The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-02-17
Gbe Gintes, Nrp BluonrfelO, lDa.
For the Bloomfield Times
VIZ, .r,tsrrrr, Tfot 1Ot,. 1921


Mr.. Editor Since change, improvement
and reform is agitating our country from
stem to stern, it may not be amiss to point
out what change would be or the greatest
interest to the public in general. To ex-
plain myself let me take the reader back to
the forepart of the present century, when
our sisters and mothers were the sole
manufacturers of what we all wear, when
the hum of the spinning-wheel and clatter
of the loom was heard in almost every
house. And when we boys in our home
spun, were content at our work, clearing
off new land, threshiDg rye with the fail,
or tramping wheat with the oxen or horses.
In those days there was not much time al
lowed for the young folks to attend school.
A man of family Of ten or a dozen chill
dren would scarcely ever subscribe for
more than two scholars to q school term.
And then the children would take turns
with each other, two going one week, two
others the next week. and two others still
the following week, and so on thus each
scholar would get only about three weeks
schooling each season. We also had
teachers then who could read, write and
cipher to about the middle of the old book
called Pike, to their praise be it said they
could however, control school well. The
scholars generally learned fast, and some
would in two weeks advance from the al
phabet to reading, while others would
work half way through the book of arith-
metic in one season, with the before men,
toned advantages. Scholars were kept
close to their studies, no running in and
out was allowed, and the schools were an
swering their purposes in their rude man
ner, and here and there good scholar
sprung up.
Now we will take glance over the sur
face Of the present, when our school system
is improved to supposed perfection. Our
ponderous machinery, from state superin-
tendent, down to county superintendent,
and boy teachers, with high salaries and
what not else, load down the tax payers
until he would as well convey his whole
property over to the school department.
And yet go where you will, or when you
will, you see groups of scholars outside of
the house at play so that it is almost i'm
possible to tell when the school hours are.
Go inside modern school, and you see the
smallest as well as the largest scholars with
states making pictures and what else we
can't tell, while their books are laid aside
from one recitation to another. Now under
this tmproged system it requires child
from two to three school terms, of four
months each, to learn to read, but this is
reform and improvement against which we
are not allowed to say the least. Now the
improved state of our common school sys-
tenn reminds me of one of the improve
ments which was made to some water
works, man had for the purpose of sup
plying his stock with water. In the con
struction of the water works the builder
made the pump, to make one stroke per
minute, but upon trial it was found that it
did not furnish the required amount of
water. An expert was then employed to i'm
prove the works, and give the pump twenty
strokes per minute, and when he had his
job completed, the pump made one stroke
in twenty minutes and this is much the
way with the improvements in our schools.
Now as l am not much of dictator, 1
will leave the planning to others more wise
than |, and do hope that my brother tax
payers will agitate this question until there
are such changes made in our school sys-
tenn as will insure reform. One thing is
plain to many, that our schools have been
making retrograde movement until they
are mere sham, and heavy burden to
TAXPAYERS