The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-01-04
.syyho Shall be Superintendent OF
Our Public SckoOis fV


appears in your daily of Wednesday
last, which you say emanated iron
the pen of a we'll known writer of this
CITY," The peculiar logic of the article,
as we'll as its tone and character other
wise, clearly indicates the source from
which it proceeds. Tho extended pre-
liminary remarks of the writer amount,
essentially, to sinister attack upon
the present Superintendent of the city
schools charging him, indirectly not
only with incspacity as public officer,
bpt with dereliction of duty, and with
the employment of means to continue
himself in office which would rank him
with the lowest and most contsmptible
politicians And in his labored effort
to bring the present incumbent into
disrepute with the Board of Education
and the community, the "well known
writer does not hesitate to inculpate
the entire fraternity of Principals and
Teachers engaged in the public schools
of this District.
The queer attempt of this well
known writer" to instruct the Board of
Education in the matter of its duty in
the election of Superintendent of
Schools, must be particularly edifying
TO the members of that honorable body.
After few unexceptionable remarks
with regard to the qualifications of a
Superintendent of Schools, the writer
proceeds to say that "in making Sc
lection the Board of Education should
be uuinfuenced by the influences or
preiudices of the principals and teach
ers of our public schools" in this matter.
In other words, the opinions and the
wishes of the principals and teachers
should be utterly ignored when it
comes to the matter of the election of
a Superintendent. And whyg Simply |
because, according to this writer, the
cunning and unprincipled Superintend-
ent may have brought to bear upon the
susceptible minds of the principals and
teachers some mysterious iLtluence or
legerdemGin, whereby they may have
given or sold themselves, soul and body, |
to his interests.
How utterly shallow, ridiculous and
contemplate, Mr.. Editor, is such logic
! Who can be better qualified to judge
of the merits and qualifications of can
didate for the Superintendency than the
Principals of the schools? Or who
would be most likely first to complain
of want of fitness, or dereliction of
duty on the part of Superintend-
ent? Evidently the principals and
teachers. They labor to make the
schools efficient for the purposes for
which they were established. Their
reputation and success depend upon the
accomplishment of this grand object.
And to intimate that they would for a
moment give cOuntenance to u course
on the part of Superintendent calcu-
lated "to secure their support at the
EXPENSE Sof the true interests of the
schools and the welfare of the citizens"
is, to say the least of it, a scandalous
libel upon the intelligence as well as
the integrity of the worthy educators
employed in the public schools of this
district. The "well known writer" goes |
on to say that San unScrHpatOuS man
occupying the position of Superinten-
dent OF our public schools, has 1t in his
power to build up an electloncerlng 3 |
scheme which will be devoted to his
own selfish purposes and designs"
The members of the Board of Educa-
tion understand fall well what undue
influences and misrepresentation, II
anv, NAV have been brought to bear IN
this matter by the respective canGi-
dates and their friends, and they VIII
he very likely to govern themselves
occordipgly." "But," says the writer,
stthese are nero general remarks, not
intending Jy them dRy application to al
particuldr person." Now, to what OK
tent said PREDATORY remar ks are intend
ed to apply to "a particular peIson,' or
how much truthfUlnCSS there IS IN the as
sertion of the "wcll known writer that
they are not intended 50 to apply, will
require no great sagacity on the part OF
the readers Of his production to deter
mine.
Following the extended PREDATORY re.
marks of the "well known writer OF
which the foregoing is presumed 10 be
fair analysis, he proceeds to announce
that the Rev. Il. V. Dodge will be a
candidate before the Board for election
to the office of Superintendent OF the
public schools of the city.
If rumor reports correctly IN the mat
ter, this same "well known writer or
one OF his immediate Coadjutors, eX-
tended cordial invitation TO the rev.
crend aspirant, while he was yet resi-
dent of another State, to come to Wheel
inc, giving him the positive assurance
that the office of superintendent ol
Schools was waiting TO receive hlm'
He has probably already learned, much
to his disappointment, that the road TO
the coveted position is not so entirely
free from obstruction as he had been
led to anticipate, and that i'll order to
travel the road with any hope OF reach
ing the desired haveH, he finds 1t ne
cessary to resort to subterfuges and eX-
Incidents not entirely becoming in one
wearing the clerical garb. 81
Again says the "well-known writer"
"He (the Rev. proposes to take the Of
fee Mt the decreased salary Of one thousand
dollars" Here, Mr.. Editor, seems to be
the rub: The clerical gentleman
hapes to ride triumphantly into Once
by proposing to become the lowest bid
der, If it must como to this, that the
position of Superintendent of the Pub
lie Schools of Wheeling is TO be so de-
Graded as to be offered to the lowest
bidder, may IL disgraceful fact that
Wheeling attaches so tritllng import,
ance to a matter so directly connected
with herIeducational interest,", never
gain currency abroad. The reproach
would be indellible.
But. as to this matter of salary, who
ever may be elected to the position OF
Superintendent, it will undoubtedly be
fixed by the Board of Education at
what may be regarded as just and rea-
sonable compensation for the service to
be rendered.
1t is not known to the writer of this
reply, that the present incumbent has
offered himself at any known price. 1t
is simply understood that he offers him
self for reelection to the position with
which the Board of Education, ire
spective of party considerations, have
honored him for three years or more
4 -l,F l.. Il .,E . NlN.aI