Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-05-09
Postum Ridge Reporter Amuck
the Educational Question
POSTUM RIDGE. May 4, 1905.

: beck harder than government mule
Well that's about how lot Of otnel
: fellows aud have found 1t. | hdv
especially had to bear the brunt Of tn
thing, being little defective in my Owl
education, but Pvs noticed sometime.
a point or two will be scored even il {
fellow aln't up to date on grammar
aud his spelling not according tx
Webster every time.
And further notice that the fellow
that trots In with his little speech all
cut and dried, and expects to see the
whole community get cut Of the rui
and turn over new leaf just to the
sound OF College yell (Which he learn
ed at SCHOOL, and the sight OF his Prince
Albert coat (Which he possibly owes the
tailor for) and the little talk he spreads
on, will find out to his amazement that
he has made just about as much i'm.
preston on the long suffering public,
and cut about the same figure, as II he
had stuck his finger In the Gulf OF
Mexico and looked for the hole after he
took his finger out. In both cases he
had the trouble and labor and ex =
perience but he didn't find the word
revolutionized at the end Of his talk
any more than he found hole 10 the
Gulf after he took his finger out OF it,
It's all right to talk and put in the
press what you know, but don't expect
any results for few hundred years. A
prophet don't receive honor near home,
and when one man expects to make
lasting impression on the educational
question he mostly finds that the i'm
preston he really made on the people
was that he was very closely related to
the little animal that baked with
Balaam, when that same animal
saw the angel. There has been great
improvement in the educational ll1e
In the past hundred years, but it has
been done mainly by hard work OH the
part Of whole lot OF people, and let
me remark that the thing hasn't gotten
to perfect state yet by any means.
Then's room for lots OF Improvement
vet.
One thing that strikes us torcibly Is
that the work for the advancement OF
education on Virginia soil at anything
like rapid move has begun at the
wrong end. Now the failures 10 the
public schools don't always rest on the
teachers nor yet on the school board,
but By little closer inspection we find
that the parents are largely to blame.
Yon know, Mr.. Editor, that either the
teacher or the board generally gets
charged with every shortening, every |
failure and 10 fact everything that does
not please the people, but it's mighty |
seldom you ever hear any praise given
for the successes OF the aforesaid school |
board and teachers. Most Of us can
see and charge the other fellow with
his failures, but We fall to appreciate
the good that is being done. Now it's
mighty wearing on any ones mind to
try to please the people Ia any public
business and after the expiration of
few weeks fail to ever hear any thing
Of your work except every shortcoming
and failure being sounded from the
house tops. In the mind OF fellow
that is only looking OH it seema like
public school teaching is not excepted
from this rule. but rather gets little
more than it's share OF CRITICS n.
Now there is one great cause for
trouble and stumbling block bigger
than the side Of the barn 10 the way Of
advancement in the educational lines
IN Virginia, and it rests, like the crit
cisms, with the parents. the patrons on
he public schools. They fail to send
children Of school age aud size to
IchoOl, (and let me furthermore say
light here they raise great fog about
he expenses OF the public schools and
he little bit Of good they are dolng)
,eeping them at home for AMI on all
ilnds Of trifllng excuses, often falling
o even send their children to school
wo days In week. Now If anybody
al or will just whisper to me, how a
ubllc school, or any public enterprise
an be successfully ruD, In that kind ]
I q hali-hearted way, I'd be gla for J
he Information. Can anything prosper
'hen the stockholders withdraw their '
upportf Neither can public sch DOL
rosper when you withdraw your t
upport, and you need not cuss and fret d
nd cut any rusties In criticising the
Pachers when you failed to send your
hid to school often enough for him to {
earn one line OF multiplication In a
lonth. Don't Imagine that you can
ct the full value Of what the govern s
tent gives you unless you go after IL. b
will be a good many days before
Icy will furnish tutor for your family T
I kids, mister man, unlees | am som 4
n my base. Yet notice that the same
GLOW that don't like what they give i.
In Is first anl loudest to blame tie 4
tate for its poor school system.
l heartily concur with some Of the
aople that are advocating COM B
llsory law. Some other countries have h
led it aud II what l can seq from
fferent statistical reports on thu cub
'ct | think they have no reason to
'gret the law. The uneducated class
daily growing smaller in those coun- ,e
lies, consequently crime is less, and the o. .,
uslness and social world is attaining
higher plane. don't expect or intend