Nebraska advertiser., 1861-03-14

The common schoe of Nebraska are
but 10 a formation col ision al present.
/ Our School law has neilher bad ame 10
prove its adaptation to our sparceIy set
tied Territory. nor have our people fally
understood its provisions. The apparent.
jarring among ihe people ID their efforts
10 carry om the law, has not arisen from
any lack Of interessin public schools. bu,
from eonaieting opinions in regard 10
Utat tie Iag IS. and from local jealOusies
and private preferences. And this state
Of things will continue as long as the
same or similar elements exist. We
need not look for anything like unanimi-
ity in the. people for The present law or
any other that could be enacted and for
the following reasons Our population
is made up Of emigranls from oil sections
Of our common country. Sections where
common schools are held 10 be The pub
lie guaranty of the peoples liberty.
growlh and prosperity, or where free
schools are ignored, or made Of minor
Importance. We have many from the
Eastern, Middle and Western States,
where the common school systems are in
ali conditions of development, from that
of tried and settled utility down 10 that
of experimenting doubt and uncertainty.
Each class of emigranls has become we'd
ded to its respective system. and there
fore opposed to all others. The result is
distrust, confusion and misrnanagement.
Yet this would, in time, work its own
cure il. the law was fairly and judiciously
explained ano carried out BY efficient Of
fcers. But instead of waiting and Civ
ing The law fair trial 10 prove lis inef-
fciency. our Legislators, filled with the
idea that there is wrong in the system.
somewhere, 60 to work changing and re-
pairing until we hardly know what the
law is. One party is for a Territorial
Commissioner, because she State frori
which it hailed had them. Another be.
/ lieves that the i.terps,s Of Education can
be looked after by o,her officers for
similar reason; and SO Of other parts and
provisions of the school system. BY this
mode of procedure, the injudicious zeal
to heal { difficulty that time and popula-
tion and fOrbearance only can heal, the
r ut is made worse, aud The patches only
stuck on for the next mender TO tear of.
[ If we could learn 10 give our laws pres
idential term ofprobatiOn until their mer-
it or demerit was fairly tested, we would
find il to The advantage of education and
the growth and prosperity CT our schools.
Until our people are educated to work
together. and become accustomed 10 the
school laws, we must look for misrnanage-
meni and confusion in the best system.
The school laws of New England, where
population is dense, would not suit Ne
braska with her nalf dozen families to a
four mile district. We must of neces-
sily labor under difficulties and work al
a disadvantage for years to come. am
not now arguing for any particular sys-
TEN Of education, but simply wish to show
that our former preferences should not
govern US in our present action; and that
a continual changing is 20. only injurious
TO the prosperity of our schools, but cal
culated to confuse the people. What
may suit one locality may lnjure another.
What would please the North would dis
please the South, and so on. What the
people want is plain, straight forward
law, suited to a new country; easily un-
derstoOd and capable Of practical dem
oustration. Il is evidenrtO 10 every reflect
| ing mind, shat new law in new coun-
try, in order to prove successful and ben
efcial, nust be understood by the people
upon whom j. operates. To put such a
law into successful operation among a
people educated 10 dozen different sys-
tens. requires a special superintendent
10 guard its interests and explain its Op-
erations. To commit such supervision
INTO the hands of an officer chosen for
d,feren. purpose. is only calculated 10
defeat the end desired. Even if such
an officer was qualified for the position,
be has not the time OF means TO attend
to ii. If The object Is % curlail expenses
| il is at best but weak and short-sighs-
ed policy. "Penny-ulse and pound
foolish Like trying % catch wafer in a
seive-while you save The drops you loose
the quarts.
/ am neither speaking in behalf Of de-
fealed Office seekers. or disappointed as.
pirants. bui am writing from the experi-
enee of older States. and frOm what I
| feel 10 be The wants Of eur young Ter
ritory. If the older and best organized
school systems Of the Siaies require such
supervisors 10 look after aud anend 10
,bo snlorae,s oF education. much more. do