Milford chronicle., 1910-04-22

an education for their children, an,
there has been an idea prevalen
and gradually growing, that the cor
riculums as arranged by those il
authority, are not the best possible
for those who are dependent upoi
the public school system for thei
education. In most of the towr
schools where the higher grades ar
taught, there appears to be a pre-
vailing idea that the course of study
provided must be on the lines which
would lead the child to the door:
Of a college, or fit for a specia
course of study in the colleges
This has been brought about by the
effort to better the public schools in
the past, and was the result ofclassi-
cal scholars getting on the various
school boards, which have adopted
corriculums that were largely for
mulated by these men. Their OBJ
ject was commeudable in the main,
but it has worked out an expensive
proposition to the people who pay
the taxes to maintain these schools,
and whose children do not want and
do not avail themselves, except to
a very limited per centage Of the en-
rollment, Of these educational ad-
vantages provided for them. The
5. e provides for pupils from rural
schools above the sixth grade going
TO The so-called high schools of the
towns, and pays for each days at
tendance by them twenty cents, pro-
vided such high school shall keep
open one hundred and eighty actual
school days. This brings the rural
children into contact with the town
high school, and in this way the
rural scholars are interested in the
corriculum as taught in such schools
Just what these high schools are Of
fering to the outside pupils in each
special corriculum, we have not the
data at hand from each one to state,
but that they are not giving what
the boys especially want, a perusal
Of the figures as taken from the
State Treasurer 5 books will show.
The following statement is the
amounts paid by the State Treasur-
er at the end Of the school year end
ing June 1909, and was on the old
basis of fifteen dollars for each
scholar for the greater part OF the
school year, up to the time the new
law went into effect. The amounts
paid were as follows: Newark,
SIoI7.67 New Castle, s479.37 :
Middletown, S38I.86; Smyrna,
s544 80 Dover, SGo43 O.; Harring-
ton, S473.36; Seaford, S65r.o1 !; !
Laurel, $256.2r; Georgetown, Saga
90; Lewes, S6s.2I and Milford, |
S568.8I.
II the high schools of anv town
presents to the children of another
community a course of study which |
will be of benefit to them, or which |
they believe will help them in prac-
teal affairs of life, but not especial
ly leading or preparing them for
college, then that school will have
only to let its opportunities be
known to the public at large, and
every seat in the high school of
such a school will be filled. But
when only classical studies, or
studies which will be Of no value
to them in after life in their daily
are offered, their interest
IS lost at once. 1t is english and
mathematics which form the great
er part Of the necessities OF the
greatest number Of the pupils Of the
public schools, and while it is right
aud proper to provide the classical
c. urses, they should be elective
on.y and not compulsory. The prin-
cipals of the high schools of Della
ware are doing good work, but the
question has arose as to whether the
ines along which our schools are
oeing conducted are not getting the
,est results possible for the child
en- OF common people. From our
,oiut Of observation, it looks as if