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perspective back, when we think of putting
in special types of revisions like this. I
would be interested, of course, to have the
same thinking that we would do the same
things for natural resources, that we will
do the same thing for mental health. Those
people need help, but this is not the place
to put it, in a constitution. We should re-
member and get our perspective back. The
place to do it is through the lawful, the
legal way, through the elected representa-
tives of your people working in debate so
that they can devise programs, study pro-
grams, find the answers to these very com-
plicated questions.
There is no question here that we all
want equal opportunity in education for all
of our people; but it is a very difficult thing
to reach by putting it in the constitution.
It could do serious harm in my opinion. If
we are going to find the new ideas, if we
are going to go into the new era that this
constitution can bring, then let us do it,
let us reject this clause from the Constitu-
tion and let our General Assembly go to
work.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Wheatley.
DELEGATE WHEATLEY: Mr. Chair-
man, ladies and gentlemen of the Conven-
tion, before yielding time, and I want to
clarify this, we have an amendment to offer
to section 2, as I indicated in my report, to
change the word "provided" to "promote",
and with the assurance that this does not
mean anything other than the word "pro-
mote" as it is commonly understood. At
this time I yield five minutes to Delegate
Beachley.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Beachley.
DELEGATE BEACHLEY: Mr. Chairman,
fellow delegates, there are 142 delegates at-
tending this Convention, and we are all here
for the purpose of seriously carrying out our
obligations to the people of this State, and
as mentioned a while ago, to posterity. For
that reason I would like to speak against
the amendment that has been presented and
speak for the Majority Report, which in-
cludes equal opportunities for all.
In reply to what Delegate Lord said a
while ago, or mentioned, that it was a
radical departure, I would like to state
that this proposition of equal opportunity
is not a radical departure. It is not an ex-
hortatory expression but a sensible, broad
and evolving perspective toward the field of
education.
This point of view by the majority is the
obligation that the legislatures of Mary-
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land have been trying to carry out through-
out the years since 1723, when they first
presented the proposition that we should
have free high schools for all.
It has been carried out by these legisla-
tures up to the present time until it has
expanded until the opportunities that are
offered are now kindergarten through grade
twelve for all.
The statement, equal educational oppor-
tunities, expresses a general concept, in
order to meet the possible pressures of the
future, for who knows what new projects
or undertakings the twenty-first century
is going to bring. Therefore you cannot
spell out exactly what would bring equal
opportunities along that line.
Maryland is not a poor State, and can
afford to continue expanding its educational
opportunities.
Yet, we have in the State of Maryland
15.2 per cent of our families having low in-
come. I ask you why. The answers could be
found in this one sentence: probably be-
cause of the lack of equal educational and
appropriate educational opportunities and
also the lack of training in skills, according
to young people's abilities.
Our nation has been very much concerned
for the past five years or so with the rate
of drop-out of students from high school.
Maryland has been concerned along with all
the other states.
Research indicates that the drop-out rate
has been influenced very likely by not hav-
ing enough equal educational opportunities,
but I would like to hasten to add that all
of these drop-outs, all of them, were cap-
able of further training if we had been able
to give them the opportunity to develop
their own abilities. Many of these dropouts
are persons of average ability.
Would it not have been better to help
those young people than have them panic,
drop out of school and take some unskilled
job because they think that is just the best
bet?
Other research studies indicate that in
the State of Maryland, anywhere from five
to ten per cent of our high school graduates
would like to go on for further educa-
tion and cannot attend because of financial
reasons.
THE CHAIRMAN: You have three-quar-
ters of a minute.
DELEGATE BEACHLEY: I would like
to make two points in closing.
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