, 1877-06-02

becomes straight. You may succeed in
lifting its branches and leaves from the
ground, but 1t is dctormed still, and its
fruit stunted. Don't hacklc the vine all
to pciccs by too much pruning Dead
branches alone need he cut away. Better
have no teacher or preacher than poor
ones, The poor one may do II HHte good
and vast amount of evil. Our clerks,
mechanics, common laborcr, choppers,
swamprrs and eX teamsters command
better wages than most Of our teachers.
If our logs are not carefully started and
run they will not fetch up right at the
mouth of the river or the mill. Start
our children wrong, and their lives may
fatally terminate in sorrow, the penilen.
tiary or premature death. Often are the
see. ofS,oral and physical death igno-
ranty sown in the school room. We
are all teachers. bypreccpt and example
MS well as those who follow it for II pro.
iession. With few exceptions there is
hardly an occupation OF life so beggcrly
enumerated. Reference is made to no
particular school, teacher or Clergyman
They. all over the Territory. Our
school rooms are over crowded, aud
teachers over worked. We are making
little preparation Tor an increase OF pu-
pills. Emigration is increasing. Fam
lies with children are coming to crowd
our school rooms still more. Every
dollar that can be raised by taxation,
subscription or credit Should be expcnd.
ed on our public schools.
Snohomish City is the cSpitoi of the
county. People from abroad will nuy
our town lots, build and settle here or
near here, if we make our school system
what it should be. Long ago the fact
was recognized, that large cities are no
places to bring up children. The very
atmosphere reeks with corruption and
vice. Within Il radius of fifty miles
around all our eastern cities, have sprung
up villages and towns, peopled by those
who have removed out OF town to raise
their families. Their school houses are
rs conspicuous as their churches. They
are models in architecture, neat, airy and
roomy within, with ample ground at
tached. Seattle is destined to become
the great metropolis o! the north west.
Soon she will be looking for some quiet
town, with good schools in which to ed
ucate her children. Our communica-
tion with Seattle sample. flour schools
are on proper basis we cannot fail to
attract attention from Abroad, What is
to hinder our town from becoming, il we
do our duty, the Harvard, Oxford, Yale
or Burkely of the northwest Money
ought not to be considered. We must
curtail expenses, fare less sumptuDusly
and dress less expensiyely,
School houses must be built and good
teachers employed. We are taxed less
here than any Of our sister districts: but
in proportion to scholars and money,
we are the poorest represented. We
have done much but the work still press
es. The want is perpetually returning
phost IN it will not down. We have
advanced since our fathers time. W.
shall fail in our duty to the rising gen.
Grafton if we do not furnish them with
facilities for advancing beyond our pres
ent intellectual standpoint. The plead
ing lips and eyes of our children mutely
appeal to us tor more room and purer
air; more teachers and better text books.
Parents, they also plead for you to come
to them-to the school room-breath the
sir-try the hard benches,-to come as
they do-come at all hours and all kinds
of weather. Don't console yourself with
the reflection that you have done your
whole duty by delegating your personal
responsibility to teacher, the trustees
and the superintendent. You are indi
vidually responsible still. Can't you
come even if it is not exhibition day, so
you can be amused5 1t is your duty to
look after teacher, trustees and superin-
tpndent and the little ones too By