St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-13
ScHoOLS IND TBETR HTsUSEs.

II would seem as II there was no plausible
idiocy of the current time which could not
find some countenance in the public schools.
For one instance, an Ohio man has inaugu-
rated q, scheme which onthe surface looks like
a tolerable subterfuge for swindling.
He visits the schools Of the state with the
authorization Of members Of the board. He
claims that he is collecting funds for an or
phans' home at Mount Vernon, Ohio, and
the inducement is, that If the "Home" is
paid for by school children the title Of il viii
be the "School Children's Orphan Home. {"
This peculiar collector of school children's
money bears the name Of McWerther, which
is, notwithstanding the German spell
ing Of the back part, suggestive
of the Noctes Ambrosianas. The institution
he represents has thirty children, and the
ingenious gentleman with the curious prefix
of Mac forninst the name Of Goethe's hero
Of "Sorrows" afiirms that every one con-
nected with the Home" is under good pay.
His petition for funds, given to each child,
is a mixture of Bible and business.
The project is not endorsed by the sensible
principals and teachers who are skeptical Of
good TO the ''orphans" and object to the levy
on the pupils.
A Bloomfield, Iowa, man tried lately 10 get
an injunction restraining Bible reading and
psalm singing in the public schools where
his children were pupils. His ground was
clause in the state constitution reading:
"No person shall be compelled to attend any
place of worship, or pay taxes for the build
ing or repairing places Of worship" The
supreme court sustained the lower court In
its'refusal of an injunction with the inter
probation, that, albeit he pays a school tax,
such fund is not diverted into building or
repairing places of worship, and that the con-
stitution is not to hinder prayer or religious
service in a public building, but to restrain
any legal enactment which shall compel any
person 10 pay taxes for building or repairing
any places distiDctively meant for worship.
If there was as plausible ground for an in
junction in other school matters, many par
ents would like 10 prevent plays and
drills and superseryiceable elocution, and
eonfne teachers more strictly TO the bust
ness of Legitimate tuition other perhaps than
asking scholars who is the greatest states
man OF the age, which interrogatory Is only
meant to bring forth the teachers own re-
Spouse, in negstion of all other claims, James
G. Blaine. This was In the eighth grade Of
the Madison school. 1t is not a robust indi-
cation of intelligent progress when two well
grown lads in the Webster school are asked
to use the words "choseD" and 'chose'' and
each one only voices the word to give vent
TO political retaliation. The verbal test is
not so very far removed from the stage of
the triangular garments mentioned by Does
ticks as peculiar to children in an undevel-
oped state and unless we have
some sufiicing indications Of scholarship
rather than juvenile political partisanship,
the phenomena Of school children as poll
ticians before they know the rudiments, with
partisan ''steerers'' for teachers are not
quite corroborative OF public belief in the
wise intent and integrity of the public school
system.