The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-02-18
COMMUNICATIONS.



EpIToR FREENAN-A word TO the wise is some
times very usoful but word to tho unwise is al
ways in order. Therefore my remarks viii not be /
confined to the wise, who do not need them. but (
viii be addressed in particular to the unwise and
foolish.
In looking over the wide field OF education. now |
extending far and wide over our land and within |
the reach of every home and hreside and consider
ing the many school houses with their spires point
ing heavenward from every mountain hill, valley |
and plain and that too in one Of the most favored
lands under the lair canopy OF heaven, Whers edu-
cation Is free to ai-not the school houses Of oden
times, but houses Of beauty. comfort and convent
ence' and so situated that no child has the long
and dreary road Of one, two and even hve miles to
traverse in going to and from the school house, as
IN days gone BY am led TO ask why there are 4
so many more vacant seats in the schootToom of /
to-day than there were in former times? Why is I
neglected by some parentss whose fault that /
some children viii go to school ono day and stay
at homo two, and even more -omctimes-very ire /
quently keeping il up during entire tcrm-and |
when asked by the teacher the cause of their
absence or tardiness, as the case may be. the al
home" or MY iather-told me to do this OF that
or 81 had TO carry water and coal etc or 1T was
too cold'? Very frequently "too scld' has to take
the blame, especially when coasting is good. After
called in tho afternoon these children can be seen
some hillside where they will sled and slide for
hours at 8 time. and never complain of the cold.
The fault is with the parents and with them Is the
I responsibility. They will be held TO account Tor
the ignorance OF their offspring. and when the
! childhood days Of those little ones past and
manhood arrives they viii feel that Injustice has
been done them. Instead Of being able to rank. as
/ they should. among Of even ordinary educa-
cation, they will ind that they are nothing more
than overgrown boys. Then will they realize that
/ ne education which should have been theirs las
been withheld through the careIessness and
glect o. their fathers and mothers and should they
heap curses loud and deep ON the parents who gave
them birth, OF should they mayhap be the means
OF dragging down their gray hairs in sorrow to the
( grave, the parents can certainly not hold them
selves blnmeless. The companions and associates
Of such overgrown boys are of the kind which the
beasts OF the hed could they express their feel
ngs, would utterly repudiatc mt only for the de
baucheres OF the grog shop. Such is indeed the
/ experience OF too many youths grown to uneduca-
( ted manhood. As only education makes the true
his child ths1 well store SSit nId This is the only
fortune that is to abide with him through life
and be OF service to him in any eniergcucy-a for
tune that will not fade and vanish like the rosy
hue en- the cheek Of the fair and blooming lass Of
sixteen but VIII stay with MIN through time and
/ not fass him even beyond the grave. On the other
hand the accumulated wealth of this world will
q. disappear like the snow drift before the parchng
: heat OF a summers sun.
Parents. to your children See that they are
/ in their in the scEOolr0ou every day Of the
. term, and not on the streets from morning till
night, cursing and swearing, it may be. aud learn
ing allsmanner of evil and crime. II is from thC
ranks of such children for the most part that oul
JRfls and pentcntiarieS constantly hlled. &c
ask the convict behind the prison bars why he j!
there. and the almost invariable answer Will be
because ! abseuted myself from my seat in tn,
school-room in boyhood days and because a careless
and neglectful father and mother did not do the
duty toward me they should have done. II wa.
they who allowed me to idleaway my time insteaC
: of employing II in the acquisition OF knowledge
and thro' their fault have beeu.dcprived Of all th
ennobling pleasures OF manhood aud am now reap
ing the harvest of ignorance. In my young q a y
:
dulging in all manner Of mischief return home an,
find not even angry look awaiting Alas
and alas it was because my over-indulgent pa
rents allowed me to do as pleased that now Ian
guish in prison cell. What humiliation it mus
be a fond parent to a child who once tn
idol of his heart and the pride Of his home sur
rounded 10y massive prison Wal--thc result. in al
probability. Of vacant seat in the schooIroor
during his bOYhood. I. J. s
, EDTToR FREENAS-In January last handbiIl
posted up king for bids the proposed ereC
tion Of an addition to the EbensbUrg school house
/ When the several bids were opened, they wer
found to from 81 ,695 up - $50 The SchoC
Directors, at least majority Of them, scoveTe
/ how they could humbug the taxpayers by puttinl
in the article of agreement With the lowest Did
der that the brick used in the building must be al
This new brick idea objected to, for tn
reason that IL was not so demanded in the speCif
cations, but the lowest bidder agreed to bind hin
self TO pat up a good a brick building as theT
> WAS in EbeRsburg; and, more he would bind hin
self in the agreement that the Directors would ge
: from him credit Of 500 10 $500 the contract
interests OF certain Of their tools. and they opene
h Up private letting, with old brick in the cacul,
> tion they had nothing to do with and which the
had heretofore refused to allow to be used. Tn
wouldn't do, either for the reason that the ia,
= payers were beginning to understand their titt
n game and talk about it. and they then fell back
. the new brick idea again. thus giving the too
: aforesaid two shUfiies. The brick intended to I
{ put in the wall 10y the lowest bidder viii o0mpa
l. isvOTabty with any ever manufactured in Eben
4 burg, but that made no difference The Directo
r want to show that they themselves are TunniT
:. the machine. and by so doing they make pa
from $500 $500 (at least S+O0) extra taxes, and
il / Of time in beginning the contract.
Yours, sc, TAXPAYER.