Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-12-26
BY THOMPSON, SMITH q JAYNEs.
The Public School System. County
Board of Exaniners... Dividing the
County int0 Districts.

| "rooso' iIniiohS' III your paper
Of the 28th of November was an
article under the head Of the "Pub-
lie School Question" e,nanating from
the County Board Of Examiners and
inviting criticism. In the article al
luded to the Board suggests and de-
sires to have the public schools sus-
pended for one year and a part of
the funds expended for the purpose
of dividing the county into small
districts, so that there should be one
white and one coiored school In each
district. They think the suggestion
a good one and intend, 80 far as they
are able, to carry it into effect. 1t
deserves to be mentioned at the out
Set, however, that the Oldest men,
ber of the Board or Examiners and
the on'v one residing in the country,
the one ho has had more expert
ence with schools in the country and
always given satisfaction, did not
advise, nor does no desire the pub
lie schools suspended for year.
This member of the Board was not
even consulted, nor was the article
published by the Board of Exami-
ners ever submitted to him for ap-
proval or disapproval. There arc
several reasons, for the better,
which the Board thinks the division
of the county into such districts will
accomplish. But they have as yet
shown no reason therefor. The
really good reason for redistricting,
however, the one that, in part at
least, will overcome all serious OBJ
jections to the public school system,
viz: the insutficiency of funds to run
the schools, is to be shown in fu-
tme article. The Board of Exami-
ners say that our County Board, to
save trouble, it is supposed, adopted
the townships as districts and from
this Incidence has sprung the whole
troublc-this Incidence of the for
mer County Board.
REASONS FOR MAKING THE suGGEs-
TONS.
1st. The thing sin fh,pff is goott
and its adoption by the people is de-
sired
Cd. Agitation of the school sys-
tenn and its administration, an es-
cape valve to bring to the surface
things frothy and useless, where
thy can be seen and separated from
the good and useful. Some things
frothy and useless have been brought
to the surface; they have been seen
and an effort will be made to sepa
rate them.
PLEA OF +. C. II.
r. G. H., who was among the first
to give vent to some of the pent-up
fumes of discomfort, through the
Boards cscape-valve, is temporarily
absent from the county, but the
whole plea of T.. G. II. for the poor
teachers, the Board says, may be
effectually answered in one sentence,
by saying that the school law was
mol enacted, nor is it administered
tor the benefit of the teacher, but
the children of the county; hence
no room for any sympathy, Sc
This is all very plain, something
that every school boy knows. But
when the teacher has done his work,
when he has faithfully discharged
his duty to the children, when they
have obtained value received, then
tue money is no longer the chill
dren's, but the teachers, and e. G.
II. did not ask for personal sympa-
thy, but only the general sympathy
due the teacher for labor performed.
TIE THRUST Ar TIE GRAND JURY.
AS to the supcrcilious fling made
at the grand jury, the chosen citi-
zcns of our county, as good as the
best and guardians of the peoples
rights, such an axgust and .feo,ful
body is amply able to take care of
itself. But has it come to this, that
the direct representatives of the peo-
pie must have the ironicai epithets,
august and .feor1ul, hurled in their
faces, when, in the discharge of
their sworn duty, and that, too, for
no other reason than that they lis
tened to the complaint of the pco-
pie and dared to do their duty
Alas! our country; such thrust, is,
to say the least, disrespectful, dis
courteous and uncalled for.
SOME or TIE POINTS ANSWERED.
Is the thing good in itself? No,
it is neither good in itself nor good
for Oconcc county. Rcdistricting,