The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-09-10

The public schools have opened and
the College will begin next week.
How much it means! Free schools!
Long before the stumps had rotted in
the cleared fields, the Puritan settlers
of our country voted to establish free
schools, which were kept up and gave
moral leadership; there have been
communities too narrow-minded to
see the worth of such an investment
and / have heard speeches in town
meetings declaring extravaganza in
school matters; and possibly there
have been cases where money was ex-
pended carelessly; but the tax for
schools is a poor one to reduce. |
recall that on my first attendance at
an annual town-meeting where l had
Just become citizen, | was curious
to learn the attitude of the. town re-
garding its schools; | had met the
members of the school board, and
heard their plans for enlargement and
increased efficiency. The appropria-
ton for the previous year had been
seven thousand dollars, and they ask
ed seven thousand and five hundred
dollars for the coming year, to meet
the additional expense of the new
plans; a laxative man who wished to
curry favor to get votes with the rab-
Bile, made a speech asserting extrava-
gance and reckless expenditure in
school management; the next speaker
was the largest taxpayer in the town,
and without 'chick or child" to attend
school; | was curious to see what at
titude he would take; his speech was
very short; addressing the chairman,
he said "Mr. Moderator, l move an
amendment" and then paused; would
he think his tax too great? That in
stead of seven thousand FIVE hundred
dollars, we appropriate and raise eight
thousand dollarsp Under parliament
airy rule the larger sum must be voted
on first; it was put to vote, and the
larger sum was most emphatically
voted and followed by loud applause.
Then | knew what that town thought
of supporting public schools. And all
through that part of our country there
are no funds to support schools; all
school money must be raised each
year by direct taxation, with the ex-
ception of Connecticut; in the school
biographies of my date note was
made of the fact that the wooden
Nutmeg" state had a public Fund of
two millions of dollars to help sup
port schools; believe it got that
fund from the national government
when the Revolutionary War settle
ments were made. That the public
sentiment, regarding schools, was ad-
vanced in the town | have mentioned
is not surprising when it is known it
had been the home of Mary Lyons
Mount Holyoke Seminary for almost
fifty years; the pioneers of such insti-
tutions of higher learning for women
in our country.
How thinking of public school
opening stirs memory; the first Mon
day of September Berry picking over:
not so much farm work, only help at
the chorses" night and morning; but
driving the cows to pasture; and how
that recalls the early frost, and how
cold the bare feet would get those
frosty mornings; for all Of us young
sters went barefoot, much to the dis
And then how the school-mates pass
in review in memory; the desks had
two chairs; my seat-mate was the
blacksmith's son, almost two years
older than myself; he was left-hand-
GU anu having luc IlBHl-ldllu CndlI
next to the girls SIDE" the coveted
place, his and my arm never interefer.
ed in writing; he was fond of arith.
metic, but it was my dread; he coach
ed me in that study, and l still have
some of his diagrams and notes in my
school arithmetic book of that day
other studies l laughed at, but he
agonized over, then l came to his aid
And then there was the Mansfield
family, two boys and two girls; The
oldest girl one of the oldest in the
school; blessed, kind-hearted Matilda
how often she took the part of the
small boy! with her handsome anc
strong face she would push into the
circle and say winsomely Come now
don't be hard on that little fellow"
and many time she just took holc
and rescued the under boy, and ne
one would dare to resist Mati1d;
Mansfield; what a blessed thing to b,
so remembered After we had reach
cd middle life I called on her and il
the presence of her husband thanked
her for her repeated kindness to me