The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-02-27
In View OF Compulsory Education.

tion law Is that such a measure would
force the negroes into the public
school and thus negro children would
outstrip white children in intelligence
or course. If the white race is not the
superior" race, as is so often claimed
and justly. then the negroes should
nave given them the advantage said
70 be lurking in a compulsory law.
But the report of the State Superin-
tendent of Education for last year in
dicates that this objection will not
hold.
according to Mr.. Martins report to
the legislature there were last wear
more than 26,00O negro children in
the pubic schools in excess of the
NUMBER OF white children. Nor was
this excess confined to the lower or
coast countries. There are more than
three times as many negroes in the
public schools of Fairfield county as
there are whites, and twice as manv
negroes in Greenwood county. In the
coast county of Georgetown there are
only twice as many, as is also the case
In the large county of Orangeburg.
The negroes are in the majority IN
the schools of 29 counties, while the
white children are in the majority
only twelve counties (there being
no figures from Calhoun.) There are
more negroes than whites in Abba-
vile, Aiken, Bamberg, Barnweu.
Beaufort. Berkeley, Charleston, Ches-
ter, Clarendon, Darlington, Dorches-
ter, Edgefeld Fairfield, Florence.
Georgetown, Greenwood, HAMPTON.
Kershaw, Laurens, Lee, Marlboro.
Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland. Sa-
luda, Sumter, Union, williamsburg
and York
In the coast county of Horny, for
instance, there are only 1,4OO negroes
in the public schools, while there are
800 whites. In the county of Lex
ington there are 1000 more whites
than negroes. and in the county of
Colleton the white school children are
in the majority. And in all the State
the number of negroes in the public
schools reaches a grand total of il2,-
967, while all the white children, num-
ber only 146,647.
From the State Superintendent's re-
port it is seen that the colored people
are taking advantage Of the public
schools to far greater extent than
the whites. This is manifest in the
fact that so large a number atteaS
school, though they do not have half
tne advantages which the whites en-
10y. TIE average number of weeks per
Year OF the negro schools is IA while
the average for the white schools is
%. Yet the average daily attendance
OF the colored people was nearly H.
coo above that Of the whites.
1t has been said that the great bulk
Of The negro pupils are in the towns.
his is an error. in the country schools
there are 1OO,390 whites and l35.321
negroes; and in the town schools 45,-
257 whites and only 37,646 negroes;
so it is seen that the farm negroes
arc the ones furnishing the excess in
number Of pupils. For all this work,
the average yearly salary paid the ne
gro teachers is s9S and that of the
white teachers $3.50. The county in
which the higest average salar~ is
paid is Anderson. where it is 1868 for
whites, though the negro teachers in
Anderson county fall below the aver
age If Charleston and Rich,and couH-
ties.
superintendent Martins report is
an unusually interesting volume, and
his recommendations to the legisla-
ture should be very seriously consid-
cred by the members of that body.
For six years he has studied school
conditions in the tSate, and he knows
whereof he speaks. The revision of
the school code, electing county boards
by the people, equalizing the State
school system, and the like, are splen-
did things to aim at; and these he has
recommended, along with others.
However, there is strong argument
in favor of a compulsory school law
which has not been emphasized.
namely, the right to tax for school
purposes involves the duty to compel
attendance upon the schools run by
such taxes. If the government has
the right to tax for school purposes
at all, then it seems clear the govern
ment is in duty bound to require the
children for whose benefit the tax is
levied to take advantage of the edu-