The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-11-22
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

The PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
A Normal College for Males Suggested
Increased Taxes Advised.
COLUMBIA, 8. G., Nov. 13.-Super.
intendent of Education Mayfield has com
pleted his annual report to the Legisla.
ture, from which The lowing is made:
The enrolment of the public schools Of
the State has increased from 80, In
1870 to 223, l49 in 1893. For this year
the enrolment exceeds that of any for
ner year by 13 500, and the enrolment
of the colored children largely exceeds
that of the whites: The expense Of op.
Grating the public schools has steadily in.
creased with the growth of the schools,
but most ofthe increase has come from
special taxes.
The schools in the towns and cities
are, in the main, supplying the needs of
the people, but this is because of the
fact that they have voted to levy an ad.
dltional tax for the purposes Of opeart-
Ing them. As q rule such is not the
case with the county schools, q few of
them only having voted an extra taxc
These schools are inadequate, many OF
them inferior and some Of them worth.
less.. tits Impossible to improve them
to any appreciable extent without more
money. The graded schools run about
nine month in year. while the country
schools will not average more than
three. This is a burning shame and a
cruel wrong to the boys and girls Of the
State who live in the country and are
limited, princT lily, to the country
schools for their education, s
There is annually spent in the support
of the four institutions tor higher learn.
ing for whites nearly halt as much as is
spent tor the ninety odd thousands chill.
dren who depend on the public schools.
The Superintendent recommends an en-.
lar rEement in the limit of thu age. of
liability to poll tax to increase the pub.
lie school fund, and recommends that
the County Commissioners be empow-
cred to levy more than two mills con.
stitutional school tax upon consent Of
the voters. The cost operating schools
for the year is not given because the
collection of taxes ls one year behind;
the school claims are not presented be
cause they are not payable and The
School Commissioners do not know the
amount. 1t is recommended that the
school year shall colse June 30 instead
of August 80, 80 as to give the School
Commissioners time to get up all the
data for their reports. The private col
leges ali have q large atten lance and do
not seem to have been affected by the
stringency of the tunes, some of them
have q larger attendance than last year.
The Citadel Academy is reported In q
hourishing condition, there being sixty.
six beneficiary students these; and llber.
al appropriations for this institution are
recommended.
The attendance at Cedar Syringe is
greater than any previous year. The
superintendent recommends that
sewerage system be put in the buildings
and that they be lighted by electricity,
which would be much safer for the blind
pupils confined there. The Clemson
Agricultural and Mechanical College
opened its first session in July last, with
an enrolment far in excess Of the ex-
pectation OF It's strongest friends. 1t
now has an attendance of 42O students,
with more than that number of addi-
tional applicants for admission at the
opening Of its next session IN February.
This college Is now an established in
stitution, and confirms the truth of the
claims of its founders and its promoters,
that The people Of the State demanded
such a college. Their wisdom In its
conception, their heroic Efforts to secure
It's completion have been crowned with
success, and the sops of Carolina will,
for generations to come, rise up to praise
them as benefactors greater ''than they
knew" The superintendent advises
that, as there is great deal OF room at
the South Carolina College that is not
needed for its present purposes, Nor
NAL College for Males be established
there with scholarships. This Normal
College could be operated without ad-
ditional cost.
Tue report OF the superintendent in
cludes the specials of the presidents
of the different institutions and tabulated
statoments Of the attendance on the
public schools of the State. Superluten-
dent Mayfeld also gives an account Of
the work already done On the Industrial
and Winthrop Normal Callege at Rock
HILL Register.