The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-12
COST OF EDUCATION.

COSI Of EUUCAI
Compare the cost OF eity's police
force with the cost of it's school
system and you have one indication
of that municipalities interest in
education, according to DIR. Harlan
Updegraff. DR.. Updegraff is specia-
list in school administration of the
United States bureau of education
which has just published for free
distribution a monograph containing
the results Of his Investigations.
In discussing his monograph yes.
terday, DIR. Updegraff, said that every
American city spends more money
on its schools than on its police.
But the value of this comparison y
he said, comes in finding how much
more the public schools get. 1t is
an interesting, and possibly a signif-
cant fact, that the larger the pro-
portion of total municipal revenue
given to one of these branches of
city government, the smaller the
proportion received by the ether
This rule is practically inyariable in
all cities investigated. Again, it has
been found that the smaller. the
city is, the larger is the proportion
of its income spent on schools.
This investigation embraced 1913
of the 1874 American cities which the
census of 1910 showed to have a
population of $4,000 or more. We
divided the list into four groups.
In the first group which consisted of
Is cities with population of $780,
600 or more, we found that the
general practice was to spend about
twenty-six per cent of the total
revenues on, the public schools, or
$2.12 for every. dellar spent on the
police force. Minneapolis made the
best showing giving its schools 81
per cent Of its entire income, or
AZ times as much as it spent on
it's police.
"The second group Of cities, which
includes twenty communities with a
population OF 100000 to 500, 94a, gen.
orally speaking devoted little more
than one-third of their incomes to
education or three times as much as
they gave their police. Here Seran,
ton did the best by it's schools, with
expenditures for them amounting to
practically half of all it's income,
whereas its police force got only
one-sixth that amount.
Going still farther to the third
group. comprising forty-two cities
having a population of 50,e00 to
100000, we found that they are
spending about 3s5 per cent of all
the receipts Oh education, or three
and two-fifths times the police ap
preparations. Johnstown, Pa, takes
first prize, standing about where
Scranton does in the list ahead.
Finally twenty-eight cities inves-
tigated, which have a population of
$4,000 to $4,000, lay out practically
thirty-eight per cent of their money
on schools. This is four and one
third times as much as the guard
ians of the peace receive. Here
Topeka, Kans., and Joplin, Mo-, are
tied for first place, each with a
showing of an even fifty-three per
cent of all revenues to educate their
children. This was 49, times as
much as Joplin gave it's police, and
more than eight times as much. as
Topeka devoted to the same pur.
pose"
There is a tendency on the part
Of the older high-school pupils to
nd oil cfr
fashions that make them seem more
mature in nature and appearance.
The younger pupils are quick to
initiate the dress and manners of
their older schoolmates. This leads
them. into indiscretions and robs
hood. The expense of overdressing
falls heavily upon most families and
tends to discourage many parents
from keeping their children in
school,"
These assertions are made in a
circular of information just issued
for free distribution by the United
States Bureau of Education, which
deals with an educational experiment
at Dayton, Ohio. whereby the school
children are segregated in special
high, school for their first year af-
ter graduation from grammar school.
''In this school," says the circular
of information, there are no. older
pupils. and tile simplicity OF, child
hood is maintained in dress and
manner for another year. The chill.
dren are able to develop more iiatur.
ally without the influence of older
pupils" ,.ss..;5l.1
The Minneapolis Journal asks the
republicans .sof Hennepin county to
go to the state convention with a
candidate for governor. and is busy
now sounding the praises of F. B.
Snyder as the gentleman who should
be presented.