The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-01-13
Public Education.

The legislature of 1898 voed fifty thousand
dollars year for two years to the johns
Hopkins University, and The trustees VIII
AGAIN knock at the doors of the treasury TINS
winter for further aid. To carry ont the plan
mon which the University was founded the
income is not sufficient, hence the appeal 10
the state The legislature of 1898 made
mistake in aiding the University, and that
of this year will err more grevouslyit 1t votes
means to support it. Should the legislature
of 1900 follow in the footsteps of that OF 1898
nrecedents will have been established that
NAV result in settled policy, and an appro-
priation TO the johns Hopkins be as regular
as is now the appropriations to several COL
leges.
The state is under no obligation to estab-
lish and maintain schools of any kind. As
Government is good or bad as the people are
intelligent or ignorant, it has been regarded
good policy to establish u system of free
schools. In establishing the system it was
never intended to furnish anything but com
mon misunderstanding, writing aud arith-
metic. Further than this the public schools
system should not go. Further than this is
luxury of education, and laxuries should not
be provided at the public expense.
The tendency, however, is all toward higher
education. While people in all avocations OF
life fit themselves at their own expense, nor
NAL schools are maintained to educate those
who desire to become teachers, and lately
department of teachers institutes has been
established and maintained for their special
benefit. All this is wrong, and instead OF
advancing further in the line of education it
would be better to go back and conduct the
schools on the plan they were originally de-
signed. The normal school, with their pianos
and expensive educational paraphernalia,
should .be abolished; appropriations to col
leees discontinued; the Johns Hopkins cut
off from further aid, and the public schools
confined to English education. The high
schools are as wrong in policy as the appro-
priations to colleges and universities. The
money now spent for higher education If
properly applied would maintain proper pub
lie schools ten ton months in year.
The state should never do for the people
what the people should do for themselves
The best citizen is the industrious and self
reliant one. When the state relieves him
of his burdens he relaxes his energies and
becomes dependent and indolent Free books
was questionable step, though very popu-
lar one. If free schools and free books, why
not free clothing? Parents desire their child
rem as well clothed as others, and pride may
induce some to keep their children away from
school because they cannot dress them as
we'll as some other children. Books have
always been free to those unable to pay the
book fees 1t was said that many persons
were too proud to acknowledge their poverty,
hence to avoid any embarrassments on this
score books are furnished free to all. Of
equal force is the argument for free clothes
a uniform for all public school children. This
matter has been preached, and if bill were
introduced into the legislature to carry it into
effect. we have no doubt ii would meet with
popular favor.
Manual training schools are maintained IN
advocated them for the counties. Governor
Lowndes, in his recent message to the legls-
lature, advocated their establishment through
out the state for colored children. This is a
starting point, and if some protest is not
made, manual training schools for whites and
blacks will be added to the public school sys-
tenn of the state.
A halt should be called in this wild enthu-
siasm for free education. 1t does not spring
from the people, but from those enjoying
comfortable salaries as professors, teachers
and heads Of the school system, and who bear
but little of the burden of taxation. good
starting point is to deny further state aid to
the Johns Hopkins University. Then let the
colleges be cut off; then abolish the normal
schools and teachers institutes, then reduce
the public schools to plain course of spelling,
reading, writing and arithmetic, with the
schools open ten months in year and fair
salaries to teachers. BY so doing children
will become better citizens, be willing to stay
on the farm or learn trades, and parents will
be more self-reiant and industrious. About
half of the male graduates ofthe public schools
want political positions and clerkships. and
many of the females are too nice to attemptt to
earn living for themselves.