The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-04-05

to do more than send them through
the high schools. We have given the
percentages heretofore, and we need
not give the figures again. For these
children the city should offer all that
it can offer. 1t should offer nothing
less than a high school training equal
to that offered in other towns and
cities.
Then again those who are fortu
nate enough to 60 away to the col
ileges deserve proper training. There
is nothing which so hinders q stud
ent in carrying on his or her work,
and nothing which is 80 embarrassing
to the colleges, as students who come
up for entrance unprepared to do the
work which the colleges outline.
When this happens there is nothing
to do except to send the student
back home, which is something to be
thought of only with the greatest
misgivings, or to undertake. to have
such student go through school in an
unsatisfactory way, gaining little for
the student and rejecting little cred
it on the college. It is. expensive
these days to send students to the
better colleges and those who are
prepared to make the sacrifices in
order to send their children there,
should at least have the opportunity,
after paying for it, of knowing that
they are prepared to enter and do
good work.
There is another consideration. It
costs anywhere from $4,000 to ST.
5000 to send student to a good
college a year. That is large out
lay for most people in these hard
times. We have perhaps forty stud
ents from Abbeville in the schools
and colleges of this and nearby
states. We. imagine that the parents
of these students are spending at
least 100000 per year for their train
ing. But at home where we are
training more than five hundred stu
dents in the city schools we r ex-
pending less on the whole number
than on the forty away from home.
This must suggest that after all edu-
cation in the public schools is eco
nomical. If some Of the patrons who
pay high taxes, but who neverthe-
less have children to send to col
lege, we're forced to send them away
from home for twos or three years
preparation before these children
could enter college, we imagine that
it would not take long to persuade
these parents that good schools at
home, at whatever price, a eco
nomical.
Considering these matters, we be-
lieve it is the duty of the citizens Of
Abbeville to meet with the Board of
Trustees Friday afternoon for the
purpose Of going over these matters
and Of pledging whatever of support
is necessary in order to make the
income of the district sufficient to.
pay the reasonable charges of run
ming the schools. We believe from the
figures which we have seen and the
discussion which we have heard on
the subject that there is no way out
of the present situation except to
vote another three mills school tax
to supplement the present income.
If it is necessary to do that in order
to make the schools a success the
tax must be voted. There is no use
to talk about expenses, high taxes,
or other thing when the schools are
at stake. The schools must run eff
fectively. And when we come to vote
the tax the people should be remind
ed that we are just now doing what
other districts have already done.
We have a low rate of taxation in
this district for schools. Almost
every other county seat district in
the state, if not all Of them, has a
higher rate of taxation than we have.
The state levy has been reduced five
mills, and while taxes will be hard
to pay still we may the more easily
! nav a little more taxes than we NAV