Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-03-07
County superintendent Of
Schools.


Hon. Hammer Robins one of the As
selnblymen of this county, has offered
bill ii the Legislature to haze County SUI
perirtendent of schools, instead Of a.Super-
intendent for every town. We givea syn
opsis of the bill, the original being too
lengthy for our columns:
Sections l, 2, 3, A, 5 and are uDim
porianf except as providing how such Off
Ger may be elected, qualified and removed
and his place supplied.
Sec. provides the duties Of such eff
Ger, as examining and licensing teachers,
visiting schools, instructing teachers, adyis-
inc district officers in matters Of difficulty,
and by various means keep in shining
brightness the interest of educationfhrongh-
out his county. He is to collect reports
| from the district clerks and make out for
the State Superintendent full account of
school affairs for his county. He is to be
a sort of Presiding Elder, Attorney Gener-
al, and committee Of six, for lecturing, ed
ucating teachers, &c, and counsellor on
building school houses, furniture, DC. He
is to superintend the physical laws and the
health and growth Of the young; we do
not see that BE is to have matrimonial pow
ers, but these can be conferred afterwards.
Sec. provides that he shall district the
county in par. not exceeding four towns
each, in all Of which he shall hold at least
two experience meetings each year, and for
examining teachers, drill exercises, DC.
Sec. fixes the salary; in Grant the sal
airy would be fixed at 5000 per year, which
is probably some less than the total now
paid to town Superintendent.
The remaining sections are unimportant,
50 far as gaining an insight into the law is
concerned. The objects are tolerably pre-
scented in our synopsis. Should the bill
pass, it will be published fully.
There is a popular wish amounting all
most to demand that laws long establish
ed, even though Of acknowledged defect,
should be allowed to stand, for the reason
that people have already pretty thorough
knowledge of such defective laws and have
learned to work very well under them.-
Usage makes almost anything popular,
which explains why there is a popular op-
position TO all changes. especially in such
laws as the masses have already learned
and made their IL rtice. But, it has long
been felt that the=7ucationai department
Of our laws requires too much trouble, too
much time Of working men, too many Off
GERS, and that most of the tine in most
towns the timber for school Superinten-
dents is too weak to bear its burdens
Here, if anywhere, appears the chief defect,
The main timber Of our public school Su-
pcrstructufe is The Superintendent, and we
have but to look at this timber in the school
edifce in most Of the towns TO condemn
the whole fabric. In most TOWNS he teach
ers and many of the scholars are superior
to the Town superintendent in education,
knowledge and business qualifications; this
is not only true of male teachers but true
of female teachers-the latter being on an
average better qualified than the others, in
education if not otherwise In our notion
of things, those best qualified ought to
stand at the head, and if Town Superinten-
dents are not soon made of better timber,
or the new law enacted, the public opinion
will rpen for giving the whole supervision
. of education to the women, where it pri-
marty belongs. For such reasons and
many others that we think of but have not
the lime to write nor the space for present
inc, we favor this proposed change 1t
will cost our county something less. pro-
vide for more efficient service, more en-
terprise, more competent teachers, better
system and order, and also provide for set
ting district difficulties which are often an
moving or destructive to the interests Of
schools.
/ Great Conteqerae.y of KING
Cotton.