The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-03-25
HER SCHEME OF Elk
TRAVAG ANCE B E F o r E
THE LEGISLATURE.

There is now pending before the Legis-
lature bill to authorize an issue of four
hundred thousand dollars worth OF bonds
to build a new Normal Sclool.
This extravagant expenditure Of public
money might be excusable or tolerable,
if the State did not already have large,
we'll located and entirely adequate Nor
NAL School. From the recent eXper-
fence Of the work Of the Normal School,
the best that can be said of it, IS that
the State Normal School is a fine and
commodious public building, and well
adopted for the purpose.
But for some purpose this seems TO be
most unsatisfactory to Baltimore City, or
to some few people in Baltimore City.
They want to sell the building that the
State now owns and then take that
money, together with the four hundred
thousand dollars from this bond issue,
and build a grand State Normal School
1t seems to us that the great object is to
spend four hundred thousand dollars
more of the peoples money in Balti-
more City, and thus add that much more
to the burdens of the taxpayers. When
we consider the scheme to spend six
hundred thousand dollars on buildings
to take care of the insane of the State,
and four hundred thousand dollars for
new Normal School and about three
hundred thousand dollars for hospitals
for consumptives, besides all of the other
State appropriations including twenty
four thousand dollars to Johns Hopkins
University, it seems to be extravaganza
run mad.
These appropriations in addition to
the five millions of dollars worth of
bonds issued and to be issued for the
good roads scheme, will create a State
debt Of some six millions of dollars,
which will have to be paid and the tax
payers will have it to pay. 1t is a very
easy matter to issue bonds, but it is
very different thing when the over-bur-
dened taxpayers have them to pay. 1t
is all well enough to say that a public
debt is a public blessing, but ii is much
more the truth when we say that a public
debt is a public curse
Ii is with State as with The indiwd-
ual the best and happiest condition is to
be free of all debt There seems to be
a wave of desire at large, a tendency to
extravaganza in the expenditure of
public money and il seems TO embrace
all forms of expenditure.
Why do we want to spend all of
this money for new Normal School?
1t is, after all only part Of the public
school system Of the State for which the
people have to pay heavy tax already.
II is not the first and most important
part Of the school system by any means.
The all important part Of the public
school system is the general education
of the children Of the State
This means a good, practical education
such as they can get in the public
schools
That was the object of the public
school system, and that was, and is
the object for which the tax was levied.
But we are led away too much by fads
and ancies.
There is too much money being spent
on high schools and the other addenda
to the public schools. Higher education
IS not contemplated by the public school
system.
The object of that system was to give
to every child practical education in
the plain, fundamental branches of edu-
cation, which are sufficient for the ordi-
nary business of life. This was com
monty described by the three RS.
OF course that meant more than merely
reading, writing and arithmetic, because
it also meant grammar, geography and
history, etc
This is now ridiculed by the later day
faddists. According to them you must
teach drawing, and cooking, sewing,
engineering and whole lot of other
fads and fancies. The attempt is TO cram
into the heads of parcel Of boys and
girls so much stuff that they fail TO grasp
anything, and in few months forget it
all, and leave the school room knowing
practically little or nothing.
Spend the money in the public schools
and teach in those schools the funda-
gaentals of common school education,
and cut away the foolish frills.
There is only one road to an educa
ton, and only one way to get an educa-
ton. The great King who was very