The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-12-06
THE HIGH SCHOOL. DEDIcA.
TION


room on the second floor, and all the seats
were filed by interested spectators. Or.
vile Yetter, Clemuel Weiss, Ernest Rice
Harry Klein, Frank Eyer, Charles Sharp.
less and Burtie Marclay, students selected
from the High school and Grammar school,
acted as ushers, and seated the audience
AT 1;30 the Camp OF Patriotic Sons OF
America filed in the room in uniform, and
took front seats which had been reserved
for them.
The stage was occupied by Messrs.
Townsend, Brown, Kramer, Garrison,
Chrisman and Wilson, Directors of Bloom
School District Revs. l. M. Patterson, N
Spear. W. T. Galloway, and the speakers
Of the day.
j. II. Townsend, President of the Board,
presided, and after music by the Blooms
burg Orchestra, requested Rev. N. Spear
to open the exercises by reading portion
of Scripture. In complying, Mr.. Speer
presented the school with large and
handsome Bible on behalf of the Blooms
burg Bible Society. Mr.. Galloway then
offered prayer.
Mr.. Townsend then made the following
| address,
1--WE are here to-day to inaugurate this
Building as the Bloomsbury High School.
AS a citizen Of the town / feel proud in
being able to state that we now have three
good Public School Buildings. Since the
year 1870 we have expended for grounds
and buildings not less than $4,000 for
public schools, showing that the citizens of
Bloomsbury are not behind the times IN
the question Of public education. AS a
member Of the Board Of Education | feel
proud of the building we are now assembl-
ed in; while 1t is not only an ornament to
our town, as well as substantial proof of
educational progression, it is another
monument 10 the memory of that far.seeing
| illustrious man, the father of our Common
School System.
When we consider the vast amount of
money expended in connection with our
| public schools, the army of school teachers
employed at a cost of near ten millions of
dollars annually, with over thirty millions
invested in school buildings, truly we can
say, "The school master is abroad" And
| yet in the face Of all this outlay of labor
| and money, it is an undeniable fact that
| there are still large number Of children
| not attending school, who are growing up
in ignorance and crime, providing ma terial
for our prisons and reformatories. Our
last census reports tell us that in the State
| Of Pennsylvania 146, 1888 persons of ten
years and upwards are unable to read,
| while 22S,0l4 were returned as unable to
tOrite, making total of 374,t53 persons in
this State who could neither read nor
write. The question arises can we afford
to have this mass Of illiteracy existing in
| our midstl l think not. Ard l think
there is only one remedy and that is
compulsory school law" know it will
be stated that it is not practicable at pres.
ent, and some even predict its failure
should it become law. But fail to be-
lieve that what has been shown to be sue
cessfnl in other countries should prove a
failure with us. The secret Of the high
standard of popular education in Germany
school law which prevents any German
| child growing up in ignorance. After the
| close Of the Franco-G German War the
French people became alive to the low
state OF education among the masses and
at once proceeded to provide a new code
Of elementary instruction. Laws of the
most stringent character in regard to obl-
gatory instruction are now enforced-to-
| day the French acknowledge that it was
| the German schoolmasters rather than the
needle guns that conquered them. Within
few years England and Italy have adopt
| ed public school system with "compul-
| sorry school laws" and great progression is
| reported in the education of the masses,
| and trust the day is not far distant when
we shall have a compulsory school law
together with an Industrial Department in
all our common schools.
We are about to commence a new era in
our town in two ways, industrial and edu.
cational. With the prospect of diversified
Industries coming to our town our boys
and girls may need additional education 10
what our schools now afford them. A new
field IT employment will be opened in our
Silk Mill and Carpet Mandatory. Nc
chanical skill, artistic designs form very
important features in the manufacture of
textile fabrics. l therefore hope that every
encouragement will be given to establish
| night schools in this building, also Art
and Science classes, thereby providing
! means of cultivating and difusing Tech
nical Education for those who may have
ability and taste for such studies
In conclusion permit me to express the
great pleasure we feel Gas | believe | ex-
press the sentiments of the School Board)
in seeing so large an attendance on this oc-
casion, believing it to be an endorsement
of the action of the School Board in the
erection Of this Building.
j. c. Brown, Secretary OF the Scho oil
Board, then read the following report:
After some Introductory remarks by the
Secretary the report continues
| For several years past it was evident to
the minds Of the different school boards,
that in order to accomplish the best results
: IN our public schools, they should be or
ganized as several departments of one school
and not carried on as SO many distinct and
separate schools with distinct purposes
1t was with this object in view that the
board at regular meeting on February
l2th, 1888, adopted course of study for
the Bloomsbury Public Schools, wherein
1t was stipulated that Primary, Intermedi-
ate and Junior departments should be es.
tablished In both the 9Th aud 3rd street
Buildings comprising n two years course
in each, and Grammar school and High
school shall also be established for the
whole town, two years. course being
adopted for the former and a three years
in the latter, making an eleven years
course for graduation.
This action of the board WHICH then con,
sisted of William Kramer, Stephen knorr,
j. j. laval, w. Krickbaum, Isaiah Hag-
enbuch and ]. g. Brown, was really taken