The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-12-11
THE RURAL SCHOOLS.
An Important Topic Discussed At
the School Commissioners
Convention.
CONSOLIDATION OF SCHOOLS SOUGHT
Before This Is Done Generally, However,
Legislative Aid Is Necessary But Where
Consolidation Has Been Made the
Schools Have Greatly Improved.

The annual meeting of the Associa
ton of School Commissioners of Mary
land was held in Baltimore last week.
The first item on the program was a
paper on the Progress of Consolida
ton in the Rural Schools in Mary
land" by Mr.. G. Herbert Rice, of
Gainesville. Mr.. Rice was not pres
ent to read his paper, and the topic
was discussed by Messrs. Frederick
Sasscer, of Upper Marlboro, and F.
Eugene Wathen, Annapolis, who
made the leading statements, after
which the subject was generally dis
cussed by those present. Every
speaker who took the floor agreed
that the consolidation of the rural
schools in the several counties of the
State would be wise and progressive
and would tend toward better educa-
tiOnal standards.
Mr.. Sasscer said in part:
1.-The subject of consolidation is an
important and growing one. There
is a public sentiment against it at
which is largely caused by ignorance
relative to its merits. There are SO
many people now who want school
houses at their very gates. The
County Commissioners have constant
demands for the erection Of schools
in ali sorts of places. In some cases
there have been special legislative
enactments in certain localities. The
buildings, which are necessarily small,
multiply so quickly that we are un-
able to support them, and so our peo-
BILE must submit to increased taxation
to meet these increased expenses.
I'VE must endeavor to create a sem
timent against this propensity to de-
mand the erection of small schools in
many places and in favor of large
central school buildings containing a
number of rooms. Some of the small
schools we now have are attended by
only a few pupils, while others are
overcrowded. In some of the dis
tricts lying over near the District of
Columbia, where land boomers are
developing settlements, these persons
have applied in some cases for the
erection of school houses to boom the
sale of their lots
AN act of assembly must be pass
ed" said Mr.. Wathen, "before the
school boards of the counties can pro-
coed and foster consolidation. 1t is
agreed that rural schools can only be
bettered by consolidation-the doing
away with the small schools taught
by one teacher, the substitution of
large, well-lighted.and conyenienced
schools supplied with several teachers
and graded. Transportation must
also be supplied free to scholars to
these larger central schools. The
condition of our rural schools have
not been changed for from s to 10
years, and consolidation is the only
thing that will change them. There
must be some education of the people
relative to the advantage of consoli-
| dalton. The central schools must
have good principals, possessed of
administrative ability and supported
by competent grade teachers. Public
education through consolidation
would result in the ablishment of
centers of social as well as scholastic
character. Boarding houses would
grow up around these central schools,
where the teachers could live in COM
fort, be generally better housed than
theysare now. The result would be
better schools and better teachers"
Mr.. F. w. Mish, of Washington
county, declared that the graded
schools were the best, and that the
principles of consolidation were being
applied successfully in Washington
county, especially in the agricultural
sections, where there is a sentiment
in favor of the same.
"Since we sold our interests in the
Western Maryland railroad, said Mr..
Mish, I'VE have received 100000, out
of which we have practically paid off
all of our county debt, and l hope
that with some of that money we will
be able to establish better schools on
the consolidated PLAN
Mr.. S. R.XWhite, of Montgomery
county, said that there were 18 schools
in Montgomery county which could
be safely consolidated. He said that
there should be such sentiment in
favor of consolidation generated, SO
that at the next meeting of the legis-
lature the bill allowing it to be done
by county school boards would pass.
Mr.. White said that the doing away
with the numerous little school