The Newtown bee., 1899-09-01

building committee had been csrried out,
the two last town meetings wouldn't
have been warned and the taxpayers of
the town of Woodbury. wouldn't have
been called upon to raise a dollar only
to keep the building in repair, pay the
incidental expenses and the salary of the
two teachers, and every district would
remain as good, honest, common-sense
people want to have them.
But the school building that has been
erected, in my opinion, has repeated the
great mistake that was made over 80
years ago when North and South Wood
bury were established by erecting two
churches of the same creed and denOm-
nation nearer together than the law of
the state and the Congregational society
would allow. In my opinion the school
building will give the Devil new foot
hold and the worst of all Ia for the town
committee to vote to discontinue the
school in the neighborhood of the person
who furnished the larger part Of the
means for this Memorial school building,
and would have furnished all of the
means II his wishes had been granted.
Mr. Mitchell told me he had two objects
in view when he gave the money to the
town. The first was to raise monument
in honor of his deceased brother, from
whose estate this money was to come,
and second, to provide for those who
by their age or studies, had got beyond
the district school and whose cjrcum.
stances wouldn't admit Of the higher
grades. Mr. Mitchell is as strongly op.
posed tC disseminating district schools as
| am and nearly every other person In
town that doesn't live near by the school
building, and he said that IL they closed
the school in his native district he would
never give another cent to the town.
And yet, contrary to his wishes and near
ly every person in the neighborhood, the
town committee have voted to discon.
tinue the school and engaged the teacher
to teach in the graded school. And
don't blame people for feeling indignant
toward the town committee. 1t looks to
me almost heathenish and worse than
stealing sheep, for when person steals
sheep (unless they are hogs rs well as
thieves), they don't rob but one person
and one flock, but in this case it is rob.
blng a whole Aeighborhood Of the rights
and privileges that have been handed
down from gene ration to generation.
For who built these school buildings
and who has kept them in repair and
paid the taxes?
A little boy was once telling how
many things belonged to him when q
certain person asked him, "Who pays
the taxes~ And his reply was, "Dad."
"Then guess the things belong to dad,
And IL a netghborhood built, and has
kept in repair and paid the taxes,
what right has legislature, inspired by
the very Devil himself (for the Lord
doesn't do business In that way), to pass
law that men and a woman can close
any school they wish and then take the
children out of the parents hands and
educate them, not according to the par
ents' conscience, but as few aristocrats
desire that run the towns, states and
nation. The old hard-hearted Egyptian
king made law that innocent infants
should be cast into the river Nile. But
He who said, sSuffcr little children to
come unto me and fc old them not" took
care Of their souls, and at the close of
this 10Th century, since the Lord Jesus
Christ shed his blood on Calvary to
redeem the souls of a lost and ruined
world, in this civilized and enlightened
age, and what we call Christian land.
to send teams around gathering human
beings, possessed with an immortal soul.
as you do cream and milk, In alI kinds OF
weather and trave ling, and load them
into wagon as you do pigs and calves,
with wet feet and clothes unsuitable to
ride in, it looks outrageous and heathen-
ish.
a lady told me that she read an &C.
count Of case where che children sur
fered intensely In severe storm, so
much so that the public Interfersd and a
teacher was provided, and the carrying
OF children Was abandoned. Some Of
our non-taxpayera talk about being be-
hind the times. l think that some peo-
pie have got ahead Of the times, for in q
few years we can send our children on
the trolley car right into the city, aIi
warm and comfortable, and great deal
quicker by lightning than yon can gather
them with your old-fashioned farm
wagons and stage coaches. There Ia ii