The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-19

The history oi progress IS the his
tory of the world. recording il step
bv step. stage by stage. and the his
tory Of education. Ia way, epito-
mixes the history Of civilization. Ed
ucattou il q form and the highest"
~ evolution, though the slow eyolu-
ion Of the ages began before ever
NJ hools and teachers were thought OF
az had a recognized position in the
sometimes retarded general upllH
And yet teaching, though II rs the
most NATURAL OF ali the arts. as an
arr il ma be called, IL one OF the
Fn,,t rewarded and the least recugniz"
I'd 81 ali
Teaching, though 1t is not recogniz-
ca AS teaching, begins at the mother
breast The mother quail teaches
her xoana TO fly al the approach OF
hunter. The ioness teaches her cub
hew to sack the blood of an enemy
aud of her prey. The mother on ae
human child taught her son. ~ sac
aueklnd hirD, how he should work ny
ags tender muscles, and then the iath@
81 took him and taught him now ne
sho.ld fare through unknown WOODS
and fields. of hos he should train hls
arrow and ~ how he should win ms
bread. In the beginning nas the orr
;gtual instinct, unt instinct, "A more or
less vague term. was iatef suppIs
rented by teaching. and each genefh~
alton LEARNED 4 little more thah me
enc preceding had known
Home teaching evolved unto gen
anal teaching and slowly SCHOOLS
were astabIished The early FchootS
a.;a stress on the individual charac~
Ter without respect as to position or
Unity IN any. one line. The schools
fodav rospaet the Individual out
bat 1hss Is bit sn ale g
IA snetctx- and has bis work TO &c
Ia the great uplift as tiny shell
las iJs part 70 bfufd IN the eofai
reefs Of the Pacific
school Growth in Richmond.
But ths has 10 do. n small wa!
nith The evolution Of tue PUBIC
school system IN Richmond' u mas
ycown from a fraction Into an m
teeey
tn-rt7H fret wear OF the establish
wan III The public school system
4tera were 81 teachers, with e fotaf
enrolment OF white pupils OF l.VVo'
NV there are 48s teachers Wkh
total enrolment 81 pupils amount
sne TO fs.e03. OF which one-third are
tolored. That is an indication, repre-
sauring the latest Inile post Wblch
has been passed, so far az ngnres are
concerned. And figures In tho his
tory Of education do not count, y
doesn't matter SO much how many
are being schcoled. as what KIND OF
schooling they are receiving
The oldest public school was the
pallard School. which stood 10 the
south II where the city jail now
--,-Ts-i1fJ4- GA TIE sTfa uf r1Ir present
pfty stablee Il was called the Lam
caetrain school. after Joseph Ian
caster. an English educator, whose
system il was TO use the pupils OF
higher grades to help him teach those
~ the lower forms. 1t had 100 cnti-
dren in charge, fils date Of ttrc school
going back to 1870.
First school In 1869.
But public schools. strictly speak
ing. began In Riehmond Ia Septem-
sser. 1869. which was before the svs-
tenn was established by the State. In
that year fhe public school system
was established by an ordinance of
the CITY Council During the first
yaar There wac SIS teachers. with q
total enrolment Ia the wnlts schools
0ffl .0os, and in the colored schools
OF L.745. That was in the days OF
the Reconstruction. when the pub
lie school system was practically ig-
nored by the white people and when,
through THAR white friends, X was
taken advantage Of BY the colored
nscrss.