The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-03-07
OUR PUEBLO SCHOOLS.
The Need Of Longer Term and Better
sTeschiDg-Tke Plan Proposed for Six
Months Tuition.

s4S1e-GSe9A Oh q Longer Term dOO CoSSeH
"a ATeechiDg-Tke Plan Proposed for Six
Months Tuition.
~ Te the Editor of The News and Cou-
rier: The common school system in
sSouth Carolina is not satisfactory be-
cause it is not efficient. The people
would not mind so much the paying of
the sWo mill tax IL the results appeared
propcrtionate to the expenditure.
cannot longer be pleaded in extern
uafion that the system is new and un-
triea It has been in operation long
enough to test its efficiency. There can
hard Il be expected any further deyel-
opGent under present methods. It has
beer ascertained beyond douot that
the tWomin tax and the poD tax can
notseeure free schools for more than
sthrea orfour months in the year. This
sofitsef proves either that the system is
q fai3lre or that its administration has
beer srong. Z.
E.elieve that the administration Of
the gstem has beea1wrong. I believe
that half million dollar school tax
ougfa under proper regulations, to
gaa.aatee the State against illiteraey,
and that with SO large fund there IS
mo rasson why every child in the State
sshonid not havelat least six months
schea1ine, every year.
SclsSh CaroIea had schools before
the lays Of our free school system. If
not q dollar were appropriated for
sehecis now, the whites would still
have good schools in every neighbor-
hood: better, no doubt, in many cases
than they have under the present sys-
tenn:
South Carolina appropriated money
for common schools before the days of
the present system. Before the war a
tax was raised for common school edu-
caticn; not so much as now, but there
was not SO much need. Nearly every
man was able to pay then for his chill
dren's instruction, and the public fund
was used for the benefit of those only
who were unable to pay. Parents held
ito be their duty. not the States, to
educate their children. But there has
been s change. Now parents think it
the States duty, and deem itSa great
hardship that they should be asked to
help the State do this by supplement-
ing the meagre school fund.
The first Act bearing on this subject
of witch 7 find any record is that OF
5s1I oy which 81, GOO were appropriated
5 sannssany for establishing in each dis
tric county as many free schools as
snch district had members IN the House
! Of representatives. Il was specially
ssigE in the Act that if there should
be leore applicants for scholarship in
thes schools than the ropriation
Mottsd pay for, "a preference should al
WAYS be given to poor orphans and the
children efindigent parents"
Il 1888 DR.. ThornweIl and Prof
EIkest, of the South Carolina College
were appointed to investigate and re
por1 upon the free school system of the
Stare. They made their report tc
Governor Noble in 1889. I>quote from
this report in order to point out what ]
fhins should be the policy and the
practice of the people Of the State to-
day relative to free schools.
SCHOOLS FOR THE INDECENT.
I.s. TbornweH and Prof. Elliott:
es.;:he free school system (of 1917 was
Organized mainly for the benefit of the
orpaans and the INDECENT children, and
the appropriation should be distributed
WITT distinct view to that object.
hen the Free School Act of 1911
was oassed much of this sectional jeal
ousS existed, and its trainers could dc
pota;ng better than open these schools
to tie children Of every citizen of the
Sta.a, whether rich or poor, and dis
trito5e the appropriation according tc
representation. It is time, that both
these features of the system should be
altered, and that the schools should be
limited to the sneedy, and the appro'
priaa.o distributed among the dis
tricts according to the population. The
object of the State, is not tc expenc
money among the people; it is to i'm
prove and enlighten her poor children
wherever they exist let the streams O.
her benevolence flow; whatever gooc
is done is a general good, for while the
poor man is made more virtuous ths
rich man is made more secure.
eve would recommend that the
money allotted to each district be ex
pended under the joint counsel Of the
superintendent and the commissioners
as they may deem most for the interes
of the poor children of their respective
districts"
The reader will observe how persis
tently these distinguished educator:
dwell upon the object and the purpose
! of the free school fund. It is primari
II and mainly for the benefit Of thu
poor. Whatever other benefits ariss
from it are incidental. 1t was never
contemplated by them that the State
ought to pay the entire salaries of tht
teachers in the common schools. The
public fund should be used, they
thought, to improve and enlighter
the poor children" And it is quite
: evident they,did not consider atern 0
thIs:e or four mon jhs sufficient forthi
purpose, for, referring to 8 plan sub
lnitted BY DR.. Henry, of Richland