Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1893-03-23
For the Ellsworth Americana
More About the High School.

MR.. EDITOR: have read with interest
the article In last weeks Enterprise by
Taxpayer" and fully appreciate his argu-
ments, but l think that, as he has stated
them, the matter is placed In q false light.
He refers. jovially, to the difficulty In
warming the room incidentally remarking
that the scholars did not seem to find the
| room too cold until the coolest part of the
winter was past; the fact is, that through
all the cold weather of January the room
was uncomfortably, dangerously cold;
| but. SO long as was possible. the principal
! did not close the school. For weeks In
| succession the thermometer registered less
than 40 deg. above zero at the time for
opening and that, too, with good fire in
each furnace. At such times the school
was delayed for an hour or more before 1t
was considered prudent to call the scholars
| TO their seats. Often, even then, the
temperature was below 80 deg, and it
seldom got above that before noon. Per-
haps Taxpayer" himself would put on an
artistic shlver" Ii compelled TO sit for a
few hours 10 such a room.
But three times in February, on windy
days, all efforts having failed to raise the
mercury above As or so dogs, the scholars
after waiting an hour or more, were dis
| missed; those days were exceptionally
cold and windy, but as has been already
said. on ordinary winter days the room is
| twenty degrees colder than is safe to sit
in. No one complained that the room
was uncomfortably cold when the building
| was used As q court house" perhaps the
fact that there were but two sessions Of
court each year, one in October and one
| in April, may have had something to do
with that, since the weather in those
months is not, general thing, par
ticularly wintry.
Taxpayer" says that the dilapidation of
the place is due to the roughness Of the
students in a measure, | grant 1t. The
boys (and perhaps the girls, too may
have discarded the steps and jumped down
the bank occasionally, as he suggests; but
by far the greater part of the sliding down
the bank referred to Is done by children
who are not students of the school, at
times when the school is not 10 session.
A. for other damage, beyond few pencil
marks or at the worst. scratch with a
penkuife, | defy Taxpayer" to show any
which has been done wllfully by scholars.
Boys and girls are not men and women;
Taxpayer" may have some of them in his
own family; are they just as careful in
the use Of his house and grounds as he is
himself? If not. does he refuse to pro-
vide as comfortable home for them a.
his means permit Does he expect a
house used by ninety boys and girls who
are no worse than any other boys and
girls to show no signs of wear;
For seven years the present building,
which had received only general patch.
ing up after being condemned a. a court
house, has been In use without repairs,
other than few days further patching
Taxpayer" insnustes that many OF the
>cholsrs are from other towns the books
of the school show that only three out of
the whole number are not residents Of
Ellsworth Would their exclusion give
relief In the matter OF room.
Our friend observes that the comforts
and conveuences Of the school house are
superior 10 those which the parents II
these scholars had; very likely they are
the place may we'll be compared with
school houses Of ffty years sgo but II
any later date Is mentioned it must sufrr
by the comparison. Few, indeed, are The
places OF the size of Ellsworth. which
have a school room so manife.tly anti.
quated and unit for the use Of the school
II we need a new house. let us have it!'
Amen! Let Taxpayer" and others face
the facts and decide. PROGRESS