The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1891-04-23
A Case for Profound Study.
Ohio State Journal.

Ohio State Journal.
A singular c"ud!tio OF affairs
is brought out in table j, ued
by the cen sus bureau at Wash.
ington on Monday. The table
shows The per cent of gains oil
public school enrolment in var.
ious stales and territories Of the
Union as com pared with The per
cent of gain IN popul alton. The
list embraces TWENTY-FIVE terri.
tories and states in all sections
and these may be fairly cOnsid'
cred as representatives OF the
rest.
In one of the two territories
given The per cent, OF school en-
rollment shows a marked in
crease on the per cent ct gain
IN popul anon; In The otEer three
a slight falling behind.
Ofthe states recent v admitted
two shaw a large comparative
increase of school euroIlmenl:
one 4 pretty equal increase oi
both; and ,hree Il decrease Of en-
roiimeni.
In five Southern states named
The comparative increase OF
school enrichment is marked and
very great.
Of The nine older Northern
states given eight show an en-
phatic falling behind of schocl
enrolment as compared with the
increase Of population, and one
New Hampshire, shows not
merely . comparative but an
absolute falling off of the school
enrolment of y per cent.
while the population has increas
ed 81 per cent
Generally speaking, the South
ern states, in which public.
school systems have been but
recently organized, and two OF
The new Northern states are the
only ones shat exhibit a COM
parative increase Of school en-
rollment, while all the rest show
a marked AMI Iii some cases a
phenomenal falling behind.
How is this latter ia ct to be in
terpreted? In soma of .he states
perhaps 1t may tie explained by
The fact that the Catholic ch urcll
has been moro stringent and sue
cessful in gathering the children
of Catholic parents into the
parochial schools, hnt this could
not suffice 10 account for The re
suit in Ohio where the per cent.
of increase in school enrDllment
is ONLY about one third as much
as lhe per cent, of increase in
population, or IN New York,
where il is only about one thlr-
teenth as much. Still less will
it account for The absolute de-
crease III New Hampshire.
Can it be true that interest in
he public schools in the older
states is beginning to wane !?
Does the system, with lis lm
mense increase of machinery
and expenditures and develop
ment into grade schools and
costly high schools, no longer
meet the requirements of the
people as well as it used to when
ii was conducted with fax more
simplicity and far less expense ?
Has it been in a measure too top
heavy to perform satisfactorily
the functions for which system
Of public education was original
lv devised ! We should not like
to answer any of these questions
in the affirmative; but the fact
spite of what would seem TO be
he wonderful improvements of
he system, spite Of the apparant
favor in which the system is held
by all classes of The people, spite
even of the increasing number of
strlngency OF compulsory educa
ION laws, the percentage of
school enrolment has during
he last decade IN all the older
lorthern states, shown a marked
'alling behind as compared with
he percentage of increase IN
is worthy of profound
study and reflection and ought |
n some way he explained.
NO SHELTER,