Milford chronicle., 1910-01-28

LlaL the greatest gOou may Couit
from the Graded School Act, ] sug
gest that all pupils take an examin'
alton. Already the number from
this county permitted under the law
has been exhausted. All applicant;
for admission to graded schools
should be examined in the
month Of May each year by the
county superintendents AS we have
more applicants than place it is Just
that the State should select those
best fitted to receive State aid II
this suggestion meets with the com
missions approval l recommend
that the provisions Of the BoxWell
Law of Ohio he studied.
The Compulsory School Law has
brought about much better attend
ance in many Of the schools of our
county, but the law is far from what
it should be. While our schools
for white children remain open on
I an average of nine months or more,
and seven or more for col0Ted chill
dren, the compulsory attendance is
for only five months and this may
be reduced by local commissioners
to three. l. suggest that the COM
pulsory attendance extend from Oc-
tober first to June first, for all
schools i'm session that long I also
urge that all children attend school
between their eighth and sixteenth
birthdays, but that the county su-
perintendents shall excuse all pupils
who NAV be able to secure regular
employment after their fourteenth
birthday Statistics show a great gap
between the number of pupils in
school at fourteen and the number
at work at sixteen. Idleness at this
critical period has ruined many a
youth. l also advise the removal of
the two-mile limit in order to bring
every inccrligibIe and truant under
the law.
1t is my opinion that every school
in the country districts should close
at 3 O'Clock. This would make is
possible for every child to arrive at
home in time to do his evening
work In no case whether in dis
trict or village school do l believe
anything is gained by keeping chill |
eren after 3. 30 O'Clock. | feel GER !
tain that the afternoon should be
devoted largely TO penmanship, |
manual training, and do
nestle science. These motor activ-
itIes are a relief to a mind that has
been engaged purely in mental ac-
tivities for half a day. The time is
here when children must know more
than books; they must be taught
how to do as well as how to read. [
Our schools are not meeting the
needs Of the young people today
and never can under our present
system. OF course the schools are .
lot entirely at fault. Much blame
must rest with the parents of the {
but ! believe we can do /
much to improve present conditions. {
Boys and girls leave school too soon
o 90 to work, and this custom tends '
o lower their earning capacity later {
n life The fact is, without train ]
ng the youth of today is fearfullv
handicapped. Many try to make up /
Or the loss of school days after the :
ad lesson has been learned. Accor- Il
ing to the representative Of the In e
Correspondence Schools d
pproximately 1000 persons have p
nrolled with them since their $
,hools started, Il
OF this great number 200 were Il
ON Sussex county, 800 from Kent it
)uDty, 800 from New Castle coun- al
z and $500 from the city of Will
ington, approximately. Tuition Il
r the courses taken averaged at II,
asst $50 and perhaps s75 would be 70
truer average. 1t will be seen then al
at between 5000, 600 and 100000 81
IS recently been spent to supple
ent the amount raised in this le
ate for education. Much of this Sc
oney was not wisely spent. Only
igh School and college graduates -
n get the full value out Of a cor n
spondence course The uneduca- -
/ boy needs teacher. Could not
e educational institutions of this p,
ate teach these same persons bv -
rrespondence at a great saving to G.
e State as well as to the person ="
,king instruction? The PROPOSE
N is worth considering. 4
Consolidation of some schools Y
lst come We need many new il
lool buildings. At present not a lk
are overcrowded, unsanitary. III
d dangerous to health. Some are IA
ept but once or twice a week. l r