The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1890-03-29
The Free school syssem.


evident fact that is recognized by
every citizen Of the State. This is
especially trne ia allah the interior
parishes where the school fund
derived from State taxation is not
supplemented BY local appropria.
tions from municipal councils or
police iuries. And With striking
emphasis does it make itself felt
where the population is sparse or
widely scattered 10 the rural dis
tricts, so that the meagre fund is
soon exhausted in the pay of
teachers who are compelled by the
necessities of the case to give their
time and attention to a limited
number Of pupils fora few months
in the year, or worse still, in those
communities, remotefrom centres Of
population which are entirely
deprived of all benefits Of free
education.
These thoughts are suggested By
date kindly furnished by Hon. Jos.
j. Breaux, State Superintendent If
Public Education, which give in
detail the school statistics for the
year 1889, embracing all the par
islles except Tensas. This report
shows a total of about 10000
pupils enrolled, with an Average at
tendance OF only a little over 10000.
or more than 80 per cent who
receive no benefits from the free
school fund. With this large
percentage of absence, which IN
some degree tended to lengthen
the terms, the schools were kept
open only FIVE months In the year.
and even this brief period would
have been considerably shortened
If the pay Of teachers had not been
reinforced by local funds. Another
feature of the report is the seanty
compensation of the teachers, who
constitute not only an honorable
corps Of workers but a more numer-
Gus class than most people suppose,
there being in all 1884 on the rolls
for the year. of whom 1909 were
white and 725 colored. The aver.
age pay of these teachers was
slightly in excess Of $50 per month
and this for only Eve months ia tie
year.
This exhibit will not surprise The
people Of the State: in fact, it ia,
perhaps. better than tie most OF
them expect, for the total fund for
the education of the i30, 00e chill
dren within the scholastic ages
derived from State revenues is only
$328,000 q year, or 50, SO for each
pupil if all attended the schools, and
only a few cents over s. each for
the 10000 children who did attend.
With 10000 educable children
absent from the publir schools it is
fair to assume that they represent
approximately the number of litter.
ates of their generation who will in
a few years grow to manhood aud
Womanhood, and be merged into
The general citizenship Of the State.
There are two other statements
made in Superintendent BreauS's
report which are more startling
than tile figures just presented.
though fairly deduoible from them.
The first In that it will require
twice as many schools as are now
provided by the State to educate
the illitefates; and second, that
the sum necessary to maintain the
schools We now have for eight
months 10 the year is $500, 900, or
uore than double tie fund aow
available.
In the above computation no
consideration il given to the fact
that the total enrolment of eolored
children 10 the State falls about
$4,000 short Of the total enrolment
Total enrolment of white children.
whereas the two races are nearly
equal 10 numbers IN the State, and
the discrepancy in the scholastic
census ought hardly to be apparent.
1t Is q grave question, not readily
answered, what betterment Of its
school system the State of Louisiana
BY the people end through the
Legislature. proposes TO make. It
is the settled policy OF all liberal
and enlightened States to provide
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