Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-04-16
For Education in Maine.

For Education in Maine.
To those. if any there be. in New
Hampshire who are disposed 10 adyo-
cate retreaehment along educational
rather than other lines in legislative
appropriations, the record Of the 1.ui
Maine legislature. just adjourned, will
come as a revelation: particularly
when the appropriations which it
made for educational purposes are
compared with the sums requested in
New Hampshire. For elementary.
secondary and normal schools during
the biennium of 1s15-1sIs. the Maine
legislature appropriated a total OF
S42ls,2s2- The manner Of its distri-
button is interesting, and especially
so by contrast.
The appropriation for the support o.
elementary schools is $3,0se.l5z.3s: for
high schools. s2so.9o0: for profession
a, supervision. S14s.00o. All that has
been asked Of the present New
Hampshire legislature for all three II
these items is s127.140. For Maine
academies. the legislature appropriate
ed s71,100; for industrial education.
cial aid TO poorer towns}. 100000
for the schooling Of children in I'M
organized townships. $4,000. A PAL
try $4,000 is all that has been asked
for these four items in New Hamp-
shire. Besides these, the Maine leg1s-
lature made such appropriations as
$3.50. oO0. for the maintenance OF state
normal schools: 311s,5o0 for new
buildings and permanent improve
r.ents at state normal schools: $oo.-
600 for pensions 10 teachers, and Sd
on.
All of which should serve TO remind
us over here in New Hampshire that
we must take a gigantic brace in our
policy OF school support il we are to
remain in the New England educa-
tional procession at all Most OF our
sister states are devoting dollars to
their schools where we are reluctantly
squeezing out cents for ours. A few.
q very few. years will suffice to Show
a corresponding difference in the re-
suits obtained. True economy is a
commendable attribute, but any at
tempt to cut down educational appro-
priations in the name OF economy is
spurious. II is no economy at all.
Better, far better. do without many
other things which we feel that We. ac-
tually and sorely need. than under
take to curtail our educational privi-
leges or to deny ourselves and our
children the modern educational i'm
provements which are recognized as
necessary to twentieth-century prog
ress, and for which other states are
eagerly and literally reaching out
Manchester (N. HI Union.
The above somewhat remarkable
editorial is a surprising refutation OF
one Of the stock arguments Of the
! liquor interests and the license advo-
Gates.
How can Maine, without the aid ..
LIQUOR license revenue, afford to edu-
| cate her children?
Why 10 it that license New Hamp :
shire, with her large revenue from
state partnership in its rumshops,
does not give millions for education Of
| her sons and daughters?
| The leading newspaper Of New
Hampshire warns its people that that
state is falling hopelessly in the rear
| in its provisions for the equipment
and efficiency of coming generations.
Let US add that New Hampshire is
doing worse than that-she 10 duiling
and brutaIizing the finer ssnsibiIities
Of her children by bringing them up
to see on all sides and accept a. ne
eessary, the places where drunkards
and criminals are manufactured. and
through them feeble minded, depraved
and degenerate are born.
New Hampshire THINKS she is
obliged to have that rum revenue in
| order to exist. New Hampshire
THINKS she must subject decency
and Christian progress to the Ape
tites Of the comparative few who
THINK they must have booze, and
that other comparative few who live
Oy seltlnE UooZc.
New Hampshire THINKS that 20
restrain this business she would not
| only lose the revenue" but would be
guilty Of robbing some one Of per
sonal liberty" Instead she is rob-
bring herself Of the sense Of the at
| ness Of things-as shown in her APP
preparations for education-robbing
her children OF the right to clean
minds and grasp Of the balance be-
tween right and wrong and, worst OF
all, is EDUCATING them to the same
folly-to THINK as New Hampshire
now thinks.
New Hampshire is twice wrong in
her position today. because alcohol IL
always and everywhere degenerative.
and she is sleeping herself in convic-
tions that promise worse instead OF
better.
New Hampshire, with all her license
revenue. appropriates less than $780,
600 for all school purposes. New
Hampshire's population is probably
45o, 900. Maine. with a population OF
zoe, 900. appropriates IS times as much