The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1919-01-02

Educational progress mas been
marked and gratifying in Kentucky
during the last twenty years, but
there is no cause for extreme salts
faction or congratulation. Good
laws have been enacted, wise poll
cies have been inaugurated, better
standards have been established, but
we are yet so far from what we
ought to be that every person who
sees in education the chief factor
in the solution of our social prob
lens should take new vows of de-
votion 10 the cause.
I'm matters which indicate eff
ficiency in education our state ranks
far too low to afford any feeling Of
pride. When compared with our
sister states in enrolment, in at
tendance, in length of school terms,
and in the holding power of the
schools, we have an average rank OF
fortieth from the top, eighth from
the bottom. In the actual amount
of money spent we rank eighteenth
from the top, and in the per cent of
our wealth devoted to the cause OF
public education we rank twenty
second from the top. There is no
great satisfaction, however, in a
high rank of expenditure and a low
enc in results, in fact it is scarcely
TO our credit that such a condition
should exist. OF course there may
be explanations and extenuating
circumstances, but ii is far better TO
correct than TO explain. These con-
ditiOns should at least stimulate US
to make a thorough examination of
our present system of school organi-
zation and administration with the
purpose of finding out whether we
are receiving the largest possible
value from our investments of
money and talent.
IL is quite the fashion at the pres
ent time for great business enter
prises to make the most searching
investigation into their organization
and business methods with the view
Of finding out if every move AMI
every dollar counts for the most in
ultimate output. Salaries reading
well up into the thousands are given
for the services of expert efficiency
engineers. 1t is said that city OF
the middle west offered Col. Goe-
thals a salary Of $4,000 per year to
act in such capacity for the NIL
nicipality. The citizens believed
that this amount would have been
wisely expended in such a manner,
as doubtless it would.
The public schools are an i'm
mense business enterprise, - the
largest in which the people are CO.
operatively engaged and should
be administered in the most busi-
ness like manner as well as organ
lied along what have been shown to
be the most effective lines. Every
citizen is a partner in this business,
and directly concerned with its out
put, whether he has children in the
schools or not.
To convey the idea of the magni-
tude of the school business, let us
see what the people of Kentucky
have invested in it.
In 1861 We spent si,950.600 upon
our rural schools, and the schools
in the smaller towns and villages.
This year we will, in all probability,
spend as much or more. Our in
vestment in public education is the
capital which, invested at fair in
terest, will produce this sum an
nually. Assuming the rate Of inter-
est on the investment TO be per
cent, the investment is s97, 78i 900. II
we add to this amount S8,778,Si2 in-l
vested in houses, grounds, and
equipment, we find the total 10 be
SiO6, 559,8i2.
Certainly this is no mean endow-
ment for public education, and its
administration should demand the
most thoughtful attention Of our
people. To be sure it is much less
than a number Of our neighboring
states invest in the education Of
their children. but il is probably as
much as the people OF Kentucky
should be asked to furnish until
they have thoroughly considered
the matter Of how this great fund
may best be handled, and our school
system organized in order TO secure
the highest value from il.
The writer believes that there are
certain fundamental faults in our
present school system which make !
il impossible for the largest good to