Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1922-02-16
City Is Faced With the Problem Of
Providing New Building and Equip
ment. Increased Enrolment and
Enlarged Needs Of Children
Challenge Us to Make
Adjustment.

Whether or not community can
make social adjustments is the acid
ttest that determines whether the COM
munity shall progress or retrograde.
Any community, state or nation that
fails to change past conditions so as
to make them meet present needs is
doomed to decay. AS regards the
public schools Of the city, Oxford is to-
day faced with the proposition of
making such adjustment. The future
welfare of our children will be largely
determined upon how the people of the
city decide this question.
The present school building was
probably never wholly adequate to me
the educational needs of our children.
The latest addition to the building was
made twenty-five years ago and the
main building was erected in 1887.
But even if the present building did
meet the needs of the children of a
generation ago it is wholly inadequate
! to meet the enlarged needs of the
present. When the present school
building was erected, the communities
of the country, not to speak of the
nation, were in state of splendid
isolation" There was not an auto
mobile in the country. There were no
| telephones, no wireless stations, and
practically none of the marvels of
present day achievement. What are
the facts to-day? Telescopes and
microscopes have increased the power
of our eyes. Telephones have stretch
ed. our hearing and modern wireless
has made our voices sound round the
earth. Not a day passes but that
some of our own boys are in COM
munication with individuals thousands
Of miles from US and by wireless en-
JOY the concerts and hear the audible
voices of singers in Chicago, Phil
adelphia, New York, and other large
cities ofthecountry.
Such are some of the changes that
have gone on around US in the last
thirty years. Our educational system
must be adjusted in such manner as
TO enable us to handle our new acquis-
itions. We are challenged by these
manifold changes not only to a reno
vation of our narrow curriculum in
the high school but also to complete
revolution in the physical equipment
0f our schools. In spite of our mar
velcuslv enlarged needs and of the
increased enrolment in our school,
| the city Of Oxford is extending prac-
tically the came physical equipment
to serve the enlarged present needs
of her children as she extended more
than a generation ago to far smaller
number of children.
Faced with these conditions, it APP
pears that the people of the city may
make either Of the three following
choices:
First: A placid acceptance OF
things as they are. Perhaps an ad-
mission that there is paramount
need Of improving the school plant and
equipment but that the present gen.
Ieral financial conditions justifies an
acceptance of present conditions. In
short, the adoption Of policy that
ANY added expenditures even for the
children, the real assets of the city,
would be unwise. Such policy would
lbe Penny Wise and Pound foolish and
utterly unworthy Of our people. IL
would likewise be out Of keeping with
the splendid responses that have char
acterized them in the past.
Second: Tear away the present
school building and build one that
would be adequate. A building of suf-
ficient size to properly house the
present total enrolment would cost
about $1O0, 700. This sum is in excess
of what it would be legal for the city
at this time to raise by bond issue.
|It is obvious that this choice would be
unwise at this time.
Third: Issue 100000 dollars worth
|of bonds and expend $4,000 in .
modern school building to be used ex-
|clusively BY the high school. Expend
$4,000 IN repairing present school