Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-08-29
Our. Sch0ols.

k,blic education in West Fell
csAna is about as it is IN most Of
the country parishes. The am
cunt of school work that has been
done is in proportion to the sum
expended, which was limited to
the apportlonmcnt from the State
Current School Fund, $2.236, Il
parish school tax s.. o5S, interest
on 18th sections s465. total 81
75g.
10 white and u colored schools
were kept six months. There
were 2l5 whites and FOG colored
pupils cnrolled-total 921. Teach
cvs were paid from s25 to s3l IL
month. The sum of 81, S0l was
paid to teachers. This was IN
1889. In 1888 five moro teachers
were employed and 247 more pu-
pills were taught. These figures
are from the Biennial Report of
the State Superintendent Of Pub
he Education.
In 1889 West Fcliciana paid
1920 in state taxes of which
81 ,l75 went to the Current School
Fund. while ont of tho same fund
s2,236 was apport,oned to this
parish the same year This re-
suits from the fact that the num-
her of children from 6 to 1S years
old was greater i'll proportion to
taxable property than the average
Of the whole state. BY the AS
SCISSOR $ returns of 1889 there were
9sS white and 3,6l3 co!orcd chill
lrcn of school age, total 1861. A
later enumeration gives 1888.
The population of West Fciiciana
is 2,27l white, and ID, 791 colorcd
total l6.O62. The assessment
Of 1889 amounted to sl,175, 500.
We hau Il school for every II
square miles of territory, Il school
f,r every 7OOinhabitants. school
for every $53, l40 of assessed pro-
pcrty, Il school for every 2lO chill
drcn.
beginning in 1885 tho Lottery
will pay in advance 900 for
public schools, from which each
parish will receive Il sum in pro-
portion to the number of chill
drcn from 6 to Is years old. If
there arc then 400, 900 in the
State, the pro rata will! be seven
eighths Of Il dollar to each child.
This parish with 5.4OO children
will get 81, 700, allowing an IN
crease in the present number of
10 per cent.
Out of the s250.O0O which the
lottery will pay to the general
Fund, 20o, 900 can he spared to
the public schools, which will give
West Fclic!ana $1,000 or a total
Of 81 400 from the Lottery. The
second item will depend on the
legislators of 1894 but the strong
probability is that they will favor
public education whenever prac-
ticable as among the foremost du-
ties of any government. lgno-
rance and civilization are incom-
patiblc. A state that makes no
progress in enlightenment cannot
be considered prosperous in any
derirablc sense.
Allowing for the natural in
crease of our present resources
the School Board will have
$4,000 for school purposes, SO that
many new schools can be kept,
some new Schoolhouses can be
built and the wages of teachers
advanced according to merit. Ev-
Ell $3.50 will be too small sum
among 5000 children, but it will
suffice to teach all children how to
read. What the schools now need
is more money and when we get
it we shall have no trouble IN find
ing good use for it all.
All the money expended on
public schools in the country par
ishes in 1889 amounted to $685.
215 among 267,164 children emu
merated or about s1.4O per capt.
Ia. Five times that sum would
be protitably invested every year
if the state had 1t to spare. The
common school system is not
perfect; it Is after all only hui
man, but it is as useful as posi-