Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-12-19
MININ G JOU RN \ L.
]. Ii. ODER. Editor.
FRosTBURG, DECEMBER 10, 1874.

mented by three heavy resolutions
offered by the presiding officer, Mr.
Gender, at the recent session of the
School Board. Out Of courtesy, per
haps, to the authors prominence as an
officer of the board, the resolutions
"were adopted, in common with two
others, making exactly five-slxths of
the whole number introduced and
carried in the same way, whatever
that way is, At any rate the presl-
dency of the School Board is evident
ly big thing, and, as is her custom,
Cumberland has it. What is more
fortunate for her, she uses it spiritedly
and proftably through one of her nu
merous loyal corps of official citizens
This fact suggests the probable super
fluffy of the rural commissioners,
even though it were not borne out by
the presidential declaration that their
districts are to a great extent sup
Piled Hence, Cumberland is adroit-
lv put forward as hitherto neglected.
and as now entitled to turn at the
wheel of school progress-to the tune
of sixteen thousand more But we
quote the preface and resolutions from
the Times report:
Mr.. Gonder called the attention of the
board to the fact that there were at least
fourteen hundrc children of school going
age in the city of Cumberland and there was
lily accommodation for six hundred. In
view of this fact it became necessity for
this board to take into consideration the sup
plying of this want and that the present
is prc-eminently the time to move in the
matter, seeing the rural districts were to II
great extent, supplied. He therefore offered
the following resolution which was adop
ted:
Res0lred, That this board take immediate
steps to have a school house built on the
west side of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road in the city of Cumberland and that
they issue their obligations for sum not cX-
ceeding sixteen thousand dollars OF as much
thereof as may be necessary to procure a
site, and the erection of Il suitable building
for public school to Accommodate the pupils
there resident Also
Resolred, That said obligations be issued
in cuch amounts as may be found praCtca-
bic, payable in two, three four and five years.
bearing interest from date of issue. Also
Resoloed, That said obligations be used for
no other purpose, and only SO much thereof
to be issued as may bc necessary for the OBJ
jects heretofore Indicated and that the com
mittce on school houses and sites proceed to
procure a lot and also to publish for propo-
sails to build said house according to the
plans that may hereafter be adopted by this
Board, as soon as possible.
Without speaking for others of the
rural DISTRICTS we are sure Cumber-
land is not alone in the deplorable des-
titution above depicted, nor more de-
serving of relief than some others, I'M
less Frostburg is luckily not reckoned
among the "rurals.' Proceeding on
the improbability of being regarded as
Il city suburb, Notwithstanding the
vast deposits of ~"Cumberland coal"
exactly beneath our feet, we venture
a few Frostburg Public School figures
trusting to the teachers reports for
attestation:
Average attendance Fall Term, 1s74....4s3
Total enrolment, .....5S'
There are now over 600 enrolled
with about the same average attend
ance. And after the. holidays these
figures will be largely augmented
All these in building erected to &C
commodate an average attendance of
only three hundred and fifty pupils ?,
in other words Frostburg is nearly
half supplied with school sittings.-
Using Cumberland s ratio we find 'our
school going population reaches quite
seven hundred, an estimate, too, which
is amply indicated By the present en-
rolment. Some put the figure higher,
regardless of comparison. At any
rate it is plain Frostburg is at least
nearly as badly off as poor Cumber
land, and worse off in that we do not
possess the presidency Of the board to
champion our wants,
1t is needless now to ask, perhaps,
why these hard times are "pre-emi-
nently' the occasion for loading SIX
teen thousand dollars on the county ?
these one, two, three and five year
mortgages on our taxable resources >
all this for an excessive outlay in
Cumberland, when her assessment
does not warrant it, compared with
the section which pays the taxes? If,
however, there are rational grounds
for favorable replies, why not be liber-
al enough to include the acres of I'M
developed intellect up here, longing
for hospitable elbow-room under the
benehcent ngas of the wide-spreading
branches of the tree Of knowledge p
Why cabin all the opportunities of the
oountv material and intellectual in