Newark post., 1912-09-11
EDUCATIONAL DISCUSSION
MR.. WASHBURN WRITES AGAIN

-. , far,, woman on the State bOaru VI
r,1.a.;,, II ;s because women do not
vote. -,
Women are not enjoying the same ei'i'
RIGHTS as voters and as office holders, as
are men? The reasons are many pu'
among the principal ones are these: 'ne
anployers Of labor do not want women
voting or holding office because II No'
men did these things, they would stop inc
working of mothers with infants TO care
for. they would stop work Tor "o"ieh'
thev stop the working of women ana
children in unsantary surroundings, anu
thev would force factory inspectors to
ipspect IN the interest of the people IN
stead of in the interests of the employ
ors And above all they would stop chiid
labor. They have not done all they
sbould where they have the vote, put
they are working rapidly toward more
narfact conditions and the employing
class fear them. Another class whlcn
oupose votes for women are the liquor
interests. The women and the saloon are
natural antagonists unless the woman DE
q non.homekeeper. Another force is
large portion Of the clergy, opposing
votes for women by instinct. Snbmis-
sion on the part Of women is the corner
stone of ecclesiastical domination. An
other source of opposition is the BODY OF
professional politicians in states Where
women connot vote. Women can not pe
trusted to follow the policy OF addition,
division all silence. A further cause is
the stupidity of women who send their
children to schools but are too meek 10
insist on having any direct share in con-
trolling the courses they shall study.
Your correspondent asks: Why is there
not a farm woman on the board OF
Trustees of every school district! Large
lv because the women do not put for
ward candidate of that kind and make
campaign for her.
The third question: "Why is not every
county superintendent permitted an IN
te!igent, educated assistant in the per-
son of farm woman?' Because there
is no reason why farm woman should
be given the preference. Because women
do not insist that he shall.
The fourth question: ''Why can we
not have training course for our DIS
trict school teachers!' ! merely men,
ton. | do not know the answer and
presume there is none.
I trust ! may not seem out OF place
if | here express my great pleasure IN
reading the very sensible and thought
ful paper GA Plain Farm Woman -
offered the public last week. IT the rest
of the thinking women of the farm dis
tricts would express themselves and think,
as she is donig. there would soon be a
civilized course of education.
| have been accused of inventing the
ills which | see in the present school
system. To those who have accepted this
view / especially commend the fol-
lowing from "Current Literature for
September.
of The Ladies Home journal, appear
ing with editorial endorsement and writ
ten by Ella Frances Lynch, is sensa-
tonal e1pOse of the American public
school system. The writer of the article
describes herself as ''for years a teacher
in the public schools, city and country,
from the primary through the grammar
and the High School grades. She is
now n teacher and fater years of ex-
perencc in her own schools and after
months of investigation in other schools,
she /" carefully and deliberately makes
the statement: 81 That the American
public-system, as ut present conducted, IS
an absolute and total failure, for these
reasons (1) 1t is stupid in method; %
it is impracticable in plan; and (3) it
is absolutely ineffective in results. -
AS a first step in support of this for
midable arraignment, the writer asks us
to bear in mind what education is
"that it is to prepare a child for life; to
make him effective for his work; to de-
velop his capacity She continues:
''Mark you we'll, for this is important
for you to bear in mind: | speak of a
particular child; his particular life, to
develop his capacity. Not children, but
one child-your child Now you, as a
mother, and | know one fundamental
truth if we know no other: that no two
children are alike; your John is no more
like your Harry than the day is like the
night AS a matter Of fact it is your
constant surprise, and so is it mine, that
two children from the sam eparents can
he so entirely unlike in almost every
taste, every instinct, in every way. We
don t understand it, it battles us. But
one thing we do know: that is, they are
different absolutely different OF course