Year: 1878

III


codifying the laws snd amending INC


judiciary system for the Legislature Y


consider, will be revision OF the schoel


law. There is no subject in which ~


classes feel deeper interest than ostr


system OF common schools, and there Is


none OF more vital Importance to tM
State. The prosperity and welfare OF 2
State are totally dependent on the virtue
and Intelligence of its population, and
there can he no more certain means n
secure these than by thorouSh5
| efficient free school system. A


The free school system. OF this State
was inausurated under peculiar disads
vantages. In the first place there was 9
strong public prejudice against it. Out
side OF the city Of Wheeling where q
good system had been in operation tor
many years. majority oil the
people looked upon the system with
jealousy. They regarded it as 9
yankee innovation, and with their old
Virginia prejudices they were not favor.
ably inclined to receive it. The ''pauper
system" which had existed in Virginia
for So many years was regarded as sutti.
cicnt to provide for the INDECENT chill.
dren of the State, and rs the new sys-
TEN involved a heavy increase Of taxa.
ton at the start, it il easy To imagine
how difficult it was to educate the pe0-
pie up to the point 10 become enthusl-
astically in favor OF it.


In the second place the sparsity OF our
population makes it difficult TO work
satisfactorily, and this fact was great
barrier to its efficiency.


And in the next place the Constitu-
ton OF 1853, in which the first free
school system was Incorporated, was
adopted in the midst OF great political
revolution, when civil rights were not
watched with the same vigilance nor
canvaSsed with the same calm deliber-
alton as in times OF peace. Consequent
ly the system was not aS perfect as II
might have been. In addition to all
theseiacts, the school system III its in
fancy fell into the hands, in many IN
stances, of those who were not capable
Of nursingit.


But many OF these difficulties have
been overcome, and others are graiu-
ally yielding, and now all We need is to
make the details answer the wants OF
the masses. This is the work for the
Legislature to do.


The first question of importance IS aS
to the manner of levying the tax lor the
support of the public schools. In the
Constitutional Convention Of 1872 there
were two conflicting opinious. One was
that the law should be exclusively Il
State tax; the other Wan that it should
he a local tax. \ compromise OF these
opinions was effected, and under
the present Constitution part
Of the tax iS raised by
the State and part by the communities
i'm which the schools are located. The
proportion is fixed by the legislature.
The argument in favor of Il local tax Was
| a selfish one, and was based upon the
TACT that wealthicr counties would be
compelled to pay into the general iund
more than they would get back, The
argument in favor of IA Stale tax was
based upon the ground that the system


was State institution and Should be
supported by State revenue, and that
T in harmony with the principle incor-
porated in the Constitution that taxa
| ton should be equal and uniform,
every dollar in the State should bear It's
equal proportion OF the burthen. The
latter is the correct one, and We can
never secure thoroughly efficient sys-
tenn until it is adopted.
The next question Tor consideration
will be- n reduction OF the number "I
officers come, ii with the system. The
old English maxim was that THAT too
MANY cooks spoilt the broth, and the
idea prevails that the school system Is
| injured by having too many officers
connected with it. This reduction may
be accomplished by having but one
board of education III each county. in
stead of one ior each district. This board
NAV be composed of one member from
each magisterial district and let the
county superintendent be president "r
oficio. Let the county board perform
| all the duties now assigned to the district
| boards. One trustee for each school
| district can perform all the duties that
| three do under the present law.


think that it would be impolltIc to
abolish the Office OF County Superin-


tcndent. No system can be made effi-
cient without head to il, and the more
centralized the power the more
efficient will it be. Instead OF abolish


ing the office Of County Superintendent


would impose more duties upon the


incumbent OF the Office and increase his


responsibility.


But there is one feature oi the present


system that ought to be- abolished, and


that is what is known as Teachers In.


stitutes They are too expensive and


Weld no corresponding benefit.


There ought TO be some plan adopted


Ia make the salaries Of teachers uniform,


and also fix the salaries ior the higher


grades sufficiently high To stimulate
| teachers in their work.


With few other amendments OF


minor importance our school law can


be made perfect, and the system rem


dered SO popular that its success will be


secured beyond all political change or


revolution. CITIZEN.