The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-03-15
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.
Convenient and Accommodating Schools
for Reynoldsvile.

Dulld suitable SchOOl houses Tor the con-
venient accommodation and education
of the children of Reynoldsville, or
whether n school house shall be built to
the eternal disadvantage to the children
both in a physical and an educational
point of view?
1t is the well established opinion OF
all intelligent and thoughtful people
when giving educational subjects hon
est, unselish, intelligent thought that
school houses should be built convenient
and comfortable for the children who
will use them, that these nurseries
of American citizenship should be con-
structed in such convenient location rs
will do the greatest good TO the great
est number of the children goes. or
should go without saying. In town and
cities the compelling of the children to
travel long distances to school in all
kinds of weather, and the school season
is always during the worst weather Of
the whole year, has become matter of
ancient history, as 1t ought to. Yet
there are some people even in this cen
tury who are credited, or want to be
credited, with intelligence. with being
broad gagged mentally and living right
here In Reynoldsville. who take very
narrow view of this subject. They
seem to forget that there are other peo-
pie beside themselves In the communi-
ty, that there are other people who pay
taxes, more taxes than they do, who
want everything for their personal com
fort. at other peoples discomfort and
expense. They seem to forget that the
business of the school board is. in the
matter of determining whether there
should be one or more convenient
school houses in the town, is TO con-
scientiously and intelligently take into
consideration the whole school district,
not a small portion Of it, however inn
portant that small portion may feel, the
people who are most to be considered
are the children and not their parents.
The primary subject of intelligent and
broad gagged thought is to educate the
children, so that when they arrive at
man and womanhood they will be
Americans with all that that inn
plies, not the mere matter of costs and
incidently the price of a janitor or two
While IL is proper to consider expense
of buildings, &c, yet that should not,
and does not, weigh against the chill
dren in the minds of unselfsh. intelli-
gent people. The location of the CEN
ters Of population demands three school
houses in this borough. II l. idle talk
to say that the present building we now
have is worn out or even approximate
ly so. With ordinary repairs it would
last for 20 or 30 years. and is worth at
the present time 5000 to $4,000 and
these croakers about expense, with the
one-school- l-house-idea. would throw that
building away and call that economic
ing. What would the tax payers say to
such financial policy as that? Who
Of us have such utter disregard Of our
financial affairs as to throw away blocks
of property worth from $1,000 to $40, 900
at time ? Do these one-school-hous
people do that I'm the management of
their own business? We think not yet
they would throw away the peoples
property to that extent. Away with
such financial policy in public aifairsl
Do you think the school board is made
of that kind Of stuff? Do 20 think they
have no regard for their public duty?
Another contracted view Of this subject
is taken when they argue that more
than one school house would excite
jealousy, forsooth that competent school
teachers would not be employed in all
the schools. Did ever demagogue use
any other argument to carry his point
than by trying to appeal to prejudice
rather than reason. The necessities Of
the school children Of Reynoldsville
are three conveniently located school
houses. One they have already, two
more they need; one conveniently To-
Gated In each end Of the town, SO that
higher school may be had in the cen.
ter building, the grading tending in
that direction. Is not that the method
in which the school question is regulat-
ed in the larger towns. Where they
have the best schools and where edu-
cation attains to the highest point Is
where the business is carried on to the
advantage and benefit of the children.
These people even say that the direc-
tors don't know how many children Of
Stllopl bit III pii' ioNi' liiub
the boys of most of the people are put
in the mines at II and II years Of age.
II that is true as to the boys, why is it
so? The answer is easy. BY the time
the boys are OF the age of IL and IA
years they have gone through the three
RS. There being no higher schools to
go to in the town, parents not able to
send them to schools in other towns are
forced to put them to work in the coal
mines and other places II for no other
reason than to keep the boys in employ
ment, as the devil always finds some
mischief for idle hands to do. These
same people who scare at the expense
of a janitor or two would fain send the
boys to the coal mines at II and even at
u less age to their eternal detriment, il
by that means the cost of janitor or
two might be saved. Intelligent,
thoughtful people who have the welfare
of the nation at heart want higher
standard OF education in the public
schools than is given in the three RS,
Raadin Ritpn and Rithmptic