The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-06
THE SCHOOLS TOO MANY
Consolidate, Take Children to Them
in Public Conveyances.
YOU GET BETTER SCHOOLS AT LESS COST
This Plan Has Been Tried in Ohio and Other
States and Has Proved Success.
Education Should be Peo-
pies First Interest.


tendency of the best young people of
the South to leave their homes and
go to the cities or to the Western
States to seek their fortunes. Life on
the farm in the Eastern States is poor
and uninteresting compared with the
old times. and the boy naturally de
sires to leave the farm or the country
at the very first opportunity. 1t Is
my observation that the country boy
object in getting an education is al
ways to qualify himself to leave the
farm rarely to go back to il. Even
when he goes to the Agricultural Col
lege, it is for the purpose, not OF
studying scientific agriculture, TO
practice on the farm, but Tor the pur-
pose of getting the education which
will qualify him 20 establish himself
in the city or in soiie one Of the PFC
fessions, always away from the
farm. Even the girls are
! flocking to the cities to
attend the high schools and business
colleges as a method of qualifying
themselves for commercial pursuits or
else to 60 Immediately into the fac
tories and stores. \ more unfortu
nate state of affairs than this could
not be imagined The country is los
ing its most enterprising people, but
we are letting our young people GO
TO the cities or to the Western States
before their character is formed and
they are competent to lead success
full. independent life. The only RENE
DIV for this condition is the improve
ment of the old home, the tightening
of the work. and the broadening Oh
the life upon the farm for the purpose
of making it more attractive to bright
and ambitious young people.
Good schools will do more to inn
prove the condition of country life
in the South than anything else. The
religious societies and benevolent
agencies have done much in the past
to improve the schools of the South.
Hereafter we must depend chiefly up
on public schools supported by our
own people. Let look for mo-
ment at the condition of the public
schools in the South.
The Bureau of Education gives us
some valuable figures on the progress
of public schools during the last TWEEN
ty years, 1875 to 1895, the latest re-
ports at hand. The improvement has
indeed been very great. The total
population of the Southern States
(including Delaware. Maryland the
District of columbia, and all the
States of Texas, Arkansas and Mis-
souri) was 16.143.900 in 1875 and "a
371 400 in 1895. an increase of about
fifty per cent; and the school popula-
ton increased from about 100000 to
100000. The number of pupils in
creased, between 1875 and 1895, from
2,440,000 to 100000 more than fifty
per cent. The whole number of
teachers increased from $4,000 in 1875
to 10000 in 1895, more than fifty per
cent again. In a similar manner the
number of school houses and the
value of school property was more
than doubled The average value of
the schools increased from $3.50 to
$3.50. The improvement in number of
school days did not correspond with
the increase in other things: it wa,
90 in 1875 and 100 in 1895. The total
teachers salaries increased from $10.-
100000 in, 1875 to $23.195.000 in 1895.
The total expenditures of the South
ern States for education increased
from S13.O00.000 in 1875 to $29, 100000
in 1895. The expenditure per capita
of population increased from 81 cents
to 1921. The expenditure per pupil
i'm attendance. however. increased
very little; it was $3.50 in 1875 and
$8.72 in 1896 This last figure tells the
story. The Southern people are poor,
and, though they have done brayelt,
they have not done all they should
for the education of their children.
Some of our Southern States spend
less than $500 year for Cacji mild
of school age, and instruct It for less
than four months in the year and for
less than twelve months in it's Whole
lifetime. If we omit Maryland. Della
ware, the District of Columbia and
Missouri, these figures are approx
mately true for the other Southern
States; they are paying less than SO.
for the entire education of citizen
and an immortal soul
Considering the great negro popu-
latlon which contributes very little to
the support of the public schools. the
conduct of the white people of the
South is exceedingly creditable es-
peclally in view of their great losses
during the civil war and the necessity
of starting new industrial system:
but it is evident that great deal re-
remains still to be done Let ms see
Out of total school population of
s.300.O00 in 1895 only about sixty pc.
cent were registered i'm the public
schools. city and country both. ana
the average daily attendance upon
them was only 3.57o.000. or about six
tv-th.ne ner ean. ~ th;,., ;
i'm other words. the actual daily aver
age attendance was only thirty-one
per cent of the total school population.
We do not know the number i'm at
tendance upon private or church
schools. but II was not very great
relatively. aud would scarcely increase
the total average daily attendance
upon all our schools above forty pen
cent of the population. There Is only
one public school, town and country