The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-11-21

South Carolina, with population Of
over 1000, 900, and taxable valuation
of, about s2oO,0o0,OO0, spends about
s42S, 600 on her public schools, while the
new State of North Dakota, with a pop.
ulation of 100000, and a taxable 7alua-
tion of $40 100000, spends over $4,000
on her public schools. South Dakota,
with population Of 100000, and tax.
able valuation of about sol 100000,
spends over 100000 on her public
schools In other words our public
schools costs us per capita about forty
FIVE cents, while the two States above
mentioned are spending respectively
50 80 and s3 per capita. This is one of
the causes of the rapid development Of
the resources of these Western States,
and the vast stream of emigration that
has its tide set in that direction. The
principle of popular education is a thor
oughly engrafted American idea, aud is
one of the mainsprings of the marvellous
and almost unbouDded development of
the msterial resources of the States to
the north Of us. In every community,
aud in reach of every man who is head
of a family, stands the district school
house, prominent feature of the neigh
borhood, landmark to greet the eye,
and not poor, miserable subterfuge for
q building, hidden in. some obscure cor.
ner as if hiding from the public gaze.
We, of this State, are. tagging behind in
the march of progress because of our mig.
gardliness toward our common schools.
They have been aptly termed "the peo.
ple's colleges" and they are, in the sense
that they are about the only Colleges"
that seven eights of our boys and girls
will ever enter, they are the only places
where they will ever receive any train
ing for the great duties of life, any train
ing for the great conflicts that lie just
ahead of then. The State is spending
to day over 50 50 per capita tor her stu.
dents in pursuit of higher education,
and while we would not quarrel with her
about that, we do speak out in the name
of the children of the State-the hardy
sons and daughters of the State-who
are born to a heritage Of toll, and ask for
more money for our,"people's colleges y
We have done we'll with what We have
had, it has almost worked wonders in
the decrease of illiteracy, but we must
do better still, We must be able to EN-.
ploy better teachers. and have longer
! teams, and reach every boy and girl il
the land, and educate them in hand
heart and brain until we raiss them "tc
the full measure of the stature" of Intel
ligent men and women. To do this as i
ought to be done, and must be done
requires more money, and surely South
Carolina is not SO poor that she can only
pay forty. five cents for every man, woman
and child within her borders-less thar
any other State in the Uniou. Texas
with au undeYeloped empire within he
borders, is yet developing a most mag
nifcent system Of public schools, and i
ia attracting to her limits the very bes
elements Of American citizenship, snt
this, in the near future, will make he
the Empire State of the Union. W.
have many advantages Of climate ant
soil over her, but capital and population
will pass US by, in large measure, unit
we offer greater inducements in an edu
cational point of view.