The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-12-14

tant business conducted In Tulsa do
Rot receive "A penny of Compensh-
tIon Yet they are responsible" for "A
property valued at $500 900. and
disburse au annual income OF close
to tl,00O,00O. In addition To this
they are responsible for the cxpen ii
ture OF largo bond Issues
hut what is or far gr@tcr i'm.
port, they are directing the educa
tlon OF the youth Of the city.
shaping, as It were, the future citi-
gems OF tho commonwealth u
They are the school board
Tho importance ~ this depart.
ciHted by all Few understand IT,
magnitude. II viii probably be a
surprise 10 learn that the school
board phys tho heaviest paving taN
and sewer tax that II TX very near
water users. that e. is even among
the heaviest electric consumers
Familiarity breeds contempt
Tulsa citizens are acCust0-ied 10 the
thought that this city stands head
nigh among the cities " the Coun-
try ~ far nH educational Institutions
ready for the pupils when the fan
term begins. and that the fail term
Always begins and tho schools con
dnni"d under a satisfactory superin-
ioudeut and with acceptable instruc-
tors is al taken ns matter OF
fact, without thought as 20 who
In directing this vast organization
and making these things happen
A private business OF such mag
nitude would call TO its head a
corps OF high S,loried men The
manager would OF necessity be n
captain of industry Hut the pub
lie school Is community undcrtak -
ing. You viii be inclined to dispute
the statement. but II In a fact that
tho public school system was the
first principle OF socialism ever
adopted ia America There have
been others, first preached by social
lists. but the public school Is the first
socialistlo undertaking
A big dob WITHOUT Pay.
1t has been the practice to require
good citizens to accept place and re
Hponsihllty on the board withA.A
compensation. And II IL 10 the credit
OF Americau citizenship that such
men are always available Yet to fi-
rect the educational interests OF 40
fast a growing community M Tulsa
requires practically the whole time
OF some OF these mon, and makes
serious inroads on the time OF all
OF them.
Only very generous conception
of the !ndividual$ duty to his com
munity renders this possible. But
that 1t N at all possible is proof
anew that honorable service is cap
able OF calling signal ability to the
public work even though there be
no salary at ala contradiction OF
the thdory. II you please, that men
public service only by large none
tary Inducements
And yet the school board In criti-
ciscd and condemned. That III be-
cause Of ignorance OF what the
school board is really doing and OF
the very great and important prob
lens II carries on It's own shoulders,
| do not believe many salaricd Off.
cials would cling 90 their offices and
wrcstle with no hopeless a situation.
1t Is easy to critlcise. And It Ia IA
very necessary thing, too, IN crtti-
csrn. Nothing holds the public Of
rcial to bis dutieS-to his obliga-
tions 10 the public, like the fear Of
criticism. hut II SHOULD be well
founded and Just
No school board I'm oklahoma has
had such problems 10 wrestle with
as has the Tulsa school board.
when statehood came Tulsa had
school system that It was intensely
proud OF Without pretensc OF be
ing accuatc | should say the stu
dent body numbered something like
! 500 at that time. There were
building facilities 10 care for them.
Rut TO erect the buildings and main
tain n teaching staff at ali adequate
taxed the district TO It's uttermost
But since that time, with only
few exceptions, the school board
has had to take care OF an annual
increase in the student body over
he year previous of a greater nam
b"r thAn the total enrolment Mt
The average annual in
crease for the past five wears has
been very close TO IS per cent
Ncrting the Demand.
That Increase In the student body
meant increase IN school rooms,
which called for new buildinrs new
mai n taananoe, new and Adj 'iitional
hnd~-this ls the point
which Breaches home-new tax
evies.
II is impossible for thu board a.
Any time To calculate on the citys
growth with any degree or accuracy.
rhe widest bet the greatest Eamh-
sr on earth could have been In
iuced to make on the future OF
Tulsa ten years ago, would appear
ls ultra conservatism today m cas-
ired by the cummunity's actual
growth.
Not long after statehood, tho
BOARD did carry ont an autlclpatory
campaign Many ~ you
AI'l remember a. The owen school.
he Lynch rursythe. the Relview
wore constructed large and com.
uod.ou against the apparent grow
rg tendencies oy the town. And there
rnS an awful yell A good many OF
n the country" would never he fully
. .ili,cd 1t was oven chareci that
improper motives animated the
,utrd On selecting tho building
,iirs
Rut the second year thereafter
very one ~ ,hsm were overcrowded.
,ui consider those proue~tirs todhv
Au. ,r the country They were 10
.tnrs ago. hut they are downtown
uity Nr1 the wisdom of that old
.,url Iu following 4 vision II clearly .
,roorru' 20 Rl' TODAY
Tulsa has spent vast sums OF
money on iis educational affairs. But