The evening times., 1900-05-18
school suhscrintien-.

The Mayor OF Jersey City recently con-
ceived the idea that it would be nice if
the two hundred thousand school children
of New Jersey would contribute their
pennies and provide a fifteen thousand
dollar silver service for the battleship
New jersey
This is rather an extreme instance OF a
very absurd and reprehensible practice.
There is no sense in requiring the school
children of State TO spend their scanty
pocket money for expensive silver dishes
for battleship. The ship can get along
very well without the service. in the
first place; and. moreover. If it is really
desirable for the New Jersey to have a
fifteen thousand dollar set OF dishes, it
seems as if the State which has been
nicknamed the Mother of Trusts. could
manage to provide them without breaking
the children's banks to do it.
One such enterprise now and then, for
the beneft of some unquestionably good
object. is well enough When Admiral
Dewey was presented not long ago with a
curiously constructed watch. paid for by
the voluntary subscriptions Of thousands
Of school children. he was pleased, as
well he might be, and as there is only one
Dewey, and one Battle Of Manila in a
century, the gift may well have been spon-
taneous and unforced. But it does not
follow that because one set OF school
children did that. all the children in the
United States shall be asked to contribute
pennies every week in the year for this,
that, OF the other testimonial
The custom of giving teachers ex-
pensive Christmas presents is bad
enough. It is a drain on the purses
of parents who are not wealthy,
ard in most cases is anything but
willing and spontaneous action on
the Part OF the children. Anyone who
has watched the progress OF such a
scheme can testify to this. 1t is usually
originated by a little clique Of pupils who
have plenty of pocket money. and are,
perhaps. inspired by tne example Of an
other school. The subscription paper is
passed around by these children, who
seldom realize the difficult position in
which they are placing their poorer neigh
bors. When the scholars are in the kin
dergarten stage. they themselves do not
mind the tax They simply run home and
beg their parents for pennies. But when
they have reached the grammar grade.
the children. as well as the fathers and
mothers, are embarrassed. When a girl
OF twelve sees that paper. headed by a
subscription of fifty cents and realizes
that in order to give even dime for the
proposed testimonial. she must ask her
mother to economic on some necessary
article Of food or clothing or must do
without some tribe which she cOvets. as
only the children of the poor can coyet
small treasures. there is apt to be pain
ful struggle between her pride and her
prudence She knows that if she refuses
to give anything the originators Of the
scheme viii not understand the reason-or
Will understand ii too we'll The end of il
is that she gives the money. Il is hard
for some people to understand that the
expenditure Of ten cents makes a differ
ence in the finances Of some families.
When mar is making two dollars a day
and has to support FIVE or six people on
that sum. his wife has not much money
to spare when it comes to giving the
chfldren's teachers plush covered albums
and opera glasses.