Year: 1878

We are truly glad to see the lively interest that is being taken by the State press in the discussion of our educational interests particularly our Public School system. Nearly all our contemporaries have given some space to the discussion of this question. We are glad to see this, for 1t is the way to get the subject before the people; but we must say that some of our brethren have queer views of the matter, and evidently wrote without giving the matter that careful thought which 1t merits. For instance the Harrisburg Tribune publishes the text of bill which some correspondent suggests for the consideration and action of our next Legislature. The very first section of the proposed bill would be fatal and objectionable blunder. It is as follows;

 Section 1. The Governor, Secreta. " of State and State Treasurer shall constitute Central Board of Public Instruction for the State. Their ser vices as snch board not to increase their salaries.

 We submit that a more foolish thing could not be done. The Gov ernol, Secretary or State and State Treasurer have their hands full Ii they will attend to the legitimate du ties of thelr respective offices. Oul school system needs head which will make our School interests it's greatest concern, and to which It's whole time can be devoted. If there is any work winch q State can afford to pay a man for, it is to get the ser vices of 8 man who has experience, ability and energy to act as the head of our school interests, and to build up our educational facilities. When ever this work is devolved upon the head of some other department who will make it mere secondary matter, the death blow is struck. The sec tions which follow the above sec tion in the bill proposed by the Tribune correspondent, are as i'll timed and crude as the first.

 Then, again; the White County Record, of fast week, had an article on public schools which is so uncer- tain and inconsistent, that we can not, to save our life, tell from the reading of the article whether tc place the Record down as friend ol an enemy to Public Schools. If the editor of that paper is friend to the cause, we wish he would write with a more certain sound.

 We will notice few things in that article. First the writer says: We do not believe that our pres ent school system is of any advan- tage, whatever, except in towns or thickly populated districts; nor dc we think that any change is praeti- cable at'present which would make II so. To teach a school two or three months only in year puts a little money into the pockets of the teach CTS, and is therefore of some benef' to them, and that is about all that can be said about it.

 The latter sentehce in that para graph strikes us as not only calcula ted to arouse popular prejudice against the system, but also as be ing a great error.

 A three months free school every year is vastly better than none. Is the man who cannot read his ballot who cannot write his own name, who cannot read letter from an absent friend, who cannot read his county paper containing many items of di rect concern to him-is this man, VIC ask, as well off as the man, who, al though he may have no great educa tion, can read and write9 Is not the latter vastly better of than the for mer? No one will deny the aflirma ton of this proposition. We'll now any boy or girl who can get three months instruction per year by ar efficient teacher can soon learn not only to read and write, but also vii acquire a sufficient knowledge o arithmetic to enable him to make any ordinary calculation. There would not be to-day nearly a fifth O our voters who cannot read the bal lot they cast if they had when boys had access three months every yea to q good public school. Don