The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-07-20

HhN0 q 6ONOA A4OuVLS WILL VI 4OAAOE
thirty lone States that have a six
months term or longer, and this includes
Virginia, Arkansas and Kentucky.
There are forty-one States (all but 81
that have five months term or longer;
this includes Georgia, louisiana, Mis-
sissippi, West Virginia, Texas and
Florida.
ATTENDANCE AT OUR SCHOOLS.
With q school term of only three
months in the year we cannot hope to
educate the body of the people very
highly, v if we had the best of
teachers and every person of school
age attended every day the schools are
open. As a matter of fact only about
one third of them do this.
OUR SCHOOLS ARE DEPRECIATING IN
VALUE.
The distressing fact is, that little edu-
cation as our schools have been giving,
it is becoming less and less year by
year. The attendance at the schools
last year was less by 4 .454 than it had
been eight years ago. In 1895 sixty
one per cent. of the white school popu-
Iation was enrolled. The next year
the enrolment fell to fifty six per cent.
The falling off in the colored schools
was even greater, from fifty-nine per
cent. in '95 to fifty-tWo per cent. the
next year. The total enrolment fell
in oneFear from 373, B63 in '95 to 348,-
GIG in SO, a loss of nearly 2 $1,000.
WHAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE DOING.
Nearly half the school population
did not go inside of a school last year.
But what was done by the other half7
Little more than learn the A, B, C's.
Not half the children studied arithme
tic. The average white teacher in
North Carolina enrolls during the three
months she teaches, forty one children.
But their attendance is irregular, and
if we should visit her school on an
average day, we should find twenty
eight pupils present, only thirteen Of
these far enough advanced to study
arithmetic, only seven geography, four
in gramar, and two in United States
history.
COST OF EDUCATION.
Let US see what it costs to educate
children in the different states. The
average for the United States ia $18 SO
a year for each child. We spend upon
each child only So 40 a year. This is
less than any other state except South
Carolina which spends So 90. The
wealth Of Massachusetts, is only five
times as great as N1r5h Cardinals, but
Massachusetts spends for each child at
school about ten times as much as we.
1888 98). Seven southern states spend
for the education OF their children
twice as much as we do: New Mexico,
Florida, louisiana, Oklahama, Vir-
ginia, Texas and Arkansas.
ARE WE TOO POOR TO EDUCATE2
We hear il said that North Carolina
is too poor to do more, that we are in
fact spending as much upon our schools
in proportion to our means as the
wealthy states sup north" This state
ment can be made only by men who
are guessing at what they have never
examined into, and when only the
wish is father to the belief that our
common wealth is acting as nobly in
her poverty as others with more abun.
dance. The truth is we are taxing u
selves for schools less in proportion to
our means than all the other states but
six: Wyoming, Arizona, Alabama,
Texas, Nevada, New Mexico. But all
these states except New Mexico have
income from investments, which goes
to their school funds, and amounts in
some cases to as much as the tax col
lected. Twenty three states, including
Kentucky, Arkansas, and Mississippi,
have owe twice as heavy a school tax
as North Carolina.
o EDUCATIONAL POSITION.
Our position among the sisterhood of
states is then this: in per cent of
illiteracy of the whole population,
seventh; in per cent of illiteracy of the
native white people, second; in length
of school term forty ninth; in amount
expended for each pupil, forty eighth
in amount of tax in proportion to wealth
forty. third; in salaries paid teachers
forty ninth.
ARE WE TAXED TOO HEAvELY2
There a be only one excuse for
such a condition: enormous taxes for
other things. But taxcs in North Caro-
lima are not enormous. They are less
than any where else in the Union, ex-
cept in Nevada and Idaho. The tax
rate for all purposes in North Carolina