Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-11

enzen q WOouMdn, NitIiieAs 1y.,1
Chicago; 225, Fifth Ave. New YORK
CITY. Gumbel Bldg, Kansas City, Mo.
4 DIG CENTRAL SCHOOL.
AS a substitute for the pan to en-
large the high school by The addition
of $125,O0O structure, 1t mas. been
suggested that the money he used IN
providing high school facilities on
the south side.
The board of education could make
no greater error than to parcel out
the high school to different sections
Of the city. II high schoo. for the
south side why not one for the east
end? Both section of the city ne
populous and growing. If II would be
right for the one to have such a
school. the same would hold true OF
the other. And, incidentally. the
matter has already been given thought
by at least two or three east enoe's;
The high school Is not a sectional
matter. It is the highest branch OF
the school service under control or
the people of the city. 1t Is the last
word in public school education Tor
4 majority OF the boys and girls OF
the city. 1t is the business OF every
,arent in Ottumwa and every citizen
as we'll. to see that. the high school IS
made large enough to meet the de-
mands on it and as efficient in its
methods and equipment as IS pos
sible The high school belongs to
the entire; city.
For the same reason that the city
wants to- grow bigger and better. so
should the high school. Size plays
an important part In the high schools.
,Ehe bigger they are, the more efficient
they usually are. The truth of this
IS shown in the tendency everywhere
to consolidate the smaller schools so
as to make bigger, though fewer,
schools.
Take Des Moines for example.
Some years ago the capital city or
Iowa, had seven independent schcol
districts each similar in duty ana
power, to the Ottumwa school district.
Each district had it's OWE superln'
tendert and it's own tax rate. Each
l,sd it's own high school. The people
were not long in finding out Tine
righteousness. Of such an arrange
ment and so the seven districts were
consolidated into one and four OF the
high schools were promptly, closed
and the others made larger and CIV
en- greater facilities for instruction in
all branches. And now, in the inter
ests of further efficiency and econ
cny the, district heads are consider
Ing the advisability of closing UP an
other high school,, thereby reducing
the number to two. 1t must not be
forgotten that there are ABOUT one
hundred thousand people IN Des
Moines.
Waterloo and Clinton are the only
two cities in the state having sepa-
rate school districts within their E1u-
njcipal confines. Waterloo has been
talking. consolidation and with good
prospects of accomplishing it. Gin
ION is not furnishing any argument
favorable to separate districts Inc
rule throughout the state Is one high
school for each city, Des Moines being
the only single school district which
has more.
There are no valid arguments in
favor of more than one high school
in a city of Ottumwa's size, or even
twice the size of this city. The argu'
ments are all the other way. The
central high school is more economi-
cal. thereby making the taxes less.
1t can pay salaries sufficient to at
tract experienced and capable in
structors. It's facilities can be made
greater and its instruction more ef-
ficient through not having TO dIp'i.
cate all equipment. The rubbing
elbows. phase of education, one of the
most important of public education,
can be more easily acquired in !, a
large school than in small, sectional
one And lastly, the prestige of the
school itself grows with the school
and decreases when the school cease 8
to be "the" high school and becomes
merely one of the high schools. There
Is not single reason that justifies
tie parceling out of the high school
smong the various sections Of the
city.
In this connection it is interesting
to note that not long ago when the
proposition arose to install a ninth
grade in south side school. the
rslpils who would have been affected
were unanimous in their desire to
have the plan defeated. All Of them
Joined in petitioning the board of edu,
cation to permit them to attend the
high school, And numerous parents
went so far as to threaten to move to
some other sections of the city if
their children were denied the right
to attend the regularly constituted
high school.
The idea of having more nan one
high school in ,OttuDwa should be
dismissed at once. The question hat
is before the voters at Mondays cleo.
ton is this, Shall Ottumwa have a
big. eff cient high school, or not?
MORTGAGES SHOW FARM PROS
PERITY.
People are discovering that The
farmer carrying a mortgage is gener-
ttIsy the prosperous one, while the
man without mortgage is apt not