The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-11

CT SuuCdG1Ou dDOul Oue uuuOleu lAou-
sand. This is ffty-two cents pei
capita of population, which is less
than many Of you spent here to-
day for whiskey, and allows less
than two dollars to each child of
school age It must not be forgot
ten that the whites pay nearly all of
this, except what is obtained from
the poll tax. Without giving reasons
which will readily occur to every
thinking mind, I suggest the follow
ing scheme to improve the free
school system:
sQUAR1NG THE SCHOOL DIsTR IcT.
As basis of permanent and last
ing schools, the respective counties
! should be divided by reliable sur
vey into school districts as nearly
square as their contour and the
larger streams and swamps will per-
NIT. These should be of an area
not greater than thirty-six nor less
than sixteen square miles, in proper
ton as population is dense, and with
one white and one colored school in
each, all the public school funds
should be concentrated to run these
alone. The trustees hould be
elected by the residents of said dis
tricts, only freeholders being elegi-
bic to that Office The poll tax
should be three dollars instead Of
one dollar as now, and this will re-
quire a constitutional amendment.
Empower the trustees to erect suita-
BILE buildings as near the centre of
districts as practicable, with money
borrowed for that purpose, and set
apart for each year so much of the
school fund as may be necessary to
liquidate the debt in ten years, prin-
cipal and interest. Then allow the
voters of each district to levy at their
option and without further legisla-
tive action a supplementary tax for
its sole use and benefit up to 5 mills
if they so desire, with the privilege
to each taxpayer of designating the
school to which this additional tax
shall be applied. Finally let the
State arrange alone if need be, but
in company with other Southern
States if possible, to have suitable
school books compiled, or published
OF royalty, or bought at wholesale,
as may be cheapest, and furnish the
same to scholars at cost, allowing no
others to be used in public schools.
THE SCHOOL BOOK TRUST
robs our people of an enormous
amount of money every year. It is
possible to buy an edition of the
Waverly novels, twenty volumes, for
one dollar, while a child's primer
costs twenty-five cents, and all other
books in proportion. Then we find
in our school histories Confederate
soldiers designated as "rebels" and
Southern statesmen called TRAITORS. :"
The State alone can remedy these
evils, and the State should do it. 1t
need not cost anything except to
enact the law and put its execution
in competent and loyal hands. And
in regard to the proposed changes in
the management of our free schools
there is popular demand that the
State shall do more. Make the sys-
tenn effective, or do nothing, and
abolish the two mill tax, leaving ed
ucation altogether to the people
themselves.
HIGHER EDUCATION.
The condition of cur higher insti-
tutions of learning is equally unsat-
isfactory and the State has been
making some costly experiments.
For five years there has been active
and persistent agitation on the sub
ject of what the State can afford to
do in this line and what is best for it
to do. One side contended for lite
rary and scientific training and the
university system, which necessarily
cost the student more and the State
more per student educated. The
other demanded cheap, practical edu-
cation, in which the application of
knowledge and science to the bust
ness of bread-winning and the up
building of our agriculture and the
mechanic arts should be the main
objects. Both sides were right from
their standpoints, but no argument
or compromise has been possible
heretofore. The State has lost three
valuable years, has wasted some
eighty or ninety thousand dollars,
and now the whole system must be
overhauled and readjusted in accord
ance with the will of the people as
shown at the recent election. Let us
now exert our energies in trying to
start right at last, and endeavor to
harmonic conflicting interests and
opinions. The people have decided
that there is no use for grand uni
versity at Columbia, but they are
equally determined that the South
Carolina College, as school of libe-
raj education in the classics, in the
theoretical sciences and in literature
shall belibera]ly supported"
ABoL1sH1NG THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM.
After consultation with the presi-
dent and some of the professors and
trustees, I recommend that the uni
versity system be abolished, the
supplemental farm at Columbia sold
and the proceeds covered into the
| treasury. the mechanical department.