The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1891-01-08

DAKOTA INSTITUTIONS.



Several Places For tine Knife.
aPIERaE, Jan. THE amount OF
nzpney expended on our state institutions
fu proportion TO the number of Inmates
fx astonishing The institutions are
getting larger appropriations than the
legitimate objects for which the institu-
tiOns were founded demand. The state
university at Vermilllon stands among
| the list for extravaganza among educa-
tl0nal institutions. The total expense of
tbs university for the year ending Dec.
lG 1890, was SET, Ats. 35, besides IS, I2G. e.
/ whlch was received from miscelIaneous
sources, making total expense OF sa2,-
B0a.ps. The state pays ser, ,475.a5 of
this amount The average attendance
for the year ending June Is,
| ispC was 3i8. Dividing the sum paid By
| the state--Se7. Ats. 35---by the attendance
gives an average of $50. e5 for each pupil.
IL n not necessary to explain TO any one
| that this IL too much. In other words,
the university Is costing the state more
than Its results viii warrant. In the
| hrst place, II the institution at Vermll-
Ii0n Is 20 be known as q university IL
shonld do university work exclusively.
Nov IL takes oil classes from the gram
mar school grade up. The colleges and
high schools should do all the prepara-
tory work and The normal department
OF that institution should be transferred
10 he normal schools.
The average attendance In the college
department last year was ~, yet The
state paid S2i, ,75O.i5 for instruction
gIvtns there. Eighteen professors are
receive salary OF S1.500 each; three,
81, 200; one, 81, 600; six receive less than
81, 900 year, and the president, Ss, 900.
II the university were confined to ITS
proper work, and assuming that the at
tendance would be- 100 instead of ~. It
would be possible to reduce the seaching
force from eighteen to six or eight. As
suming that the cost-ss6.95 per student
would remain the same for each OF the
|. 100 students-which would be- very
| ture necessary TO maintain the
university would be- Ss,695, in
stead of s32, COLES. 1t would be very
nice 10 keep the university running at
Its present high pressure II the state
cOud afford IL. Two professors 10 teach
| music exclusively, are employed at an
ezpense of o., 500, While there Is some
satisfaction In knowing that the stu
| dmts OF our university ara receiving
| ifstrueson from the very best vocal and
Instrumental teachers that the best con-
srvatories In the world educate, yet |
VCal training Is not necessary To good
citizenship and Ii Is questionable whether
ne state should furnish its citizens a
fHsicaf eduEatfUn.
The normal school at Spearfsh had an
serage attendance last year of l04.
The expenditures from March 10 Nov.
were S7,200.4s. At the same
rte for ten months--the school year
te annual expense would be $1,000, or
: 81 for each student. IL Is not neces-
lry to remark that this expense is too
lgh.
The Madison normal had an average
! | tendance of IIs &C total cost OF SI2,-
! o.T1, or sto4.6 for each student. The
0 'uniEg knife should be applied unspar-
q gly 10 the expense account of this In
r tuition.
The Dakota hospital for the insane has
: inmates. The average for the year
! as 24S and the expenses for the same
! ne S63, e56. 0s: or S2i6.a IS. for each In
ate.yvsAt least six OF the employees can
d dispensed with and salaries OF the
= acials reduced 81 least $4,000 during.
hard times. IT
y y The reform school had an average of
= inmates last year. The expenses
) om March 10 Dec. i2, 1900, were sIl,-
5; d.76. At this rate for twelve months
e expenditures would reach Sl4, 400; or
y hs3 for eachschild sent 10 this school.
o. he state Il expending annually over
-, "a ZOO 20 educate iifty-one nrchins; and
~ school board will pay lady $50
Il lonth 20 teach sixty children. The
Ne uestl0n naturally arises, which Is doing
be state more good, the work done for
cd goo by a public school teacher who Of
70 en has several pupils fully as lncorrigi-
w. le az those In the state reform school;
= Z the $4,000 expended by the state on
80 he promising specimens IN the refoFm
ofch0ol. The refarm school gets about
iefi2, 900 more than the state can afford to
abay
me The school for deaf mutes costs the
= y tate Sp,l7a.45. The average attend
" 4nee for the year was thirty-eight, and
he average cost for each nute ives
ehS24t.4nA
on The soldiers home has forty inmates,
or whose maintenance the state appro-
,priatad last year s10,50O
-. IL IL evident from the facts set forth
= gn this article, that cur state institutions
are On expensive luxury. Nearly ell
sAave furnished ~ opportunity 70 plum
der from the stale. The expense for
fghe Institutions ~ enormous, yet ell are
,elamorlng FOR more moneY, more help,
bigger buildlngs, more officials. Tho
: btate Ia expending sell 900 for public In
sestitations that should noa eostoyer $751;.
otD00.