The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-04-03
IS TIE GRADED SCHOOL A FAILURE :?
whpt Oar Esteemed Contemporary,
and n Respected Correspondent
Have 10 say.
Columbia Register.

-: Columbia Register.
| Tho following is from the .Abbcvilc Pres
| AMI Banner:
mcnt and prospective collapse of the Cnlum
| hia Graded school. That paper explains
what it believes to be the cause, but the actua
cause was not touched. 4 graded school Is ar
exploded theory. its Impractical Utility, ha:
been proved q thousand times, and will ye
| be proved many more times. A so-caled
graded school is bound TO be n failure. There
Dor will refresh his memory little, he will
rccollect that the Press and Rn1ner said wher
1t was established that it will would fail. Lei
him try il who will. the graded school must
| fall through, and it will ever do so as long as
result follows cause. No graded school can be
Il permanent success
| The several statements here made will cX
cite wonder wherever read. The broad prop
osition that 'no graded SceoOl can be per.
manent success" iSa little ambiguous. We
| do not understand whether it is directed tc
the method of organizing these academies
| with view to cconomiZe labor ana iacllltate
instruction. or whether it is directed 10 the
| mode of raising the means for the susie nance
OF these useful institutions.
The graded school is not a new thing in
South Carolina. More than thirty years ago
the people of the city of Charleston, realizing
the necessity for the thorough instruction OF
the children in the free schools, provided the
means for the established of just such insti'
tutions as the Press and Banner derides rs
failures These academies were, and they
still are "gradcd schools" That they have not
been failures is attested as well by their long
continued usefulness rs by the strong hold
they still have upon the people of Charles.
ton.
Precisely similar has been the experience
Of every other community that has enjoyed
the advantages Of the graded school system.
Winnsboro. Darlington, Grccnvile, Spartan.
burg, Marion. RcnnettSville Georgetown
Chester, Rock Hill and other places that dc
not now come to mind, have each had q
graded school, and there Is not yet any evi'
dcnce Of "failure.'
The graded schools Of Columbia have been
4 splcnded success. The present cmbarraSs.
mcnt is nOwiSe incident to the graded school
sys tenn. That is TOO plain for argument, and
| the trouble now upon us Is not likely TO re-
cur
If the Press and Banner considers that the
usual method of sustaining the graded
schools. by local taxes supplementary to tho
general taxes, Is q failure, its Judgment is
equally at fault. This plan has worked well
wherever it has been tried. The additional
tax is nowhere burdcnsome, and its benefits
are everywhere conceded to be more than
commensurate with the money thus procured
There is all over the State growing desire
for graded schools supported by both local and
State taxation.
If our Abhcville contemporary. will but
take tho trouble to ascertain the history Of
graded schools in South Carolina, it will
promptly recall its judgne tent that "no graded
schools can be permanent success we
hope so, anyhow.