Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-11-20
For the Gazstte.
Our Public Schools.

our ACIty Fathers were some time since
appealed 70 on the subject Of -Dog-fennel'-
dog-fenneI on the streets, that is Offensive
only to the eye OF taste But we come, 70
public sentiment in Delaware in behalf Of
these little ones now crowded from seventy
to eiEiaty In a room, breathing from six 70
seven hours a day the poisonous air. OF our
OverdIIed sehOOlroons, those crowded
gates that have opened already in 50 many
cases to early graves instead OF useIu1,
sketch or overdraWn picture OF what we are
doing for the little ones for whose hlghesb
good we stand pIedged-pIedged when we
dared invoke these E1ves-pledged N baHJGls-
NAL voWs-pledged in love that knows no
do0-fenBeE Of cQretesslBesS, that has 50 oyeTrln
public sentiment in this matter, thar we
have come to look upon tnls eVll as one %
no consequence. and when the SUBJECT o1 8
'ineW school house, Is introduced we raise
the cry Of taxes taxes; our taxes are eat
ing Us up. We ADMIT our taxes are nlsAa, "a
even burdensome TO the Doors laboE1ng Tor
their daily bread But have tney ever at
any time interfered either Win our IuAufl-
Gus style Of living as people, our extraYa-
| giant manner Of dress, or the tables OF good
I things to which we lead our children daily3
Why are we so wide awake to these interests
that fade and perish with the passing hour
/ and so asleep to those Weightier matters
OF b16 u1lL4u5 HLssS ~ -
| felt through eternity Why VIII we sell for
less than thirty pieces Of silver interests that
cannot be redeemed IN time, and lives only
less dear than that betrayed Dy JUDAS We
need another sehool-building in North
Delaware, with all modern improvements Of
heat, ventilation, &C. and We need II now:
I The necessity now presses on the parents of
Delaware, to provide purer fountains and
more healthy streams OF instruction Tor
their children. And we need besides more
room, JanItors thoroughly Instructed IN
his particular business-instructed not only
uIarIy the laws Of ventilation; whose duty
it should be to visit the rooms once an hour,
watch and reguIate. by the help Of ther-
mometer, this ''air" that is Ofsueh vital i'm
portance, becoming to the young lives gath
cred there, either uOuF1shlng 1000 or SLOW
poison. And this duty should devolVe on
janItor, for teacher has not time, rom the
thesea OF upturned faces, that are constant
II making drafts on his patIenes, to give the
attention necessary to this matter and there
IS not a more Important one connected with
our schools. For. would any Intelligent
cultivatOr of flowers give his green house
into the hands Of another than one thor
ougllIy educated in his particular business
One who knew well how TO regulate those
furnace fires, and regulate the air that was
life and health to those plants? And now
comes up the queslton-are these sugges-
tiOuS imDraeticableg ? Is not this great good
we claim for our enlldren Wlthln our reaen
noW9 VIII not the right investment OF
few dollars bring Us in the coming years
rich harvest Of interestin the thorough edu-
cation and three-fold nature OF our chill
dren ssWiIIit not pay 2' One of our first
physicians has just pronounced our present
crowied school building ga slaughter-house
for dnnocentsV And We viii here venture
the belief, that nature, with its ample store
of knowledge. aided by the pure, healthy
1
tor for our children, than the finest teachers
IN these oyerheatad, OYercrOWded, badly
ventilated rooms.
tions of our beautiful Court-House are COM
/ pleted, and the taxes thereby incurred met
/ for disease viii not wait, nor death pause
| on swift wing, for us to weigh with such nice
precision q few dollars and cents, against
/ such interests as the health, happiness,
/ and prayers Of our children. Nor viii he
| let US choose where the bright eye can best
| be spared, or the warm, loving heart OF son
| OF daughter be least missed from homes
/ loving circle. Butdisease and death are not
| the only unhappy features of our present
| schoOl-system. We have three natures IN
i one; the three so closely knit IN sympathy
| that one cannot suffer without the others
| one cannot rise without the others And
! out of this atmosphere, filed with headache
/ and thick with nervous levers, there is ris-
! to harm. more deadIier in its hurt, and
| harder to cure than any physical ills; for
/ where is the medicine for m1ldeWed soul
| or tonic rich enough for mind neglected and
diseased? Many are already reaplng the
early first fruits of this harvest of sorrow. in
| the clOuded faces, and irritating, channg
/ little natures that so often come home nom
| rooms-Weary, overtasked teachers, con-
| tending with double the number they
/ should have, and children Waglng an IN
/ stinctive war against the wrongs from
| which they cannot dy. We see its effects on
intellectual advancement, in the numbers
/ of young men and women, who are yearly
! settling down among US to the active duties
of life, with limited education, spheres OF
I
] ness dWarfed, strangers to the green pas
1 lures of deep thought, and saddest Of all, no
desire aIteL tne nIgner 1lLe, Su41 - @ Iouuu " II
| the broad fields of prayers thab lay out SO IN
/ vitingly to the world. We are accountable
for talents lent, be they great or small, and
/ it matters not how Wh1be ana cleansn now uu-
spotted from sin, the napkin of morals in
| which we wrap them, we are still reSponS1-
BE for the nonusing Of them. And we
4 should leave nothing undone to make the
| school room attractive, and impress early
/ on the minds OF our children the great i'm
/ pOrtance of an educated life. Years ago q
| young mother sat at the table Of President
i M. He asked her what was her highest
ambition for the little boy by her side. She
answered sincerely t'Ehat he may be good.'
| Never will that mother forget the deeI
earnestness with which that good man an
sWered her by asking another, -Did you
/ knew, my young friend, that he can be good
i and great too?'' There was world o.
/ meaning in that answer. The light OF a new
responsibility shone int8s that mothers
heart, and the words still live in her mem
ory. Would it lot be well for all parents tC
| ponder them, and realize that they are in
part responsible for the way IN which theiI
children regard this matter.
Delaware has done we'll in securing
the services of its present able superin-
tendent, a Christian gentleman, and
one in every way fitted for his place, is
now at the head of our school. And
right nobly has he battled with difficult
ties, under which others would have
failed. May we not hope that these diff
ficulties may soon be removed, and that
before another September calls our
children from their summer rest TO
books and work, this new building will
he completed and open to all. For we
know that Delaware is proud of the no
bic colleges that crown her hills, and
sit as queens at 1earningS feast, she will
not be unmindful of the public schools,
those wayside fountains where the mil
lions drink.
There are sad indications in the up
per walks of life that lead us to fear
/ n
/ houses and school-teaehers. Children
are becoming such an unpopular insti-
tuition that the race there must soon be
extinct. Yes, lis sadly true, that child
hood no longer has a home where
wealth and ease are found. Soft car
pets and polished furniture, that now
garnish the homes of cultivation and re-
finement, have absorbed the parental
from human hearts, and the patter OF
lsoft feet that once came with the morn
ing, crOWning it with faith and trust
Il and the sweet evening hymn, with its
long hush of prayer, from lips unstain-
ed and pure, are no. longer needed to
sanctify homes dedicated to ease, and
presided over by the weak conscience
of women. 'rhere is no place for ON
Charley"
But we cannot excuse ourselves from
providing ample means of education on
these grounds, even though there was
no present necessity, for there is still 9
selfish view of it comes up, an element
of self-preservation as a natural life
that presents itself, from which we can
not turn away, though we gladly would
: 1t is the flood of young life that comes
swelling up from the hut and hOYel Oi
our emigrant population. Boys and
girls viii not be wanting here to fill oul
i schoOl-houses, and form future society
and school houses these must have, fOl
it is all most of them will have, to fl
them in any degree for the gaps thai
are being made for them in the future
of religion and politics. This great
wave comes rolling up to US with igno-
rance, and its accompanying vices as
its only heritage; ignorance that will
wound to its death our beautiful Re-
public, and eat as a canker into the
heart Of our body polite. These musi
be redeemed from their sad heritage
Our county will fulfill her glorious mis-
sion to the doWn-trooden races. Al
Il ready big with her coming destiny, she
is converging and quickening the tides
now settling towards universal freedom.
And when an enfranchised world shall
come to the great "home gathering" ot