The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-11-22

blackboards are indispensable for
the success of a school.
Some directors bought black
paint and went over the old boards,
and made poor Iblackboards of
them. You can't paint boards and
make a good blackboard. You can
get slate canvas cheap. Or better
still, get slate blackboards, which
are the best of all. A blackboard,
next to the teacher, is the one thing
indispensable in the school.
81 asked the directors last year
not to pay the salary of the last
month to the teacher until the re-
ports were handed in. 1t is great
help to the new teacher. 1t will
help to do away with the old-time
'self-promotion system in the coun-
try school, when Johnny and Sarah
came and said we belong to such
and such a grade and later came to
grief.
"A good blackboard in every
school in the county, and an abso-
lutely correct report of every indi-
vidual pupil. These are two import
ant things we ought to strive for"
You can't pin your faith on
railroads and trains" breathlessly
exclaimed DR.. G. M. Philips, princi-
pal of the West Chester State Normal
School and Secretary of the State
Board of Education, who came into
the room at this moment (10:42 a,
m.) having been trainstayed in Car
bondale over night, and treated in
addition to an annoying 45-minute
delay in the arrival of the morning
Delaware and Hudson train.
Giving the Doctor only time
enough to shed his overcoat, and
hardly sufficient chance to catch his
breath, he was introduced to the
convention, and plunged into the
middle of his subject at once by
saying:
Doctor Philips Address.
THE School Code is so big a sub
ject. On the 18th of last May, Gov
Tener signed the most important
piece of legislation enacted in Penn
sylyania in years. Said the United
States Commissioner of Education
in commenting upon the Code: 1T is
perhaps the most extensive and radi-
cal piece of education ever enacted
in the United States
" The Common School Law oi
Pennsylvania was framed in 1884
Since then 800 changes have beer
made, and 1000 special educationa,
laws passed. The old school laws
were in a chaotic condition, full ot
idiosyncrasies.
What are some of the great
things in the new School Code?
81. The committee hoped, as fal
as laws could do it, to put good meI
IN, erfry
Secondly. They wanted to lei
well enough alone. Some things hat
to remain the way they were. This
and thinly scattered counties. The
| Constitution of Pennsylvania for
bids special legislation. Whatever
a general character.
You want to remember all We
did had to run the gauntlet of the
! Legislature and the Governor. Tht
new Code isn't perfect.
The first step was to classify the
State into districts. We made foul
districts. 1. Philadelphia anC
Pittsburg, where a school board o
fifteen is appointed by the courts
2. All the smaller cities, from 80,
900 ON up, like Scranton. 3. Small
er cities of from 10000 to 5000 lik,
! Carbondale, where a local Superin
tendent may be elected. A. Th
fourth-class embracing all under 5,
900, where five school directors ar
elected at large for siX-year tern
to avoid a deadlock.
Carbondale has had six schoo
directors. Carbondale is deadlock
ed and has not elected a teacher thi
year. The teachers are working
there on faith.
The question has often bee
asked me as secretary of the com
mission which framed the Code
why weren't we school directors al
lowed to serve out our terms, VIII
were we turned out?' There wa
nothing to do but wipe off the slat
and start over again. Think of Il
There were SO different schoc
boards in Pittsburgh up to last Mon
day, with 466 school directors, al
acting independently. Think of
bank or corporation trying to ge
along with such board.
"All over the State now (except
ing in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
we have small board of school d
rectors, not more anywhere tina
! nine, elected at large.