New Britain herald., 1922-02-18

No more interesting meeting has been held in this city within recent years than the open forum or the Chamber of Commerce at which con | ditions which aflect school children were discussed, Discounting some thing for enthusiasm for their task, the speakers put forward their claims for children of adoescent age in n manner that must have impressed not only their hearers but also readers of the Herald where the remarks were given space in keeping with the i'm porAancc of the subject,
 This fact was made plain-that If New Britain wishes to maintain its standard of education, standard reached only after years Of rndcavor, it must be willing 10 pay the price, I The question presents itself whether il is worth the price, Many people who have heard it reiterated that there are too many fads in the schools" will answer the question in the negative. But the majority, that solid mass that truly represents pub lie opinion, will say tha, i' is well worth the price and that the standard must DC maintained,
 Parents, in particular, must have been given food for thought hy Inc statements made by Superinten lent Holmes, whose long experience at the head Of New Britain's school system qualities him to speak intelligently on the subject Fathers and mothers want ,thelr children to have vtry possible educational benefit. \ great many men and women in this city who are now rearing families were denied an education in their youth. These are the ones who appreciate the advantages Of an education and most of them will make any sacrifice to cnabic their boys and girls to reap the harvest gained by study under well chosen leaders.
 So much has been said about tcarh- CTS salaries that the average person has probably been convinced that they ar. high lrrc in New Britain and no place ei&r. This is not he truth. New Britain is paying TO more than is Icing pad in other communities or similar educational standards Teach as sala';r ;rs lave increase'i lut they lid not beg Il tc curve upward ur the chart until months after wages pad m ether occupations had reached high figures. Tn fact that high pay was being given elsewhere induced many teachers to abandon their chosen pro- fession in sheer self defense. The re- action was inevitable. Experienced teachers became scarce, but as more schools were being built and more children being admitted to classes. the demand for instructors did not decrease and consequently it was nee essary to pay more for their services.
 Salaries are not the only important factor in running the school system. Supplies enter largely into total costs. As an instance of the gap between costs in 1913 and 1921, Mir. Holmes furnished statistics which showed the jump for some items to be from sl.91 to s3.59.
 In a purely American city-that is, one in which native born Americans predominatc--the strain on the edu- cational facilities should not be so severe as in New Britain. In the for mer type of city, parental influence and leadership are eXerted in behalf of the child and this cooperation with school teachers must result in a mighty power for good. On the other hand, in New Britain there are hun dreds of parents who are unable to wield this influence because educa tion was not considered essential to their welfare in the countries from which they came. Therefore, the re- sponsibility of proper guidance falls1 heavily upon the school system.
 If we believe that education is good for the masses as well as the classes, if we believe that New Britain should be up in the van instead of trailing with the stragglers we must give our school authorities every necessary fla cility for continuing their work Edn cation is the bridge which spans the space between darkness and light, and few of us will be satisfied to see our own children remain in darkness throughout their lives.
 It may be said without fear of con- tradiction that not only has Mayor Quigley tossed his hat into the ring, but he has thrown his overcoat in as well and has gone in after them. Within the past few days posters have appeared in store windows and other vantage points bearing like ness of the cN- Mayor and the wording For Mayor, George A. Quigley, showing that the former executive isI going direct to the voters for support at the primaries.
 Mir. Quigley opens his campaign formally next week when he will car- ry out series of rallies at factory gates. This will be the first gun of the campaign and several other well known members of the republican hands over their ears in fear of the concession. Thus far, the lone candi- date has not allowed an inklins of what he intends to say become pubic property. but it can he assumed that what he docs say will make interest ing reading. Mir Quigley must have heard of the advice of famous man who. upon being asked how to become famous, replied, Say something in teresting. Anybody can talk The ex-mayor usually does excite interest when he is criticizing an opponent be- cause he starts right out to take his rivals hide, and that, is always an in teresting political procedure.
 1t is generally believed that Mir. i Quigley will concentrate his heavy gun fire against Mayor Curtis The