The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1919-01-30
The Chesterfield Advertiser
SCHOOLS IN SOUTH CAROLINA


Gently published in The Advertiser
will be interested in the following
synopsis of the authors comparison
between South Carolina and other
States in the matter of expenditures
in educational matters.
Our educational system, from ele-
mentary schools through university,
has made gratifying progress in the
last few decades, but is still greatly
impoverished, and hence inadequate.
Comparison offers the only just
basis for judgment, the double COM
parison, not only with our own rec
ord, but also with that of other
States. The temptation is strong
simply to compare our present with
our past, and to be satisfied with the
progress Indicated. But we do not
know anything well until We know
what is on each side of it. The real
truth lies where the line of past per-
formance crosses that of present
standing. We must, therefore, com
pare our school system with the sys-
TENS of our sister States. We thus
learn not only what we are doing in
education, but what we are leaving
undone-and ought to do.
"The fundamental points of COM
parison are six: public school cx-
penses per inhabitant; expenses per
pupil; salaries of teachers; length of
ID.
literacy."
The statistics used in the book,
which, for Obvious reasons, cannot be
quoted here in detail, are taken from
the report of the United States Com
missioner of Education for 1916.
In 1914 the United States as a
whole expended per capita for educa
tion $5.62 while South Carolina ex-
pended per capita only $1.S3, one
third as much per inhabtant.
In expenses per capita of average
attendance, that is, expenses per pu-
pill, South Carolina spent SLIT,
while the average in the United
States was $39.04.
The average monthly salary of
the teachers in South Carolina is 79
per cent. of the average of the United
States and lO6 per cent. of the aver
age for the South Atlantic States,
which would seem very creditable;
but the average annual salary of
teachers in South Carolina is only 81
per cent. of the average of the United
States and only o3 per cent. of the
average of the South Atlantic States.
That means that the school term is
shorter and the teachers have to work
at other employment large part of
the year
The average number of school days
per year was 1l7.8 while South Caro-
lima children had TO do with an aver
age Of only 68.8 days per year.
a table on illitcracy from the cen
sus Of 1910 was submitted. From
this table j. is clear that illiteracy is
excessive in South Carolina. Both
races considered, we stand second in
the numbc" of illiteratc children and
second in the total number of litter
ates IN proportion TO the entire popu-
lation, having an illiteracy of 25.7
per cent. as against 20 per cent. in
louisiana. In the matter Of negro
iliteracy, we stand third, with 1877
per cent. against I0.l in Alabama,
48.8 in Louisiana, and the average Of
1873 for the sixteen Southern States
collectively. In white illiteracy we
stand third, showing 1913 per cent.
as against 1913 for North Carolina,
14.1 for Louisiana and TT for the
sixteen Southern States.
"The plain, unvarnshed truth is
that the whole educational machine
of the State, from kindergarten
through university, is pathetically un-
derpowercd and undermanned, and
therefore, in spite of the brainsweat
and hcart-sWeat of the educational
workers, inadequate. AS result, the
sovereign State Of South Carolina is
struggling along heroically at the
rear of the great forward procession
of the sister States, with the Palmet-
to flag flying over more mental dark
ness and ignorance to the square inch
than exists in any other State in the
Union, save one.
"The sole, single, but sufficient rea-
son for it all is lack Of money.
at is the ultimate problem, the
bedrock cause of all our troubles.
Education is our greatest task ON
the surface, above ground, so to
speak. But there is something more
Fundamental and far-reaching back
of it and beneath it, else education
would have ceased to be a problem
long ago. For the State is thorough
ly awake educationally. 1t is pa
thetically eager for education, for all
the education it can get, and more,
too. Then, why don't we get along
faster? Why do we maintain our