The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-03-02
Thursday. March =. 1899.
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.

school facilities. The present beard of
trustees of this district have felt this
for some time past. but unwilling to urge
increased expenditures in this regard
while other public burdens were onerous
and the struggle To make both endsmeet
at best a hard n they have put off the
inevitable until it will not be put OH any
longer. For some time past the local
demand for school facilities has been
considerably in excess Of what we have
been able to furnish. Rooms intended
for one class have been devoted to two.
and scholars have Deer crowded and
hampered SO by inefficient accomiuoda
tons that in many cases. it not gcner-
ally. the work Of the teachers and the
n of the scholars has been seri
ously interferea with AMI retarded. The
present attendance at the Miles City
school is about 30. a number which can
only be housed III tn present building
by scientific packing. When it is stated
that in addition 10 tbs enrolment there
are and have been for two years past
constant application for the entry of
scholars who belong in this district and
are entitled to the full privileges of the
school. but who have of necessity been
refused. it will be admitted that some
thing must be done to accommodate
these scholars. and at once. District
No. l. of which Miles City is the most
populons. but not the larger part. sup
ports in addition to the city school. nine
other schools. with terms varying from
four to six months in each year: all of
these outside schools are ril..iai, couu-
tr. schools. d majority of the scholars in
which look forward to. and of right ex-
peel the privilege of entering the city
school and a~yailing Themselves of tie
higher courses taught here. but as
things now are. such applications car
only be met by refusal. Bur it is not
from District No. | alone that these APP
plications come. All over the county
there are young people of both sexes.
who, having mastered the elementary
instruction of the local school. feel a de
sire To push forward. and if there was
room for them in the city school. they
would flock here IN scores. If not in hun
dreds. in many instances inducing 4 re
moval of the whole family t. town for a
portion If the year. Those who are
competent To judge. estimate that. With
ln.rH9Sal t,ls14ta,u -, -, -,
school, there would be an immediate in
crease of from one hundred To one hun
dred and fifty scholars. and that in five
years the attendance at the city school
would not be less than five hundred.
We doubt il there are many people who
have given this subject the coneidera
ton it deserves. or who have sperulated
on what such an influx of scholars
means both To the school and the com
munity. As for the school. such an en-
rollment would at unce advance il to the
position and dignity of d university.
The curriculum would Of neressity be
made Of larger scope. the faculty in
creased. and without any reflection on
the present teachers improved. because
the n necessarily follows the other.
and It's reputation as a school would
soon be felt in its influence in drawing
to Miles City numbers Of families who
have growing children whose education
is the paramount IDEA with the parents.
In Il purely commercial SENSE the results
would also be very satisfactory. The
coming in Of two or three hundred
new scholars in the next few years
would certainly mean the location here
OF as many more adults. These new
corners would all have mouths to feed
and bodies to clothe. They would re-
quire houses TO live in. and in the rari-
Gus other ways contribute their quota to
the general prosperity and take on a cit
izenship which perhaps temporary at
first would soon become permanent.
But this Is not the main consideration
If the plan never benefited the COM
munity at large a dollars worth. We owe
II to the generation that is growing up.
that they have all the facilities for edu-
cation that can be afforded. There is no
tax that is paid more willingly than the
schoolt tax, but il is an essential part of the
implied contract between the taxpayer
and the local government that there
must be an adequate return. This We
are not now giving. and il is to this
question that we must address oursel, es.
The board of trustees of school district
No. | will probably submit to the elect
ors of the district at the coming spring
election the question of bonding the dis
trict for the construction of increased
school accommodations. There are two
plans to be considered. One. TO add to
the present school building sufficient for
present needs at an expense Of $1,000 to