The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-07

last BcnoOl year was x, H,oUS, and the aVf
erage daily attendance 2,14C. Thus will
It be seen that there are, usually, more
than 1000, and never less than 700 va
cant seats In the school houses
In the First Ward school house there
are said tobe 100 or more vacant seats
and one or two unfurnishel rooms. This
school building Of itself Is amplef for Ihe
entire school going population Of both
the First and Second Wards. And were
these two Wards united as one sub-dis-
trict, as they well might be, there would
be no necessity, whatever, for the proposed
lnew school house in The Second Ward
But" say the Second Wardcfs, Z" I'VE
pay school tax, and because, iorsooth, We
arc permitted 10 exist as separate
Ward, we are entitled 10 separate school
privileges and we are not disposed TO
send our children into another Ward to
school he the accommodation ever so
ample, And then our poor children
would have 30 far to go. Those in the
lower end oi the ward would have nearly
six squares TO go. 1t matters not that
some Of US do send our little girls way
oyer to the Female College, and that the
walk Is for them healthlu recreation {;
butBto compel these poor children to
walk four or five squares 10 school would
be sinful. They don't need the exercise
nor recreation. To such irresistible
logic has the Board Of Educa.
tion suCcumbed, aud u tax paying
constituency are 10 be bled TO the extent
Of $40, 1000 or thcreabout, for all improve
ment not needed. but simply Tor the gYdti.
fcation Of a local prejudice! Liberallty (Y)
truly Well may 1t challenge parallel
d thousand vdcant seats and fgs hundred
more to be added heretoU And with
what very remarkable unanImity, too,
this matter has been carried through the
Board Of EducatiOnl 1t Is said that only
one member has had the Sudacity, the
temerity, tostand out against the measure
from It's inception, on the ground that 1t
Is an uncalled for and useless sQuandering
OF the peoples money; and that one or
two other members expressed themselves
as not fully satisfied that there exists any
necessity whatever for this Improvement,
but yielded TO the opportunities Of the
members from Madison ed and 7th
Wards) sub.district, SO lar as TO vote for
the purchase oil the $4,000 site; not,
however, until pledge was given on the
part OF the Madison members that only q
building sufficient for y primary school
for the Second Ward would be demanded,
and that there would be no grasping for
the possessions Of their honest, though
mol ansuSpecting neighbors How we'll
this pledge has been kept the sequel
shows.
For the facts herein set lorth, 80 lar as
they relate TO attendance in the schools,
the writer derives his information from
the reports which have appeared from
month to month, and from the official rec.
ords. For the statement with regard to
the number of slttings In the school
buildings proper, his Information comes
In part from other sources entirely reli-
able. The figures will not be questioned.
For spreading these facts before the
public at this particular time. circum.
stances furnish sufficient Justification,
and "Old Commissioner" holds himself
responsible to public sentiment tor the
act.
The cause Of education is one which he
has ever had at heart, and there is no man
who would sacrifice more in order to ele.
vate the public schools ofWheeling, and
place them on standard in point Of effi-
cheney with the best in the country. But
he candidly admits his utter inability to
see how this object Is 10 be accomplished,
or in the slightest degree promoted by
the building OF school houses at the cost
of tens Of thousands Of dollars, while there
are now sufficient accommodations In the
houses already built for thousand more
children than attend the schools, By q
proper distribution Of the school popula.
tion oil the city, which can readily be et.
fected by Iudicious divisions OF the city
into sub'districts, irrespective Of Ward
lines, there would be no necessity Tor new
school houses for at least ten years to
come. The Board Of Education has full
power under the LAW, and 1t Ia made q
DUTY Of this body to divide the district OF
Wheeling into convenient sub. districts,
having reference 10 the school houses al.
ready built" etc. But more anon.
CID COMMISSIONER: