Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-10-30
REFORM PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
What Commissioner Clsxton and Others
Have To Say-Enough To Al
tend To Without Compulsory
Communicated

4
still greater than it already has. In
the interests of humanity ! have felt
/ it incumbent to attempt the reetifica-
tion of many matters in the public
schools that one for the most part
/ overlooked and have with my own
hands, by way of an experiment, gone
to a public school, fixed all the win.
dows so they would let down at the
top and properly ventilate to keep off
contagious diseases, and fixed the
stove so that children would not be
compelled to breathe poisonous gas
and come forh pale as ghosts, rattle r
than as rudy country children.
Our State School Board, with Mr.
Stephens at its head, he's devised a
series of attractive meetings for the
purpose of formulating public opinion
into sympathy with a large amount
of school legislation at the next ses-
sion Of the Legislature, among other
things compulsory education is one
of the desiduatums. Thus more taxes
and more portentious things are con-
tinually proposed while attention TO
the present details are utterly ne
elected.
In sending a copy of the Evening
Capital of October % to Commission
er Claxton | accompanied it with the
following:
Hon. p p Claxton Commission
er of Education, Washington, d. C.
Dear Sir-People from all over
the country have for years been call
ing upon me to devote my energies to
reforming the public schools and if
| remember rightly, you were one Of
them yourself.
'0f late ! have been essaying to
do something on the reform line-en-
closed is a sample in the Annapolis
Capital OF October %. have also
fixed up the heating and ventilating
appliances in our nearest school. All
of them need an overhauling.
Very truly,
FRANCIS BUCK LIVESEY. ="
Mr.. Claxton's reply was as follows
Department of the Interior, Bureau
of Education.
Washington, d. c., Oct. 25, 1913.
Mr.. Francis B. Livesey, West
Friendship, Md
My dear Mr.. Livesey have
read with interest YOUR article on the
public schools in the Evening Capital
of October %. OF course you will
understand that believe most fully
in the principle of the public school
believe il is the most important
factor in any democracy, and the best
a yeucy for the development and ex-
tensionOf Christian civilization. No
one who believes in the public schools
as thoroughly as / do, and knows
their work makes any claim that the
public schools have yet attained the
highest ideal. / am glad to see that
you are turning your energies to-
ward the criticism of the schools for
their improvement rather than to-
ward abolishing them. Intelligent
sympathetic criticism is always good
for any institution which, like the
public schools working intelligently
at a great fundamental task which
cannot be complete in a day.
Yours since rely,
p. z. CLAYTON.
OF course, we are to expect MIR.
Claxton TO believe most fully in the
principle of the public school," but
in the face of so many calling for
their abolition because of their de-
feets, why cannot he, Superintendent
Stephens and the rest apply them
selves in some measure to the work
Of pr ctical reform, especially in
those alters that are making for
extravaganza, criminality aud disease?
just here it would be interesting
to note some recent expressions from
pIomine, persons:
DR.. Woods Hutchinson. a writer
of national reputs, says in the b )ston
American: 81 am not in favor of
reforming the present school system.
| think it ought to be abolished.
1t is fundamentally wrong.
Mayor William J. Gaynor says
"This over-educating makes them
disinclined to work with their hands.
The girls refuse to do house work
1t is bad tor the country There is
shortage of workers all over the
country
Ella Flagg Young, head of Chicago s
schools, says: 1.-THE public school in
America has not achieved its pur-
pose.
Governor Blease says: q am alb
solutely opposed to compulsory edu-
cation.
Senators Hoke Smith and John d.
Works have flayed the public schools
on the floor of the United States SEN
ate. Senator Works said. in part:
al think there is very general pro-
test in the public mind against the
extension of the education that is i'm
parted through the public schools at
the present time. 1t is perfectly evil
dent to every observing man that a
verv large proportion OF the education
for which we are paying millions and
millions of dollars is absolutely worth
less to large proportion of the chill
dTen who are taught in the public
schools.
PJstmaser-General BurlesoD says
Are we not planting the seed in the
minds of the youth of this county
that is to terminate and grow. ulti-
mately to blossom and finally to fruc-
tify into Socialism, full blown? Will
not these classes Of youths who are
now being brought up in this Cpublie
SCHOOL, system finally come to believe
1 that h. - go, Ionl, 20 81, N-..a....-.. 4.