The Poor Man's College

The following excellent article upon u live subject, is trdiu the pen ot' Sup't. N. A. Richards, of West Bay City, in the last issue of The Moderator. It U worlh yonr white to read it: "It is occasionally remarked that West Bay City does not need to go to the expense of keeping up a high school ; that the public are under no obligations to furnish academie instructious ; that tliose who wish to take a high school course caa go over to Bay City, pay the expense and secure it it they have the necessary brains. "As a rule it is the poor man's cliildren who carry off the honors of the class both at high school and college ; it is these sanie boys and girls who fit themselves for the responsible positions that must be well fllled in order that the machinery of civilization uiay move smoothly ; it is only in communities where the high school flourishes that the primary school is doiug successful work ; it is only in those states where great uuiversities and colleges flourish that a high school is preeminently suecesaful. All these institutious are elosely conuected witli each other and with ttie mental aud commercial lifb of tlie people. "Taxes are burdensome!" So they are, but must the waste and extravagauce een on every hand be contmued while the feeders of liie and maiiliuess, the iustitutions that tend to upliït, eunoble and lit young men and women lor true aud efficiënt living are to be crippled or killed outright? We do fear the crippling but have no fear ol the killing. We never go backward lor long at a time; this people the majurity of whom are poor. recognize ihe high school as a nouiisher of lile, and never will they wllow tlie cloud to be tlirown over their children's luture by quietly pir.nitting the high 8 hooi witli ml its imperiections to be knued. "The public school is a great leveler; there the right of one must be the right ol' all ; there the boy from the huinble home often shows bis superioritj' to the boy from the home of plenty, aud there must be the same treatment of all so lar as privileges are coucerued if all are obedient to requirements. lu order that parents and teachers may work together, reports are sent to the home, and excuses required for absence and tardiness. The question oiteu arises as to what constitutes au excuse. "The printed rules of most schools direct teachers to insist that a good and sufficient reason be giveu. Tlius the mere matter of conveniente of parents is not a sufficient excuse, lf "please excuse," is suffiuient, large uumbers of children will be called from school every day, and at all hours. "it is none of tlie teacher's business whether it is necessary or not, if I want in y childl shall have hiui." The lawsays: "No, you must give your cliild to the teachers so many days and so many hours of the day." "What is tlie public school teacher todo? Divide society into two classes and say, all these may cali their children irom school uu any kind of an excuse, luit tlusc are incapahle or indiü'erent and must conform to a different, law. Ii tlie teacher gets into trouble liy holding all to tlie same rule, sIk' gt'ts intu far gi'ea.er trouble by not dnintr it. ' ■ 'JL 1 1 e teacher acts as tliough her au thoiity ere nbove mine, aud as tliough she liad greater interest in my child than 1 liave." It is nut that, parents. If the teacher accepts a certain kind of excuse Irom yuii, she must fi'om all. You siionld ii'Iil i little that the schooi may ooinmand others who have not your interest in the cliildren. "Teachers shuulil not assuuie authority over mattere whicli belong to the parents; the parents should willingly grant the teacher all necessary, rigbtiul autliprity ; and we beiieve that atl consistent parents will concede that the child's time during hours should not be brokfn into without rendering a good excuse to the one who has the child in charge during these hours. ''The schools are a tax. Yes! but how small when coinpared with man's vices and follies! Richard's alniaiiHO shonld bp read tlioronghly by every boy and tri rl in tbo schools and te facts and principies flrmly fixed in niemnrv. We deny not the Rtateinent Hint tlierfi is sonip wastp, bnt liow small compared with tlie prpparation of food to nourish onrhodies; liow small as compared witb tlie waste in municipal and business lines."