The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1905-10-21
A Matter of Serious Importance.


To the Echo:-
Tuesday was ''red letter" day in tn e
Bay ST. Louis public schools.
Mr.. c. C. Hart, president Board OF
Trustees, ever alert to the interests OF
our schools, called at the Mayors Office
in a surrey and got his honor, Mayor
.O'Brien, to accompany Mr.. Hickey, an
other trustee, on a round of visits to the
public schools.
The first school visited was the High
School, where the Mayor saw a vast
crowd of children seated in the hall;
most Of them crowded three on seat.
He also saw sixty little fellows, ranging
from to s years old; one-third of whom
had no desk provided for them, but were
required to sit all day on long bench,
with their feet dangling four inches
from the floor. He also found every
teacher overcrowded with work, espe-
cially the primary teacher and the prin-
cipal of the school, both of whom were
doing the work of two teachers each.
The Mayor was told by the Faculty that
a number of children who are entitled to
the privileges of our school were denied
admission, for the double reason-lack
of room and paucity of teachers.
The man plainly saw this was true
and readily acquiesced that an annex to
the rear of the school building of two
con,modious rooms was Immediately
necessary as we'll as an extension of the
hall, which is very much overcrowded.
He expressed himself as being heartily
in sympathy with the movement to i'm
mediately raise funds to bring about
these improvements and suggested the
best way to float bonds for that purpose,
and advise that the trustees and others
interested, agitate the question, giving
the public moral support to the move
ment. He also agreed that it was wrong
through lack of funds to supply suitable
teaching force, to haYe to exclude chill
dre1 from school.
1t is proposed now to have built to the
school house a double annex, containing
two rooms 3G feet square and to secure
another teacher for the current term,
which only viii relieve the present
stress.
There will be a large increase to our
school after the quarantine season is
over and unless these needed things are
added the trustees Will have to say to
say to the citizens of our city, that we
have not room to accommod ate your
children.
The next visit was made to our color
ed school where we found better provi =
si0ns, so far as number of teachers and
commodious space is concerned-three
teachers and eighty pupils; all of them
are very low grade. The necessity, how
ever, of having a suitable school build
ing for the colored children-a building
owned by the town.
The statement was made by President
IlaIO IuIC cuOu9u SOCu COIOICu pCOpiC
had agreed to raise money both to pro-
vide a lot and to equip a building if the
town would furnish them with the build
ing.
All were agreed that an issue Of S., 900
in bonds would relieve the situation for
the next five years, both to enlarge whit e
school and to build colored; and if such
funds were not provided, the education
al interests Of our city would have to re-
trograde.
The school house is the best sentinel
Of the advance guard of civilization and
as Its interests are conserbed, so will tn e
town be judged and let no man hold any
motive higher than the interests Of the
education OF the youth of our land, mol
place any institution of our town more
w0rthily to be sought after than the up
building Of the moral and educational
interests of the pupils which throng the
halls of our educational institution. Th {
little fellows cannot advocate theil
cause, Hence this article.
IT T TT aUJCE