Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-02-22
Our School System.

Editors Courier: 1t is q question in
tho minds of many discerning and worthy
people as to whcthcr tho public school
system, ~ it is at present carried on, is
- curse or II blessing. "Surcly," OK
claims some one, "any and all educa-
| tional facilities arc 4 blessing" Woll,
that depends, for there are tho pros and
cons to be considered. 1t is certainly
too comprehensive to bo justly consid-
cred and treated in ono short newspaper
article, ard il is, of course, always easier
to find fault than to propose q remedy.
AS to tho timo occupied in most of tho
| common schools, (about three months,)
| don't any teacher of even limited expo
ricnco know what that amounts to? That
| it is almost a farce? Doesn't every
teacher know that just as they havo be-
gun to get tho pupils trained to habits Of
| study and discipline that tho limit Of tho
appropriation is reached and thoy must
! shut down and wait twelve months for
another; and then by that timo thoy have
become mentally domora!izod and tho
same laborious routine must DO gono
over again? In tho namo of common
sense and reason, how can children be
expected 70 attain to any proficiency by
any such rctrogradc proceeding as that?
AS to tho remedy: In ante-bcllum days
every man paid his own tuition, and, as
almost every school run ton months, tho
amount paid for each child was from ten
to twelve dollars. SO it is very easy to
see the difference in what it cost to cdu-
cate children then and now. "Oh! But
then we pay taxes to educate our chill
drcn.' Yes, and what does tho little
pitiful sum of a few mills amount to in
educating all Of a mans children?
Every good citizen, of course, Processes
to love his children. We'll, if he does,
let him show it. iii II practical way. Let
each and every citizen in a school dis
trict agree to Il small levy Of Il special tax
to supplement the insufficient amount
furnished by the public fund, and pro-
vide enough to run their school at least
six months, if not longer, and then elect
competent, judicious trustees and re-
uuirr them to employ capable, thor
"ughly competent, and morally trust
"duhinc' type, but ono who is worthy
Of the name: pay him well for his ser
vices, and then instead of crowding him
out of all reason. provide him (or her,
as You chooSc) with good assistant, and
see if you don't tind it one Of the best
investments you ever entered into.
There is another crying need Of the
day and that is 4 compulsory law. 1t is
enough to make any one ashamed t.
confess il, but it is true all the same,
that there are number Of people who
wont even send their children to school
when it is furnished them free, and on
that account, our solonS in the LogiSla-
tive Halls assembled, should, for the
benefit of the rapidly on-comng genera
ton, pass such compulsory laws that
parents and guardians would be COM
PEELED. under reasonable penalty, to send
Their children to school, regularly, too,
until such literary status might be
reached as would, in their united wis
dom, be conducive to their welfare and
the good of the community generally.
Fifty or even forty years ago people
couiu get along with but limited cdu-
cation, but they who expect to keep up
with the procession now, with a mcagrc
Smattcring Of learning, in this high
pressure age, will certainly he left to
attend their own funeral and walk be-
hind 'hc hcarSc. Now, when everything
is moving, at steam and electric PAGES,
how arc tho young ones that will soon
hc pushing lis to the wall and eager for
the fray TO begin lifc's battle, keep Il
respectable place in the ranks with the
average three months annual literary
training"
Such proceeding looks very much as
if many concerned in the movement had
looked through the wrong end of tho
telescope.
With your permission, Mcssrs. Editors,
this subject may be touched upon again.
NJ. +. L.
February 20, 1900.