The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-09-01
Township Graded schools.

Township Graded Schools.
At meeting of citizens of FRANKLIN town.
ship, held last Friday at the county su-
perintendent's office, in this city, some in
teresting questions connected with the
school system came up. The purpose of the
meeting was to take action on petitions for
the location and building of two new school
houses in Franklin township 1t seems
that new house is required at Acton. and
another location is striving for the cree
ton of graded township school,
which shall give economical facilities
to the entire township for the
better education of its advanced scholars.
The point is ons of great rmportance,iaud
deserving the careful study of nearly ali
townships in the State in which there is no
large town supplied with high school. The
idea is not new, As long ago as 1866, the
Hon. Newton Bateman, State superintendent
of public instruction in Illinois, made an
earnest and exhaustive argument in favor of
such system of township schools. Briefly.
his plan was this: To make large
districts, say every congressional town.
ship to constitute one district, or where i'm
passable water-courses interviewed, to
modify the boundaries accordingly for the
convenience OF the inhabitants. Near the
center, or at the best location, establish one
school of high grade affording facilities for
fair academic education to such pupils as
were disposedto pass beyond the limited
range of the common branches. The other
schools of this large district were to be
located al such points as to meet the wants
of the young people and to conduct
their education in the common branches to
that point where experience proves that a
large part of the children leave the schools
finally. These distributed schools to be
sufficient in number to fully accommodate
all the families, and to be preparatory for
the central school, to which all should have
an equal right to send scholars who were
prepared to enter its grade. The organiza-
ton of this system involved a more violent
change in Illinois than it would under In
diana law, for there every school district is
independent in its government, and the
township cuts no figure in the
school affairs. There are several
sound arguments in favor of such a scheme,
and il is quite practicable in this State under
the law as it stands, whenever township
can be agreed to adopt it. First, it is eco
nomical. If township contain a hundred
students desiring advanced instruction in
the legal branches, and possibly going lit
tie beyond into higher studies, it is clearly
better to put them together under one or
two competent teachers than to have them
divided up in a dozen schools, receiving in
adequate instruction, and embarrassing the
chances of the mass of children in the lower
grades. 1t is easy to see that this one high
school would be better for the advanced
scholars than the mixed schools as they are,
while the cost of the1ewer grades could be
materially red1ced. The benefit to town
ship of being able to educate its
children fairly at home is very great. The
cost and danger of sending young PEG.
pie from the parental roof are two very
great objections which are becoming more
formidable yearly. But oiten the best schol-
airs by nature are found In the homes of pov-
erty and can not be sent to the best schools
What blessing il COED high school, free
to them, is placed within reach of
their humble homes. The effect of
such a school in township would
be of incaleulable val,le in its
influence upon the educational sentiment
and to awaken the scholarly ambitions of
the young people The dists nee of such a
central school is not an insurmountaole Oh
ection, because the students wo aid be large
enough to walk, and in this country Of
horses riding is not uncommon. 1t is to be |
soped that experiments of this sort will be !
made for the demonstration of VIII at appears |!
o be a good theory. And this is what
township is now striving for, and
what some of her citiEsns said in the meet
ng they will never rest till they have
achieved. aT. tt 4.i