Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-01-17

of you who are willing to give their
taxes for extravagant buildings for
your state colleges, and not willing
to give money for decent and re-
spectacle school houses for your
country schools. 1 hope the test will
not come: that all will be pleasant
and that the friends Of the higher
institutions and the friends Of the
common schools will be satisfied; but
If it does come, let 1t be understood
that 1 stand squarely with the country
boys and girls for better school hous-
es, better salaries for their teachers,
SO that we may have and keep the
best, and more teachers.
|, therefore. recommend that you
levy a one-mill tax on all personal
property and real estate, for the free
public schools; said money to be used
and expended under the direction of
the state board Of education. for said
schools, in such manner as, in their
Judgment, will be most beneficial to
the children of the state.
Give me this, gentlemen, and show
to the people that we want better
schools You talk about compulsory
education-a child to go to school
eight weeks or four months, when
you have schools in your state that
do not run eight weeks. How are you
going to compel a child to go to a
school when you do not give 1t a
school to go to? 1t is as If you would
pass a law that everybody shall eat
cake on Sunday; what Is the poor man
that hasn't any cake, and can't buy
cake. going to do? If you are going
to force him to eat, then you must
furnish 1t. If you are going to force
a child to go to school, then you must
furnish the school. And possibly 1t
may not be amiss for me to say right
here that / will, with pleasure. veto
any compulsory education law that
you pass, for reasons which I have
so often given that I would feel I was
imposing upon your good nature and
trespassing upon your time to incor-
porate them in this message.
There Is another matter to which
would call your attention in this con-
nection, and that is the greatly dis
proportionate salaries paid your pro-
fessors in your higher institutions of
learning and your teachers in your
common schools. The professors in
your state colleges, working ten or
twelve hours per day, some even less
are receiving large, and, in some
instances. extravagant salaries, in ad-
dition to furnished houses, free lights
and other conveniences, while the
teachers in the country schools are
receiving mere niggardly pittances.
working ten to twelve hours a day,
walking to and from school In the
rain and mud, and using pine knots
for fire to keep warm in the winter
and read and study by. Gentlemen,
do you consider this fair to the coun-
try schools? Some of these profess
Ors in the state colleges, at least, are
no better educated and no better fit
ted for their positions than some Of
these country school teachers would
be for the same positions; and many
of these country school teachers would
grace any chair in any Of your col
leges. The disproportion is too great:
1t is unfair and 1t is unjust.
Some Comparisons.
BY reference to the twenty-third
annual report of the board of trus-
tees, you will see that Clemson COL
lege has spent $819,703.14 during the
past year; the South Carolina Uni
versity is asking this year for. $218.-
494.22; the Citadel is asking for $33 =
500; Winthrop wants $115,705.98 in
addition to the regular fixed appor-
tionment as provided by law hereto
fore. This Is a total Of $687, ,403.34.
and, taking in the regular and special
appropriations asked and amount to
be spent, it will reach about three
quarters Of a million dollars. Con-
slider the enrolment in these insti-
tutions and the enrolment in the
common schools, and compare them
During the past year. the enrolment
n 10 6n1 IL,
S11; in the University of South Car
olina 443; in Winthrop, 745. In the
free public schools Of South Carolina,
the enrolment was as follows: White
town, boys, 30,692: girls, 32,107;
total 62.799. Country boys. 47,675;
girls, 45,S06; total, 93,4S1. Negroes
town, boys 1920; girls. 22,519; total,
1858. Country, boys. 62,143; girls,
73,525; total, 1865. Here you have
an enrolment in the colleges which I
have enumerated, Of 2,235, as against
an enrolment in the free public
schools of 331.bs7-for you must in
clude the negroes in the enrolment,
for the negroes are receiving a goodly
part Of the white mans taxes for the
education Of the negro children. When
you compare these figures, then COM
pare the expenditures for these COL
leges with the expenditures for the
free public schools, and, I beg you,
consider seriously If 1 am not ask
ing you for little enough when 1 re-
commend the one-mill levy.
Classification Of Colleses-Medical
College.
In my opinion, there should be an
equitable distribution among the
states higher institutions of the va
rious departments Of learning, with
the view Of making more compact and
more closely related the states educa-
tional activities, so far as these insti-
tutions are concerned. l believe we
should have certain departments of
learning in one of these institutions
and other departments of learning in
another. Let us have departments
where young man or young woman
may learn any of the professions
electrical engineering, stenography
and bookkeeping, medicine. teaching,
law, and the like-but let us not have
all the state colleges teaching all these
things, but provide for certain depart
ments in one college, and for others in
another and so on, in order that the
state may not be scattering her funds
in keeping up two or three Of ne same
kinds Of departments in two OF three
or more colleges. For instance, # you
are going to teach boy electrical en-
gineering at the South Carolina uni
versity, why have electrical engineer
ing departments at the other institu-
tions, and keep up two or three depart
ments Of electrical engineering, in
stead of placing all the money used for
teaching this branch of learning In
one school. and perfecting this depart
ment there? Same applies to medicine
to law, and to the other branches
taught If we would thus perfect the
various departments and make them
the best, 1t would not be necessary to
send a boy or girl outside Of our state
in order that that boy or girl may be
we'll grounded in any of the profes-
SiOns
In connection with this suggestion,
recommend that an act be passed
making the Medical College at Char
lesion the Medical college Of South
Carolina, and making 1t branch Of the
South Carolina university. and that
you appropriate the sum of ten thous-
and dollars for the purpose of defray-
ing the ordinary expenses of this in
sttution. You have law department;
why not a medical department foster
ed by and under the direct control oi
81 ,itI