Evening journal., 1919-11-06

disseminated TO show that the states
Of Iowa. Indiana, Nebraska. Kansas and
other parts Of the union have both
good schools and good farms, and the
schools can really train the children to
be better farmers.
The Delaware State Programme. a
department formed for the purpose Of
arouslng public interest In State i'm
provement and AFFILIATED with the State
Board of Education and other depart
ments. Is urging the people to read the
newspapers and study the situation In
order that they may be able to appre-
ciate the benefits which the new laws
will bring to them.
1t is calling their attention to the
fact that Delaware has been paying
teachers an average salary OF s367-s1 a
year and that New Mexico, Arizona and
other Western States have been far
more generous with their educators.
The Service Citizens Committee Of
Delaware, with headquarters In the
Public Library Building in Whining
ton. has issued a booklet summing up
the wretched conditions found in many
Of the schools OF the State under the
old law, and showing how many build
lngs were eunsanitary; were poorly light
ed. and the worst kind Of fire traps.
This committee particularly attacks
the schools OF Dover and says In It's
report OF them Although II Is con-
ceiVable that school buildings In small
towns and rural districts would be
found very deficient. IL Is TO be expect
ed that the capital city Of state would
make adequate provisions for housing
its public school children The build
ing in which the white children OF
Dover attend school Is so deficient in
IFS qualities tls,t IL is entirely unsatis
factory for a modern school" The
Dover High School Is also scored In
the report which remarks 1T would
be difficult to devise a more appalling
fire trap"
The condition OF the negro schools Is
described by the report Of the service
citizens committee as generally far
below those Of the white. There are
matters relating 10 these schools that
will not bear printing OF them The
report says in part:
The general condition Of these
schools is intolerable. Broken down.
antlquated furniture. ragged shades,
dirty, torn books and disorder are the
rule, not even the meagre equipment
necessary for a traditional school pro-
gramme Is provided. Every evidence
points toward an abundance OF train
ing in the use OF obscene and vulgar
language, and little in the field Of train
ing for citizenship, ideals and morals. !
Modern heating apparatus had been
Installed In a few Of the schools. In !
others. broken down stoves In the CEN |
ter OF these unbellevably barren and !
nlthy classroOms furnish the children
In their immediate vicinity with an |
Of heat in the winter |
months, while the more distant ones |
are troubled with lesser amounts. Few |
pictures are found TO contrast with the |
exposed lath where plaster has fallen, |
while the chief handwork provided /
these children seems TO be in the whit |
tling Of the ancient desks
Whether such conditions are to con- /
tAMANf VI NiA'NAANl q NNAiAA uiAHfls uN " |
date educational system is 10 wipe |
them out and replace them with edu-
cational Institutions in keeping with |
the state traditions rests with the peo-
pie OF Delaware.
Persons who have worked for years
TO better the community frankly say
that IL the enemies Of school reform
triumph they may as well give up try |
ing to improve matters" They feel. |
however, that while the opponents OF |
reform have made the most |
noise OF late, they are in the minority. |
and that the old American spirit of the |
state will uphold the new school code. !
They point 10 the troublous times, 10 |
The unrest that Is evident far and wide.
and they say to their audiences as they
urge them to accept and work for the
new laws, III the people OF the state
are properly educated they will always
ind a way 10 correct peaceably all evils
which may arise In community life"