Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-01-20

tants, and the great underlying prin-
cipal. therefore, upon which our
Public School System is founded is,
that it is not local but general in
| stitution. Cities, counties and mag
isterial districts can not act upon
their own option as to the mainten.
ance of schools. They must main
tain them, and the State prescribes
the method by which they are to be
maintained. The schools are not,
therefore, left to the uncertain care,
caprice or to the poverty or ignor-
| ance of certain localities. Our COM
mon School System is State Sys-
tenn, and the State is the only power
which can legislate and execute. 1t
establishes a State School Fund
and it requires cities, Towns and
magisterial districts to levy and col
lect additional funds by local taxa
ton. This power can only be exer-
cised when given by the State.
When the State raises money it is
bound to raise enough to attain the
end in view. 1t must justify the
theory upon which it proceeds and
it can do this only by accomplishing
what it undertakes. But this is not
all. Having provided a Public
School System, it must hold The
right of supervision of the System
in it's own hands, and it must deter
mine the extent and character of
that supervision. 1t must possess
itself of the worlds KIN Jwledge of
Schools. Then it must legislate
and administer by and through the
people in manner that will put the
best possible school within the
reach of every home on it's soil. No
power except that of the State can
do this. If the State puts forth it's
hand this will be done. The school
must be all that the State can make
it, and this it will be when it sup
ports it, supervises it and grades it.
West Virginia must do all these.
THE COUNTRY AND VILLAGE SCHOOLS.
It has been said that "The Coun-
try Home is the strength of the Ma
tion," and if this be SO, then it is the
strength of the State. The Coun-
try School is the strength. of the
Country Home and is, therefore the
strength of the Nation and State.
What an interest, therefore, centers
in the Country SCHOOL, How great
its influence upon our institutions
and upon this and succeeding gen
erations. Of such Importance are
these Country and Village Schools
that the best thought of the best
educators is Icing given to them;
there is great improvement and our
people move in the line of progress.
OF the 282,933 children of school
age in West Virginia, it is fair to as
sumo that more than 100000 either
attend or are enumerated in country
districts. The city and town schools
are carefully graded and in this par
ticular the State need have no con-
Germ. But ever since the establish
ment of our school system, the
work in the Country and Village
schools has been as diversified
almost, as the total teaching force
| OF the State could make it.
Thousands of these country schools
have been in operation nearly
quarter of Century, and for the
greater part of that time, not SO
much as an effort was made to Sc
cure systematic work and conse-
| quently uniformity of method in
them. But in later years the atten-
ton Of the leading educators of the
State, including Hons B. L. Butch
er and B. s. Morgan, both efficient
State Superintendent, has been
turned to the subject of proper
Course Of Study for Country and
Village Schools and to such an ex-
tent was it advocated and agitated
by the above named gentlemen,
both Of whom were ably seconded
by the school men of the State that
our law making power has caused
such Course to be prescribed but,
with an exception in Jefferson and
few other counties, year after year,
the same routine work has gone on
and instead of one teacher beginn-
ing where another ended, all have
begun and ended at the same place.
In this manner the State has gone
on spending hundreds of thousands
OF dollars annually until the aggre-
gate is millions. If the State was
investing this money in any other
business enterprise on which mon
ey return was expected, every tax
payer in it would be making enquiry
regarding the dividends. For the
money invested in the educational
work of the State, no dollars and
cents are returned, but dividends
worth vastly more to the common
wealth should be realized, and these
should come to the State in the
form OF a better citizenship and q
better home life. The State takes AS
money to educate BIS children and
explains that it is justified in so do
ing, because it secures to itself an
improved condition of its peoples
law abiding people and consequent
ly better citizenship moral, re-
fined people and therefore q better
homelife.
The time has gone by, when our
system of Free Schools can be re-
garded as kind of charitable insti-
tuition and it must now be regarded
as the vastest business enterprise of
the State, for it to-day invests more
money in it than in any other interest
combined. There is an implied con-
tract existing between the State as
the one party, and every child on
the soil Of the State as the other par
ty, and this contract obligates the
former to give to the latter the OPP
| portunity to secure at the least,