The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-01-09
: PROFESSOR A. d. WELLS CONTRIBUTES
A PAPER TREATING WALDOS SCHOOLS
y ~ a q = q n X X X X X K X
At the Farmers Institute Last Saturday, Professor
Wells Talked Very Inter estingy of What Considered
ed Necessary to Better the Conditions in the Village
And Township.

The greatest question for any COM
munity of people is the peoples well
fare. There is no need of personal
interest ever becoming paramount at
the expense of the public. What, you,
as community of people are most
interested in, is what of the future
development of sons and daughters
who shall be the coming citizens. This
is to most people the greatest problem
that can be asked and how shall it be
answered?
IL shall not be the purpose of the
speaker to try to answer this question.
1t is for you, patrons, fathers, mothers
and whoever is interested in the gen.
eral progress of their fellowmen.
What the future citizen will be will
largely depend upon his home train
ing and that received by public in
struction. So let us not broaden the
scope OF this topic farther but come
to the subject we have attempted to
bring to your attention.
The schools of Waldo and Waldo
township are geographically closely
related There is that one common
occuption above all other industries
which engages the attention of your
people. That is agriculture. This Is
farming community of great possi-
bilities. The productiveness of the
soil Is far above the average and in
many instances it has qualities par
excellence. But why speak of this.
The better to answer the question.
Are we able to support better schools?
This needs no argument. The fact
is we are more than able.
But | may presume to hear the
cynic say: why haven't you good
enough schools as they are? This
opens up the whole subject. What
have we and what ought we to have?
came to your village about fifteen
months ago. l found an enrolment
of ninety pupils and teaching force
of three teachers There was also
school house with capacity for two
thirds this number A course of study
of ten grades or three and one-third
grades for each teacher.
Now we have nearly 100 pupils
with the same number of teachers and
building. If the rate Of increase In
attendance should occur each year
you can readily see the condition in
which your school will eventually be
'acing. You cannot stop the advance
IF this or any other community The
progress must go on. The pupils Of
your village school and OF your town
ship schools demand that 1t must go
On. If the spirit of better education
were as deeply infused in the minds
Of all the patrons and taxpayers as it
Is In the eager pupils with whom the
teacher comes in daily contact, this
question would soon be answered.
Who doubts the fact that better fa-
ilities for pupils and teachers are
needed in this village and township
Only those who do not know or do
not acknowledge it for fear of a little
more tax. My dear friends. so long
as the dollar stands between you and
this proposition IL will never be
solved. 1t would be foolish to sup
pose that better things can be obtain.
ID for the same or less money When
you make any improvement on your
home or farm it is never done without
IN outlay of labor or money. So I'm
school work, the same is true. What
IS to be done with the district school
which Is fast falling into decay and
ruin? VIII you send good money after
bad and make "A foolish expenditure
upon repairing these delapidatcd
buildings? why not take that money
nd by putting together what would
be spent on each district school house
md eXpend 1t on one modern and well
equipped school building. Then you
'an fit your boys and girls to enter
he competition of life equipped so
that they can command a place and
keep II. 1t would be one of the worst
reflections that any parent could have
made upon them that they in any
way neglected to do what would have