Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-10-28
About the County High School.

| ENNNe wv SO1ANy FaiBu OS1ONss
The GAZETTE has been free to &C.
cept communications both for and
against the proposition of a county
nig h school. This is the first time any
Nicker on man has been beard from.
The following correspondence is worthy
perusal Ed.
Mr.. EDITORIALS the people Of tie
county are TO vote on the proposition
TO establish a county high school at tile
coming election word In regard to II
might not be OUT of place. The first
question to decide is, do we need it,
believe If we investiOare this ques-
lion that every voter in the county will
cOncede that if We wish TO keep pace
with other parts of Lhe State in edu.
cational work, IL we wish the country
boys and girls placed on AN equality
with the children of the city schools, we
must provide them with the means to
obtain higher education than is found
in our district schools
We find that last year there were
more than one hundred young people
in Reno county that completed the
course Of the district schools and OBJ
tanned diplomas. and there is no doubt
that there were almost, or quite another
hundred that finished the work but did
! not take the final examination. These
boys ana /, iris are from the farms Of
Reno county.
They come to Us demanding scme-
thing better, they are asking for an
opportunity to obtain that mind cul-
ture, that more liberal training along
intellectual lines that is needed
to make them potent factors in the af-
fairs Of life. The high schools of our
cities are closed to them on account of
having as many pupils of their own as
they can accommodate
The State institutions are closed to
them because they must be familiar
with subjects not taught in the dis
trict school before they can enter them.
Now in what better way can we pro-
vide for these young people than by
establishing county high school.
Another reason why we need the
high school is that our district schools
may be more effective for good work
by being supplied with teachers who
have received special training along
lines pertaining to school management
No Que who has ever visited our
county nOrmals in July or August and
has seen the aspiring (and pelspiring)
young teachers at work, vainly endeav-
Oring to get in four weeks normal
that which requires months to master,
will doubt that those same teachers
would avail themselves Of the normal
course in the high school and spend
from two to four months each year in
special preparation for their prOfes
siOnal duties. 1 noticed in your issue
of October 18th, in an article opposing
the high school, that one Mr.. Sullivan
says the reason that more county high
schools are not established is because
the pupils must leave home to attend
them, and are thus taken away from
home influences and are liable to be
led asJray morally.
1t seems to me'if his article proves
anything, it proves that we should have
the county high school.
II our children obtain higher edn-
cation they must leave home to get it.
We can not have high school ON every
quarter section of land. Now which
is the better, to send them to distance
where they Can not come home more
than once or twi a year, or have them
in our own county where they can be
at home once week, and continually
in touch with home and its restraining
influences.
Another thing l wish to spe ak of is
the wrong impression that some persons
have of the proposition that NickersOn
makes to the county They seem to
think that by accepting the building
they in some way assume the indebted
ness that was contracted in the con
structiOn OF the house. This is a