The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1912-03-19
CORRECTS ERRORS IN
CIVIC SCHOOL REPORT
Mr.. Smith Takes Issue With
Associations Views.

Morristown, N. j., March 18th, 1912
Editor of the "Jerseyman:
ct is certainly humiliating, after
having occupied for number of
years, a position in a body. which yo
fondly supposed to have been, not
only honest, but intelligent and pro-
gressive, to suddenly find them igno-
ramuses, dishonest and to put it mild
ly back numbers, but this is the posi-
tion in which l find myself if the
Civic association school cmomittee's
report and conclusions are to be re.
lied upon.
II have been accustomed to look
with something, akin to pride, upon
our board of education The late
DIR. Pierson, who for many years was
a member and part of that time presi
dent, was a sort of an ideal man and
citizen to my mind, and could say
about the same thing of the rest of
the board, were it not that they are
living and are very sensitive men.
THE harmony, which has always
prevailed in the board has also been
matter of pride to me. particularly
when | read accounts of some of our
neighboring boards. 1t has indicated
to me that our board consisted of
thoughtful, intelligent gentlemen.
have taken some pride in the achieve
ments of the board. The fact that
they could erect three handsome
school buildings without bonds, and
without the people feeling it, in a
| financial way has seemed to me very
careful and intelligent management.
The fact that they had on hand the
large sum of $4,000 with which to
pay for the new addition to the
Maple avenue building certainly indi-
Gates a greater degree of forethought
than the Civic association seems in
clined to award them. But alasi
The halo of glory has departed, and
We are left disgraced, Inundated, dis.
credited and dishonored, and the re-
mainder of our lives must needs go
about with bowed heads and down
cast eyes.
Elm the report sent me, / noticed
several errors, few of which, with
what little manhood and courage yet
possess, | should like to correct.
Il have no recollection of the board
ever having been asked to hold the
election in the evening; therefore,
cannot see just how they could have
refused.
''The committee say: the present
buildings are practically obsolete, and
not a1ontaJ 10 ,,racapf ,.au1,irfr, m ont re-
Isn't that an error? Surely the three
new buildings ought to be exempted.
"And again, the hygienic and toilet
arrangements are hopelessly unsani-
tary.' Will that not be an error re-
garding the Maple avenue school
toilet, which is near completion.
"And once more, the lighting and
ventilating arrangements are injuriou
to health This statement is certain
ly an error if applied to any of the
three new buildings.
'The statement that one of the new
rooms in the Maple avenue building
is to be used as board room would
seem to indicate that the writer was
full-fledged member of the Anna
Mas club For my part, l wish it
were true; | would have it so if |
could. An Sx10 room for twleve or
fifteen men to sit in for hours at a
time, is in my judgment, 'hopelessly
unsanitary, but / am told it is be-
ing fitted up for school purposes. |
don't mind saying that | still hope
it may be board room, but my faith
is weak.
"But Mr.. Editor, realize | ought
not to take up more of your time
with my tale of woe. | realize we
are miserable failures, and might as
well own it first as last, but it seems
to me that it is a reflection upon the
intelligence of the citizens of this
town not to have discovered this fact
during all these years, but to have
left it to the women, the stranger
within our gates and the gentlemen
who reside outside the gates, to dis
cover.
Let me say in conclusion that the
report is not wholly misleading; some
of it is worthy of consideration; some
of it is silly That which is worthy
of consideration, I shall endeavor to
have the feeble-minded, unprogressive
board consider, the balance we will
try and forget.