The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-04-05
For the pemocratic Advocate.
BOOK FEES.
TEACHER KINDLY CONSIDERS IAN Ex-TEAcH-
ERisn CRITICISM.

ER's" CRITICISM.
san Ex-Teacher' thinks have admitted
too much. If have made big blunder, you
might be sure it was by admitting too much.
| am always afraid of appearing too hard on
any one, or too strongly influenced the one
way or the other Now | wish all to under
stand that | am opposed to the petition as the
the petition stands; but | am willing to give
it all the merit it possesses-to show its good
side as well as its bad side, even if it does
make my ''logicn seem i'll. The ''art of rea-
soning'i may not be my special gift; but l am
more fully convinced, since reading my oppo-
nent, that the book-fee system, as it is at
present, is better than if the petition had been
granted. Yet, if An Ex-Teacher will consci-
ously send out some of the "volume of COM
ments," or give us the full tenth, the ''tithe
of the unanswerable arguments which he
has in reservation for those who, from his
opinion, |, even |, with host of others, may
be able to see as he sees.
But must not misrepresent my opponent.
He claims to have a store ''of unanswerable
arguments that can be given for the total
abolition of all public school book fees as they
are made to operate in Carroll county" But
he has not given any argument in favor of the
petition. He does not claim that he has any
unanswerable arguments in favor of the pc
tition.
My opponent very courteously admits that
it is only with difficulty he can see how some
of my arguments touches the question. am
glad he can see it, even though it be difficult
to see. 1t might have been less difficult if
had not (by mistake) sent the uHcOTTected
manuscript to the ADVOCATE.
My opponent quotes me as regards the law
providing trustees to exempt the book fees,
repeats my question: 'Can anything be
more fair?'' and then he says, ''Perhaps not,
if the ''three disinterested men" were always
present, always ready to do their duty, and
always conversant with every circumstance,
| etc.
Allow me! Why should we say perhaps
Those men are under obligations to meet-be
present at the time necessary, and if they will
not attend to duty, what then? WHAT'S done
with others who fail to fill contract? Does
the law bind a man to accept the position as
trustee? Be that as it may, believe that if
a man accepts the appointment, he is then
bound to sustain it.
1t is not necessary to be conversant with
euery circumstance in order to exempt. Trus-
tees live in the district and have but little diff
| fculty to Judge of the ability of patrons. |
| hear of instances where trustees have
sent the papers exempting without being asked
TO do so,
My respected sympathetic opponent be-
lieves that generally those for whom the
allowance was made would allow their chill
dren to grow up in ignorance before they
would go bowling to the trustees, perhaps in
the presence of the schoolmates of their own
poor though spirited children, and there beg
for charity when school books might be doled
out to them y
Now, suppose | should admit that, the same
argument can be brought against free schools.
There are men who live above their means,
men who dress and fare above their weather.
neighbors, and these "Spirited though poor
people are too proud to send to well kept
public schools, and for want of means to edU-
cate any other way will allow their children
to grow up in MISUNDERSTANDING them up
in ruinous pride; i. e., false pride! have IL
heart to sympathize with pupils of all classes;
but that sympathy will not induce me to seek
to sustain any one in false pride. How this
country will be improved in many respects il
we ever get system of compulsory education
that can be made to work right
/ am willing to show every fairness; but
cannot see that it should be necessary to have
trustees transact business in the presence OF
the pupils of school. If my respected OPP
ponent and fellow-teachers have been accus-
toned to have such business attended to in
school, then | am an exception. L never
could see the propriety of such course.
| am accused of trotting out 'the WOLF to
frighten." Well, if trot out the wolf, he is
able to stand the test and shoe his row."
But my tender hard hearted opponent has
dragged the poor, spirited, timid, suffering
little child (who has nothing to do in the
affair into the region of cross-fire! VIII!
should he ''trot out" such hobby?
1t is not necessary for any one to beg al
exemption or beg charity in the presence o
his O,rn spirited children. l am unable t.
see just hop the pupils of school should fnC
out who pays book fees and who does not
Have pupils of well-regulated school an
excuse to examine the teachers report or tn
( register either? Surely no teacher that ha
self-respect would make himself so small a
to make such business public unnecessarily
fail to see how it could interest the public
'Free books for free schools seems GOO
logic" but in this case it is only in the seem
ina A TEACHER.