The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1915-06-30


thoroughly the question by personal
visitation TO the sections where they
had been in operation for the great
est length Of time. He says in con-
tinuation of his report:
"The tour Of inspection next led
me to northern Ohio. Trumbull,
Ashtabula, Lake and Portage coun-
ties comprise some of the finest por-
tons Of the Western Preserve and
here is where consolidation of
schools is in more complete opera
ton than in any other section of the
West.
"The question of Capitalization
seems to be largely campaign of
education. Massachusetts adopted
the idea and centralized schools have
been in operation there for nearly
forty years, and in Ohio I am told
that question was agitated twenty
years before it was adopted in a
single case. From an interview
with the Hon. o. E. Bradfute, Ced-
arville, O., former president of the
State Farmers Institute, a close OBJ
serving, scholarly gentleman, who
has spend his life upon the farm,
and is now living upon one of the
best stock farms in the State. ]
quote, TT was not an easy thing to
bring about this idea of centraliza-
ton of schools. There are many
people in Ohio today who are afraid
to tackle the question, but / can say
with confidence that we now have
nucleus, especially up in the West
ern Reserve, from which we can
work, and the idea is fast Speeding
all over the State. We have es-
tablished enough so that we know
they are success. We know they
are success from financial
standpoint, and from the stand
point and opinion of the people who
live in the communities where they
have been in active operation the
longest. l can truthfully say that
in Ohio we are beginning to regard
the Capitalization as something like
the understanding. l have said
to our people that there are four
things that are going to benefit this
country, and think these four
things are just as applicable to Hi
nois as they are to Ohio conditions.
These are the telephone, the daily
mail, the electric car and centralized
school in the country, and when you
have gotten these you have all the
advantages of the city in the eoun-
try and all the advantages of the
country besides. No, do not think
| can advocate too strongly the
plan Of the centralized school
Capitalization of schools does
not necessarily mean that all the
schools of township must be COM
bined into one schoolhouse located
at the geographical centre of the
township. Three or four districts
may unite, making two-room school
and there may be two or mere such
schools in a township, or small
schools may be centralized with an
established graded school where
conditions are favorable. A COM
plete Capitalization means the unit
ing of all the schools of a township
into one central graded school, or
there may be the consolidation of
schools of two or more townships
Just as now we have union district
schools. In Ohio tie to1nship is
the unit for school purposes and
the schools are managed by a
township board Of nine to fourteen
members, made up of one director
from each of the subdivisions of
the township. They have no county
superintendent of schools, but in
stead there is township superin-
tendent who is elected by the town
ship Board of Trustees"
Confined in the ,.ext ssue.)
IL