Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1919-02-26
Representative
Audience Attends
Community Meeting
Hears School Code Explained
Superintendent Jump Appeals for
Support of the Measure as a whole

CupPohh u, thC hCdSuiC dS WHOlc
That Newark is interested in the
botterment Of educational facili-
ties for her children was manifest
ed in a most gratifying manner on
Friday evening. A large and dis
t.nctly representative audience at
tended the community meeting and
listened with great interest to ex-
uIunatiOnS of the proposed School
code presented by Dr. S. C. Nit
racll and by County Superintend-
emf Wilbur H. Jump.
Previous to the meeting the Min
nahaha Band gave a concert in
front of the Opera House. They
also rendered patriotic selections
during the course of the evening.
Much enthusiasm and good will
was aroused by William P. White
who through the good offices of
George Carter was secured to lead
the community singing. His con-
tagious cheerfulness and good fel-
'awship drew forth the very best
/ that the audience could do in the
way Of harmony. Song sheets used
fne the community sings in Will
| m.ngtOn were distributed to the
! audience and Elizabeth McNeal
/ played the accompaniments. At
. the request of friends in the au-
. d.ence Mr.. White gave two selec-
| tons on his harmonica which he
| said originally bore the legend
"Made in " a place he dis
= liked to mention and which he
tried to scratch off.
Mayor Eben B. Frazer presided
| and explained that Caleb E. Burch-
. email who had been expected to
speak was on account of illness un-
able to be present.
DR.. Samuel C. Mitchell explain
ed briefly the purpose of the meet
ing and commended those who in
spite Of the inclemency of the
weather had come out in response
to the urgent appeal Of the Gov
ernor that the week be given over
to a study Of school conditions.
He reviewed the recommended
ton Of the last Legislature that
educational conditions be thor
oughly investigated and that a
commission be appointed to do the
work. The personnel Of this COM
mittee, he said, consisted of men
Of wide business experience who
knew the value Of expert opinion.
They therefore secured the serv-
ices Of the General Education
Board, body of men whose know
ledge Of educational matters is
recognized internationally.
In real sense, however" the
speaker said, OR. Bachman and
DR.. Flexner who made the recon-
rhendatiOns for Delaware Schools,
didn't really formulate anything
new, they simply crystallized the
thoughts and yearnings of the
Delaware people as expressed in
Institutes and educational gather
ings for the past decade or more.
There is no plan proposed that has
not been dwelt upon again and
again in local and state meetings.
What this commission really did
was to act as amenuensis for the
people who called in these experts
to give weight and effect to these
recommendations. These men stu
died the sisuation in Delaware, and
from their rich experience and OBJ
Servation of educational features
in other states, chose those fea-
lures that are best suited to con-
ditions here. Not a single plan is
suggested that has not been sue
cosSful elsewhere. Delaware is not
to be made the proving ground for
idealistic theories.
A similar Code following a
surveT and recommendations by
these same experts was accepted
by the neighboring state of Mary
land without the dotting of an i
or the crossing of a t and accord
ing to the testimony of M. Bates
Stevens, the state has made more
progress in three years under
this system than in any ten years
previously. Our neighbors feel
that the results fully justify the
steps taken"
Some of the features OF the new
Code, he said, may be regarded
as radical but the entire Code is
characterized by tact, temperate
ness, and timeliness. There is
nothing so conservative as pro-
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