnF
that a "teacher is teacher" Correct
Some are as much superior, however
to others as Robert +. Lee was superior
to the most ignorant corporal III Con
federate volunteer company.
Let tine people in each community
90 to work at once and see if they can
not havea first class school for the veal
lSS9-90. 1t will not cost much, rs
have already shown, and would be
worth ten times the money paid tol
it.
Neither should the school building
be forgotten. Some school rooms II
the county are not what they ought tt
be. They are dehclent III many ways
They need to be comfortable for wlnte'
use, and need better school furniture
These matters should be attended TO al
once. The schools should open IN
very short time, and the rooms shoult
be ready when the time for opening
comes.
Let us stop talking for a while a
least about the free school system
That it has its defects, all admit. Il
may in a few instances-very few, how
ever-work disadvantageously: bu
this should not cause Us to stop anc
devise and advise now. We should dt
the best with what we have and no
complain abont something that woulo
be hard, very hard, to remedy. Nhe1
the public school system attalns TO per
fection we will "reioice and be glad,
but that time has not come Yet