Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-01-24
OLYMPIA, SlIvENlV MORNING. IiN. q. 1S1l
ARE WE TO HAVE SCHOOL HOUSE

ARE We TO HAVE SCHOOL HOUSE
The Ecto copies our article suggest
ing the necessity Of some united effort
for the erection or purchase Of s,lita-
bic district school house, and endorses
the proposition in the main, but objects
70 the means by which it WAS thought
the object could he attained. While it
condemns the present school house as
a" rookery, not fit for n horse stable,
and declares that "until we get a better
one the district school mi yht as well be
abandoned" it in the same sentence
objects TO the proposition to secure one.
Mt once because " the townw will grow, and
in a few years the district Will need to
he subdivided, which will throw the
school house to one side Now we
fail to see the sense of such reasoning.
Shall we do without schools until the
necessity for subdivision OF the dis
trict shall indicate just where the houses
are to be built? Or is our neighbor SO
we'll prepared to define the metes and
bounds of the future city. as to be able
to state Just where the temple of learn
ing should be situated to not be " thrown
to one sde," when increased popula-
ton shall determine the size and extent
of the several districts he proposes to
make out of the present one? What
reason has he for believing that the
present site will be any more " eligible
than that proposed in our article? 1t
appears to us that the E"hO's cXcep-
tons are captious, and while We believe
its editor to be sincere in his advocacy
of an improvement of orr educational
facilities, we hold that his objections
are puerile, and not sustained by a
shadow of reason.
The same STRUCTURES apply to his as
sumption that the teachers of the Sem
mary would object to the founding Of Il
irst-class graded school, and would
prefer to maintain All independent CON
Germ, on their own responsibility. Now
we take different view of human ma
ture. We believe that school teaching
is regarded by most instructors as mat
ter of business rather than of love, and
that its duties are laborious, and worthy
of adequate remuneration. We believe
that the present very efficient corps Of
teachers in the Seminary would infinite
ly prefer change that would insure
permanency as we'll as thoroughness,
than to remain dependent upon the
county for such aid as it has from time
to time grudsingly bestowed. This
seems to be the view from common
sense standpoint, and we must believe
it to be the proper one until it is con-
tested by something more tangible than
mere assertions unsupported by shad-
ow of reason.
AS the subject is now before the peo-
pie, and the ladies are interested in the
cause, we trust it will be thoroughly
discussed, in the hope that the best
plan may be devised to attain the OBJ
ject. All we ask of the Echo is, that
its editor will put on his thinking cap
before he makes another attempt to in
crease the number of public schools by
discoatinuing those we already have,
and that his objections to the only feas-
IDLE plan yet suggested of. obtaining a
suitable building, shall possess some
degree of plausibility, even if he does
not succeed in throwing any light upon
the means of extrication from the dill.
lemma. We await suggestions. Come
Courier and Transcript, bring your
Websterian lore to bear upon the sub
ject. Come fellow citizens, awaken the
people up on this important subject.
Our columns are at your service.
RETURNED.-Nlr. I. N. Ford has re-
turned from a brief visit to Portland
and Salem. He represents business as
quite brisk throughout the Willamette
valley TN LARGO cb;ps waro in tho