Evening journal., 1919-11-01

This town, the tiny capital OF the
State Of Delaware. awOke one morning
not long past TO find Itself the scene OF
strange mob demonstration. The
quaint old streets swarmed with men
from the farming district, who had
come in on trains and in every manner
Of peculiar rig and conveyance.
The object OF this invasion proved 10
be the state Court House, for when that
building opened 'fhe crowd poured in,
packing the corridors and the stair
ways. Those that could not gain en-
trance massed themselves about the
door. In the little room on the second
floor where five justices Of The Supreme
Court were sitting, every seat was filled
and standces filled the aisles and even
crowded about the bench.
This was the beginning OF an organ
lied fight that has shocked thousands
Of educated and cultured Delawareans
that Is now absorbing all attention
night and day in the area where IL
RACES; that has split political parties
divided ofllclaldom into two opposing
camps; that has been The subject OF
countless massmeetings. speeches and
editorials; that has added fuel 90 the
burning animosity between Alfred J.
dupont, largest individual holder OF du-
Pont stock, and his family: that has
caused Pierre :. dupont, head OF the
great dupont Company, 10 drop his
business affairs and take up the role
OF a public orator. But so closely con
fined 30 the state OF Delaware has that
eight been that news OF this conflict has
not seeped out 10 the rest of The world
until now.
Every man In the crowd. which was
more than a thousand strong. wore
either I'm his hatbsnd or pinned on his
coat a slip OF paper on which was
printed in large type, NO New School
Code for Ne" They had invaded
Dover. the total population OF which
is barelyimorc than 5000, for the pur-
pose, as they expressed 10, OF creating
a rumble outside the doors OF The Su-
preme Court that would cause the
judges TO know on which side their
bread was buitered.'
Their object was TO influence those
iurisls TO declare unconstitutional a
new State School Code which would re-
quire them TO give all the children in
the state a proper education, instead
den and chattes about their farms.
But the judges refused TO be intimi-
dated. They upheld the constitution
sllty OF the new code Notwithstanding
the fact that their terms OF Office all eX
pire next year.
The Tight continued. and now in the
hands OF Governor John G.. Townsend,
Jr. is a mass OF petitions urging him TO
call special session OF the Legisla-
ture TO repeal the law. These papers
purport TO contain 1000 signatures.
They declare that the old Delaware
school code. under which the children
were not required to attend more than
five months a year at the most. and in
many cases only three; under which
many schools had no text books at all,
and many had teachers who were utter
In unqualified for their task, they de-
Clare that this old law was good
enough" and should be restored.
And many hundreds OF the men who
assert on these petitions that Delaware
needs no educational reforms are un-
able to sign their own names and in
dorsed the petitions with The cross
marks.
Would Raise School Standard.
This new school code about which all
Of the controversy centres Is the result
Of an organized effort on the part OF
many persons interested in public vel
fare TO raise the State OF Delaware from
its position as the most illiterate State
outside OF the "black belt"
The people OF the state have always
taken a great pride in the important
parts played by Caesar Rodney and
other noted Delawareans in national af-
fairs. and now the friends Of the new
law are asking by editorial and word OF
mouth: "Shall the Slate that was the
first 10 sign the constitution OF the
United States be the last in education?'
Under the old law. according to citi-
zcns who have made a thorough and
careful study OF the situation, most
Of the schools below the city OF VII
mington were run as miserly as posi-
BILE by local trustees, who exercised alb
solute authority, and many Of whom
were extremely illiterate men them
selves. In many instances these trus-
tees merely selected some country girl
who wasn't strong enough for farm
drudgery and made her a teacher. in
respective OF her total lack Of qualifca-
lions. She was expected to teach all
grades. and so slow was the process and
so rarely did the pupils attend that
many OF the students in the elementary
courses were full grown men.
Teachers were generally paid less
than the Negro farm labOrers. In many
school districts they received less than
a dollar a day. Nothing was being spent
on improvements and repairs were gen
orally neglected The trustees refused
10 allow money for school books be
cause 10 would increase the taxes OF
residents OF the locality.
In one school the investigators found
The children studying their geography
from a map showing the United Stales
as il was prior to the Mexican war. u
was the only map in the school and
the pupils had absolutely no knowledge
OF the extent OF their own country. or
other lands they knew practically Moth
ing.
This did not apply in Wilmington
which has maintained its own schools
st a very high standard. or TO a Few
other sections OF the State, where IN
telllgent and progressive people Of in
iluence had taken affairs into their
own hands. and had spent their money
in providing clean, sanitary buildings
and proper facilities for the education
of their children. Such instances, now
ever, were extremely rare.
Conditions Present Problem.
In fact. so bad were school conditions
that when proper pressure was brought
TO bear TO reform them, no one knew