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Show ! SCHOOL CONSOLIDATIONS. ; The process of consolidating school districts lias gone .forward in this State to quite a general extent in the last few years. This county formerly had a large number of smull school districts outside of the city. These have now been consolidated so that but three districts arc left: tho city being a sepa- ; rate district, and the county thus hnv- , ing but four school districts in all. The j general idea in this consolidation is that iL promotes efficient school work, j mid enables the process of education j to be pushed to better advantage and j tho finances to be more effectively ap- plied for the work in hand. Thcro is no doubt, but that as a general propo- J sition the objects so aimed at are j achieved. Consolidation, for tho most j part, is a good thing nnd does work j well. Nevertheless", thero may be exceptions. excep-tions. "Where injnstico is to bp worked by tho consolidation, and whore the people affected are not in' accord with the proposed consolidation, we do not think it wise to effect it. Tho element of harmonious co-operation of the par- cuts is a very important ono in I school work always, and it is nu almost al-most irreparable loss where, in order to effect consolidation, the wishes of the parents of the children aro not only ignored, but actually overridden. This latter appears to have been the caso in Cache county, whero I he commissioners commission-ers have consolidated tho whole county into one district contrary, ns it is claimed, to the recommendations and tho opinions of the parents, after tho expression of these opinions had been invited. Tho result is that in Cacho county there is bitter opposition to tho consolidation decreed, and there is talk of court procedure 10 annul the action of the commissioners. It is unforlunato in every way that a complication of this .kind should arise. The commissioners commis-sioners having invited the opinion of tho parents arc naturally presumed to abide by that opinion after they get it. To invito such expression of opinion and then go contrary to it is Jiot only a deceptive proposition, but comes close to being nn insult to every one approached. ap-proached. Tho harmony and unification unifica-tion of effective efforts aro the chief of tho"' means to be striven for iu tho work of education. Without such harmony har-mony and effective co-operation all along the line, the efforts of the teachers teach-ers will in large degree bo in vain. Much more is lost than is gained by a consolidation that arouses bitter opposition oppo-sition among the parents of tho pupils. Tho best tiling that the Cache county commissioners can do it to annul thoir consolidation in so far as it affects those who aro making this bitter opposition xfo it, and consolidate only where there lis a harmony of interests nnd feeling. j Another case which has aroused ;i good deal of opposition is in Summit county. The proposition lo consolidate tho schools of Summit county into one district is ono that is certain to provoke pro-voke opposition, precisely as in Cache county, and consolidation also has nn element of injustice in it that will naturally nat-urally enhance the opposition to such consolidation. Park City already has a splendid school system, with grade schools and high school all in perfect order. The taxpayers of that city have provided comfortable school buildings, a fine high school structure, nnd a school system of which every inhabitant of the Park is justly proud. To bring a system of this kind under tho jurisdiction jurisdic-tion of nn inferior system, as would bo certain if tho county wero consolidated into one district, would inevitable impose im-pose upon tho Park. City schools a certain cer-tain lowering of lono. And then I he Park City taxpayers would bo called upon, after they have already built their own high school structure, to contribute con-tribute largely to the building of a high school structure somewhero else in the county. This certainly would be unfair, To consolidate tho school districts dis-tricts of Summit county outside of Park City would probably bo nn advance movonfent in tho educational field of that locality: but lo force such consolidation con-solidation upon Park City would clearly clear-ly bo a groat wrong to the taxpayers of that city, and would inevitably work injury upon Park City's schools. We are not in tho least surprised to hear that thcro is a good deal of indignant protest among tho inhabitants of that great mining contcr against throwing them iu with tho rest of tho county in ono school district; for it is worse than unfair to them. It is unfair in the money involved, and unjust iu giving an inferior school status tho control over ono which is superior. Park City is clcariy justified in rosjsling to the utmost any such proposition as has been sprnug in this proposed consolidation. consoli-dation. Throughout l.hc Stale in general (here has been a great advance in educational , methods and organization in the past few ycarp. This advance has been made by reason of the common-consent idea in consolidating conveniently situated and coutiguous school population into comparatively large districts. Thcso larger districts allow the better gradation grada-tion of t ho pupils, afford stronger clnsses in cneh of the grados, and permit per-mit the instruction to proceed with a regularity, a cleiirncss of division, and certainty of progress that is quite impossible im-possible in the smaller districts. But this advance cau never bo effectual where the people concerned are forced to it, against their will and protest. And while we are ver' dciydcdly in favor of consolidation whero that can be made harmoniously nnd to tho advantage of the pupils as a mass, we do not think that the consolidation affords advantages advan-tages enough to overcome the objections objec-tions that inevitably lio against the divided sentiment in a district nnd a bitter feeling against tho act .of consolidation. con-solidation. Let all be done in hnrmony nnd good feeling, so that Iho best results re-sults can bo reached. Otherwise it is better to lot things alone as thoy are until a more favorable state of feeling can be worked up among, tho parents and the interests involved iu the con Kolidnt.ion, eliminating bitterness and iuiuKLU'.o. j |