Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-05-16
he paulsboro Schools Are Not Inefficient.

he Paulsboro Schools Are Not Inefficient
IA reply to an Editorial in the Paulsboro Pressl
And again the people of Paulsboro have
been thrown into state of turmoil by al
unwarranted attack on the efficiency Of
their educational institutions. They are
told in an unjust, if not an untrue com
parison, that the public schools at Penns-
grove have had fifty-four (54) graduates in
recent years, and about ten of these have
passed the teachers examination, and
some of the pupils have gone to Rutgers
and Western Maryland colleges, and have
graduated from the Trenton Normal School
in two years.
Pedricktown has a principal who was
educated at Pennsgroye. Sixteen graduates
have gone forth from that school during
three years. Two Of them have passed
successful teachers examinations, and four
have fitted themselves for a similar exam
ination this year. Mantua in the same
time has turned out about the same num-
Der of graduates, and has two students
pursuing the high school course. And
Paulsboro, what good does the editor see
in Paulsboro Public Schools? Nothing.
All sad to relate, he is troubled with that
disease known as far-sightedness.
We visited these places for additional
information, and give the following facts
Pennsgrove with sixty pupils in the princi-
pals room, whose ages range from four
teen to nineteen years, had four to gradu-
ate this year, and about the same number
to pass second grade. No pupils graduated
last year. Some of the pupils graduated
at eighteen and nineteen years of age. The
pupils who entered the teachers profession
attended the Normal School and different
summer schools for teachers, as have the
principal and some of the pupils from
Pedricktown. At the latter village there
is in the principals room fifteen pupils
whose ages are fifteen years and over. Two
pupils graduated and four passed the sec
ond grade examination. The principal is
considered by many the most efficient
teacher Pedricktown ever had The
scholars are given every encouragement by
their parents to develop themselves. Man
tua, though much smaller school than
Paulsboro, has many older pupils and is
taught by the most experienced, as well as
one of the most efficient of teachers in the
county. Let us now hear about the educa-
tional institution at Paulsboro. There were
five pupils, fifteen years old in the school
this year, two sixteen years, and one
seventeen years old. There were three
graduated last year, and this year there are
three pupils pursuing the high school
course, and eleven passed the second grade
examination. We had one pupil to gradu-
ate from Swarthmore College with the
highest average, Others to graduate from
the Normal School, business and medical
colleges in Philadelphia. None Of the
various pupils have had any trouble in
passing the entrance examination to the
Normal or other schools and colleges, the
examiners in nearly every case have made
remarks about the high averages received.
There are several of our pupils preparing
for the teachers profession
The editor, in plaintive tones, remarks ::
''We might enumerate other schools all
over the State, but what is the use, there
are none so blind as those who will not
see." We advise him to wipe the fog from
his glasses when he again looks into the
public school question.
Our friend makes bad failure as a
public school examiner. He asks one of
our thirteen-year-old pupils, who OCCASION
ally goes to school, to solve problem in
Commission which would make an excel
lent test example for teachers examina-
ton. He also asks the child to tell how
many square feet of sheet iron it would
take to make a joint of stove pipe three
feet long and eight inches around. The
boy gives the answer in square inches, and
the editor gives two square feet as the
answer, but makes no allowance for over
lap in order to fasten the sides together.
Therefor the editor is incorrect again in
his calculations. He accuses another pupil
of incorrect spelling in writing business
letter. Mr.. Editor, before you again sally
forth as a critic, please render yourself
capable of your assumed position. We
find that in your editorial you have made
various mistakes, showing a deficiency in
spelling almost total ignorance of the use
of the apostrophe. You also use vague
expressions, repeat words in the same
sentence UNNECESSARILY, etc. We might
excuse a boy whose energy a person might
suppose would be used in Juggling an
extraordinary amount of flesh around all
day for not understanding test problems,
incorrectly put to him, but what can we
say of an editor who prides himself on
having been teacher in Pennington
Seminary?
have the honor, sir, to be graduate of
the Paulsboro public schools. Signed,