The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-02-24

The annual report of the State board Of
education, recently issued from the press
of King Brothers, of which notice has al
ready been made in the Sun, gives Stats
tics which are always interesting. There
is no branch of the public service which
comes closer to the people than the man
acement of the public free schools. Mary
land was one of the pioneer States in pro-
viding educational facilities. The cause
of education is dear to the hearts of the
people, and they are quick to resent any
wrongdoing ,partisanship of incompetency
in school management. This volume OF
reports and statistics has been made and
compiled by Mr.. Prettyman, the secretary
of the board, in peculiarly intelligent
manner.
There are in Maryland 2,465 pubic
schools, of which 2,273 are in the counties
and the pupils attending numbered 1850
of whom 4,1OS were in the city and ILL.,
o95 in the counties. This is in proper
ton to the respective population of city
and counties, indicating that a greater
proportion of the children attend school
in the city than in the country, because Il
far larger proportion of city children at
tend private schools than in the country.
That more children attend schools in the
city than in the country is, of course, to
be expected Because of the nearness of
schools and the good pavements, city chill
drcn begin school at an earlier age. If
it were possible it would add to the in
terest and value of these annual reports
such statistics and information of the pri-
vate schools and colleges of the State as
may be obtainable.
The cost of conducting public schools
of the State for the year covered by this
report was $3,O52, 326,s6, nearly equally
divided between city and counties. The
cost of each pupil in the counties is given
at $s12, and in city at $19.0s. The esti-
| mate of cost, however, is based upon
average attendance, and is, therefore, per-
haps misleading, as the cost must be
governed to great extent by the maxi
mum number of pupils, and not by the
average. The amount of money spent
upon the public schools in the State is
| raised by an average tax, including county
| city and State, of more than fifty cents on
the hundred dollars, supplemented by
oyster license funds and some other small
items in some of the counties. When we
add to this the great sum annually paid
by the State to schools and colleges moi
in the public school system and the amount
paid by the people for private schools, il
will appear that Maryland spends money
for education with most liberal hand.
| The report shows a gratifying increase
in the number of schools, teachers an(
pupils, as we'll as in expenditures. In
deed, the increase in pupils in the city
and some of the counties is so great thai
there is the utmost difficulty in making
receipts keep pace with it. There is ;
constant dema nd for more money, NOR,
schoolhouses and more teachers. In many
places schoolhouses are overcrowded, tt
the detriment of health and discipline
To make the classes too large is an injus
tice to both teacher and pupil, but princi
pally to the pupil. 1t entails a waste b,
the pupils of the most precious time il
their lives. Where to get this additional
revenue is puzzle, for taxes are already
as high as the people are willing to stand
1t is not unlikely that the $4,000 appro
printed annually by the State to provide
books free of cost to the children coult
be more advantageously employed in pro
viding more schoolhouses and more teach
ers.-Baltimore Sun.
The War Department has issued an or
der mastering out 10000 volunteers, in
Guiding all who are now service in Unitet
State.