St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1912-02-24
F FSUPT. THOMPSONU URGES
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Opelousas School District In Need Of A LARGE and
Commodious School Building to Meet Growing
Educational Requirements.

something, for people who are
skilled il special work, for peo-
pie, who by their work can con-
tribute something to che produc-
tive assets Of the country, or
| give such assistance in the ma
nipulation and handling Of these
assets as will render their distri
button for our social needs both
economical, efficient and profit
able. In order to bring the
schools up to the standard that
the exigencies demand it isneces-
sary that the requisite adjuncts
should be supplied, that suitable
buildings should be provided and
that the proper equipment for
the contemplated work should be
installed therein.
The question that would then
naturally present itself is, how
can all these things be obtained?
The answer is simple and feast.
bic, by the people who expect to
be the benefciaries of this sys-
TEN. We cannot hope to realize
much more from the general
funds now provided for the
maintenance of the public
schools, but the people are
authorized and empowered by
law to resort to local special tax
alton to realize the funds neces-
sary to increase the efficiency of
the school system; and this is the
only and real solution of this
vexed and much discussed ques-
tion. What the people Of the.
0pelousas School District need is
a large and commodious school
building, sufficient in all its ap-
pointments to meet the growing
educational requirements Of the
community. With these def
ciencies supplied, we can intro
duce vocational and industrial
education, and thereby SO equip
our children for the ordinary
vocations of life that. on the.
completion Of the school course,
they will be able to go to work in
positions of greater or less respon-
sibility and at once take up their
life work in an intelligent and
efficient way at the very outset
of their careers.
All this good can be accom-
plished at a minimum of cost to
the individual taxpayer by the
levy of a small tax for a term Of
years, a tax, the payment of
which would scarcely be felt ii
comparison with the amount he
would have to pay to give the
same advantages to his child in a
private institution where he
would have to pay for tuition,
fees, the use of tools. material,
etc.
If the people of this District
would vote a five mill tax for ten
years, or "a smaller tax, If it bet
ter suited them, for a greater
number of years, we would be
second educationally to no COM
1nunity in the state, and the use
of the improved system, before
the expiration of the tax, would
show up such magnificent results
in the Improvement of the per-
sonel and character of our citi-
zenship, that all would see the
wisdom displayed in the making
of the small sacrifice in behalf of
the up-groWing manhood and
Womanhood of this community.
All over the state the people
are becoming responsive to the
demands made on them for the
better education of their child
ren. But a few weeks ago such
little towns, and be it said to
their everlasting praise, as Race
land, Lockport and other places,
voted a six mill tax for fifteen
years to improve their local
school conditions.
In our own parish Of St.
Landry, nearly all of the rural
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