Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1892-08-26
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TIE PuRLlc SCHOOL MAP.

The public school map puts the Amer
lean educational system in a striking
form.
Thirteen million pupils are now en-
rolled in the public schools Of the United
States-that is, there are more than
three times as many pupils as the entire
population of the United States in 1900.
The entire population in 1880 was l., $685.
600; there is consequently larger ma
ton of children now in our free schools
than the whole nation of sixty years ago.
These 100000 public school pupils
are one-fifth of our present population
of 65, OO0, 900. There are something over
million more in private and parochial
schools. But it is this nation of our free
school youth this nation within the
nation, that will be controlling the re-
public fifteen years from now. These
"children of the states" imbued with
our characteristic American spirit, will
soon be the leaders of the people who
are to solve the problems Of the opening
years of the coming century.
One-fifth of our population in the pub
lie schools means that the American idea
is that childhood and youth shall enjoy
a sacred immunity from labor while the
preparation for life is going on. In all
our states the age when children can be
employed for wages during the school
term is steadily creeping upward. The
time is not far off when One-fourth in
stead of one-fifth of its population will
be enrolled in the schools. Here Is the
place for state legislation to make rapid
and sure strokes. When the children Of
poor family are hired out for wages
there comes an apparent relief to the
family; but child labor invariably re-
duces the labor of adults. Raising the
school age always operates to raise the
wages of the men and women to whom
labor belongs. In the states not yet
awake to this the children who ought to
be in school are with their little hands
holding down the general rate Of adult
wages. If fifteen were made the uni
versal school age, with strict penalties
for hiring a child under fifteen during
school hours, millions of toiling chill
dren would be added to the hopeful ma
ton of pupils now in the public schools.
Who are the instructors of this vast
democracy of youth? Three hundred
and fifty-two thousand teachers are en-
ployed One-third of them are men,
twO-thirds are women. Tho men are
usually well trained The proportion of
trained female teachers is increasing
year by year, as the normal schools send
out their classes. Nevertheless, scores
of thousands of these female teachers
are unframed. Forty per cent. of all the
female teachers teach for only one term!
Think what that means. In the rural
districts of many states teaching is
''job" to which almost any girl may
turn. Careful examinations of teachers
are not to be expected whens &be school
fund is so penurious thJk cheapest
teachers are the only appfa r.
The faults of the Amel public
school system, however, are 80 on the
surface and can easily be remedied.
State superintendent and higher edu-
Gators generally are giving to all the
weaknesses discernible in our system
their careful attention. They are de
termined that the new century shall
open upon an educational plant as near
ly without defects as progressive energy
can make it.