The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1879-06-12

public taxation IL the needed recognition
which capital is in duty bound to pay to IL
Dor. Ignorance does not know what !
stands most in need OF, and cannot be expect
ed to discover and apply the right means TO
its own amelioration. The ignorant under
stand very impcrfcctly the relation of educa
ton TO power. and the poor are too clOscl.
pursued by immediate necessities to appl!
the far-seeing policy Of investing their small
earnings in the education of their children
The era or childhood is the era of capitalizins
physical and mental force for manhood.
When schools and thheir necessary proyis
ions are neglected the youth lay in capita
Of Of evil propensitids, narrow superstition'
and depraved tastes.
When the schools are properly provided fol
the youth who attend them convert into cap
ital fund Of scientific knowledge and habit,
Of industry, punctuality and obedience to
rule. This difference can be measured by
dollars and cents, and seen in the value Of
real estate investments, as well as also by the
high moral standards usually applied
to determine the results of civilization
and culture. Statistics widely collected by
the National Bureau OF Education give the
testimony OF experience in different parts OF
the country as to the increase in value which
a common school education gives to labor.
The simple ability to read and write and make
arithmetical calculations insures an average
Of twenty-five TO fifty per cent. better wages
than are given to illiterate laborers. The
complete common school education adds from
fifty to one hundred per cent. to the wages.
40
powers. Among the rights of men are life,
liberty and the pursuit OF happiness" and
the great charter Of American liberty declares
ITO secure these rights governments are in
stituted among men, This is the fundamen
tai principle in every one Of our State govern
ments. The right TO live the right TO secure
property the right 10 personal liberty the
right to secure happiness; the right of con-
science and TO worship God. are among the
rights sought 10 be secured by the State gov
crnment OF Kansas. These rights cannot be
secnred except through wisdom and knowl-
edge. Ignorance and vice take life, steal
property, destroy happiness, and thus re-
strain liberty hence ii is not only the right
OF the people to educate themselves, but their
duty to do so. The highst craftsmanship
recognized the fact that We must educate or
the experiment of self-goverDment will prove
Il failure.
No one can fail to discern the duty Of our
people to DO that which Is so necessary TO
their advancement, TO the highest degree OF
and to the most perfect ci.iliza-
ton. Mans prosperity depends not only up
on his own intelligence, but to an equal de-
gree upon the intelligence OF those around
him. and he il thus nececarily interested III
the mental and moral culture and condition
in which he lives and of which he Is part,
and that he derives an advantage from every
agency that iifluses intelligence among the
MASSES. The chief agency i'll this work OF
is the public schools. hence II
Is that all men, the high and the low. the rich
and the poor. those who have children and
those who have none, ought to give their
united support and encouragement.
CONDITION OF DEPARTMENTS.
Ina majority of cases we have found the
condition of the classes of the several depart
ments TO be quite satisfactory. both as re-
CARDS discipline and instruction. The uni
form obedience and attention Of the pupils,
the neatness OF their personal appearance,
their readiness to oblige and their easy man
uer in the presence Of visitors. whether
strangers or school officers, certainly reflects
great credit upon the teachers Of the grades
and shows that their efforts are directed not
only to the intellectual instruction oil their
pupil, but to their training in other impor-
iant respects. believe that one OF the most
valuable results of our public school system
is the elcyating influence which is thus
brought TO bear upon the children OF our
city, by a corps of cultured and refined teach
ers TO induce habits Of order, prOmptness.
neatness, obedience and sclf-respcct, habits
which cannot fail to make them better and
happier in their future lives.
ATTENDANCE OF Pupils.
While the per cent. Of attendance for the
year is by no means poor, believe II to be
far more irregular than it should be. The
teachers do all in their power TO remedy this
defect but many parents who could and
should do most to abate this evil really do
next to nothing. Indeed, pupils who desire
very sincerely TO avoid tardincss and absence
are often detained by parents and employers
for the most frivolous reasons. We have
asked that parents send written excuses stat
ipg the cause. or that the pupil was nccessa-
rily detained by the parent, thus showing the
pupjl that the teacher is familiarwith Their ca
son for his irregular attendance. we ask tor
the cause or reason not that we wish to pry
into or falniiarZc ourselves with the domes-
tic Affairs of every household. but rather that
these excuses may mean something TO the
pupil and enable us to give due credit to the
worthy yet unavoidably irregular attendant
Yet in most cases We fell to get more than the
form of an excuse. viz:
please excuse Johnny. Yours truly,
MRs. JNo. BROWN"
And in the majority Of cases this Is the best
form. a the reasons for the child's absence
are so trivial that they would look bad upon
paper: besides this is a simple, non-glve-
away STYLE, and i'm a leisure hour a number
can he written. tied up in neat little bundles,
and produced ON demand. The irregular at
tendant compares his lack of progress with
the rapid advancement Of those who come
rcoul,rIy and lose none of the instruction
given i'm their classes. and the result Is dis
gust with himself first, and with the school
next: then comes in regular order hardness.
frea,,en; absence, and finally total absence
All this mischief, with resulting evils, might
he avoided il parents wouia recognize this
school work rs cooperative work not ON!
il as such but conduct themselves
as though they were equally rs much inter-
csted i'm the welfare OF their children as they
expect the teacher TO be. Hos m4iny parents
study with care the reports sent nome! How
How many parents have visited the school
during the year? \ small minority. Yet
how many parents have talked, as il were
of the situation. criticised
the course pursued by this and that teacher:
\ large majority.
SANITARY CONDITIONS.
The American tendency Ia towards an eX-
ce,siye development OF the nervous compared
with the other elements of the human body.
To enlarge the brain and thereby widen the
scope of mental power appears to be tue
great wish of those interested III the educa-
lion of our children. This development of
the mental in excess Of the physical induces
an undue cxcitabiity of the nervous system
with Il constant drain upon the vitality and
shortening of the average duration OF lie. As
!: people we live fast and our race Il soon run
4 { care were taken To develop the physical n
well as the mental powers, so that i'll youth
there might be harmony of growth, the
result in wears to come would be grand i'll the
extreme We would be nation of inte!lec-
iual giants with bodies capable of sustaining
the mind under the pressure OF the greatest
excrtion. The cultivation and care OF the
physics constitution, the foundation upon
which life's superstructure Is buildod. should
constitute Il par, of this great work. Pure
air l. natures free gift to every child and one
of the great essentials To both physical and
mental health and vigor. To insure this tue
perfect ventilation of the school room Is the
first requisite and should be zealously looked
after by our Boards. Merely raising aud
lowering the wiadow sash Is not sufficient.
buf facilities for the ingress OF pure air and
the egress Of foul. poisonous air. should be
provided uniur one experienced in such
matters. proper heating apparatus should
be placed in every school building OF such
as will insure ~ nearly Is posi-
BILE an equal temperature in ali parts Of the
room. The present arrangement Of our
buildings are such that by The stove pipes
passing the entire length os the room and
lust above the heads of the children the To-
suit is that the children are almost constantly
Of an overhested head while the
feet are damp aud cold. Many young persons
hrye laid the foundation nf disease and pre-
mature death IN the schoulfooh,. They have
been compelled TO sit in damp clothing with
feet wet and cold at time when the: are
susceptible 10 disease. 4 little iudieious
care, management. proper proper provision
might SAKE these dear ones TO their families.
to society and 10 the world. Cleanliness in
and about the school rooms IL another item of
vital Importance When the walls are green
with the accumulated dust and impurities Of
years the cracks and crevices are seethIng