Arizona republican., 1904-12-03
A Reform Needed in the Schools.

A patron of the city schools made some objections in yesterdays Repub- lican to the apparent discrimination against home talent in employing teachers. Upon investigation it was shown that the present superintendent and trustees are not at fault in this particular. But if our correspondent had criticised a certain custom which is growing in some of our schools. we think 1t would have been difficult to find any satisfactory explanation. We refer to the custom of asking the school children for contributions of money for the various purposes which happen to seem commendable to some of the teachers.
 One week. the children of this or that grade are asked 10 contribute toward buying athletic apparatus for some of the students; another week, it Is for uniforms; another week, it is for dec orations of the school room; another, for a picnic, and so forth and so forth The objection to this custom lies in the hardship which 1t inevitably imposes upon certain children. To many of them the sums mean nothing; they tell their parents that they must have some money to take to the school next day and the donation asked is forth coming. But to many others the sug- gestion from their teacher that they should bring some money for this or that comes like a cold douche. They may or may not know that money is scarce at home, but they do know that humiliation is to be their portion they are unable to contribute any thing.
 To the parents themselves the re quested contribution, although trifing In amount, is a burden in many cases. Phoenix is not a town of poor people. but it is undeniable that there are some families in which the task of providing adequate clothing and books for the children in school is heavy enough.
 But the worst feature of the custom Is its bad effect on the children. It embarrasses the poor, it tends to make the children think of the difference be- tween the rich" and the poor" and thereby plants the seeds of the curse of class distinction, and it encourages snobbery. Some boys and girls are snobs by instinct. They delight in showing off their good clothes to the poor boy or girl, and they delight in Ia+ ba fv, another class-for haven't the fortu- nate ones money to spend, and aren't they able to produce" when the teach CT asks for a contribution to the vari- ous school funds? Tn universities and . colleges it is impossible to suppress snobbery, perhaps. but there should be no room for 1t in the public schools. All boys and girls should understand that in the public schools there are no distinctions, and can be no distinc- tions, because of good clothes. or be- cause of money or the lack thereof
 We are convinced that in permitting the growth of the reprehensible custom of calling on children for contributions or permitting them to contribute money for any purpose, the teachers have acted without due consideration of the large questions involved. Now that public attention has been called to the matter. we do not apprehend that there will be occasion to allude to the subject again.
 But if the custom is continued, ii should be discouraged by the patrons who are most able financially to give every time money is needed in some school room. A refusal to permit theiI children to give anything will place everybody on the same level in the schools. and that is one of the basic principles of our free institutions,