The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-04-11
In An Interesting Publication
by a Government Ed
ucator.

WASHINGTON. April 4-compare
the cost Of a clty's police force with
the cost OF It's school system and you
have one indication OF that municl-
palIty's interest in education. accord
Ing 10 DR.. Harlan Updegraff. DR..
Upregraff is specialist in school adj
ministration OF the United States
Bureau OF Education, which has Just
published for free distribution mon
ograph containing the results OF his
Investigations.
In discussing his monograph yes
terday. Dr.. updegratf said that every
American city spends more money on
Its schools than on Its police. "Bu;
the value Of this comparison, he said.
comes in finding how much more
the public schools get. 1t is an in
teresting, and possibly significant
fact. that the larger the proportion OF
total municipal revenue given to one
Of these branches Of city government.
the smaller the proportion received by
the other. This rule is practically in.
variable In all the cities investigated.
Again, It has been found that the
smaller the city is. the larger is the
proportion OF It's income spent on
schools.
This investigation embraced 10S OF
the 1874 American cities which the
census OF 1910 showed to have a pop
nlatlon OF 10000 or more. We diyid-
ed the list into four groups. In the
first group. which consisted OF thir-
teen cities with a population of SOO,-
900 or more. We found that the gem
eral practice was TO spend about
twenty-six per cent of the total rev.
enues on the public schools, or $2.19
for every dollar spent on the police
force. -Minneapollg made the best
shaving, giving its schools thirty
seven per cent OF its entire income.
or four and onc-fourth times as much
as II spent on its police.
The second group of cities. which
includes twenty communities with a
population Of 100000 to 100000, 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 Scran-
Ton did the best by its schools, with
expenditures for them amounting to
practically half OF its income, where
as its police force got only one-sixth
that amount.
Going still farther to the third
group. comprising forty-two cities
having a population of $4,000 to 1907
coo, we found that they are spending
atout thirty-six and one-halH per cent
of all the receipts on education, or
three and two-fifths times the police
appropriations. Johnstown. Pa, takes
first prize. standing about where
Scranton does in the list ahead.
Finally. tweuty-eIght cities inves-
tigated. which have population OF
10000 TO $4,000, lay out practically
thirty-elght per cent OF their money
on schools. This is four and one
third times as much as the guardians
Of the peace receive. Here Topeka,
Kan. and Joplin, Mo. are tied for
first place, each with showing OF an
even fifty-three per cent of all rev.
enues to educate their children. This
was four and nine-tenths times as
much as Joplin gave its police, and
more than eight times as much as
Topeka devoted to the same purpose. "
DR.. updegraff's bulletin, which is
entitled "A Study of Expenses of City
School Systems" was prepared to
provide those charged with the ad-
ministration OF public schools in the
largest cities of the United States the
means OF making exact comparisons
of cost between any two or more
cities.
There is tendency on the part
of the older high-school pupils 10
overdress and adopt the styles and
fashions that make them seem more
mature in nature and appearance.
The younger pupils are quick to iml-
tate the dress and manners of their
older schoolmates. This leads them
into indiscretions and robs them Of
an important part of childhood The
. expense of oyerdressing falls heavily
upon most families and tends to dis,
courage many parents from keeping
their children in school"
These assertions are made in {
circular of information just issue.
for free distribution by the United
States Bureau of Education. which
deals with an educational experiment
at Dayton, Ohio, whereby the schoo
children are segregated in a speca