The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1888-04-14
THE SCHOOL HOUSE QUESTION.

fOur per Ceut.), keeping out immigrs-
ton and actually driving out some OF
our home capital, the twenty-ti five
thousanddollar proposition ofthe school
board, especially in view of the facts
submitted by The board itself
suouid be carefully considered
by every citizen, whether he
owns one hundred or One hundred
thousand dollars worth OF property.
Now what is the necessity for such a
debt and for the two new school
houses? Here lot the board itself all
answer. By II statement put forth by
that body The following facts are made
to appear
Number OF white children in the district
OF school age liza
Number OF colored children in the district
OF school age 40
Total ............. l.IH
SrAtImG capacity In white schools. 49,. 800
ssaling capacity In cOlorod school go. l6U
Total seating capacity in all schools tO
The board then add "liere we have
| ,0S4 children of school age residing
within the district and absolutely no
place for them to attend school,"
Does The board believe any such
statement as that, and by giving 1t
official sanction do they wish the peo-
pie to believe it true? or the number
Q,0SD how many attend the aeade-
my, the three ~seminaries, the Catholic
and other private schools? The board
does not tell US, but leaves the infer
nee to be drawn, in fact, it is dis
tinctly stated, that all of the 1,0S4 are
kept from school because OF the want of
seating room in the present houses.
Again, as the school age is from 6 to
20, what per cent of that number would
be kept away because thought too
young to attend, and what per cent.
are old enough, and are, in fact, AT
work, none of whom would attend ii
we had u dozen new houses? This,
neither, Is stated, but it Is in words
stated that there are l,OS4 children In
this enlightened age and community
growing up il. ignorance for the rant
IF school houses.
Such is not the fact, INT the board
should have known it, and it should, il
thought necessary to make a statement
at all, stated facts az they exist. AS
10 what these facts are, fortunately, we
are not left to conjecture, for just after
the statement OF the board in the lntelli-
gencer, 1t SD happens that the superin-
tendent OF the schools makes his report,
and this official document entirely
refutes the statement of the school
board.
Prof. Demand, in his report, gives
these figures:
Total number enrolled ............... 62l
Numbpr left durino yessI0n 10
Number remaining. COZ
-4rsrdg6 attendance 43o
Now, the board gives, Total seat
Ing capacity In all schools, $50" De-
duct the average attendance, as per
Prof Demand, 436, and you have
tho hundred and tNenty:four remaining
as the average Udcdnt seating spaces in
The present houses. Thus, by these two
statements il is clearly shown the
present houses have a seating capacity
for PA more pupils than attend on an
average ;Or,i if you take the very highest
attendance as per Prof. Demands
report. being the whole number
enrolled, Cpl during the session, the
seating capacity of the present houses
has never been full by 80, il all these
scholars, enrolled for the whole ses-
sion, had all attended on one day. In
this case SO chairs would have remain
ed vacant; in the other case 234, son
an average" remained UaCGnt
In view of these facts, comment on |
the boards statement is unnecessary,
bnt l will add in the light of their
official statements, from which it clear.
ly appears that OIL al average the
rooms lacked PA scholars OF occupying
the seating capacity. what becomes Of
the board statement that "from an
oyercrowded condition of these rooms
the school board does now, aud has for
a long time, regarded the conditions
above named as extremely dangerous
to the health of the pupils in atten-
dance" If the pupils Sin attendance"
are in danger from overcro " ding, with
one-third of the seating capacity OF the
rooms, Oh an average, now vacant, why
not, instead of voting $25 900, vote to
give each II a forty acre lot, or at
least a room to himself or herself?
The board specially mentions the
need tor a Oolored school house and
says 1924, 425 has already been paid tor
rent. | have long thought this bad
policy II that the necessity for a
proper house of this kind existed.
This is true for the reason that 1t would
be economy to W rather than rent
such a house aud il would be money
saved to the tax payers. believe that
this sentiment prevails pretty general
ly. A comfortable school house for
the colored people could be built for
$4,000, or say $4,000, and | believe
such a proposition would receive the
approval OF a large majority of the
white taxpayers, simply as a question
OF economy, if for no other reason.
Why does not the board submit such q
proposition? Do they hope to yet the
COlored vote to assist in saddling a
debt of 1925 900 m the people to build
u new and grand white school Which is
not needed in order TO get a colored
school Wh,ch IS needed7 If so, pre-
dict that both the board and the color.
ed people will be disappointed. Two
thirds OF the people (and such Is the
vote requiredl are not fools, and will
never create an additional debt, IN our
present condition, of $25. 900. | be-
lIeve. however, the requisite vote to
build say a 50 900 or $4,000 color
ed school might be carried, and II the
colored people are wise they will keep
clear of the S25, 900 proposition.
SO fur as the white schools are con
cerned the absolute want. il any
necessity, for more room is never en-
phatically demonstrated by Prof.
Demands report
Average attendance 4S6
Deduct average colored attendance =. 90
Average white attendance 1915 |
Seating capacity Of white schools as per
o"aIu ..-...... ..'..... .......... oOu
unoccupied space at present. ........... 1872
TAX PAYER,