The Penn's Grove record., 1913-07-04
The Advancement of Education

LIE 1Uf lIOm wilmington
High School received their diplomas at
the commencement OH Wednesday night
of last week. Below is part of the adj
dress given by Governor Charles r.
Miller, which shows what is being done
within three miles of Penns Grove and
in other parts of the country. He said
in part as follows:
The activities which are manifest
upon every hand disclose the fact that
we are living in an age of great develop
ment AMI progress. Never before have
so many forces been working Oh so
many subjects for the advancement of
the human race.
The governors of the various States
are daily requested to send delegates
to conventions meetings in different
parts of the country called for purpose
of considering subjects of the most
varied character. l mention these mat
tiers in order to bring to the minds of
those who have not the opportunity of
knowing how widespread are the move
ments, which are abroad in our land,
that you may realize how cOmprehen-
sive are the activities having for their
object the education and uplift of the
masses and to what useful and practical
purposes the young men and women
who are about to be graduated from
this school IA apply the education
which they have obtained at this insti-
tuition.
There are people who entertain the
opinion that the children of the present
day should be taught only the funda-
| mentals which it was customary to
teach in the schools of the period when
| they were boys and girls, that the child
rem should be required to study only
those subjects contained in the text
books. l would remind you that the
child of today which is not taught by
the modern system of instruction will
he found lacking in education. The
girls of this class are better equipped
for the future by having had an OppOr-
tunity of taking a course in domestic
science.
The boys will be better qualified for
having been instructed in manual train
ing.
These young people already possess
more knowledge regarding many of our
city matters, than the business men aud
the city authorities, and l say this
without any reflection upon either bust
ness men OF the officials, because these
students have obtained their informa-
ton and knowledge by a systematic
course of study in the civics classes
Go to the rural sections and draw
a comparison between the scholars who
have had these advantages and those
which have net, and you should expert
ence no difficulty in determining which
is the better educated and b9tter fitted
for their life's work.
No II a successfully contend that
these young people will not be better
citizens because they possess a'know-
ledge of these matters.
Ask some of these young women
questions in domestic science. InterrO.
gate some OF these young men on the
subject of manual training and question
those who have studied III the civics
classes and you will be surprised to find
how well informed they are. Then you
will realize what a splendid institution
the Wilmington High School is. Ihon.
estly believe that the general public do
not appreciate the real practical results
which are being accomplished here.
An illustration of the present day
practical method of teaching is given
in the experience of a certain cunt
school superintendent in Oregon. He
observed the children taking up a col
lection to buy pop corn. 1t occurred to
him they better raise the corn, and so
they were taught to false pop corn.
From this small beginning developed
OregOn's ind ustrial course for children.
A spirit of industry was developed.
Children were ignorant with regard to
pra ctical subjects. Now they know how
to raise chickens, vegetables, fruits and
flowers. Parents caught the idea and it
became contagious. Now around many
homes in Oregon plots of ground which
were formerly neglected and unattrac-
tive are improved and cultivated. In
1912 the State Agricultural Fair As
ISOLATION offered $4,000 In prizes for
school children's industrial work.
The boys and girls in the Wilmington
High School are not being insi ructed in
the subjects to which l have just re-
ferred but they ale being educated in
practical subjects applicable to their
particular conditions.
To the graduating class l extend good
cheer, encouragement, hearty congratu-
lation. Tonight marks the achievement
| of your first real success in life. You
have accomplished the task which you
set put to perform and the diploma which
you will receive is your reward for work
well done. You were sent to this institu.
ton by your parents to be educated and
they should feel gratlfied by the result
which makes possible this occasion. The
State and county have provided the
money to give you an education that you
might become useful and intelligent
citizens. You owe a debt which it will
be your duty to repay for each of you in
turn must bear the expense necessary to
educate the coming generations, the same
as the citizens OF today have done Tor
you.