New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-03

At last we hear from the other side. After near.
ly a week of hesitation, respectable and well.
educated person has come forward as the apOlOg ct
of ignorance and iDcapacity, considered as the
qualifications Of public educators. We refer to the
letter which will be found on another page signed
"F.," setting forth that man who, after long ex-
perience in the instruction of youth, is incapable
Of writing thirty lines without committing gross
bluDders in spelling, grammar, punctuation and
construction, may yet be an excellent teacher for .
public school in this city When we add that
"F." liz himself teacher, we think our readers
will agree with us that his letter affords new and
a startling proof of the necessity of thorough
oyerhauling of our Boosted system of public
schools. Certainly, if not only the Board of Edu.
cation and the igporaDuses among the teachers,
but even those of them who do understand some
thing of their mother tongue, regard such ignO-
rance as no dsqualicati, for teaching-if we say,
such an opinion has come to prevail in this man.
ner, why then the case is much worse than we
supposed and the need of efficient interference
more pressing.
The considerations which our correspondent at.
tempts to urge in behalf of Mr.. Hazeltine and the
criticism which he makes upon our treatment of
that gentleman, are too feeble to require much at.
tenton. Mr.. Hazeltne's laundering letter, he tells
us, was written in haste aud with no idea that it
was to be critically handled. What Of that Does
il mend the case for him. Our correspondent calls
him venerable. He is teacher Of very long stand
ing. How much time, then, ought to be allowed to
such teacher to find cut that the noun substantive
missile ought not to be spelt missel? What days of
reflection and drliberatoD, and what opportunities
of rumination and revision should be allowed to
such teacher in order to ascertain that the word
laraphernalia is not correctly written paraphrina.
ia' And bow many hours does the Principal Of
Normal School require before he can be sure that
verb must agree in number with its nominatve case
Would our friend Of, for instance, need any great
length of time to avoid writing, stuffed fishes and
other pdraphrinalia ras deposited"i Or would
be have to think long before he could remember that
aperiOd, and nOta GONNA is the proper point put
at the end Of a sentence
Our correspondent arragns us for having selected
the ignorance Of Mr.. Hazeltine for comment, when
we allow so much other ignorance to pass without
exposure. Here again Of" would, perhaps, have
done well to think twice before speaking. We dealt
with Mr.. Hazeltine not because his bad spelling,
bad grammar, bad punctuation and bad rhetoric
were in themselves more offensive than those of
other persens but because be is public man, to
whom for years money has been paid as teacher
OfspelliDg, grammar, punctuation and rhetoric. 1t
is like case of false pretenses. He has had sala
ries, and occupied positions which be suddenly
proves himself unfit for. Have we not right to
be surprised at such disclosure Have we not q
tight to call in question the system and the manage
ment which puts him in such a placei There is
what We call Board of Education, and it
costs US a million of dollars a year; but is it not
after all Board of Ignorancel Will the people Of
this city 80 on forever paying salaries to teachers
who write, no matter with what haste such phrases
as this: "Spears, trumpets, stuffed fishes and
'Other paraphrinaHa nas deposited ~ No doubt
it is disagreeabe and shocking and all that to have
ones incapacity and ignorance conspicuously OK.
bibted. 1t is dssgrecable to US to be called on to
make such an exhibition. But We should shame.
fully neglected our duty did such disclosures as
these of the Principal of the Female Normal School
hnd us Indifferent, or relenting We speak for the
public, which has been deluded and wronged. It
is not our fault if Mr.. Hszeltine or his friends
suffer pain, any more than it is the fault of judge
that be passes sentence on a convicted criminal. II
DO ignorant man lad ever undertaken TO be a
school teacher. or if the Board Of Education had
zone us duty and discharged such teachers long