7727. SCHOOLS, Wealth and.—
In the
elementary bill they [the Legislature] inserted
a provision which completely defeated it; for
they left it to the court of each county to determine
for itself when this act should be carried
into execution within their county. One
provision of the bill was that the expenses of
these schools should be borne by the inhabitants
of the county, every one in proportion to his
general tax rate. This would throw on wealth
the education of the poor; and the justices, being
generally of the more wealthy class, were
unwilling to incur that burden, and I believe
it was not suffered to commence in a single
county.—
Autobiography. Washington ed. i, 48.
Ford ed., i, 67.
(1821)
See Academy, Education, Languages, and University.
