The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-02-03

A2O14O6 ON1OH DS " 49,
has become of the school question, mentioned
in your paper a few weeks agof Has it dice
a natural death, or has it wrapt itself up in itt
dignity, aud retired, feeling the importance
of the responsibility that rests upon it Fol
some time D asst the manner in which our Unior
School has been conducted, has been a source
of complaint, and the results, a scandal to oul
town. Where then lies the fault? and can il
be remedied? These are the questions te
be answered, and upon these I dwell. That
a great deal of tae responsibility rests with
the superintendent and his assistants, 1 will
not deny but that there are others, upon
whose shoulders part of the burden ought to
be placed is a notorious fact. Six gentlemen,
each we'll qualified, fully competent and, cleo
ted by the people, cal themselves directors.
Directors of what7 Do these same worthy
gentlemen visit and direct the machinery OF
the Union School of Ashland ? I rather think
notl The burden then is left perhaps to one
individual member of the board, who rules
with dictatorial power, because perhaps the
rest think that he could not go wrong. Again,
is the Superintendent responsible for the acts
VI HE dSSlSt1uIS . &C . 4uCup lCdoC CAPiniu
why little children have their hands tied be.
hind their backs, and are sent to wander about
the school grounds 2 and why large girls, who
ought-to be ladies in fact, use such profane
and scarrilous Ian guage in the presence of
children aud teachers. The system is bad, is
expensive and is much denounced. 1t requires
about $4,000 to keep the institution aioat and
yet the abomination is so great, that a stran-
ger can come here, open a Select School and
take away the bulk of the scholars. Contrast
the discipline in the Select School, with the
reckless manner in which the scholars are al
lowed to act in the Union School and We will
ackno Wedge that in the one students will learn
and in the other thay will not. Now then
how are we to rid ourselves of this unpleasant
and improbable burden Your suggestion
eff building other houses to be used as district
schools, based upon tho same rules and Tegu
lations, which govern them, and Of taking the
present school building for the purposes of
q high school or a~cadamy is also cool. There
are many who live in the suburban districts
who would gladly come and willingly pay the
price of tuition, to be able to attend a school
where they could be properly o'assed and in
structed, and our own sons and daughters,
could under proper Instruction, be educated
at HON without being sent into a strange
place among strange people. What is it, that
keeps up and supports our neighboring village
HayesvjlIe. The acadapy is the head and
front, the soul and body of the place. Why
then should we send abroad yheI We have
such ample opportunities, and such abundant
facilities at home for the encouragement of
the growth of edGcatioR? Let the question
be discussed, let the people have a VOICE and
let that voice be heard. We ask not the board
of Directors for a change, we appeal to the
people, whose sovereign authority can rip up
and destroy all the different cliques that hold
our school interests dangling upon the verge
of destruction. For myself then and in Il behalf
of the large nuanber who pay taxes and have
children to be edu,atcd We demand a change
and that the people at an early day may have
an opportunity of expressing their opinion as
to what that change should be.
MAX.