Ohio History Journal

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EDITORIALANA

EDITORIALANA.

OHIO DAY IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

At the regular monthly meeting of the Executive Committee of the

Ohio State Archaeological and Historical society, held Friday, July 18,

1902, Professor C. L. Martzolff, trustee, presented a scheme to have

the public schools throughout the state, celebrate the admission of Ohio

into the Union on March 1, 1903. He proposed that the Society, through

a committee, prepare a program of exercises for that occasion, such

program to consist of historical sketches, literary excerpts, poems and

other literary matter pertinent to the day for the children to read or

recite, and that this literature with some suggestive schedule of exer-

cises, be sent to the superintendents and principals of all the schools

of the state. Professor L. D. Bonebrake, School Commissioner, and

Mr. O. T. Corson, editor of the Ohio Educational Monthly, had sig-

nified their willingness to co-operate in this matter. The Executive

Committee of the Society endorsed this plan and appointed Professor

C. L. Martzolff, Professor F. B. Pearson and Hon. D. J. Ryan as a

committee to prepare such program and report to a subsequent meet-

ing of the Executive Committee. Accordingly on November 14, 1902,

at the first joint meeting of the Centennial Commission appointed by

the Governor and the Executive Committee of the Ohio State Archaeo-

logical and Historical Society, this matter was presented by Hon. A.

R. McIntire and it met with the approval of the joint committee. Again

at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Society on Decem-

ber 13, 1902, Professor Martzolff, on behalf of his committee, reported

that they proposed to send to the principals of the schools a little

pamphlet containing the program of exercises for the children to fol-

low, with a list of books and literature to be consulted.   A  pre-

liminary statement in the form of a circular had already been sent

to very many of the teachers and something over one hundred of the

county newspapers. These papers had published the circular and com-

mented favorably thereon. The matter had thus been sufficiently adver-

tised to establish its popularity and justify the carrying out of the

project. It would, however, require considerable expense. The only

source from which funds for the purpose could come was the Centen-

nial appropriation of $10,000 made by the legislature in its extraordinary

session, October 22, 1902. The Executive Committee decided to recom-

mend to the Joint Centennial Committee that this proposition for the

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