The Portland daily press., 1894-12-06
Cape Elizabeth Schoolhouses

their interests represented In manner
| that will SO enliRhten them as whole
| that any bill that may he brought be-
fore them affecting any particular town
or community can be acted upon I'M
derstandingly in order to derive the
greatest good for the greatest numbe :;
hence the caution in, this town, as
probably it is in all others, in choosing
wide awake business men. and those
acquainted with the varied interests of
their constituents, and possessing ability
to present them clearly and promptly
Notwithstanding this care, there are
isolated cases where laws have been
passed that were extremely burdensome
to the people in some parts of town,
while other parts of the same town have
derived benefit.
Cape Elizabeth at present is an exam
pie, while trying to adjust itself to the
requirements of the new school law;
and Pond Cove school district is anoth-
er example, where the people, feel as
though they are victims of sacrifice, in
stead of being recipients of blessings con-
ferred, as they were led to believe would
| be the case when the town assumed the
| responsib ility of everything connected
| with the common school system.
At present there is universal dissatis-
| faction insthe district. the cause of which
| is obvious If, not just. For illustration
will state the facts of the case, rs they
absolutely exist, then the uninterested
can form impair tial opinions upon them.
In the first place l will mention our
regular town tax. which is S24. 30 on
tb ousand, of which but little complaint
is made; but by the new school law we
have an additional tax OF S21 per Uhous-
and to pay, which makes $40. 80 per
thousand tax. 1t is true we have small
rebate, which reduces the amount a
trifie This is how we stand here in
Nor district pond Cove) There are
several other districts in nearly the same
predicament
I will now note the standing of No. 5
and No, "A the most populous districts in
the town whose whole tax is but SIP per
thousand. These are facts that cannot
be winked out of sight Can any
reasonable man wonder that feeling
of dissatisfaction prevails in conse-
quence?
II has often been said that the people
of Pond Cove, Bcwery Beach and Spur
wink were always kicking about some
thing. So they are. 1t shows that they
realize when they are i'll used. They
kicked against furnishing water for tie
villages, streetlights, constable fees,
plank walks etc., the whole catalogue of
which were foreign to their wants. 10
them it's crow every time instead OF
turkey" @
In regarato the schoolSlaw, what do we
receive as the equivalent for the fifteen
or twenty thousand dollars; called for?
Why, Just five hundred dollars, which has
been expended for repairs on our school
house this season, which BY the way is
more than the aggregate OF cost for re-
pairs during the twenty-eIght years that
have ELAPSED since it was erected, not
withsta nding it has been opened TO all
kinds of enteI tainments. also Sunday
school,. prayer meetings. temperance
meetings, singing schools etc, which
service met the appreciation OF the people
who so willingly paid their money to
defray the expense. OF the nulidln&.
ask the question, what do we get in return
for the fifteen or twenty Thousand dol
lars which we are Obliged by the laws Of
our State to pay? Why, the privilege of
sending our children Gf we have any to
school a certain part of the year.
We all appreciate the privilege of enjoy
ing tn. means of obtaining an educa-
tion, but perhaps it would be more
economical to dispense with the house
altogether and send the children to
school in some other State, paying their
board and tuition.
Under the old regime, we had the
privilege of meeting for all the purposes
enumerated above, believing and know
ing that education embraced other i'm
poItant branches, beside that taught III
the common schools. No building is
too good to allow the advocacy of sound
temperance principle; neither is any too
good to allow the principles of piety ex-
planned to the Young, as is the practice in
the Sunday schools and prayer meetings;
thereby shaping the course ID the direc-
ton to make good citizens.
The prayer meetings, which have been
held by the people in Pond Cove school
house or houses, date back sixty years,
and have been prolific of good, and for
the past few years have been presided
over nv talented and interesting minis
tiers of the Gospel, with an attendance of
the majority of the people within
radius of a mile or more. including a
Greater part of the scholars in the dis
trict.
IA there are other qualifications neces-
sarv to be acquired besides the art of
oetting money in order to become good
citizens. what better facilities can be
mt forth than are afforded by the teach
inos and examples or the talented, or
dained ministers of the Gospel? In this
enlightened country there can ne put
one 2nSWer-uOuc. OhoeA o
circumstances this long established
custom is lightly thrown aside; the
privilege of assem- bling one evening each
week for meetings, and a part OF each
Sunday afternoon fol- Sunday school was
at first prohl hi ted, and the members re
! fused admittance to the schoolhouse con-
| sequently the meetings were held at
private houses within the district, as there
is no hall or place suitable Tor these
meetings within distance OF two miles
or more, but of late by persistent solci-
tations of members of the cHu'ch, III
| Guiding the ministers, permission has
been granted to the tax-hurdened inhahi
tants to use the house as has been the
custom. Not much of a condescension
either, when one takes into consideration
the fact that these very people have got
to pay this year enough to build more