Public Schools of Monroe County

The schools of the county are sharing with the contents of the news-boy's bundle 'the title of the universities of the poor. The close observation of the working of the public schools shows that if the induction of facts be complete, it could be demonstrated that the public schools turn out more men and women better fitted for business and usefulness than most of our colleges. The freedom and liberty of the public schools afford less room for the growth of effeminacy and pedantry; it educates the youth among the people, and not among a caste or class, and since the man or woman is called upon to do with a nation in which people are the only factors, the education which the public schools afford, especially when they are of the superior standard reached in this country, fit their recipients for a sphere of usefulness nearer the public heart than can be obtained by private schools
and academies.

The crowning glory of American institutions is the public school system; nothing else among American institutions is intensely American. They are the colleges of democracy, and if this government is to remain a republic, governed by statesmen, it must be from the public schools they must be graduated. The amount of practical knowledge that the masses here receive is important beyond measure, and forms the chief factor in the problem of material prosperity; but it is not so much the practical knowledge, which it is the ostensible mission of the public schools to impart, that makes the system the sheet anchor of our hopes. It is rather the silent, social influence which the common schools incidentally exert. It is claimed for our country that it is a land of social equality, where all have an equal chance in the race for life; and yet there are many things which give the lie to this boasted claim of aristocracy of manhood. Our churches are open to all, but it is clear that the best pews are occupied by the men of wealth and influence. The sightless goddess extends the scales of justice to all, but it will usually appear that there is money in the descending beam. It requires money to run for office, or at least it takes money to get office.

The first appearance of the American citizen of to-day, however, is in the public schools. If it is a rich man's son, his class-mate is the son of poverty. The seat which the one occupies is no better than that occupied by the other, and when the two are called to the blackboard, the fine clothes of the rich man's son do not keep him from going down, provided he be a drone, neither do the patches on the clothes of the poor man's son keep him down, provided he has the genius and the application to make him rise. The pampered child of fortune may purchase a diploma at many of the select schools of the land, but at the public schools it is genius and and application that win. That State or nation which reaches out this helping hand to the children of want, will not lack for defenders in the time of danger, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually expended for the common education of children is but money loaned to the children, which they will pay back with compound interest when grown to manhood. In a common unassuming way our schools inculcate lessons of common honesty.
The boy hears his father make promises and sees him break them. Mr. Jones is promised $20 on Monday; he calls on Monday and again on Tuesday, and finally gets the $20 on Saturday. The boy goes with his father to church, and frequently gets there after the first prayer. In vain does that father teach his boy lessons of common honesty, when the boy knows that the father disappointed Jones, and never reaches the church in time. The boy soon learns at the public school that punctuality and promptness are cardinal virtues; that to be tardy is to get a little black mark, and to absent a day is to get a big black mark. 

A public school ill which punctuality and promptness are impartially and fearlessly enforced, is a most potent conservator of public morals. It has been often said that the State of Missouri has not only been indifferent to the subject of education, but that she has been hostile to the cause of common schools. To prove that these are gross misrepresentations, and that her attitude towards an interest so vital and popular does not admit of any question, it is only necessary to say that the constitutions of 1820, 1865 and 1875 make this subject of primary importance and guard the public school funds with zealous care. The fact is, the constitution of no State contains more liberal and enlightened provisions relative to popular education, than the Constitution of Missouri, adopted in 1875.

During the past sixty-two years of her existence not a solitary line can be found upon her statute books, inimical to the cause of education. No political party in all her history has ever arrayed itself against free schools, and her Governors, each and all, from 1824 to the present time (1884), have been earnest advocates of a broad and liberal system of education.

As early as 1839 the State established a general school law and system.
In 1853 one-fourth of her annual revenue was dedicated to the maintenance of free schools. Her people have taxed themselves as freely for this cause as the people of any other State. With the single exception of Indiana, she surpasses every other State in the Union in the amount of her available and productive permanent school funds; the productive school fund of Indiana being $9,065,254.73, while that of Missouri is $8,950,805.71, the State of North Carolina ranking third. The State of Indiana levies a tax for school purposes of sixteen cents on the $100 of taxable value, and does not permit a local tax exceeding twenty-five cents on that amount. The State of Missouri levies a tax of five cents and permits a local tax of forty cents without a vote of the people, or sixty-five cents in the county districts and $1 in cities and towns, by a majority vote of the tax-payers voting.
For the year ending in April, 1880, only two counties in the State
reported a less rate of local taxation than the maximum allowed in
Indiana, only one the amount of that maximum, and the average rate
of all the counties reported was about thirty-nine cents, or fourteen cents more than the possible rate of that State. It may not be known that Missouri has a greater number of school-houses than Massachusetts, yet such is the fact. The amount she expends annually for public education is nearly double the rate on the amount of her assessed valuation, that the amount expended by the latter State is on her valuation; while the public school funds of Missouri exceed those of Massachusetts $5,405,128.09.
The Missouri system of education is perhaps as good as that of any
other State, and is becoming more effectively enforced each succeeding
year. The only great fault or lack in the laws in reference to common schools is the want of executive agency within the county.
The State department should have positive and unequivocal supervision
over the county superintendent, and the county superintendent should have control over the school interests of the county under the direction of the State superintendent. When this is done the people of the State will reap the full benefits that should accrue to them from the already admirable system of free schools which are now in successful operation throughout the State.
The public schools of Monroe county were organized soon after the
close of the Civil War. At first a prejudice existed in the minds of the people, generally, against the public school system, but as time passed and the practical utility and great benefits arising there from were fairly demonstrated, this prejudice gradually subsided, and now the public schools are regarded with great favor by all.
From a few straggling log-cabin school-houses, which were poorly supplied and equipped with conveniences for instruction, and liberally patronized, the number has increased to 108, many of which are first-class in appearance and appointments and all are neat and comfortable and during the school year are filled with as bright and intelligent a class of pupils as cal be found anywhere.
One hundred and twenty-five teachers are employed to take charge
of these schools. Fifty of these are males and sixty-five are females.
The males receive a salary of $42 a month, and females $32. There are in the county, according to the enumeration for 1884, 2,992 white male children, 1,323 colored male children, 2,728 white female children and 304 colored female children, making a total of 6,347. The county has a magnificent school fund which is exceeded in amount by only five counties in the State. The school fund now reaches the sum of $110,062.92. During the year 1883 there was paid to teachers the sum of $27,639.17; for repairs and rents, $1,326.35, and for erection of school-houses, $1,789.85.

The schools are under the excellent management and superintendence
of Prof. Lewis, who brings to the work many years of experience and, being energetic and thoroughly qualified, the public schools through his instrumentality have attained a degree of excellence of which the people of the county may well feel proud. 

APPORTIONMENT OF MONEY TO EACH DISTRICT.
District Amount to District Amount to Each Child. Each Child,
No. 2 ..... $42 08 $2 00 No. 4 . .... 170 44 2 15 No. 3 . . .. 26 05 200 No. 1. .. 160 91 2 43
No.. . . .. 29 95 2 49 No. 1. (col'd) . 121 91 2 43 No. 2 ..... 197 05 249 No. 2. . .... 190 91 2 43
No. 3. . .. 107 29 249 No. 3 ..... 202 38 2 43 No. .. ... 19 95 2 49 No. 4. ..... 99 97 2 43
No. 5 ..... 79 82 249 No. 5.. .... 156 01 2 43 No. 1. .244 42 2 28 No. 5. (cold) .. 73 14 2 43
No. 2 ..... 102 79 228 No. 1. ..... 131 17 2 31 No8. . .... 153 06 228 No. 2. .... 111 08 2 31
No. 4 ..... 230 72 2 28 No. 1 .... . 82 51 2 42 No. 5. ..... 221 58 2 28 No. 2 ..... 60 66 2 42
No. 6. ..... 149 29 229 No. 3 ..... 111 61 2 42 No. 1. ... . 158 59 236 No. 4. .... 126 18 2 42
No. 2 ..... 123 08 236 No. 5 ..... 99 50 2 42 No. 3. ..... 47 35 236 No. 2. .... 185 39 2 54
No. 4. ..... 113 62 2 36 No. 3.. .... 218 41 2 54 No. 5...... 97 07 236 No. 4.. .. . 96 49 2 54
No. 6 . ... . 82 84 236 No. 5 . ... 109 21 2 54 No. 7. . .... 175 17 2 36 No. 6. . .... 304 72 2 54
No. 8 ..... 78 10 236 No.. ..... 250 68 2 30 No.. . .... 136 21 213 No. 2. .... 112 68 2 30
No. . . . . 97 92 2 13 No. 3. .... 105 78 2 30 Monroe Cit . . 557 66 2 13 No. 4.... . 77 09 2 30
No. 1.. . 145 78 2 27 No. 5.... . 75 88 2 30 No. 2.... . 75 15 227 No. 6. . 85 10 2 30
No. 3. ... . 127 57 227 No. 7 (col'd) 85 10 2 30 No. 4 . .... 104 80 2 27 No. 8. (col'd) . 41 38 2 30
No. 1 ... 91 74 247 No. 1... . . 42 39 2 49 No. 2 ..... 246 69 271 No. 2 .. .. 47 37 2 49
No. 3. . .. 203 31 271 No. 3 ... . 211 97 2 49 No. 4. ... . 181 63 271 No. 4. .... 177 06 2 49
No.. ..... 243 67 227 No. 1...... 90 13 2 43 No. 2 .... . 122 96 227 No. 2. . .... 141 27 2 43
No. ...... 97 93 2 27 No. 3.. .... 131 53 2 43 No. 4.. .... 116 14 2 27 No. 4.. -. . . 77 84 2 43
No. 5 . ... 102 47 227 No. 5. . . . . . 68 20 2 43 No. 6 ..... 184 44 2 27 No. 6. ..... 87 68 2 49
No. 1. ... 95 61 2 17 No. 1. .. .. 359 21 2 13 No. 2...... 95 61 217 No. 2. . ... 120 46 2 18
No. 3 . .... 115 14 2 17 No. 3 . .... 131 43 2 18 No. 4 . . 91 26 2 17 No. 4 . .... 166 46 2 18
No. 5 (col'd) . 39 10 2 17 No. 5. ... . . 153 33 2 19 No. 1 .... . 133 03 218 No. 1.. .. . 108 36 2 12
No. 2 . .. . 11122 218 No. 2.. .. . 114 72 212 No. 3 .... 130 85 2 18 No. 3. .... 203 98 212
No. 4..... 93 79 2 18 No. 4.. .... 108 36 2 12 No. 5 . . .126 48 2 18 No. 5 . .. .. 189 09 2 12
Paris .. . 1053 88 2 15 No. 6 . .... 150 86 2 12 No. 2...... 12296 215 No. 7 . ... 176 37 212
No. 3.. . 189 96 2 15 Total .............. 14,618 11 8