Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-03-21
What Was Good Enough For Grand
pa Is Good Enough For Willie.

mI. EultOr HAVING Oeen more OF less
interested in the passed seventeen years
in educational work in general, and for the
passed two years in country schools in
particular was much struck with an arti-
Gle by Ware j. Hubbard in THE Country
Gentleman" for March LIST, 1918. This ar
ticle, entitled why the Little Red School
house Fails" would cause one to feel that
the author was describing conditions in the
Dark Ages" but for the rude fact that the
writer herself is surrounded by almost SINH
lar conditions in this beautiful State of
Maryland, and that, too, not more than ten
miles from the Capital of the Nation. After
brief description of the outside of the
building Mr.. Hubbard says, THE school in
which taught. my first year was typical
of the district schools in many of the States
of the Union.
The amount of mud tracked into the
schoolroom was enormous and every night
! was forced to scrub and clean until it was
so dark could not see. There were no
trees or shurbs to make the grounds at
tractive and the out houses were indescrib-
ably filthy. y Inside the aspect of
dreariness was fully as realistic as any
David Copperfield could picture. The walls
were weird blue, which, some days. was
an exact tone-portrait of my state of mind.
The old stove was an object so ancient and
so unique that am sure it would occupy
a prominent place in any museum collec-
ton of antiques. Sometimes the fire roared
like Babylonian furnace, producing a tenn
perature. for those seated near it, as tropi-
cal as that of any Jungletown, while at
my fingers to create little warmth.
That visitors and the children might not
be forced to wallow in the mud on rainy
days in getting to the platform had
walk constructed" After brief de-
scription of his years work and the new
things he had introduced, Mr.. Hubbard
says. 81 was not re-engaged for the next
year. was regarded as having introduced
too much of the new-of not having abided
closely enough by the old order of things.
What was good enough for grandpa is
good enough for Willie is the slogan of
many school boards"
wish to say here that conditions in this
Maryland school are not caused by any
lack of interest on the part of the school
board. for they have shown great willing
ness to do all in their power to improve
this school. The people themselves in this
community have been derelict in present
ing their needs, and the consequence is
miserable ramshackle building, bearing the
name of school, stands in our midst Per-
haps those in our community who have
not protested against such travesty are
like the people whom Mark Twain described
The good Portuguese who crossed him
self and prayed God to shield him from all
blasphemous desire to know more than his
father before him." There are those, too,
who are too lawfully religious" to open
their church doors for a lecture on educa-
ton. So we find ourselves somewhat in
the same position of the Methodist preacher
who. when asked why he did not marry,
said. because his salary was too small, and
when asked If he expected an increase in
salary said. mo. the conference only in
creases the salaries of married men," We
cannot arouse the peoples interest in edu-
cation because we have no place to assem-
BILE. we have no place to assemble because
the people have no interest in education.
Studying rural conditions in Maryland
have noticed very sad lack Of trained
teachers. This is partly due to the fact
that Maryland has no Normal School
Is it any wonder that Europe is far ahead
of the United States in the matter of rural
schoOls2 | am told that the only qualifica-
tons required of a teacher in Montgomery
county are that he hold teachers certifi-
cate Chat is passed an examination) or
that he be a graduate of some college.
What other occupation is so easily opened
to unframed workmenY Who would have
his horse shod by one who had not been
taught how TO do ii, or who would order a
wagon to be made by n man who did not
understand the wheeIwright trade But we
put young man or woman In school
room filled with boys and girls who will be
the men and women Of tomorrow without
any knowledge of the psychology of child
hood. or even never having had lesson in
training children. And the children's minds
are as hard for him to get at as for an
electric light to study shadows"
The ball Of public opinion has been set
rolling along this line as well as other lines
Of progress. May it never cease to roll
until every mother and father sees TO il
that their children are not put into the
hands Of too young and inefficient teachers.
20, Callias," said Socrates, IF your two
sons were fOals or calves there would be
no difficulty in finding some one TO put
over them; we should hire a trainer Of
horses or a farmer who would improve
them in their own proper virtue and ex-
cellence: but as they are human beings,
whom do you think Of placing over them p
The country holds each child at the
valuation of $4,000 Cannot the country
increase child-value by providing the nee
essary sum to dive higher qualifications to
those who must train our children2 Now
the greatest and most delicate problem
that man has to solve is that Of educating
his children Whom does he want to share
that task with him. One who Just must
do something and teaching is as easy as
anything elseH''
Roger Ascham in 1853 said. Some men
friendly enough by nature. but Of small
judgment in learning. do think take too
much pains and spend too much time in
setting forth these children's affairs but
these good men were never brought up in
Socrates school, who saith plainly that no
man goeth about a more cody purpose
| than ha that IL ,,snIf,l of tka aoo1 I...,a