The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-01-03

Dose OF erecting liner onesi thAt eacn year
additional studies are put in the school cur
ricnlum, that the school law is frequently
violated ia several respects and altogether that
we have been fo0lishly, even reckessly ex'
pending the peoples money.
This Board should never fear to have the
people, whose money we exRend, to know
The truth, but in the speech OF our ex-mem
Der they have not got the truth. On the con
trary, il utterly fails to give TO the public
correct information touching the points dis
cussed. That this statement Is true pro
pose, by permission OF the Board, to show.
SOME MEASUREMENTS CORRECTED.
The Doctor makes the assertion that IL
1865 each sub.district "had school house
capable OF supplying the wants OF our school
children for many subsequent years. and thai
since that period have been erected seven
new school houses ut o total cost Of $780,
$40 40. II this statement Is intended for any
purpose, 1t is intended 10 show that these
buildings were not necessary, since the ca
pacity OF tho school buildings in 1855 far ex'
ceeded the necessities OF that period. Lei
US look at facts.
We have not been abIc 10 find the total en-
rollment OF pupils prior to the year 1872, when
II reached 1850. The present enrolment Il
4,SS2 In other words, we require ,O32 more
determining the seating capacity OF The
buildings In use In 1855, but no one will
claim that they had any spare room wher
they were torn down; certainly then they
could not, II now standing, supply the pres
ent pressing necessities. have been inform
cd 6y old members OF the Board that in the
First Fourth, Sixth and Eighth wards tn.
old buildings were entirely insufficient ID
size, and that some OF them instead OF being
Substantial structures" asrepresented, were
almost ready TO tumble down. ID
The Third and Eighth wards. Perhap!
this was not the case.
The present buildings arc certainly much
more capacious, with one or two exceptions
than those which they have displaced, and
vet In the First and Sixth wards new
rooms have been recently fitted up in the
easements, while in the Fourth, Seventh
and Eighth wards rooms apart from the
school buildings, have been used for months
and are positively required.
A word as to the character OF our new
buildings. It is represented that In The
erection OF our new school houses, "arch
tectural style, imposing outward appear
ancc, splendid furniture and equipments
have supplauted plainness, durability, ETC. y
The facts arc that the buildings In the First
Sixth, Seventh and Eighth wards, are almost
US plain as can well be constructed from
brick and MORTAR only In the Third, Fourth
and Fifth has any beauty OF design been
ipys has certainly not been impaired by the
~ ed beauty OF exterior. As regards fnrni
ture and equipments, the Board has very
correctly taken the position that the best Il
always the cheapest,
The next charges that neutrality-suspicious.
Board, SUPERINTENDENT, Principal or Teacher
Is not indicated-is grossly violating oul
school law, by admitting TO the schools
"abOut twenty two per cent. OF the tota
number in Division d, under school age
During the past two years have frequently
VISITED the different schools OF the cityfand
NAV modestly claim to have been In Clay
school. which DR.. Hildreth and myself botl
represent, at least six times as frequently as
he. was with him in both Clay and Union
schools when he made his alleged inyestiga
ton, and felt at the time that his estimate 81
the number OF pupilsunder six years OF are
was absurdy high, but through respect fol
his advanced years and long experience In
school matters, RETAINED from C0pIbAtinl
his peculiar ideas on this point, Since hi.
statement has been given TO the public, how
ever, II is proper that this Board should
know the opinion formed as the. result OF my
examination, which Is that In Clay schoo
1.-THE other Commissioners can speak for theil
own schools) there are not to-day foul
children under six years old. doubt II thert
are half that number. The principle OF TIT
school md the teacher Of the lowest room
believe there 10 aotons.
POINT or AGREEMENT.
l am glad to be able to agree fully In TIT
wisdom Of the next proposition which my
ex-colleague presents, namely, that no child
should he admitted TO school under sever
years OF sge; and my views have long agt
tnken practical turn. At the regular meet
Ing OF the Board held January 10 1882, thu
Legislature being then In session, offered O
resolution that the Board mamorialiZe tina
body TO change our school law 10 the aboyt
effect. presented to. the Board the opinion
Of almost every teacher in the city, ninety
percent Of whom thought that the chang
could be made with advantage to the pupil
themselves. This resolution was referred L
the Committee on Teachers and Schools
which reported at the next meeting that thu
proposed change In the school age wa
deemed "inexpedlentn My esteemed 'col
league was present when that report va
presented, but uttered no word on the sub
Iect pro or con. That was time when re
form has practicable, because the PROPOSE
ton had taken definite shape, but our ex
member seems 10 have preferred, for soml
unknown reason, to defer action until III,
last month OF his official existence. trust
however, that these parting words may yc
stimulate the Board TO geoure the change
suggested. In the speech OF my friend TIL
Doctor, occurred the following objection
have beep made by many OF our best citizen.
that our grammar schools have been graded
up to course Of instruction equal 10 OH
colleges, and lack only the introduction o.
Latin and Greek TO be their competetors'
Let us see how near to the truth this state
ment comes. The following 10 q li2t Of stud
les taught in our neighboring college O.
Washington which are not taught In on
schools, viz. ancient geography, latin
greek, FRENCH, hebrew, Rngl0.saxon. Bib
lical geography, higher algebra, analytica
&C om0try, trigOn0metry, mensuTation, cont
sections, calcnluS political economy, highcl
physics. analytical chemistry, logic, menta
philosophy, Buffers analogy, astronomy
botany, zoology, geology, mineralogy, com
paratye ph!lOlogy &c, &C., &c.
The public 10 next presented with what Il
called "our present list OF tsEt books In thu
Grammar department as follows Physiology
Philosophy, Chemistry, Algebra, Rhetoric
Science OF Government, Physical Geography
Geometry, (thus far correctj, German (entire
ly optional with the pnpill, Y. s, Constitu
tlon (only part Of the book, Science o.
Government, already namely while no sucl
Doctors list, are required to be studied BIZ
nur punttS, Orawfnp GymnasticS proponnr