The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-03-09
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; VQX POPULI. 3
AND IT'S
PROBLEM or SCHOOLS

i Everyone who has the interests Of
Pensacola ut heart realize that Pensa
/ cola can only grow IN power and in
/ fuence, and can only develop her un-
/ eQualled natural resources. by properly
/ developing the minds OF the children
| who must take up our burdens when
/ we lay them down.
| Pensacola L. q cosmopolitan city.
| This IL the chief magnet that attracts
] cultured men and women here, and
4 holds them here after they realize that
J here are gathered many noble and
/! unselnsh minds from all corners, Of
: Che earth, and that here the problems
/ of civilization can be worked out.
For a small city with q wofully I'M
| developed country around 1t, Pensacola
has accomplished wonders. We have
evidences of public spirit far hevo~d
F., that OF the average city that depends
upon twelve or thirteen thousand wnlLe
people for its intellectual and economic
growth.
| One of the elements OF our city life
| has Jagged behind In thds unfe idang OF
our city's greatness and culture That
f. the school system. This is not in
step with the best Of our other ef-
forts
| The first question that 8 man or
woman asks OF a community in which
they intend to settle nowadays Is:
''How are your schools?
This question is asked by those who
have no children TO watch over, as
well as those who are burdened with
these great responsibilities. Why?
Because every community reflects
unconsciously in it's school system the
inner lifes the actual moving spirit of
its people. If energy and culture and
y FT4rs Ia In he
homes, you certainly cannot find these
forces manifest in the school system.
I On the other hand, all forward-look
! ing men and women demand for the
best interest of their children inddvi-
Orally and for the perpetuation of the
| ideals Of our republic, that the children
shall and must have the best training
that modern science and modern ideas
can bring to bear in the school room.
Reverting to local conditions, all
thoughtful men and women from other
states and other cities are impressed
very highly with what has been &C
complished in the school system of
Pensacola, considering the handicaps
under which it has been struggling for
years. They marvel that so much pro-
gress has been made in spite of the
unfavorable conditions.
1t seems as if the early lawmakers
| Of Florida were unable to grasp the
idea that any city could ever grow UP
| In this beautiful and highly favored
state. Else they certainly would have
enacted such laws that when a city
has outgrown the local county school
| system, it would ioe able to manage its
school affairs according to city ideals
and city necessities.
We must compliment, and 1 think all
I . F<16 n
| pliment, the Escambia county school
boards and superintendent who have
wrought out these problems with their
hands tied as badly as they have been
for years.
And again, the school board has been
too small in number (only three) To
require three active men to give up a
great deal of their time and thought
/ and energy for the mere pittance of so
much per meeting night, is unfair. A
man must neglect something in this
! busy age. If he neglects his business
or his farm in serving the public in
terests he simply furnishes in time an
| other job for the sheriff or the bank
ruptcy court.
If he neglects even only slightly or
| occasionally the great public interests
committed to his care, he wakes up
| some day to find all his former friends
ahenated and with a big stock of enc
mics on hand.
Therefore. if we must forever de-
pend on unpaid men to manage our
school affairs we certainly should de-
mand that the work and responsibility
should be spread over larger number
say eight or ten, for a county as COM
pick in school problems as this.
The logical thing. the inevitable
. ~ Al
nize that the county school and the
city school present such widely differ
eth problems that they should be man
aged by separate boards, or commits
stons. each adapted to it's purpose
But this cannot be done, so 1 am in
formed, without changing the consti-
tuition OF Florida, and If the lawmakers
can't be made to realize city problems
otherwise. then the cities will have to
make united demand on the next leg.
islature for such a change, by a pAsi
lobby II necessary
What else can be done In the mean
time? The only other solution that
presents itcelf to me at the pres ent
consider the urgency of this matter.
and try to find in our cosmopolitan
population ~. o men to fill the vacanc.es
soon to occur in the school board
These men will have to be enthusi-
astic. They will have to be so situated
as to he able to give some OF their
time and energy without seriously in
terfering with their incomes. They
must, above all else, be imbued with
modern educational ideals. Then, if we
can Induce two such men to take lid
this task, we must stand behind them
in every matter in which they need
our support.
I shall not try to suggest any one
at this time, but hope that all pro
gressive Pensacolians will seriously
consider this problem and be prepared
to make suggestions in this direction in
The near future. The election will he
In November and the primary is close |
at hand Let US see OF we can't bring
Per sacoia IN step with other ptoyres-
s:ve cities IN educational matters.