The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-06-23
The following essay was delivered
by Miss Marie Bracey:
pennsylvania In Education"

Educational attainment in the
United States may be generally char
acterized by the position achieved by
Pennsylvania. An argument of this
subject would seem to imply a COM
parison of educational standards be-
tween that of our native state and
her sister states. Comparisons at
best are invidious, and in this case
would be impracticable. The glory
and pride of the United States, the
Keystone of its great scheme of liber-
ty and independence, is education
and free schools. Each of the forty
eight states of our Union is vieing
with the others in the aim at excel
lence of educational attainments, un-
til schools, colleges and universities
flourish throughout the land, while
ignorance and illiteracy are fast be-
coming unknown.
To give Pennsylvania the high
position of credit to which it is
entitled in educational work, it is
necessary to review early conditions.
In colonial times the attention and
resources of the settlers were con-
centrated chiefly upon the problems
OF protection and subsistence, leav-
ing little opportunity for mental cul-
tivation. They inherited from their
ancestors purpose, not only to ac-
quire rudimentary education, but
also to provide such preparatory
training for their children as would
enable them to assume honorable
position in church or state. To
them fell the task of devising a sys-
tenn of free education that would
give opportunities to all. At this
time there were established numer-
GUS church schools none of which
furnished adequate instruction since
each, trammeled by sectarian pre-
1udices, taught it's own doctrine.
The far-seeing William Penn, real
1zing the narrowness of these
schools, embodied ample provisions
Tor the instruction of youth in his
frst form of government, and es-
taDlished the Penn Charter school
which is now in the front rank of
educational institutions. From the
founding of this school, the policy
OF which was to provide free educa-
ton for the children of the poor, to
the public school system of to-day,
we find clear, definite plan for i'm
partial public instruction.
The SCODa of thic nanar dooS pot
permit detailed account of the var
1ous schemes of educational meth
ods advanced, nor of the schools
established to carry out this purpose.
AT first no project comprehended
free education, and after a seeming
ly feasible plan had been establish
ed the wealthy classes refused to
take advantage of the opportunities
so afforded, being unwilling to at
tend the so-called pauper schools.
The Latin grammar school for a
time was the form of education most
in vogue. The plan of these schools,
however; never became universally
popular, as the curriculum did not
fulfill the needs of the time. There
upon Benjamin Franklin devised a
more liberal form of education
which met with general approval,
thus becoming the founder of the
Public Academy of Philadelphia
The outgrowth of this institution
the University of Pennsylvania-is
to-day one of the most potential
forces in the advancement of high
er education. By reason of the nom
conformist act of 1862, fully two
thousand English clergymen were
driven from the church. Many of
them, having been denied admission
to the public schools and universi-
ties of their own land, sought a
home in the new world, and as they
loved learning as well as religion,
thus provided themselves with
new occupation-that of teaching.
One of these men established Ten
nent's Log College, from which
directly sprang Princeton University
and indirectly other scarcely less i'm
portant seats of learning.
Pennsylvanians may also point
with pride to these facts; that it
was the pioneer state i9 the educa-
tion of teachers-the first school in
America especially adapted for their
education being the Model School
at Philadelphia, which has been in
strumental in raising the teachers
profession to a high degree of eff
cheney and that she appropriates a
larger sum of money to the cause of
education than any other state. But
although Pennsylvania may well be
proud of her many higher institu-
tiens of learning, her chief pride
lies in the comprehensive public
school system, a system which has
grown upon its own soil and is
product of native forces and in
fluences.
1t would be difficult task to mem
tion, individually, the men of our
state who have devoted their lives
to the cause of education. Like
the hundreds and thousands of pa
triots who have given their lives as
soldiers for the welfare of their
country, and have fallen silently up
on the battlefield, the memory of
many of our scholars and educators
has gone out with their lives. The
glory of their work can be found In
the public school system, which they
have built and which stands as
splendid monument to them and for
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