The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-11-12
OUR UNION SCHOOL SYSTEM,

per Read Icy 4, McGugor before the
Canton Lyooum Friday Evening, Novcm-
Der 9TH
"0nr Union School syslem" ls an ex.
tensiye and important subject, too muCh
30 10 more than touch upon In tweHty
minutes,
II lsa "system" that should interest
oil good cltiZenei and about taxpaylng
time IL apt TO awaken Interest In those
who understand the school proportion.
In 1917 special school law was pa sed
for the town OF Akron, al owing tho poo
pie thereof 10 0rgani2a "Uni0n School"
II was something new and attracted NJ
tentiOn, Other towns followed and soon
q general law was passed allowing auy
village or town to come IN by u vote Of
the citizens.
Canton voted the "system' In 1850 |
think, after an exciting contest by u
majority Of 2S, the DEMOCRAT advocating
and the Repository opposing. The llrsl
superintendent was lfa Nj Allen, and
Miss Betsy Cowles had charge Of the
Grammar School
Our schools have continued to increase
as the town and attached territory have
grown In population, until now We have
some sixty teachers and school emu.
meration OF 5,0S6.
The system has teen In existence for
over thirty years long enough to be
tested and understood M to results,
Prior TO tbs Union or graded system we
had the single district or nngraded
plan. Each teacher hnd hia own
room with pupils large and small,
old and young abCiarians aud those
well advanced, In the country districts
now the same plan prevails. This gives
the teacher variety, and, In the hands OF
competent master, IL pleasant and
possibly profitable TO all. speak from
exper lence ~ 10 ihe nngraded method,
The Union plan was adopted after got
through teaching.
Arguments In favor OF the Union plan
were the classification and the legs fire.
quent changes In teachers. As 10 the
latter II IL probable the pupils In going
through the Union schoo course, taking
about twelve years, have full 10 many
different teacherei and hinged together,
as the system Ia, may be rather dlsad-
vantage.
Asarule would rather take chances
with the public schools, thinking them
better with oil their imperfectlons than
independent schools In discussing the
Union school eyatem facts must be
weighed, conclusions drawn an ID opinions
formed. Let us then Conslder n fact or
two. But lot us remember II Ia easy To
nnd fault, aud not 10 cay TO remedy.
For years past 300 10 400 new pupils
have entered the Canton schools an.
nuelly, while those who graduate
seldom reach 20, and Of these very few
bre males, Some yoars not u single
male youth has graduated. ln-
deed In the grammar school hardly
one-thlrd Of the pupils are boys.
A few boys are seen In the High school,
but the proportion Ia generally less than
II Ia In The Grammar school and rarely
does one remain 10 complete tho course.
The question arises, how comes oil thle2
IL IL not startllngY | nsk this In oil
seriousness To think that our boys
drop out OF school before they generally
reach tho age OF fourteen Ia certainly
alarming. II would seem too, that few
OF them ever return, for onr evening
achoola are hardly success. Our boys
then, Notwithstanding our Union school
often finish their education and gradu-
ate before they have mastered the three
Rs, "readin, rltlng and rethmetic.'
Was II any worse before the est bllsh-
ment Of the Union school eystemp
Do not imagine that Canton Ia an ex-
ception In this respect, for II Ia not.
The same state Of things, as far 40 ! can
ascertain, exists In other localities.
The boys quit school for some reason