The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-12-19
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1899.

FROM the New York Tribune: s"There
is no occasion for alarm-still less for mar.
tisan attacks-over the proposed codifica-
ton of the school laws. The new bill. in
troduced at the last session of the Legisla-
ture so that it might be printed and the
Commission might have the benefit of
such discussions and criticisms as it might
provoke, was the work of two Democrats
and one Republican, who carefully and
faithfully performed the enormous task
assigned to them, after appealing in vain
1or suggestions from those who were in
terested or engaged in the work of edu-
cation. In issuing their work they en-
deasored again to draw forth criticisms,
put profound silence reigned in school
circles, and it was not until the eve of
election that Hudson County Democrats
broke the silence by attacking the pro-
posed law as the quintessence of all that
was vicious and subversive of public pol
icy, and sought to lay the whole response
Dlllty Tor the measure on the shoulders of
the one Republican member of the Com
mission. The Tribune pointed out fully
the unfairness of this attack, both in it's
partisan bias and in its misconceptions of
the proposed law. Now Hudson county
has returned to the attack in a somewhat
more temperate frame of mind and offers
CRITICISMS which the Commission will be
glad to consider, and which may result in
important amendments to the bill before
IL Is introduced in the Legislature, though
TINS could have been accomplished to better
advantage If the Commission had had the
benefit of these large chunks of Hudson
county wisdom year ago, or even some
months ago. The bill will be thoroughly
discussed, and no one who is interested in
the work Of education in New jersey need
fear that there will be any lack of public
hearings before the legislative committee
to which the measure will be referred,
either In It's present or amended form"
In her final report to the Governor. Mrs.
Williamson does not propose to retract
any OF her statements against the aims
houses of the state, if we are to take as
correct the accounts in the daily papers of
yesterday. In her report Mrs. William
son says: In one almshouse there are two
feeble minded women who haye perpet-
uated their weak minds in their off
spring. As the lady in question has
made the Burlington county institution
the point of special inquiry it is posi-
Die that the cases she refers to are in our
midst But the lady fails to tell how anx-
lous her agent Mrs. Abbey, was to get
the child of one of those ''weakminded
women" and foist it upon some person for
adoption. Was this the proper thing ?
Nor does Mrs. Williamson tell of the an
guish of the mother when her child was
taken. Mag Hoffman may not have the
strong mind of Mrs. Williamson or Mrs.
Abbey, but she has mothers instinct,
just the same.
Over thirty years ago this country was
involved in one of the worst wars ever
known to history. After it was ended the
tlot OF slavery was wiped out There are
plenty OF people living who remember the
cruelty of slavery. Husbands were torn
from their wives, children separated from
their parents. To stop this the arm of
the law interviewed and it was thought
that slavery with all its cruel practices
had been wiped from the face of the land.
Can anyone point to any difference be-
tween the acts of slavery times and those
OF this present enlightened day, perpetrat-
ed py those who profess and call them
selves christians Z" President Lincoln
Went to the aid of the downtrodden race
in lie south and wiped out the blot of
sla' cry. Let Governor Voorhees, demand
the .emoval from our statutes of the law
tina keeps in position lot of women who
are so anxious to reform where reform is
mol needed and who to justify their ends,
estate not to snatch from the loving mo-
ther the infant at her breast.