The weekly soliphone., 1915-02-12
PROF. RAY REPLIES To-
LETTER FROM FUTRELL
Local Pedagogue Defends State Aid
to- High Schools and Answers
Senator's Arguments.
(From Saturdays Daily Press)

Prof L. B. Ray, superintendent )f
the public school system of this city.
has written the following reply To
Senator Futrelfs article stating his
position on the law giving state aid
| to high schools which appeared IN
yesterdays issue of The Press;
, Editor Press
1t is with a great degree of hesi-
fancy that l venture to say any more
concerning the high school law that
is now in effect and the bill now
pending in the state senate that will,
if passed, repeal the present law Civ
| ing aid to the high schools. But
since the letter by Senator Futre,l,
| published in yesterdays issue of The
Press, gives only one side of the ques-
ton and assumes | am on the other
side of it, desire to make my posi-
ton known.
l think the theory of state aid to
high schools a good one, and that
law embracing this theory will serve
the best educational interests of the
state, even to the poorest district of
it. The present law granting aid to,
high schools that will serve the coun-:
ty and state by giving free tuition
to every boy and girl in it who comes
seeking an education, embraces many
of the best elements in the general
theory of state aid. 1t gives free
tuition to every boy and girl in the
state to attend high school after COM
pleting his grade work. 1t provides
for state inspection of high schools
by a competent man. Thus the
standard of the high schools is raised.
1t gives the state the right to demand
that a certain amount of equipment
in laboratory apparatus and library
facilities be furnished. 1t gives the
state the right to disapprove of the
qualifications of at least one teacher
1t provides a normal department in
the high schools free to all teachers
of the state 1t provides the only
bridge over which pupils may pass
from the rural districts to the state
university and other institutions. 1t
provides a close organization of the
high schools affected.
Now, cannot see how it is to the
best educational interests of the state
to repeal a law that conserves these
vital interests, without at the same
Continued on page 4)
o>oo~~~~~~~>~~~>~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.
being of society and for the future
welfare of our country that the boys
and girls in the back districts shall
be educated as it is for the boy who
lives in the more advantageous and
favorable localities.
Our constitution provides that no
school funds voted for one purpose
could be used for any other. Any
good lawyer, who will take the
pains to look into the question will
tell you that the law appropriating
money from the common school fund
to the aid of high schools is uncon-
stitutional. This question is not di-
rectly before the legislature at this
time in an affirmative way, but neg
atively, it is. l have not yet gotten
the consent of my mind to take any
funds belonging to the rural dis
tricts and appropriate it to any other
purpose. If you could add to the
law the taking of certain portions of
the common school fund also for the
purpose of aiding the poor, rural dis
tricts so that they may be provided
with good houses, equipment, good
teachers, and five or six months
terms of school, then l would be
glad to support it along with state
aid to high schools because then our
would hn nprfpnt