Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-04-20

Il
! iii graduated-I had TO go TO WORK at
eivteen a high school would be OF no
earthly advantage to my children, OF
m the children of other parents as poor
as me. Not one child in twenty-five
of snch parents, now goes through the
orammaT room course. They nave 10
leave school and earn something Tor the
common support of the family How
then. could they hope to continue on a
couple of years longer at a high school
They could not do it. The doors OF tne
high school would be shut as aDsoluteiy
TO such boys and girls as are the doolS
of Yale and Harvard or Princeton OF the
University of Chicago, yet it is proposed
that the moor man must contribute al
ditional school taxes. For whose Dene-
ftq For the exclusive beneft-Wltn a
notable exception here and Thereon
the children of well-to-do and rich peo-
ple. who can afford, and as a matter OF
| fact DO. send their children to such pay
schools as the Linsly Institute, Bethany
Wasbington-Jeffer College, the state
University. or some similar institution.
7 know nothing about the legal phases
of the case. but do know that practl-
callv the thing won't work. l belleVe
in education. I should like to send my
son to high school, free or paid, or TO
college. but l cannot afford il. Neither
can thousands of others, yet we must
all contribute. It is not right. Let the
Board of Education devote its time ana
attention to improving the sub-district
schools-in raising the grade OF teachers
emploved. in improving the system or
study. in rounding out the facilities LOT
the child of poor parents 10 get as much
4 s possible out Of school life, ana
1et the sciences and the higher branches
generally alone. except as the tounda-
ton for an understanding of such things
can be laid in the grammar rooms. A
high school should not be thought OF at
the expense of the taxpayers as
whole.
A member of the Board of Education
Yesterday cited a Register reporter TO
a section on page 10 of the pamphlet
entitled: School Law Of the 1ndepend-
ent School District of Wheeling when
section reads as follows:
"The Board shall have authority to IS
in which shall be taught higher hraneh5
of learning. as the district Superintendehl'
with the approval OF the Board OF LuuC@-
ton. may determine tntl sald uiEi.
school shall be established Such ILL., -, :
branches shall be taught in the grammar
schools of the district. No person shai.
become a pupil in said school VINO sna4l
not first give satisfactory, PROOF 20 tng
district Superintendent OF cue prolCIelIlS
in the branches prescribed for n grammar
school"
This was shown a leading attorney
Yesterday. and he said:
This is construed TO mean that the
Board of Education has authority to do
as it has done in the high school mat
ter. AS a matter of fact il confers no
such authority. and if ii did, the law
would be null and void, for it conflicts
with the Constitution of the State. The
Board shall have authority to establish
one high school, Yes; but the Board
must first take care to comply with the
provisions of the Constitution of the
State. which not even the Legislature
can cOntravene. The Board must see
to it that it does not incur debt with
out the consent Of the people, for in
stance. In the present case. it has ere
ated debt. without a submission of the
question to the people, and the Consti-
tuition saws that shall not be done. II
done. il is void. and those who order
it done violate the Constitution. If the
people say YES. or if the Board happens
TO have the money on hand. then the
Board NAV establish a high school,
but not otherwise"