Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-03-29
Election Of County superintendent.

AS the election of County Superintendent
is to take place on the first Monday of May
next, we make the following extracts from the
official department Of the Pennsylvania ScEooI
Journal for March, in order that Directors
may have their minds directed to the subject
The third election of County Superintend-
ents will take place, at the respective county
Seats on the first Monday in May. There is
no duty Of more oyerShadowiDg Importance
than the one devolved upon Sch col Directors
On that occasion, and the manner in which
they may perform it, will vitality effect the vel.
fare of the school system. The law has wise
y conferred this responsible duty upon the
immediate representatives of the people in the
respective districts, relying upon their intimate
knowledge of the working and wants of the
school system, their sound Judgment, disnter
ested motives, and knowledge of the persons
who might present themselves for this impor-
tant Office. Thus far this responsibility has
generally been met in the right spirit, aud in
most cases, though not always, With satisfacto-
ry results.
But there are, doubtless, errors yet to be
corrected, and possible dangers avoided The
opportunity is now presented to accomplish
both. The Office is now permanently cstab-
lished, as an indispensable agency in the ad-
ministration of the system and the best ef-
forts should be directed to the great work OF
making it uniformly efficient aud acceptable,
by the election Of the right men and the best
men, to fll it. If this is not done, the respon.
sibility rests with the directors, who have been
clothed with the power, under the Law, to
strengthen or weaken the system by their
votes in convention.
The success and usefulness Of the County
Superintendency depends, more than any other
Office in the commonwealth, upon tie men agh0
JI IL. The greatest care should therefore be
taken in the selection. Every competent and
faithful officer, who is willing to serve, shoald
be retained for experience is Of great value
in such an Office as this, and cannot be trans
ferred to q successor. Besides, fidelity to duty
is such an arduous post, should be rewarded
by continuance of public confidence aud ap-
proYsL Those who have proved themselves
incompetent or unfaithfnI, have no reason to
expect any farther sacrifice of the public in
terests for their individual benefit. Care should
be taken, however, to discriminate between
popular dissatisfaction arising from faithful
application of the powers OF the Office and
that arising from ineapacity or Incidence No
man should be elected whose past official course
or personal pledges, will not be sufficient
guaranty for the faithful devotion of his time
and energies to the full and faithful perform
ance of all the duties Of the Office, according
to the letter and the spirit of the law Anoth-
er special danger should be guarded against
with scrupulouS care. II is this mo man
should be elected who wants the Office as an
appendage to any other interest or pursuit
least of all, one who would make the duties
of the Office subordinate 10 any interest or
pursuit whatever
The following exhibits Of the requiSitequal-
ifcations of County Superntendents appeared
in the editorial columns Of the Pennsylvania
School J0ErRai for April and May, l857.-
They are as suggestive and valuable now as
they were then, and are earnestly commended
to the attention Of directors:
Taking it for granted, then, that expert
ence has fully justified the wisdom Of the Leg
slature in requiring the selection of fit per-
son and the payment of sufficient salary, for
this Office, two questions arise for the consider
alton of Directors ....
al, Who is fit person for the Office?
80. What is sufficient salary?
In answer to the FIRST question, it may, in
the words Of the school law, be replied that
fitness consists in
l. 8 Literary aud scientific acquiremcnts'-
These are both Indispensable, and the degree
of them should be considered In every coun-
ty, schools of every rank and grade--from the
lowest primary to the high school, with its full
round Of brancheS-eiUher are or soon must
come into existence and to discharge the
Office properly, the Superintendent must be
qualified "to examine" all the Teachers, "to
visit" them, and to give such instructions in
the Art of Teaching and the method thereof
in each school" as the condition and grade of
each shall require. How can this be done,
except by one who is scholar enough to teach
the teacher Of the highest branch taught in
the highest school in this county
2. Skill and experience IN the art of
Teaching is another requisite and is also ex
acted by the law mot only skill to know, but
practice to do. 1t is no doubt true, that, in
some instances, the Office has been well filed
by persons of no great or possibly Of no act
ual experience in the art. This is owing to
the known fact, that some men have naturally
in themso much of the elements of the Teach
er and such love for the work and the cause,
as to supply, to great degree, all other de
fects. But the exception onlyproVes the rule
for the instances of failure for want of this
element, have been too numerous to leave the
question doubtful The safer and the legal
rule is, in all cases, to require this "skill and
experience"
"The man, then, whom Law, Experience
and the Wants of the system demand for
County Superintendent, is A practical Teach
ers, who is also an accomplished scholar and