Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-01-28
I'm IDEAL SCHOOL SYSTEM
President Eliot, Of Harvard, Gives
His View Of It.


sitg, last week delivered an address on
ssThe Ideal Urban School System
President Eliot began his address by
criticising the modern school boards. In
plain, straightforward way he condemned
the modern faulty system of selecting
great body Of men, whose interests cannot
be sincere in either the children or the
schools, to act as members of Board of
Education. IT is always well to have a
small body of men at the head Of the
schools, said the speaker. s'Unquestion-
ably small Board can do more effective
work than large one. A satisfactory
Board of Education could be obtained by
the services of nine or even sew
en- men. Seven men can sit around the
table and conducts business 10 converse
tional manner. There is an opportunity
for informality and directness in this kind
of Board.
SHOULD BE ELECTED BY PEOPLE.
ssWhen but seven men compose a Board
there is no opportunity for speechmaking,
no chance to play 70 the gallery and no
Of enlisting the service of re-
porters. What is done must be done in
calm, judicial way, that will be sure tol
insure good results How should these
men be chosen? How should they be
appointed? l should say there is but one
way, by an election at large. Select one
member. or perhaps two members, at a
time Elect seven men and have each man
eligible for q period of seven years.
What should be the personnel Of the
Board? What SORT Of men should be on
the Board? should say men who would
consider it an honor to work in position
10 which there is no salary attached Men
who have children Of their own, or evt n
grandchildren. Men of public spirit, of
Judgment, Of go d sense. II you select
this kind Of Board you may not succeed
in making an ideal school system, but you
will be on fair way to securing it. Il is
good sign to succeed in business. If a
nan succeeds in his own business it is an
evidence that he possesses some good quali-
ties. The successful man who works on
your School Board must also have some
conception of the magnitude Of the task set
before him, some appreciation Of its im-
portanee,
An election to position in the School
Board that comes through the instrument
taliry of either the Mayor or Judges is
never so satisfactory as an election that is
the result of a genera vote. st. Louis has
an ideal Scheol Board, bscause, having
found the two common methods Intellectual,
it tried tlis system Of general ection and
succeeded The financial resources of the
Board should come from generous and
wise legislative body Hsw adequate this
will be will depend upon the Legislature.
In ST. Louis the School Board is allowed a
sum that IS large enough to admit Of it pdr-
chasing sites in advance for school build
ings
COUNCILS CONTROL CONDEMNED.
Every September you hear the cry,
We have six thousand children who have
no school accommodations; or, We have
thousands of children on hal'-time Why
is this? 1t is because Councils or the body
which has charge Of the financial appropra-
tions for schools does not at ach enough
80, -, ta..<.. - &s,e eeb<,oas, aa.,,auda II
the -chool Board were not dependents upon
City Councils, but had its own financial
departments, il could fpres its own needs
and say, just as private individual says,
There is a cheap Bit of land and | will in
vest in it n0w, because later on may need
it Every large city grows out toward
the country. The population moves out.
II a School Beard knew its own income it
cuud buy school sites. As ii is now it is
impossible to predict the financial condi-
tion Of School Board for one year,
I'VE have too many committees in our
schools There is Committee on Books,
for instance Now what do most commit
tees know abont the hooks to be used in
school? Perhaps one member Of the conn
mittee ia 4 bank clerk, another grocer,
and think the B 'ard that has these gem
tlenen on the committee is NOR fortunate
in its sci cton than number Of Boards /
know about The man who ought to di-
rect the purchasing q books is the man
who comes in contact with school books
every day Of his life. .
The speaker strongly advocated pension
system for teachers. He said the system Of
pensoning those too old to work had been
tried in the1sevy, the army. in railroad
ada some colleges and in all
cases il was snd % be conducive 10 ex-
ceIlrnt work ii speaking d the medical
inspection d schools, Professor Eliot said
thar many children who are considered dul