Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1910-04-01
Local Public school Needs

W hlaA L. ~ =
soon discovered that the resort by the
sea, that had been founded by men #
broadminded culture, had naturally
gathered to itself a like class of c~itizegs
for which the resort has become justly
From these homes a fide
class of pupils were sen to our schod,
but at that time there was no high
The Wildwood school WIS
then only about five years old. Sinte
the Legislature had recently passed q
under which any parent could DE-
mand high school instruction for eH-
gible pupils at public expense, t
seemed to be imperative that high
school facilities be given to the Chi
dren of the island where they could
take the full course and still remain IN
their own homes under parental carp.
If they were sent to a neighboring town
to take a high school ourse pupils
would be obliged to take the early mora
ing train and have a long wait before
the opening of school on cold winter
returning at nightthey would
not arrive home until after dark after
long waits at the stations. This would
make a hard day for the children and.
many could not endure the hardship
at all. In view of these conditions the
Board of Education very promptly and
wisely, as l believe, voted to establish
a full four years high school course for
the children of the Island. There can
and should be one good high school on
the island if there be more than one,
neither will succeed for lack of ma
terial to sustain them. The high school
has been approved and the board holds
a certificate of register. The school has
steadily improved from year to year.
| believe in the high school as a help
to a better, broader minded citizenship,
for a staunch citizenship and not ma
terial wealth a lone Is the future hope
of communities and the nation. Tax
alton for educational purposes should
not be considered a waste, but an in
Let it be remembered that
there are things practical aside from
the industrial that figures SO largely In
the solution of the bread and butter
problem. Doubtless some manual
training, home economies aud agricul-
ture may be taught with some aivan-
tage in u public schools. No doubt,
but that we should have vocational
schools as well, where those who de-
sire may learn to do things that will
get for themselves a livelihood, but
none of these things should take the
place of a general culture. While
much of the study in language, history,
science, literature, art or mathematics
as taught in u high schools today
may not directly earn for the pupil a
Giving" but they do broaden the
uplift the,chilsgxsss pistkM3a
upon ahigher plane of thought and thus
give to him a wider view of the moral,
intellectual, social and business world.
In no surer way can "the blessings of
libertyp be secured ito ourselves and to
our posterity.o than through an H.
telligent educated citizenship. 1t is far
and more economical to raise
for the support of schools that
will furnish to the nation men and
women we'll equipped to command the
ship of state than 1t Is to raise taxes
for standing armies, increased police
forces everywhere to subdue the riots
of unruly, dangerous and ignorant
Much is said in these days in refer
ence to making III schools more prac-
tical along the line of bread winning.
The real practical thing for the school,
seems to me, is not the turning out
of a product that may have simply
capacity to earn dollars and cents, but
a product that shall be rich in noble
manhood aud true womanhood. The
MEDIC the country is not more
millions, but more real men.
The work in the grades of our school
is being creditably done with the excep-
ton that we are greatly in need of
more room because of increased num-
bers. The total number enrolled in our
primary room for the year has been
seventy pupils. We "a seat only fifty
of them, while the law contemplates
that there shall not be more than forty
in a room and the County Su%perinten-
dent has warned us of the danger of the
appropriation being withheld. If an
extension could be make to our present
school building, we could better carry
the work for a time. With more
rooms there could be better grading
and better results would naturally fol-
low. 1t is my belief when the people
of Wildwood fully understand the sit
they will heartily endorse the
petition of the Board of Education for