The daily banner., 1917-09-21
Communication
AIR. Editor

: MI. LiltOI.
In all#! do or W'ite. or ,,y, de
sire to De understood a. having The
nindlieSt feeling toward al con
cerned in our schools. Especially
/ thankful are We all for th" accom-
plished aud purpCseful teachers sent
Us Al! of them ale new. and seem
capable. clever. and certainly are
good looking. We make our abJect
apologies 10 Miss Nickers. who has
begun her work IN Beckwith school
house. I invite all Interested people
to run down and see this building.
The last report l have studied end
ed with July 81, 1916. tWe will have
another July 81, 1910 The County
Commissioners gave the School
Board, for use. out of the taxes, for
the year ending July 81, 1916, S47,-
49S.40s The State gave the School
Beae.t5-- SSs9es.-2 While S20,l91.-
19 were added from other sources.
and, so far as | can learn. there was
added to this the special loan Of S35,-
900, making $140, 0,3l6.ll used in the
one school year. What was done
with all of the special fund no one
knows. That Cambridge 2Ot $2S.-
GOO is all right. That EldOrado and
Taylor's Island got a part is all right.
Who got the rest we Will find out la
ter. The report, item by item, will
be given. What became OF the SI05,-
316.ll is reported through the an
nual report of the State Board.
This sum was not all used up. Out
of it ST.54 was spent on BeclWith
schOolhouse; not another red cent
could be begged. coaXed or squeezed
out of any fund for poor Old anti
quated, archaic. ancient, obsolete
Beckwith. But at the end OF the year
there was an unexpended balance of
80, 1856. 10. Why was this large sum
left over, and our schoolhouse at
Beckwith left a derelict" This is not
only fair and reasonable question,
but to treat this situation with cold
blooded Indifference, and send
young lady into II TO teach our chill
dren is an added insult. and is re-
sented Since this series Of com
plants began there has been an
abundance of time 10 make he build
ing habitable, but out of an apparent
sheer devilIry Of spirit, and bull
headed purpose. not to be bjected
to any dictatiOn. our situation is ig-
HOIeu anu lnt rest oI the county
cared for.
If tn Bckwith SchooIhouse were
burned today, and no notice taken of
it, and we We're left without a school.
our situation then would not equal
the one at Hudson. Here lies beau
tiful little town. without a school
Here it has been for years. and new
Ell one single effort 10 provide one.
In the progressive spirit OF the
times our laws have been changed,
and all power of both initiative and
execution taken from us. The Coun-
ty uperintendent has been given
planery powers; TO enable MIN to exc
cute such power predently. assistants
are given him, so he may know and
does know, the situation and cOndi-
ton Of every school in the county. He
knows, and the School Board knows.
there is no school in Hudson. and a
disgraceful child trap at Beckwith
Is the trouble with politics? Is the
statement in the annual report Of the
State Board OF Education correct and
guarded, that says. 'Public education
in Maryland is in politics" g." and the
public does not begin 10 realize the
seriousness OF the pOitiru Infection
or the damage ii does" These are
ominous words. our situation looks
as though these words We're true in
our section. If politics is not the
cause of our distress. the trail 10 the
real source has not lost its scent.
Respectfully,