THES, WISCONSIN VARMgRL                             
             167


  are they not all Virginians, in whose most these undrawn quotas are against
the East-
  inmsgea&"' veins flows the beat blood of the ern counties In the
proportion of from three to
  chivalr  of the old world?   I don't know five, to one of the Western.
 ad. More con-
  whether you will crrdit it or not, but I am vincing than all, while the
Eastern section of
  quoting the language of the Commissioners the State was plunging itself
into the fire and
  and Superintendent of the schools of Wash- sword of civil war, Western
Virginia knew
  ington county, Virginia, who, to the number enough to stay in the Union.
  of ten, report to the Auditor of State: " The  These people are a
lazy people. I don't ask
  board feel no hesitation in saying that the any one to take my word for
this. The histo-
  schools are well conducted; that the children ry of
  progress in learning as fast as could be expect-      -   01stin Dever
tUre."
  ed, and that the poor children make as much has been so weUt written, and
so attests the
  progress in learning as the others."  These statement, that an attempt
to prove it anew
  schools are partly supported from the income would be weakness.  Go to
the records since,
  of the " Literary Fund," devoted to the general one of the original
Thirteen, it set up house-
  cause of education; and from that portion of keeping for itself  In Western
Virginia, par-
  it applied to the specific purpose of bringing ticularly, see that great,
rich area waiting for
  schools within the reach of "the indigent," the hand of intelligent
industry.  But you
  each county, upon requisition, draws its quota. might multiply books to
the end of time and
  In some counties these are the only schools, so fail to give a fair representation
of this char-
  that parents of moderate competence, whose acteristic of the people.  To
have a realizing
  children are too young, or who have not the sense of it you must see them
in their homes,
  means of sending them away from home, have and follow them in the ways
they have devised
  come to patronize them, paying tuition, while for carrying out their idea
of " living.' Ev-
  the poor are supplied with instruction, by the erything, from the management
of a thousand
  State, at the expense of from four to seven acre farm to the cut of a youngster's
dress, in-
  cents ahead, paid to the teacher intheir behalf, dicates the essential
quality of the word, shift-
  spelling books thrown in. With this explana- lessness. Does the Yankee
farmer tidy up fence
  tion will be seen who are the class referred to corners, straighten dividing
lines, rotate crops,
  when reporting the astonishing fact that "The hang up his scythe,
and keep a nail box? the
poor children make as much progress in learn- Yankee housewife have regular
mending-days,
ing as the others."                          wash-days, bake-days, sweep-days,
with ven-
  In justice to Western Virginia I must say, tilations and scrubbings out,
and times to read
and beg the reader not to forget, that for this the papers? We   Virginian
farmers and
School Code, and its results, Eastern Virginia housewives do not  tern after
these, but it is
is mainly responsible, having the balance of not so much the ret of that
negative condi-
politieians and wealth that has controlled state tion indicated by a want
of thrift and man-
legislation. It is my individual opinion that agement, as a consequence of
keeping upon
the people of Western Virginia are more intel- their hands an abundance of
" elegant leisure. "
ligent than those of the eastern part of the old Just as the dignitaries
of English oratory are
State; in evidence of which, besides some supposed to have a born right to
be so deliber-
knowledge of those of whom I judge, stand ate in their enuncilations that
the clock may
thee u.ertant faets: 1st. The proportion of tick between their stammering
syllables, so
slaves to the free population has always been their deseendants of "the
best blood" find
larger in the East than in the West. 2d. The guaranted in their consttutions
the pretga-
school fund apportionment has been more gn a tives of ease, taking all day
to-day, and as
erally drawn and used by Western than by rany of the to-morrows of life se
seem ft, to
aste=n counties, lists before me showing that do anything, or nothing. I
take It that thin is



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