Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-01-16

per cent, in the value of school houses
los per cent, and in the average num-
Der of weeks the schools were taught
lI9 per cent.
1t will be seen that the increase in
the value of school houses from Octo-
Der, 1853, to October, 1857, was ex-
traordinary, which is not strange when
it is remembered that during the pc.
riod named, the construction of school
houses was the only object for which
tax was levied in the district and
yet, for the four years Immediately
following we have, with the additional
burden Of a district tax for the sup
port, of schools, an increase in the
value of school houses of l0S per cent
These figures speak for themselves,
and hence further comment is deemed
unnecessary.
Whatever merit or demcrit attaches
to the District Township system is not
attributable to the Board of Educa-
ton. While the Board may admire,
and consider itself obligated to per-
pctnatc the system, it cannot claim
the credit of originating it. 1t was
inauguratcd by the General Assembly,
composed of the more immediate rep
resentatives of the people, before the
original members Of this Board were
even elected. At the commencement
of their first session, the Board found
the District township organization in
practical operation, and in view of the
decision of the Supreme Court. rem
dered soon after, considered them
selves obligated to confirm as far as
possible all that had been done by the
General Assembly and hence, in the
rc-enactmcnt of the law, retained the
feature now under consideration
What their action would have been,
had they been left untrammellcd and
free to choose between the respective
plans of district organizations, your
Committee is of course unable to de-
termine but it is clearly evident that
if they had reversed the action Of the
General Assembly, by returning to
the Independent District organization,
it would have resulted in the total
prostration of the entire system.
1t is also worthy of note that the
District Township organization was
recommended by Mr. Fisher, then Su-
pcrntcndcnt of Public Instruction.
In his able report to the General AS
scmbly, in November, 1857, he says:
at is a difficult question to decide, wheth-
or township shall constitute single district,
or whether it should bc divided into several,
as it is at present The tendency of the pres.
ent system is to multiply districts SO far, that
they contain but a small number of scholars,
and of course receive but a small portion of
school money. The consequence of this is,
that in many districts, no school is kept and
in great number il is kept for so short a
time as to be almost useless. Ii each town.
ship form one school district under the charge
of a competent committee, they can establish
rs many schools in different parts of the town
as the inhabitants need, and provide for the
continuance of schools for the same length of
time in all the districts, thereby aifording
equal opportunities to all the children of the
township To obtain AN education.
Ii it were an original question, there is no
doubt that Township Districts would be pref
cradle. The principal obstacle in the way Of
its adoption arises from the inconvenience of
substituting for system with which people
are familiar, one 10 which they are unaccus
toned There is some reason to apprehend
that, at the outset, it might occasion 50 much
embarrassment to put ii in operation rs to ex-
cite clamor against it, that would render its
abandonment necessary. In such case its
adoption would be mischievous. As general
rule, no change should be made i'm a system
to which the habits OF the people are conform
ed, except for the most urgent reasons. Upon
the most mature consideration, however, L am
inclined to favor the township system of dis
tricts. l recommend it, however, with some
hesitation for know, upon such a subject,
the members of the Legislature, coming from
different parts of the State, are the best judges
In his report to this Board, in De-
cember, 1858, nine months after the
adoption of the present system, he re-
affirms his former opinions in the fol-
lowing language: ... .
! The school law is the most comprehensive
in our code Of laws. Ii embraces the greatest
multiplicity Of provisions comes i'm contact
continually with the greatest number of peo-
| ple and the officers engaged in the administra-
I tion of 1t are nearly numerous as all the Of
fccrs, executive and judicial, engaged in all
ministering all the other laws of the State.
And these officers have generally, had little
| " ucNOtC tIcHiStlNCS ID TIC Sluuy
of the law. Any considerable alteration in
such a law, therefore, however desirable il
may be, must produce Inconvenience, until
the people and the public officers, whose duty
1t Is to execute it, become familiar with the
change. Legislatures are usually cautions, as
they should be, in making amendments to
laws of this character. The most radical
change made by the new law i'm the old sys-
tenn, is that by which each civil township is
4 4 1;.,tr .,l.
the most felt, attracted the most attention,
and excited considerable opposition to the law.
That difficulties would arise In the transition
from the old to the new system, was anticipa-
ted. Such difficulties are inseparablc from
the introduction of great improvements. The
new school law is not more difficult to be un-
derstood than any other law containing such
a variety of provisions. Every new statute
gives rise to conflicting opinions and embar-
rasscs public officers and the people until the
construction of it is settled. In adopting the
township system of districts, the members Of
the Legislature were not endesyoring to carry
into practice their own abstract or theoretical
views-they were not adopting new scheme
lit had been conceived, maturcd and recon-
mended 10y those enlightened and philanthropy
/, ic men who have devoted their lives to the ad-
vanccmcnt OF the sacred cause of education !;
it was not an untried experiment; it hVf al
ready been tried by the great States of Penn
sylvania, Ohio and Indiana, with signal sue
cess. In all these States, at the outset, this
great, improvement met with fierce Oppo-
sition, but, at the present time man cannot
be found who would be ashamed to be re-
minded that he had been opposed to it. 1t Is
creditable to the people Of Iowa that this i'm
portant reform has encountered less opposition
here than it did in other States
1 In consideration of the foregoing
facts, your Committee are of the opin-
ion that it is the duty Of this Board to
adhere to the present District Town
ship Organization, and to make such
amendments as may be necessary to
: render the law efficient, aud with this
!; | .,ia.r ln1c L,nrn 10 cnlnait 4ha aaoox.,