Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-04-08
SCHOOL BUILDINGS. NEW AND OLD.

Editor Democrat:
| Methods of attempting to influence
public opinion are numerous. Oneis 70
publishers OF newspapers to write ant
print editorials. Another is for citizen
to write short articles on timely subject
and ask newspaper men to publish then
over the full names of the writers. Still
another method is for individuals to Civ
facts or fabrications, products Of inven
tive imaginations, to irresponsible, pen
ny-a-line correspondents from out O
town to be written up, construed ant
printed nnder glazing head lines in near
by city dailies with no name whatever
appended. What mans reputation j,
safe when this last method is allowed!
If any citizen respectable so-called has
adopted this last method let him stand
forth revealed and defend it.
/ If the thirteen thousand dollar schoo
house plan, submitted at the town meet
ing, is public property and has been paid
/ for by the town, why is il not left at the
| Office of the town clerk or with the chair
man of the Experimenting School Com.
mittee that its defects may be observed
and pointed out? If it is private property
let it be burned speedily that no more
regulations may be blasted by it. The
high school, the Paris Free High School,
is the one requiring more ample &C
commodations at the present time. Room
for ninety-tive pupils has been needed
during part of the year. Yet the study
or assembly room provided by the above
mentioned plan, allowing the same floor
space per desk as is allowed in the brick
house now, would seat only ninety-nine.
| admit that the subject may be studied
from another point of view, but the
above statement will be most readily
understood by the busy voter.
Provision was thus made for an in
crease of four during the next nineteen
years. Even State Superintendent
Stetson's name was connected in some
indefinite way with such absurdity or
something worse.
Does the town build school houses to
promote the cause of education or for
the benefit of contractors and builders?
Why do contractors tumble over one an
other in their eagerness-even arousing
citizens in the night time TO show and
compare plans. Mr.. 5. p. Maxim pro-
poses to provide accommodations by
putting two-story addition on to the
east end Of the brick house. The plan
which he showed and explained to the
writer would allow for high school as
sembly room of the same size only as the
one described above. To work out this
plan in detail and secure even moderate
~ satisfactory results it would be
necessary TO tear out or move away every
partition in the brick house, tear down
the east wall, tear out the closets which
were put in new less than five years ago,
excavate the basement deeper, put in
new and more roomy closets, put in a
new boiler to heat the addition, ETC., etc.
The result would be a good building,
as it is, remodeled, a wing tackled on,
the high school still poorly accom-
more room provided for the
lower grades than needed, the grades
still crowded together, the grounds still
more contracted, big bill of expense,
etc., etc.
Five thousand dollars will build an
elegant high school building on new
site. Locate it away from the centre of
the village, where land can be purchased
at a reasonable price. Put the new heat
ing apparatus and closets into that.
Seventy-five dollars year should
cover the extra expense of separate
building. No town debt need be in
Cured to pay that expense. The money
would be given in small amounts to de-
serving citizens.
The town of Paris has and will pro-
vide necessary school houses.
Let this matter be decided by the
voters of the town and not by few
poll-tax payers, poll-tax dodgers and
cheap politicians.
Let every voter in the town of Paris
remember the town meeting on the first
of May. Remember the hour,
p. NJ.
Delenda est Carthage.
HENRY FLETCHER.