The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-08-31
THE REPOSITORY ON SCHOOLS.

The Canton Repository makes ar
attack upon the Canton high schoo
system. The trend of labored edi
torial, in recent issue, is to the effect
that less higher education and more
school houses where "the three r. T. g.
are taught is the demand of the hour.
The Repository says the school bell
will soon be heard in the land and tow
headed young ones will besiege the
halls of learning and regrets there is
not school room to house them and
train them to be useful citizens. Just
why there is not school room the Re-
posltory attempts to tell in the follow
ing:
One cause of lack of room Is that the
course of instruction in America has
become top heavy, and too much money
has been lavished on the high schools
| and ornamental branches. If a child
Is thoroughly we'll grounded in arithme-
tic, reading, writing, geography and
United States history, all in the Eng
llsh language, no other, 1t is enough
for the State to do, unless there is
plenty of funds. The rest of the edu-
cation the ambitious young student
can get for himself.
The foundation In the English branch
es thoroughly laid is what every State
government in this country owes to its
children of school age. 1t Is better
that there should be not one pupil edu-
Gated In the high school branches
than that ten, or even
one, should be deprived of the perfect
training in the common branches. This
truth will be recognized in the future
at any rate. Let us have room, room
for the little ones, the forlorn children
of foreign parentage who come troop.
ing into the school houses every
autumn, unwashed, unkempt, it may
be, and not knowing a word of Eng.
lish sometimes. Let every one of them
be received and taught morality,
English and cleanliness. They have
the future greatness of this republic In
their hands.
Now, it is very well known that Can
ton needs more and better school
houses, to meet the needs of her grow
ing population. The ward schools are
crowded and such poor makeshift as
the overflow building of the Cherry
street school, for instance, ought not to
be tolerated by progressive people |
such as Cantonians, in general lines of |
business and advancement, have shown
themselves to be.
But Canton's finances are on a good |
solid basis and her schools and school
buildings should be the very best. And
in all grades, instead of dropping below |
the average Canton has established in
educational matters, she should be |
pushing to the front.
Particularly is it public duty for
the public schools to provide for the |
children of the public, who are the men
and women who are to shape public |
destinies in the future.
The teaching of reading, writing,
geography and United States history
els enough for the state to do" says the
Repository, "the rest Of the education
the ambitious young student can get
for himself" And again, "let the for
lorn children of foreign parentage, who
come trooping into the school house
every autumn, unwashed, unkempt,"
"Oe received and taught morality, Eng-
lish and cleanliness"
This is quite in line with many re-
cent utterances of the organs of the 6.
o. p. that there is getting to be too
much book learning among the young
voters of the country, for the party of
high caste and pref udice to continue TO
do land Office business.
twill be sorry day for this country
when our splendid public school sys-
tenn, securing equal and exact justice
10 the children OF the poor, with the