Arizona republican., 1915-09-20
Where the People
 May Have Hearing
TWO PICTURES

1 To the Editor of The Republican, Sir: As a reader of The Republi-
 can, let me suggest to you the writ i ing of another editorial. 1 feel the need oe it.
 : This morning I put the paper down | with an uncomfortatAe sense of in congruity and inharmony between the
 spirit of the editorial page and that i of one of the local news items. The editorial entitled Sunday schools 1 was pleasant treading, soothing and | flattering to the pride of the Phoen-
 ician but the news item entitled i Board Replies to Inspectors was a ragged, jagged discord creating fear anger and humiliation. It must have been mistake on the part of the
 makeup man to get these two in { ccngruous articles in the same issue. l There is need of another editorial i Perhaps your editorial power may attune the discordant feelings en- gendered by these articles into har- mony.
 1 1 have been trying to imagine the state of mind these articles might create in the distant reader of The Republican, one dissociated from the corrective influences of familiarity with the city and its people. Might
 not this distant, thoughtful and sober reader conclude. after reading the editorial on Sunday schools, that Phoenix must be a good town, the people animated with an excellent spirit, and devoted to the pursuit of high ideals. Certainly not a com munity of money grubbers and tight wads." He might easily conjure up the vision of city beautiful, cozy homes, broad and well paved streets lined with semi tropical trees, mass i've churches, many well constructed
 school houses of latest model amply housing the many bright and happy children that flock to their portals. Why should this beautiful vision be spoiled? It comes sufficiently near
 to tie truth to leave it stand as it
 is. But this fancied reader turns another page and the boards reply confronts him. He reads and as he
 reads the vision fades like the dis solving scenes we see in the movies" and is reconstructed into the pie
 ture of an antique rusty, unkept.
 condemned fire trap filled with un-
 protected children. If he doesn't put
 the paper down in disgust and
 promptly lOTSel 1UoeHlA. Ie Is dii
 unusual person. He might be charit-
 able enough to say to himself, The
 people of Phoenix are all right but
 they ere not public spirited enough
 to look after their city government.
 The money grubbers and the tight
 wads have set their seal upon that"
 What must be thought of the in
 dustry, enterprise, public spirit and
 of
 or will not provide sufficient and
 proper school buildings for it's chi!
 dren? It is tue very worst sort of
 advertisement for this valley that
 such question may be properly
 a sked. And that is putting the con
 sideration of this serious matter on
 the very lowest plane: it takes into account only the cheaper motives.
 This sentence appears at the end
 of the boards reply: But we can't expect the people to bankrupt them selves for new school buildings No doubt that was intended to be iron ical. It's sarcasm should bite into the consciences of every one even re- motely responsible for this humiliat- ing condition Will s20O,O0O bank rupt this community? If so, much of the greatly advertised prosperity and business opportunities of this valley are mythical. But they are not. The wealth is here but it does not manifest itself in a sufficient number of good modern school build ings. What is money for if it is not to be used first of all in taking care of our children? I am not unmind- full of the fact that the school build ings that have been erected witNn the last few years are excellent and are squarely up to date in design