The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-09-09
A Study in Education
and Ethics.
By VIM C. STEVENSON. IL. B.

the company of the orphans OF. Port
Deposit, the orphans of Cecil county,
and the orphans of Maryland?
=. Have the country-bred Trustees
been wide enough awake to prevent a
city politician, posing as an educator,
from beguiling them to pay him a
larger salary for supervising about 200
students than is paid to Represent
alive in Congress, Senator of the
United States, the Governor Of Mary
land, the State Commissioner of Edu-
cation of New York, or Justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States?
8. Have the classicists on the Faculty
shown friendly spirit toward the
practical work desired by the Founder
and his wife, as means of enabling a
student to earn his own living!
After a residence of four years in
Port Deposit, and having full knowl-
edge of the facts from observation,
| from citizens and from members of the
Board of Trustees, the writer of this
study is compelled to answer all eight
inquiries in the negative, although the
degree OF negation is less in No. 3 than
| in the others.
AS proof OF the first negative answer
witness the amendments to the Char
ter, the two last being in direct con-
travention to the expressed wishes of
| the Founders, and all OF them for the
purpose of making the school ma
tional one, instead of local one for
designated benefciaries numbering at
least 5000 students. Also witness the
letter of resignation of Mrs. France
(see Exhibit b., who was joint donor
and President of the Board of Trustees
from May, 1880, to May, 1904, a period
of fifteen years. Also witness the tes-
timony of large majority of the citi-
gems of Port Deposit and Cecil county,
who heard Mr.. Tome express his SEN
| timents as to the purposes of the In
stitute. Also witness the announce
| ment on pages II and IL of the last
prospectus of 'an extension of the es-
tabhshed aVork to cover the freshman
and sophomore years of college. The
last suggestion may receive early de-
velobmcnt" There can be no doubt
| of this announcement being fulfilled,
as some of the freshmen work of a col
lege has been given for two years by
the teachers who are ambitious to do
college work. Notice that the Prospec-
tus says: MANY of the honor graduates
are now prepared to enter the sopho-
more class in college," Also notice tina.
| the other suggested developments
| which would be far more in harmony
with the legitimate purposes of the
school are not announced as to re
ceive early development" Oh, no! 1t
is classical work first, with promises
for modern and more practical work.
What would Jacob Tome say if he
knew that the Institute was becoming a
classical college? Can more be ex-
pected from Director who went to
the State Agricultural College of
Maine, and in a few years changed it
into the University of Maine? Citi-
zens of Cecil county, has the foregoing
proved negation No. L?
In proof of negative answer No. 2,
it will be observed that there are fully
1000 students of school age in Cecil
county, and only 646 are in the Insti-
tute, and out of this number 81 are
boarding students, most of whom are
from other counties and States, and
about rs train" students from other
counties, principally Hartford. In the
Boys High School there are 1917 stu
dents, only IS of whom are from Port
Deposit. Yet the town is full OF young
men who are not in school. The whole
tendency during the past three years
has been to exclude by one means or
another the home student, of which fact
the citizens of Rising Sun and Perry
vile can testify abundantly. The Di-
rector and majority of the Faculty
are looking eagerly for the boarding
boy. The home boy is at a discount.
The library and reading room is not
open in the evening for the home boy,
but the boarding boy has all the latest
magazines and papers in the dormito-
ries. There are an unusually large num-
Der OF boys on the streets of the town
during the day and evening for whom
nothing is ever done or thought of.
There was only one student from
Elkton the last year, none from Chesa-
peake City, and many other parts of the
county were unrepresented. Why?
The management of the Institute is
opposed to doing anything that it can
avoid for the five classes for whom the
Institute was founded Here is the
proof: The writer was a member OF
the Faculty committee on advertising.
| A meeting was held, and it was agreed
that each member should submit his
views in writing at the next meeting.
The writer OF this study submitted his
report. (See Exhibit c. There were
threatening looks from the Director,
other members of the committee, and
from one Trustee. The committee did
not meet again. The next fall, Mr..
Stevenson's name was not on that
committee. Yet for three years past
all the great standard magazines have
had costly advertisements of 1.-THE
Jacob Tome Institute, The Boarding
School for Boys" s
AS reason for this attitude on the
part of the Board and the Director let
us examine his opinions of a general
education for all. On one occasion, a
visitor said to DR.. Harris, in the
writer's presence. "You have an OPP
portunity to build here a great and
large school" DR.. Harris answered
with feeling, II hope / may prevent it
from becoming a large one" At an