The Newtown bee., 1906-10-05
HOME NEWS:
SHALL MIDDLE AND NORTH GEN. TER SCHOOL DISTRICTS BE
 CONSOIlDATED?
SOME SENSIBLE OBSERVATIONS.

CONSOIlDAIEDF
 SOME SENSIBLE OBSERVATIONS.
 To the Editor~Of THE NEwTOwr
 BEE: It was a matter of surprise to g good many that the proposition in tht
 warrant of the Annual Town meeting to consolidate Middle and North Gen
 ter districts was indefinitely postponed
 The writer of this article had stated the reasons for such a change in THE NEwTOwN BEE two or three months ago. He had also talked with the peo. pie of both districts and found it without exception to be approved. He had consulted those supposed to be most concerned, and all seemed to be favorable.
 Not being accustomed to attend these annual town meetings, this ar ticle of the warrant came earlier than I expected, and thinking that some one else accustomed to lead in these matters would move it's passage, did not at once rise to do so. But 1t.would seem that had done so, the result would have been the same; for mo- tion made immediately to indefinitely postpone cut off all discussion, and there were enough with the mover of that resolution to carry it.
 | At the close of the town meeting l therefore took occasion to find the mover of the postponement resolution, MT T. J. Corbett, and ask him the reason for his opposi- tion. He said the matter had not received' sufficient discussion. When asked why he made motion which cut off all discussion, he said, because there was not time enough at the meeting, and that the matter ought to be discussed in the press. I reminded him that had given reasons for it's adoption in THE BEE, and that I had found no one who disapproved of it. He said he was willing to discuss the matter in the press, and I agreed to so discuss it with him.
 To the opening of such discussion I will recapitulate the arguments used in my former article in THE BEE, not attempting to forestali Mir Corbett's arguments. He is able to give them in a clear and forcible way. As he gave them to me they were certainly interesting. They concerned the gen. eral management of the schools of the town, and reforms which he thought should be made. But they did not convince me that they should stand in the way of the opportunity to improve the schools in this village and it's i'm mediate vicinity.
 I wish to say that the discussion Monday afternoon was entirely friend ly and courteous; and I enter upon the discussion with the single purpose of having this important improvement kept before the public, and of having all objections made to it that can be made, so that they may be answered, if answerable.
 It is of much more importance that we should bring about this improve ment with the generalgood will of all the community than to have 1t forced upon a minority who have reasonable objections to 1t.
 The proposition then is that Middle and North Center School districts be consolidated into one school district.
 The purpose of such consolidation would be to grade the schools so that we could have in one of the school houses the primary scholars and in the other the intermediate.
 The placing of all the little children of the two districts in one room and all the older children in the other would give opportunity to each teacher to do better work. Relieved of half the classes which they now have, al- though the number of scholars for each teacher would be as great as at present, more time could be given each class and the children would be proportion ately helped in their studies.
 A second reason for this division would be that little children of the primary grade need different rules and regulations from those for older schol- ars while in school, and their plays and games at recess are different. The whole method of conducting a primary school in any up-to-date system is diff ferent from that used in the inter- mediate grade and our teachers are handicapped and not able to do the good work of which they are capable because they have too great variety of work, and have not time to do the work as thoroughly as it should be done.
 wish to add business reason for making this change. Better school facilities would be for the best busi- ness interests of this village. We are putting in water system, and already real estate is finding market. But if we. wish people to locate here, we must have other "modern improvements, and one of these is good schools. We are made ridiculous in the eyes of ev- cry stranger who comes here and can stand at the flag-pole in the center of | the village and see two ordinary dis | trict schools where each teacher is in- structing children of all ages from A. B. c. until they can enter our High school.
 When we consider the fact that this improvement would not cost cent more than at present, the business side of the proposition seems plain. | The only objection to the plan and