The Penn's Grove record., 1910-02-11
EDUCATION
Its Cost, Its Value, Its Support

LII S'1 'OfN
rowed from the Latin word educere,
which means to bring out. We send our
children to school to bring out OF them
the latent ability which each possesses
and to train that ability to be able to cope
successfully with life's problems.
Socrates has been considered one of
the best teachers of youth in ancient
times. His motto was "Know thyself."
He is classed by some as the precursor of
Christ, because his teachings were very
similar to those of Our Master, and yet
he never knew Christ; but like Christ he
suffered death for a good purpose.
The Greeks had excellent schools, and
each boy was required to be SO taught in
those schools as to make the best citizen
possible. Rome, likewise, gave great i'm
portance to the instruction of her youth,
and so on down to the present day.
Shall we do less for our children than
the ancients? Shall we say how little a
| child shall study? How small a prepare
ton heshall make to fight intelligently
! Uu6 Udbli6S VI lilo. 0Idll VIC say blidU VIC
studied only reading, writing and arith-
metic, and have done well in life, there
fore, that is enough for our boys and
girls?
Yes, we have done well with our little
education under conditions that are now
past and that no longer exist. The world
is moving forward by strides and bounds.
Never will the same conditions exist for
our boys that we had. More will be de-
manded of them thar ever was of us.
I Then shall we hamper and cripple them
! by not giving the best educational train
ing possible? Shall we, as parents, have
our children say we would not help them?
Come, rise to the help OF the children.
Spare no means to give them the best
equipments to secure success in life.
Perhaps you ask what is the best. Is
it not enough that the boy be trained in
the one course that will make him a good
mechanic, farmer, doctor, lawyer, mer-
chant or preacher? We say no! We
grant you that a boy may become a me
cllanic having studied only such books
as pertain thereto, but to what greater
heights of success might he not attain
even as a mechanic if he had an all-round
education to help him on to success?
Why give him all these different sub
jects-Latin, Greek, German, Chemistry,
Physics, Trigonometry, etc.?
Because the world demands it. The
best educators recommend them, and
employers know the value of them and
will choose the best educated boy every
time.
Every subject a boy studies SO changes
the brain cells and enlarges his capacity
for thinking, planning and inyenting that,
as a result, the child is not only better
able to deal with the perplexing questions
of life, but he is given a greater capacity
to enjoy all the good, the beautiful, and
the true in life.
Where, then, is the best place to acquire
this needed information and training?
The child between the ages of five and
ten years form their actions largely from
imitation, Father, mother or brother
does not do SO; therefore, they initiate
that action whether it be good or bad.
But during the period between the ages
of ten and eighteen the child slowly I'M
folds and begins to become self-assertiye-
begins to do some thinking for himself;
begins to weigh the actions Of others, and
to be influenced according as his judg-
ments are true or false. Shall, we then,
during this formative period Of a child's
life, send him out in the world to cope
single-handed with the conditions as we
know exist to-day? Shall we expose our
boys and girls to the good and evil indis-
c~riminately? No; a thousand times no!
GIVE them educational training at home,
where the expense is less i'll every way,
and where appearance does not count
against them as among strangers; and
then for the sake OF the majority provide
this advantage OF home training for our
children.
Why spend from 5000 to $500 per year
for schooling elsewhere when you can get
it at home for $27? We have a high
school already placed on the approved
list and fairly well equipped with labora-
tory apparatus, books and supplies. Why
spend money on these things and not use
them? Nay, use them; and help our
teachers to do their best for our children.
Do,oo A. o@o,loxJ o,l tl,,o 1ro ny ,,nniIc
from the surrounding towns and country
and get from $40 to $50 per pupils for all
such.
Moreover, we pay our high school
teachers less of the borough's money thar
we do to the primary or grammar grade
teachers. Why? Because We receive from
the State $500 per teacher i'll the high
school, but in the primary and grammar
we get only 5000 per teacher. Add this
to the income from pupils coming from
other districts, and the amount re-
ceived from daily attendance, and we
find that the high school is not only a
very great advantage as a home training
institute, but also a financial benefit to
our town.
Our high school has been established
two years. Each year there has been six
pupils graduated. The census rates the
population of PENIS Grove at 2020; about
three pupils per thousand inhabitants
have been graduated each year. mother
places the rate per thousand is much less.
Bridgeton, with a population OF about
10 900, had only twenty three graduates
last year. In 1907, Salem, with a popu-
lation of 6,443, graduated eighteen. Mill
vile, with a population OF 1852, gradu
ated seventeen. Vineland, with a