The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-10-23
Local Taxation for Public Schools.
READ BEFORE BOSsIER PARISH FARMERS
UNION, AT CHALYBEATE SPRINGS, OCT.
s.. 1890, BY PROF. j. j. STUBS,
OF RED LAND, LECTURER.

article to show to the brotherhood
that local taxation for public school
purposes is necessary for the general
efficiency of our public school sys-
TEN. This is matter OF vital i'm
portance, not only to the citizens of
the parish, but also to the citizens
of the whole State:
/. Because our State school fund |
is not sufficient, and most probably |
never will be sufficient, to give US a |
thoroughly good system.
2. Because local tax depends
on the local interest in the school,
and makes the people more watchful
Of its work.
8. Because local tax is cheaper
and surer than private tuition.
Here, brethren, let me call your
attention to the fact that fOur-fifths
of the children are in the country.
Take this home to yourselves. This
matter concerns your neighbOrs-
concerns you and your children.
A local school tax will make a
good school certainty. 1t will
make the school permanent, and it
will secure for you the best teachers.
A school tax is good business in
vestment. It cost nine-tenths of the
people half as much to support
school by taxation as by private
| tuition. People who pay more in
taxes than they would pay in tuition
to support school, are benefited in
their property, for a good perma-
neBt school improves all contiguous
property. A good system of country
schools 10 Louisiana will do more to
add to the values in this State than
any other improvement contemplate
ed. Our progressive cities under
stand this, and they vote whatever
tax is necessary to give them a good
system of public schools. Contrast
a community which has good per-
manent school with one which lacks
this essential element of we'll being.
In the former we find order, thrift,
decency. public spirit and improve
menI. In the latter, shiftlessness,
property declining in value, no pub
lie spirit, and too often lawlessness
and crime rampant. Good people
are anxious to move into the first
kind of community mentioned, and
are anxiousto move out of the other
} kind.
It is a great mistake to suppose
that good schools cannot be kept up
lin the country, but it is deplorable
fact that there are many communi-
5 ties in this parish, and throughout
/. this State, which are able to main
Etain good schools, and fail to do so
The chief cause of this, l think, j;
p the want of the habit of co opera
, ton. Co operation is necessary t
I secure good schools, and no schoo
y law, no matter how good it may be
will be successful in building up Z
good system OF schools unless there
4 be in each locality sufficient interes
in each school to secure the cO,Ope
u rative efforts necessary to supper
Q and manage it. One or two in /;
community can do very little, bu
all the people acting together ii
y given ncighborhOOds can secure i;
good school almost without excep
ton. When I note the indifference
existing in some localities / am com
f., PEELED TO ask myself whether tn,
q people in these localities really thinl
q it worth while to take the trOubl
to educate their children whethe
the spirit of self help has beef
=, stunted by State appropriation
whether the people have been mis-
l. led by politicians to believe that tn
State school fund will soon be abb
to support the schools without lOca
q effort or whether many do no
:, properly comprehend the vital i'm
pOrtance of education 10 this age
Whatever may be the cause, it is
o fact that in many localities there i
little interest manifested in the edU
cation of children.
It is not the busiest and most az
- tive communities that pay the leas
0tCCuGfOA W VuOCuOlVHS 4uAtO III
s. contrary. Busy, active, and entel
prising communities are sure t
is have good schools. Have them i
70 the country as well as in towns an
- cities. People who declaim idl
y against the tendency of populatio
C, to cities aud towns might do some
n thing useful if they would turn thei
or attention to making life in the cOur
=. try more attractive. Men of famil
who care for their children, and ar
D. able to do so, will move from th
a. country to the town, if the tow
e. furnishes good schools and the cour
s. try does not. Others will send thei
p. children away from home in th
Or country to town, thus severing, pei
y. haps forever, the ties which shOul
bind the children to their homes.
a Observation aud experience, how
>" ever, lead me to the conclusion thu
n this courna ia 0FtoO unuaaacsarv IN