To what extent, and from what resources, the nation should grant this educational aid to its children, and through what channels and upon what basis the distribution of that aid should be made, are subjects that will now command our attention.
The burden of educating the children of the nation is a heavy one—a fact perhaps not as fully realized by our rulers and legislators as it ought to be. From the report of the Commissioner of Education, 1882-3, it appears that the estimated real value of sites, buildings, and all other school property in all the states and territories, is $216,562,197. That of course is the existing “school plant” as it may be termed; but to get such a “school plant”—utterly insufficient as it may be—has been more or less burdensome. From the same authority it appears that the amount imposed and expended for common school purposes, in all the states and territories for 1880, was $91,158,039; a large sum, yet after all but little more than half the amount absolutely needed in order to provide adequate school facilities for all entitled thereto.
A careful and conservative estimate founded upon all attainable data will show that not less than $160,000,000 annually must be provided to secure the education of all the children of our country of lawful age. Of this amount, provision, as we have seen, is already made in the various states and territories to the extent of over $90,000,000 annually. Of the various measures relating to the subject of national aid to education that have been urged upon the attention of Congress, none has ventured to appropriate a larger annual sum[J] than $50,000,000. Should Congress at any time make an appropriation of that amount, there would still be an annual deficiency of some $20,000,000.
It is not at all certain that our national legislators have considered the magnitude of the subject with which they are to deal, nor that they have all investigated it with that degree of care and seriousness which it plainly deserves and even demands at their hands.
Every one, without controversy, admits the importance of educating our children; and without doubt, every one of our legislators has not only a warm and friendly feeling for this work, but also a willingness to do something to afford it national aid. But with how many of them is this a willingness without a formed and definite purpose? It were almost better that the importance of such education should be a disputed point—that a storm of controversy should arise and shake them in its throes, forcing them to lay hold of the very horns of the sacred altar of education—rather than that the dead, arid level of inert concession should bring forth nothing save a deceptive mirage. It is time to wake up to the fact that government aid in the line of education means nothing unless it be in the form of an annual appropriation of sufficient amount to produce tangible results.
Do our legislators appreciate the significant fact that of the $91,158,039 expended on the public schools in the thirty-eight states and nine territories and the District of Columbia during 1882, more than one quarter of that entire expense was borne by the three states of Illinois, Ohio, and Iowa? That nearly one third of that great expense was borne by and expended in the four states of New York, Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania? That more than one half of it was borne by and expended in the six states of New York, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Iowa and California? That nearly two thirds of it all was borne by and expended in the nine states of California, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and New York?
Of what practical avail, then, is the bill[K] which passed the United States Senate on the 7th of April last, so far, at least, as the amount to be appropriated is concerned? It proposes to appropriate a total amount of $77,000,000. That amount certainly sounds well and looks generous at first sight. But how is it appropriated? Let us see.
This $77,000,000 that looks so large and adequate, is to be scattered over the whole country, and over a period of eight years, thus:
The first year, $7,000,000—which is much less than Illinois alone gives in one year for her own children; the second year, $10,000,000—which is much less than Massachusetts and Iowa together give in one year for their own children; the third year, $15,000,000—which is much less than Ohio and Pennsylvania together give for one year’s schooling of their own children; the fourth year, $13,000,000—or about what Massachusetts, Indiana, and Wisconsin together give a year for such purposes; the fifth year, $11,000,000—or less than New York alone gives in one year; the sixth year, $9,000,000—very little more than Ohio alone gives; the seventh year, $7,000,000—or only a trifle more than Missouri and California together give in a year; and the eighth year, $5,000,000—or a trifle over what Indiana gives, and less than Iowa gives, in one year!