Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-05

We're prepared by other parties who, as
he said, had fifty more" for him to in
troduce, it is unfortunate that he does
not realize that he is being made the
stool pigeon by these men to do their
dirty work. Men by nature opposed to
institutions OF culture, refinement and
intellectual advancement as well as by
their habits, confessedly at war with
most of the customs of common de-
cency, or men with personal grudges to
satisfy or men whose religious training
makes them forever the avoWed enc
mics of the entire public school system.
are not men whose motives IN REFORM
ing the schools are to be trusted. "A
man of high standing in the community
such as MIR. Church enjoys makes ia
tai mistake when he listens to such
counsel If he feels under obliga-
lions to retrench and reform
because of the pledges he
himself made before the election let
him go about it with care and judg-
ment such as he would exercise in
transacting private business. When he
finds an opportunity to reduce school
expenses without injury to the schools
the public will lend him hearty sup
port, but to jump in with resolutions
prepared by other men and men with
vicious motives at that, without any in
vestigation or information about the
conditions himself is but an act OF
recklesSneSS.
| Mr.. Church, it will be conceded, was
| sincere in his belief. at the time of his
election, that school taxes are rather
burdensome He may have believed, al
tho he certainly did not know, that the
| former directors had been eXtravagant
in their efforts to build up the Marshall
town schools. The public knows
they have not wasted one cent OF the
public funds-that more conserv-
alive, careful prudent set of men We're
never elected to a public body in this
city. Does any one think for moment
Messrs. Turner, Click. Hull. Atkinson
or Devine-heavy taxpayers every one
of them-would burden themselves OF
their friends by adopting extravagan'
| measures and a useless curriculum
/ The public school system is not perfect
it is granted. and never Will be Ger
/ fected, but Mr.. Church convicted him
self of viewing an education from the
sole standpoint of the dollar when he
esked Director TErr or IL ability In
;'rawirs would bring him in d, lar.
This would be sorry world II such q
| vi.w were generally accepted. what Is
money compared to intelligence. clear
habits, good health, ability to care FOL
| ones self, to mingle with the world, &c
earn livelihood first and enjoy life oy
| being on an equality with tn. intelli-
gent masses of the every day worid-tc
be capable of appceciating books. or al
]least good newspapers-and art if you
will? All these things-the making OF
men and women in The truest sense
are the aims of the schools of today, as
well rs the teaching of the which is
improperly designated as The practi-
cal. A few persons there are Whost
| sole aim in life is to accumulate the
dollars, but these grow narrow anG
selfish and are only one type
of American manhood and wom-
anhood. There may be among
those some who are able and
willing to give their boys and girls the
benefits of an education higher than
| that afforded by the public schools, but
Itne latter are the hope and salvation OF
/ the children of the poor and those or
moderate circumstances.
The Marshalltown high school now
ranks second in the state, and Iowa
takes high rank in educational matters
among other states. The educational
system is being improved as educators
Ilearn its weaknesses. and 1T mas been
| the aim of those in control OF the Mar
shalltown schools to keep pace with
modern progress at the lowest possible
cost. knowing full well that the pubic
! school is the only means of securing an
education or the part OF nine OF every
ten young men and women. 1t is sought
to teach them not only the essentials
of the ordinary problems found in text
books in order to fit them for usefulness
| in the industrial life, but also that there
is 10y in living and being able to dis
cuss other subjects than real estate
values and current rates of interest.
The rich man pays the greater portion
of the expense of the schools and grum :
bles less, while the poor man reaps the
benefits and doesn't always appreciate
them.
Messrs. Church and Nicholson have
revealed their own lack of appreciation
Of all these things, or have allowed
their minds to become obscured by
hardening to the pleas of those whose
motto is, .the public schools be
damned and at whose behest they are
plunging into the nire so deep that
they are presenting ridiculous spec
tacle, and from which they will be I'M
able to extricate themselves unless
they turn back and break away from
| the discordant elements under whose