The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-04-19
THE SCHOOLS MUST RUN.

hausted. The people of the district
elect trustees to administer the funds
and the funds have been spent by
the trustees for the purposes which
seemed to them best. Perhaps they
have made mistakes here and there;
we think they have; in fact they
would not be human if they did
not make mistakes. They work for
nothing, and after an experience of
many years on the school board we
believe we can say that the men who
serve the public schools as trustees
are as nearly unselfsh as any body
of men might be.
Now that the money has been ex-
hausted, and the schools have a
month to run, the question is not, has
the money been spent judiciously in
every case, but what are we going to
do about running the schools anoth-
er month. The children of this dis
trict will be seriously handicapped
in their work hereafter if they do
not secure the ninth months train
ing. When they are old enough to
enter college, it will stand against
them in the matter of entrance, If
they have not completed the regular
course. We should not allow this to
be the case. The Board of Trustees
appreciates these difficulties and this
unfortunate state of affairs, and un-
der the circumstances they have
planned to keep the schools running
for another month by private sub
scriptions. Under the circumstances
this is all that can be done. And it
should be done.
Of course there will be objection.
Nothing is ever preached in this COM
munity that is either imperative or
for the community that does not
meet with many and varied objec-
tions. Some people will argue on the
street corner for a week about pay
ing two dollars tuition, when the
money could be made in a sixth of
the time. That is one of our faults.
We all know too much law, talk too
much politics, talk too much gener-
ally, and do too little for the public
good. Now, that's the truth, eve if
we can't prove it to you.
One man says that he has paid his
taxes, and he thinks he has done
enough, and does not feel like paying
more. Well, that sounds reasonable
on first consideration, but if the av-
erage man who has three, two, or
even one child in school will 60 to
the tax books and ascertain from the
county treasurer just how much tax
es he actual pays for the running of
the schools, for sending his child or
children to the schools for nine
months, with good teachers, comfort
able seats and desks, in fine buildings,
comfortably heated, he will go home
ashamed of himself. The truth is that
the Abheville Cotton Mill, the rail-
roads, the banks and other corpora
tions in this school district, we sus-
pect, are paying about one-half the
school taxes. and none of them have
any children. And did you ever think
of it, these corporations have never
objected to paying for sending your
children to school. They have been
paying for you for about four or five
months in every year, and now you
kick on paying for one month for
your own child. Are we reasonable?
Should we not do better?
There = some who are not able
perhaps to pay for all their children.
If such there be they should see the
Superintendent and say just how
much they are able to pay; perhaps
then arrangements may be made for
taking care of the balance, but we
believe it is the duty of every man
who has children in the schools, and
who is able to pay, to do SO and to
do so now. He owes it to the commu-
nifty to help keep the schools going
for nine months, but he owes it most
Of all to the child for whom the law
and the Maker have appointed him