The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1868-10-01
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. . Z " Our Public Schools.

VuT EuDuc SCHOOLS;
In my last communication I endeavored
to show how unreasonable it is for, us to ex.
pect the School Commissioners to organize
|. ara keen ihlopsa pps good .ichSols, ,Iealsss
we furnish them with the means necessary
for doing so. I also tried to show that if
we want our Ichldrens propesly edncated;
we should be willing to pay literally for so
great a benefitsf and j further insisted on.
the importance, nay, absolute necessity, Of
an advance in the present salaries of our
teachers;, and Isnow intend to dwell little
more at length on this last topic, as l con-
| sider 1T. one of paramount interest to every
cit izen of Carroll county. N.l'i 9 -
Few will deny that good teachers are an.
absolute sine,quG non in the Organization of
Public Schools, WEI may have the best
| possible school houses, excellent books, and
everything else of that kind necessary, but
without suitable teachers we must fail. On
the.other hand, Iouly give ussgeodE Teachers,
| and very little else will be required This
business of providing teachers is the most
expensive as well as the most important
| item IN the whole catalogue. Every one
| knows that a tecaler must be- educated at
least up to certain standard but not every
one is aware that education, though one Of
the necessary requirements, is by no means
the most Important qualification that an in.
structor OF youth ought to possess. Of the
thousands of educated men in our country,
how few are fitted either by natural disposi.
ton or character to undertake the RESPONSE
bic and laborious task of teaching Public
School, Without a, love for his professions
no one is or can be qualified for teaching.
The Examiner can very readily determine
whether an applicant has or has not the
amount of knowledge snecessarylto conduct
a school, but beyond this he cannot CO.,
Even in the mqtter of moral character, the
| most acute observer may be, and frequently
is, deceived. q As to written recoinmenda-
btions, we all know how seldom they are to
be relied on. Very many of those who are
called upon to give Testimonials of charac'.
ter, except ip,very particular cases, Civ O,
such as are favorable, or at least non com
initial and indefinite. Many again are from
motives of friendship, desire of popularity
or even for causes far less honorable, give
the most fattering recommendations to per-
sons wholly upworthy. Hence sarises the
necessity that our school trustees and others
immediately connected with the employing
of teachers and the supervisors IF schools
but more especially parents, as being the
most deeply interested not fail to
visit the schools under their charge and see
with their own eyes the discipline there,
aintained-.observethe method of teaching:
adopted by the person in charge, and thus
make themselves thoroughly acquainted with,
the working of a system which, be it good
or bad, is, now established permanently as,
the means Of educating the rising generation'
of Carroll county, from this time forward,
81 1t is a fact very we'll known to those hav
ing experienced of snch matters, that teacher
may pass creditable examination, show
satisfactory recomme ndations as to charac.-
ter, and yet prove wholly inefficient, from d.
w ont of energy, love for his profession, or
sympathy with children. ~ If we sincerely
desire to see an Improvement in our schools,
we must not only feel, but manifest strong
| interest in the manner In which they are:
conducted. IF the teachers is himself the
right sort of a man, and earnest for the well
fare of his charge. he will be glad to fn&
his patrons showing disposition to appre-
ciate his exertionsI The children, too, will
study with greater + zeal,r when. they find,
| their parents and others ready and willing
to encourage them in their efforts to acquire
education. And the consequence will be-
hat both teacher and pupilslwill feel an in
crease of energy aud courage to discharges
their respective dpties with fidelity. .a
Few who have not themselves had; expe'
rience in teaching can form an idea of the
dull, disheartening task that often fails to.
the lotsof the Conscientious teacher engaged
| in conducting a Public School Very often
| the parents and others. most deeply interest,
ed are either wholly apathectic, or interfere'
only to find fault with something in the Or
ganization of the, school entirely beyond the.
teachers power to- remedy. Often, too
| through the ignorance or pevrerslty OF his
patrons, he finds himself blamed for what
he Mad all along considered the very best,
feature in his method of teaching, and which
! he had labored to carry out with ceaseless
and untiring patience, hoping that at last
he should reap the reward of his endeavors
| in the gratitude Of those he had so honestly
and zealously striven to serve. ,,s..g A
feel certain that it is the wish as well as the
interest of everyscitzen of this County to raise
the standard of instruction in the Public schools
higher than it now is, and thereby to rescue
rested upon it. Why iMit that SO many are
! found who yearly send their sons and daugh-
ters to distant schools to acquire an educatiOny
and this too atan expense far greater than IT,
would cost to keep them at home and let them
| attend the Public Schools? Do these inen ex-
/ meet that, strangers will, in consideration of
large fees, take better care OF their chlldren
l than they themselves are willing to take? /? Or.
is it true that large class of our best informed
citizens think that there is to be found better
1 place for children than the home in which they
have been reared, and where they are daily un-
der the eyes of their par ents No, the reasoni is
unhappily too plain. Our Public Schools have
! hitherto been, and still are, toe inadequately
supplied with good teachers. Without a sui
fcient number of we'll qualified teachers, we
cannot have good schoolsy and without paying
higher salaries than ace now offered, It IS little
short of. arrant folly for US to- expect to retain
the services Of efficient teachers at least perma-
nently. 1t isiin vain to elect Commissioners to.
| manage our schools, or to establish Teacners
Institutes with the expectation that these means,
j willproyide us with. whatwe want. These are,
very good as secondary aids, but only as such;
the great lever is money, without which little
Fgood can be achieved in the way of carrying
out any plan for public Improvement.
] The School Commissioners certainly, under,
I the new1aw, may be said TODD their work graf
is; bat we must not be- sos unreasonable as to
j expect our teachers to serve on the same easy
! terms. The teacher must live by has profess
sion, and few men will be found TO love and
pursue calling that has afforded them, at BEST.
only half subsistence. The race OF philan-
thrOpists, of which we hear 90 much, is hardly
to be found in latitudes so low as Maryland. :
i Our Public Schools can be raised to equal
those of Baltimore city, iif we are willing to
make the necessary sacrifices. But they may
also, by oar neg lect, fa so far below the stand
ard as to beeome4itte better than useless
burden on. the community instead Of means of
popular education. While many Of the other
counties, as is now the case, offer higher sala-
Il ries for teachers than we are willing to pay,
how can we Justly complain 4 our schools are
inferior to theirs? ge saL .t-~
Thora 10 NO so..cs4xv ,,f xalor& =. - ,o,-k.-