Evening journal., 1919-09-13

/ Stale In England or France or ltaly.
/ in America today il seems a far cry
from the time when a certain Colonial
Governor thanked God that there were
no public schools within his jurisdic-
! zion. Nevertheless, the development
has at times been stormy and painful.
For generations education was the Pc
culiar privilege OF the rich or well to
do Even at the present time the coun-
try boy and girl must overcome diff
culiies which are smOothed away for
the child OF The town.
III was not until 1929 land largely
through The broad and fearless stand OF
Judge Willard Hall) that Delaware
made q genuine attempt 10 provide
some kind Of public education for her
future citizens.
Through The whole history OF educa-
tion here and elsewhere there runs one
clear princlple.-there can be no steady
or permanent improvement unless the
public school is made the social care
and concern Of the State, not dependent
upon the material resources or the char
acter Of the citizenship of particular
localities but having for It's support and
assistance and development the best
That The State as a State can provide.
In a word the public school must be a
school OF the State and not the school
OF any locality.
Confusion has arisen from the fact
that school taxes have been collected
locally by local administrators and de-
voted dita'ty 10 the support OF the
schools in the locality. Sight has been
lost Of the fact that these acts were
performed for and on behalf Of the
state; that the State has an equal con-
Germ for all Of its future citizens, the
child In the remote country district as
we'll as the child in the town. and that
the local administrators OF the school
were merely acting as the delegates OF
the Stale in the performance Of very
solemn trust.
large measure based upon the failure TO
grasp these fundapenial facts.
"Ihe object and purpose OF the
trainers Of Article Y Of the Constitution
is forcibly expressed in Volume OF |
the proceedings Of the Constitutional |
Convention at pages 3209 and 1910 by /
Or. Nathan Pratt. 10 Will be remem- /
bered that Or. Pratt was also a member /
OF the committee on corporations OF /
the convention and made the explana-
tion hereinbefOre quoted as TO corpora
tions as TO corporations for educational
purposes. At pages 1909 and 1910 Vol
ume D, Dr. Pratt now explains the rea-
sons which prompted the committee on
education TO present Artiyle y. Here is
what he says:
1.-The remarks OF the gentleman who
las just sat down Mr.. MARTINI remind
ne that II there ever was anything in
congl0merated and impos-
ible or incapable Of being understood
,r being determined without the great
st difficulty IL is our present school
ystem. Al every session OF the Leg
Stature IL is altered or amended in
ONE way No school district knows
whether II has the same laws as any
ther schol district. The effort is 10
Introduce some particular system. and
D base that system upon some formu-
lted plan, restrained within limits.
here is no regularity about IL.
Ever since 1873, when / was the
uditor OF accounts, up TO the present
lme | have been Identified with the
ubllc school system OF tho State OF
delaware, doing what ! could TO ad-
ance the interests OF the people in that
egard, but have found II a mighty
maze, without a plan, and IL is 10 be
oped that this convention will fOrmu-
ate something better. on which some
nlcient system OF legislation and man.
cement can be based
THE school law OF 1898, while an
ndoubted advance over the school law
existence when Or. Pratt character
~ 10 as Incompatible, conglomerated
nd impossible fell far short OF full
ling the mandate 81 Article X"