The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-12
Common Schools North and South.

lNdl uiNlSlOuS, lut NOEIu ALldullCs CHI
bracing the coast states from Maine to
New Jersey, inclusive: the South Allan
tic, embracing the coast states from Della
ware to Florida, inclusive; the North
Central, embracing the states of Ohio
Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin,
Kansas, Nebraska and the two Dakotas !;
the South Central embracing the states
of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama. Mis-
sissippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas,
and the Western, embracing the remain
ing states and territories. Thus it will
be seen that the South Atlantic and South
Central divisions, as they are now known,
comprise what are commonly known as
the southern states, with the exception of
Delaware.
During the decade which ended with
the year 1880 the enrolment in
the common or public sci ools in
proportion to total of pOpu-
lation increased. for the South At
lantiC states, from 6.3 per cent. in 1870 to
1853 in 1880; for the South Central states,
from rs in 1870 to 15.4 in 1850 During
the same period there was a decrease in
the common school enrolment in the
North Atlantic states from %. per cent.
in 1870 to POP in 1880, and in the North
Central from pa per cent. in 1870 to 1872
in 1880. During the decade ending with
1890, there was an increase in the enroll
ment in the South Atlantic states from
1853 to 1917 per cent. in the South Central
from IA to 2l.0 per cent. In the same
period there was a decrease in the North
At1or1ri. > 20, I a in,
the North Central from 23.2 to 22.4 per
| cent. Twenty-three years ago the North
Atlantic stood second in proportion of pub
lie school enrolment to population; now
that section stands fourth, only the West
ern states showing smaller proportionate
enrolment. Twenty-three years ago the
! South Atlantic division stood at the foot of
the list, with percentage ofOnly 6.3. Now
it stands high, being removed from the
leading division the North Central, by
only 81 per cent, and standing above the
North Atlantic and Western divisions by
Is and % per cent. respectively. The
South Atlantic division is only .6per cent.
below the average for the United States;
the North Atlantic division is "a below.
The increase in enrolment for the South
Atlantic division was rapid until 1887,
when, it seems, high water mark was
struck at 1913 per cent. The percentage
remained at that figure Tor three years,
and then dropped off / per cent The
increase in the South Central division
was very rapid from 1871 to 1873; then the
enrolment fell off for two years
only to take a squirt" in 1873, which
has been maintained ever since. For
twenty years the percentage of public
school enrollments has been steadily drop
ping in the North Atlantic section; and
for twelve years, to 1890, the decline in
the North Central division had been I'M
broken by fluctuations
In Harper's Weekly of last week, Mr..
F. w. Hewes tabulates and diagrams
these facts, which he obtains from the
report of the commissioner of education,
issued In 1898 for the school year lSs9-9O,
and draws some interesting conclusions
from them. 1t strikes the unbiased
reader, however, that one purpose Mr.
Hewes had in view when he wrote his
article was to explain away the great
falling off in northern public school
enrolment, especially noticeable when
contrasted with the souths great
gains. But he fails to arrive at
an explanation satisfactory to him
self, or anybody else - which he
candidly acknowledges. He tries to ac-
count for the astonishing condition" by
testing what effect immigration, manu-
features, private schools and private
families-one and all-may have had upon
the public school enrolment. But after
an investigation he fails to see how. singly
or collectively. the causes suggested could
have affected one section so greatly and
other sections so little.
Mr.. Hewes appears unwilling to give
the south proper credit for what it has
| accomplished in the way of public shoots
He looks upon the two lines of his chart
portraying the upward movement OF
southern public school enrolment as 1.-THE
most remarkable feature of the chart, -
| yet he is 10th to believe that the south
has made any such progress; has climbed
! above New England, 1.-The birthplace and
| home of common schools in the United
States" He suggests that possibly dupli
cate enrollments caused by 1.-The shifting
! population in that part of the country g
are responsible for the great increase that
appears on the face of the school returns
MANY farm laborers in the south in or
der to prolong harvest wages, move from
! point to point as the advance of the season
moves nOrthward, taking their families
with them and entering their children in
the schools of each locality for the few
weeks of each new residence" 1t is need
less to tell our southern readers that thi.
proposition is incorrect. The floating
farm-labor population in the south is
nearly all black, and is generally child.
less, to all practical intents and pur
| poses. The black farm Iaborer who has a
family seldom moves he family when he
moves himself. There are comparatively
few public schoolsopen during the harvest
season; and if there were, the black farm
laborer who moved his family in order tc
get harvest wages would not enter his
| children at the school; he would take
them into the harvest field with him in
order TO get their hire.
Elsewhere Mr.. Hewes says: Docs this
advance of percentage of school enroll.
ment in the south include white as well
! as COlored Children2 The census raport