Milford chronicle., 1919-10-10
DO AS MUCH FOR OUR
CHILDREN AS EUROPE'S
DUPLICATE OF WAR CHARITY WOULD
REBUILD DELAWARE'S ENTIRE
SCHOOL SYSTEM
SAYS PIERRE S. DU POINT
THE IMMIGRANT IS BETTER OFF THAN
The DELAWARE BOY, SAYS DR..
RICHARD W. COOPER.

Surely Delaware wants to do as
much for its own children as it did
during the war for the stricken peo-
pie of France. Belgium. Armenia and
other countries. If we would only do
for our children what we did in war
charity, Delaware could rebuild its en-
tire school system and have so per
cent better schools than any other
state in the Union"
This statement was made by Pierre
S. dupont, vice president of the State
Board OF Education in an address be-
fore a large audience in Walters
Theatre, Laurel. DR.. Richard w. Coop
er and DR.. Joseph II. Odell also made
addresses discussing the school code.
Professor Stine. principal of the
Laurel schools, presided, and the Rev.
F. F. Carpenter opened the meeting
with prayer 1t was a representative
audience and everyone displayed keen
interest in the discussions. and state
ments of the speakers were repeatedly
applauded.
Dr. Cooper, the first speaker. took
the ground that the code was made
especially for the children of the state.
The intention of the code is to give
every country child the same educa-
tional advantages as the city child
has. In this connection DR.. Cooper
cited hypothetical case to make his
point clear.
Take the immigrant boy who lands
in New York." Dr.. Cooper said. THAT
boy gets advantage of the best schools. /
He goes through high school and then
through college. All for nothing, sim
ply because he happens to be in New
York. Now take the boy in the rural
sections of Sussex county. That boy /
whose parents have been helping to
make America for 200 years and have
been paying taxes for 200 years, goes
to little school with one room and
all the pupils in one room Now that
boy does not get the same chance as
the immigrant in New York, and the
purpose of the code is to give him Just
as good a chance as the New York
boy has"
Mr.. dupont was given a hearty well
come. There are two reasons why
he audiences always listen with eager
ness to Mr. duPont's speeches on the
code. First, he is a member of the
state Board that has the responsible
ty OF administering the new law, and
ecOnd, he always speaks as a business
nan, facing the facts and never dodg-
ng issues.
Mr.. DUPONT discussed what education q
lnder the new school code will cost, ,
temizing the increases. He then show ,
d that under conditions, increased pay
or teachers. increased cost for sup
oH kfr j ia.
'een about as much under the old sys- !
EN- as it is under the code. He also a
lrought out that some of the increased
ost this year is due to debts that had
o be assumed in many districts and
aiken care of in the budgets. 1t was
It this point that Mr.. dupont made
he statement suggesting that we carry
ur war pride into civic activities.
In conclusion Mr.. DUPONT stated that |
he code is an illustration of our prin-
iple of everybody sharing equally in !
ur public burdens, the strong and
'ealthy doing their share for the weak
nd needy. That. he said, is why we 0
ave the county unit of taxation in d
tead Of the district system. 1T is n
lore American and more just" he L
Iated. Z
DR.. Odell in his remarks warned the b
eOple to keep the whole matter of
chools out of politics. He said, "If
Ou want to fight about the Governor n
nip, the SenatOrship, or any other o
lice, do so. But for Gods sake don't 8
ght our children. Give them a fair !
lance. We older people have had our u
lance; now give the present children a
eir chance" +
To demonstrate what he meant by
fair chance, DR.. Odell said a great -.
any surrounding state have had a II
ore efficient educational system and III
at our boys will have to compete in d.
e industrial world and the educa- ol
1nal world with the boys from these OF
ates. Some Of these States, he said IL
e paying as much as from $50 to $40
nually for the education of each
lid. whereas all we are going to
end under the new code will be but
0Ut S32 per child so
Mr.. dupont and Drs. Cooper and II
ell have been spending each day
: the past week inspecting schools NJ
d consulting with the board mem fit