The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-11-03
Trarelsr,' Guide.
gheQHtelEigsuter
COMPULSORY EDUCATION"
&C INUSIcATIoN PROM sUPRRNTBND
ENT WILLIAMS,
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&C MMUNIcGTIoN PROM sUPRRNTBNr
ENT WILLIAMS.
3.ossof The IntelliEeneG:
With the views expressed IN your arti
al. In the INTELLI0RNCER Of Friday last
la1.rthe above caption, am disposed 4
c.gcur In the main. And am sure tina
yg,y ieT, il any, among the more promi,
rea, educators Of the country would difieI
VIII You. But it is not my purpose q
this time to discuss the subject Of obliga.
tow education. Much has been said anC
written upon the subject within the las
three or IOur years; but the discussion hal
been il the main confined TO Teachers
Conventions and Associations or Schoo
lJGEaals, and the reports Of city and State
SlpeiIntendents Of schools. By far The
ms, able andexhaustive argument which
hiss ever appeared on the question may bG
nad in the ninth Biennial Report OIL
TIE Superintendent OF Public Instruction
b, tie State OF Illinois" II Is from the
1!elt pen Of Hon. Newton BatemAn, the
.adetAIigAbls Superintendent, who has no
superior as writer upon educational
topics. II would be well II the newspaper
editors oil the country could be induced to
reproduce Superintendent Bateman's con.
V.uclng argument in his own glowing
.aGslsge. The result would no doubt be
revolution Of public sentiment in favor
@. avs ITO secure 10 children their right
70 good common school education"
But, as before stated, 1t Is not my pur-
D5se now TO discuss this question.
desire only to call attention TO q portion
o. your article, which may, il not ex-
planned, be calculated 10 create an erro-
ueous impression with regard 10 the at
tendance in the schools Of this city. Your
ayures showing the attendance as COM
p.;et with the enumeration Of youth are
perhaps sufficiently correct for tie general
statement OF the matter which il was
yclr purpose 10 present. But what l fear
and | may be too sensitive upon this
points that your readers may be led 10
s4ppoae that the disparity between the
enrolment in the schools and the emu
merstion or whole number Of peIsons Of
awful school age, residing II, the district,
Is inordinstely large. Let US seeA In
Jlly, 1873, the number Of persons "be-
tween six aud twenty.one years OF age"
in the the school district Of Wheeling was
5000 or theresbout. The average en-
tgl.ment in the schools during the year
which followed was 2,1SS, or nearly one
.6rd tho enumeration. Ia July last
lisIi) the number between six and TWEEN
" one years Of age was found TO be 8 OILS.
TIE enrolment In the schools during Sep.
tember was q few more than one-third
o, this number. So that ordinarily about
yne,third OF those Of lawful school age
residing in the city may be found in the
public schools The number Of different
names entered upon the school registers
10 the course Of year, spproximates one.
hal. the enumeration. The names oil iull
400 pupils Were,Iegistered'duriDg the last
year. The average was, however, only
shout One-third the enumeration, as stat
ed. Now, at first thought, it may seem
surprising that so few, compared with
the whole number OF school age, are to
be- found in attendance al the public
schools But when all circumstances are
considered, it will be seen that the Wheel
ing schools present record in this re-
gard, Of which her citizens need not be
ashamed. Il should be considered that
Wheeling is largely a manufacturing
town, and hundreds, yes thousands other
youths are taken from school at an early
age, ssy IL or - years, and put 10 work
in the mills and factories. The whole
number under 81 years Of age, thus en-
pl0yed, together with those put to other
occupations, will be found to approx
iml;e one-third the entire number OF law.
iul school age. 1t is probable too, that
from 1000 10 1900 may be in attendance
81 private and psroehisl schools, Again,
il must be considered that very few at.
tend school after they are 10 years OF age
There are perhaps not % In all the pub
lie schools who are above 10 years OF
sge.
10 view Of oil these circumstances, 1t
might be said that the Wheeling schools
present o very favorable record in the
matter under consideration.
The inquiry will be likely to suggest
itself, how do the schools Of Wheeling
compare with those Of other cities in the
mstIer OF attendance? may answer "a.
vorsbly. In Cincinnati the number OF
youths OF lawful school age is upwards oil
100000, while the average enrolment in
the schools is only about 20,O00-or less
than one.tiIlh the enumeration. In St,
Louis, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, In
dAnspolls, Louisville and numerous other
cities, Est and West, the ratio Of average
enrolment to total enumeration Is about
a. one TO four. In q few, as Baltimore,
Columbus, Toledo, Newport, ST. Paul,
and Pittsburgh. the ratio stands with that
Of Wheeling, about as one 10 three. In q
very lev cities, as Boston, Springfield,
ILL.,, New Haven, Worcester, the average
enrolment in the schools reaches nearly
one half the enumeration. This is better
than We can do.
|! must DO said, however, that the
schools Of al other cities possess one very
decided advantage over the Wheeling
schools. They have the browning feature
OF the High School, through the reflex
stimulus Of which many pupils are Undue
ed to continue longer in the Grammar
and intermediate schools, and to take 8
deeper interest in their school work, with
a view Of qualifying Themselves to entel
upon the high School course.
Do NOT, l pray you, Mr.. Editor, corsid
er that have written the foregoing in I
captious or tSult.fnding spirit. hsvI
not. I concur with you, IS stated, in you
well expressed views upon the subject o
Compulsory Education" ard in you
reference 10 the Wheeling schools you
statement and figures are sufficiently &C
cGrsIe and 10 the point, so lar as they re
isto 10 the matter which you were discuss
ing. Respectfully Yours,
F. 8. WILLIAMS.
RstsIing, Nor. ID, 1874.