The Newtown bee., 1906-11-30
TOWN TOPICS.
TnR nlDDLE.NORTn CENTER DIS
 TRlCT
CONSOLIDATION PLAN.

CONSOLIDATION PLAN.
 Editor THE BEE: I note with sad ness that Rev MT George in last week $ communication found it necessary to adopt the advice of the old dog of a lawyer to his young disciple: 'When you have a bad case, abuse the opposing counsel"
 Now the ad hOminem in dispute has only 8 negative value; but when you make home-thrust you want to be sure of your facts; otherwise your words will fall very short of the mark
 am not willing to believe that Rev MT George would have descended to this plane if he had not been misled again as he was by the wicked politi- clans. know that this attack on me personally was instigated by one of the high privates in the rear ranks of seems to be only the outrider. And I know when he investigates, and finds out for himself the falSity of what he tmputeS to me, he will feel sorry, too.
 His report of the talk with him I had town meeting day was true so far as given but in that part in which I told him that l opposed the building up of central school at the High school at the expense of the other districts, and stigmatized the sub- Freshman class as illegal; he should have told the public, as he told me, that he, also, was opposed to the grade lower than the High school, and had frequently told his associates so. Then that when l, to test his sincerity, asked him if he would pay half the costs of injunction proceedings against the officials for maintaining such grade, he declined, saying: q can go no farther, but am also opposed to the continuance of the Sub-freshman class" If he had done this, he would let the public See that there are others who oppose the methods of the High school without being accused of an- tagonism to High school privileges for our town children.
 l am not, and never was, opposed to the esta blishment of High school in town, and the files of THE BEE of a this statement. refer Rev MT George to this record. Neither have I ever criticised the teachers, nor the char acter of their instruction, only the kind of instruction in vogue there I have daughter in the Sophomore class in High school and I shall con- tinue to send her only so long as l get for her the course of study think and know she needs. Rev MT George, in fairness to me, ought to have stated this matter of the courses of study I desired, when he gave the story of our talk, for he agreed with me that the and commercial course. That is the sum total of my opposition to High school methods. When he mentioned consolidation as last resort, I told him had no fear of that, as we now have virtual consolidation by the grace of the school board when it established the sub-freshman class. But does Rev MT George favor consolidation? Ask him.
 But his attempt to bring it home to me in my relation to my home district Is as bad a miscarriage of aim as one often sees. It will show how his con-
 iding nature was again rudely imposed upon by designer. He could easily have found out the truth, and saved himself and me annoyance. From 1900, when my daughter came to reside with me, till 1904, she was regularly entered as pupil in Middle district, and registered there,a nowhere else, except :tne school year 19O2-3, when, acting under medical advice, she took school as secondary matter, matter of play; and she was graduated from Middle district in 1904, entering High school in the Fall of that year, from that school. A ward in the family was also registered in Middle district for all of her school life with me. All the rest of my younger children are in the cradle, or in kindergarten. Is this sufficient, Rev MT George? You can go no farther than I can in apprecia. tion of our teachers merits and deserts, for know her to have gained her faculty for teaching in the only school that counts Here you have the facts, which are capable of proof by consulting the school reg isters of Middle district.
 Now as for Sandy Hook. This would also be important, if true. There never was any attempt to pad the roll in Sandy Hook district for there new CT was any necessity during my in- cumbency, and l venture to say there never will be. By a district vote passed in 1889S permission was given the committee to admit not to exceed three pupils Ifrom outside districts to any grade, and tuition fee fixed and exacted. Since that year never had less than one outside scholar and not more than three attending in any one year. These children came from far and near and paid the fee cheerf ully. This year with an attendance of 40 1f-A- A~A IT L