Milford chronicle., 1921-09-02
DELAWARE SCHOOLs-PAsT, PRESENT, FUTURE

free school education partisan politics, which resul
in bitter contests in the legislature within the past yea
may not have serious blow to the public schools
As memory recalls the rural schools in Delaware
sixty years ago. the marked improvements seem like tn
realization a The country school was then bu
without ARCHITECTURAL effect and without convenience
comfort either the pupils the teacher When tn
people first accustomed to being assessed for tn
aintnance of free public the idea prevailed tina
any structure almost any kind of teacher witt
very small salary good enough for free school edu
catiOnal purposes.
The private supported by private contributions
or from fees charged by board for teaching chill
dren was beyond reach of the laborng classes ant
without lands they class schools To remedy
this condition free public school, supported by taxes
levied district had its beginning. The objec
ton to little kingdom-the school dstrict-was, that
people voted for against evyng the tax necessary
to maintain public school, The ignorant and penuTiOus
often controlled the elections which resulted
closing that school,
From time to time amendments made by the
legislature adopted which took from this
class the power that was wasefu and held down the
State of Delaware low point in the table of iteracy
until finally in recent years. splendid revolution through
the the legislature abolished
taxation system, which the schools chance
give better education for the expended better boys
and girls through physical training and the chill
dren of today fitted to take positions
ness, trade profession.
The rural school buildings as they were more than
half century ago. which is within the limit of
ory without any architectural effect to
please the eye-while the furniture
alton of roundshoudered weak-lunged physically
developed children for citizens The seats in the
schoosand too often in the pretentious
the towns-were wooden benches, having standards at
each end and middle with four strip board nail
ed at the heghh which generally caught the head
of the middleszed children, without support back
of the child The DESKS wooden planks to the
wall at the side of the building School books few and of
various authors while miserable state preservation
Such was the first rural school of recollection in Del
aware and it other rural schools of similar
construction. There way ventilate no way
to heat the school except by large wood burning
stove, which either hot approach to
heat The hours from nine to twelve for the
session and from to four the afternoon pen
for the children.
There was no supervision whatever from the State
County and of local district The
teacher taught for much money per that
was spent the school stopped The State Auditor sup
posed to settle with the various districts and that
the end of the interest in the public schools The
petty graft which under the system which exist
ed to less than fifteen years ago, startling dis
closure to the writer whilst serving State Audi
tor The money paid for public school education under
the school laws years. was more than half
of it wasted and of effect for public school education
far the children concerned This continued un-
til the State provided kind of supervision of the
schools.
About twenty years through the efforts of Henry
Rdgley and others laws passed created the
State Board of Education and County School
ers, which the State Board Education
through and by the County School Commissions to compel
rebuilding of the school houses regulate the charac
ter and ability of the teachers working the schools and
to enforce sanitary requirements of
the school houses and grounds
1t may strange and hard believe, but it is
fact just the samethat the public schools towns
we're the worst offenders against hygenc sanitary
ated
or the enforcing the school laws, get towns 81
keep the schools clean and the surroundings hat
hey could be called moderately respectable The Oh
will substantate this statement. 10
Even then many no pride in teaching Tn
ner work simply for the money received, while CO
tandard of their qualification for teaching difficult ST
aise because of the salaries recognized that
salaries brought low ability in the Happily VIZ
hat has been changed and it is believed that Delaware
tars in her school for 1922 with of o
hers far better fitted for teaching than occu IN
led her school rooms in previous years.
Let us look at the conditions of the schools of Della
are they exist today Briefly state from personal
xperience that the rural generally parts CO.
Delaware, the equal of rural schools neigh as
orng states in comfort convenience hygenic and to
ay standing Modern buildings have replaced all FOL
the old structures but of them have been remod CHI
led and equipped with heating ventating systems of
furniture is generally modern comfortable fec
lupment for teaching is such that the teachers ca and ns
impar their theory of teaching the children abb
easy for them to understand The sanitary con-
tions have reached standard above that of the
veny years ago. that the people of the local dis
proud properties This has been
compished by persistent effort the part of the men the
i'd who have worked with confidence pride thr
the of public education in Della
are apI
people of the city and in Delaware
thirty years ago. reached the point where better to
buildings admitted necessary The peo-
voted the bonds to build and equip these schools be-
wing that they building for the of public be
hool education for the next fifty years. But with the