Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-02-07
FREE EDUCATION.
Freeland, February 6, 1sQs

OpA lOoO.
EDITOR TRrBUsE.-As a citizen OF
Freeland (proud Of Its past history, hope
full and anxious for its future) ask for
space in your columns to voice few i'm
promptu thoughts thai occurred to me
while reading a communication in yes
terday's Progress over the non de plume
Of Extra"
l heartily agree with my friend "Ex-
ira" that it is the duty Of every good
citizen to elevate the standard and i'm
prove the facilities for education. l will
go further than my friend when l say
that 1t is duty we owe to God and to
our country, to our neighbor, ourselves,
and the rising generation, yea, to gener-
ations yet unborn. So far my friend
and | agree as to what should be dono,
but when 1t comes to his methods of
doing 1t | omphatlcally dissent from his
warped reasoning and biased thought.
The writer has no choice as to whore
the school building stands. All ask is
that the money collected from all the
people for educational purposes be ex-
pended honestly and intelllgently. While
charity compels mo to say that my
friend Extra" may be honest in his
convictions, and zealously performing
his duty as he understands it, Justice
and equity demand that q few OF his
rambling exhortatlons be quoted to show
my readers the shallownoss of his rea-
soning and tho dense mental fog that
envelopes him.
Mr.. Extra says: sit next becomes
the duty of every lover of free education
to choose for himself who shall be direc-
tors of the public schools, in order that
his children may be properly taught"
and he continues ''Voters of Freeland
borough do not vote for men for school
directors who do not send their own
children to our schools and will there
fore care nothing for the education Of
yours"
This mental pigmy, whoever he may
be, has the faculty of using catchy, gilt
edged phrases, which he does not appear
to understand. What does he mean by
free education?" Is it not fact that
education In this broad and glorious land
Is as free as tho winds that fan our ma
tive hills? Is ii not fact that "free
education" Is part and parcel Of the
constitution and fundamental lawp Is
1t not fact that all citizens, irrespec-
tive OF race, creed or color, are thankful
for the blessings OF ''free education" and
ready and willing to defend and perpetu-
ate it?
The mask of hypocrisy Ia torn from
tho face of this self-constituted adviser
of the intelligent citizens Of Treeland
This great patriot is defending "free
education" from the assaults OF a myth
cal foe, when he appeals to the citizens
of Freeland to vote against certain men
for school directors because they avail
themselves OF the blessings and benefits
OF free education" by sending their
children whore they please.
Next this great defender Of "free edu-
cation" asks: "How many pupils from
Freeand and surrounding villages go to
Hazleton TO school because we cannot
accommodate them," but he gives no
definite reasons why they go; he simply
says we cannot accommodate them. My
Dear Mr.. Extra" why can't we accom-
modate them? Is there not room for
them in our schools, or are they so far
advanced that our corps of instructors
can advance them no farther? Let us
have some definite Information on the
subject and l have ample belief in the
integrity of our citizens to put things
right. Until this Is done 1t would be
we'll for our citizens to withhold iudg-
ment and investigate the causes that
compel many citizens to send their chill
dron to be educated at Hazloton and
elsewhere and avail themselves of the
benefits of our glorious free educational
system, which this extraordinary eek
ira" defends and assalls.
Tho writer has no candidate for school
director. Our political convictions soar
above race, sect or party. Show me
tho men who are not seeking the office
for whats in it," who dare to do right,
who will be the school directors of all
the people, and not of any particular
clique; who will spend the peoples
money honestly and intelligently, who
will raise the standard of education out
OF tho narrow rut into which dema-
gogues and fools have dragged it-show
me those men and | will cheerfully vote
for them, and have belief in the integ-
rity OF my fellow citizens of Freeland to
do likewise. INDEPENDENT.
HIGHLAND DOTS.