The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-01-23
City superintendent.

City superintendent.
At regular meeting of the Teachers
Association of Wheeling, held on Sat
urday, the 18th inst, it was
Resolred. That committee of three
be appointed TO prepare an argument
showing the necessary connection eI'
listing between the office of City Super
intendent and our public Schools.
The undersigned having been ap
pointed, in pursuance of the foregoing
resolution, would respectfully submit
the following considerations:
lst. That in most of the States Of ouI
Union, and especially the more impor'
tant cities, where the public school sys'
TEN has been successfully carried out
the Office of Superintendent has been
proved by experience to be a necessary
appendage. Documentary evidence on
this subject can he produced when
called for.
I'd. That in our own city, the exper,
iment of making our public schools
without Superintendent, was effect.
ually tried for sixteen or eighteen years;
with the result that the then board OF
education saw the necessity of such an
office, and accordingly applied to the
Legislature for law making provision
for the same.
Sd. That among other reasons that
influenced the board at that time, were
such as these: that the school directors,
Tor trustees, as they were then called,
were either unable or unwilling to give
4 ~, hn n,n n.
agement of the schools as were necessa'
~ to insure their highest efficiency
that change of the law was necessary
in order to give unity and efficiency to
tho system; that such change would
tend to promote uniformity in dis
ciplins, instruction, textbooks, &c.
Sd. That the results anticipated from
such a change have in a great measure
been realized; but if not to the full ex'
tent that could have been desired, II
has been partly owing to the short time
that the new arrangement has been in
operation and partly to causes ovel
which the Superintendent had not en-
tire control.
4th. That any attempt to inaugurate
a system of public economy, by abolish
ing the office of the City Superintend
ant, would be the very worst policy thai
could be adopted. Ifpublic schools are
an existing necessity, the Office of Su
perintendant is agreeably so; for it is
part of the system without which ex
perience has proved that the school:
cannot be successfully operated. This
were to commence ecsnomizing ut thu
wrong end, and the friends of public
education might perhaps find 1t so wher
it would be too late to repair the mis-
chief. j. II. MCMECHEN.
S. WINNING BOYD.
c. W. DAVENPORT.
In order that his position may not bt
misunderstood, the undersigned would
bCg leave to say, that while he has al
WAYS regarded the Office of Superin
tendeat as necessary appendage Il
the public school system, he was de
cidedly opposed to clothing the Office
with arbitrary, unjust and unreasonable
powers, such as were claimed for it, ii
the form of bill presented before thu
old Board of Education, for their con
sideration. But the present incumbent
is not invested with any such unreason
able powers. On the contrary, it is be
lieved that his powers, or at least m
privileges, might he extended with de
cided benefit to our Schools. j. II. NJ.
L