Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-11-12
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Tae Giiice Of sshoo! superintendent Shall
il be abolished.
Our readers have already noticed that on
Monday last, a bill was introduced in the
House. whose object is to abolish the office Of
Town Superintendent of Common Schools.
We are not greatly surprised at this, though
we did not expect it. We were aware that
the feeling was somewhat prevalent that the
Superintendent was a sort of fifth wheel in
the school coach,-a suIernumerary and
well-nigh useless officer.
But what can be expected Of the man who
is required by law to work three days and
halt for the wages earned by carpenter IN
one? The State actually remunerates the
SUPERINTENDENT at the rate Of one dollar a
day "a sum which Will not pay biz horse
hire, to say nothing Of his board and time.
Furthermore, the State forbds him to look
for even this meagre compensation, if in the
discharge Of his duties as visitor, he venture
to oyerpass the limit Of two days to each
school. The State has given the power to
control the schools into the hands Of the
District Committees has obliged the Super
intendent to work for nominal pay and for
no rav at all. if he should deem it advisable
to give a third and fourth day to any school
in fact, has so shaped it, laws a. to legislate
ineficiency and unfaithlulness. These, We
say. are only natural results. The wonder
/, that so many Of these hampered, unpaid
officers have been so faithful, and accom-
plished 50 much.
But what is the remedy for the present
unsatisfactory state Of things ~ Abolish
the Office of Superintendent In other
words, Abandon all supervision Of the
Public Schools let each Prudential Com
mittee examine his own teachers, or hire
them without examination; give over the
I
control of the average voter, and the average
would-be teacher, who having fallen out
with honest manual labor, desires to get a
living by keeping school" And again, this
is tantamount to saying, Abandon the .
Common School system, it Is a failure"
What special condition Of things prompted .
the introduction Of thisAil, we donot know.
1t might well have originated with the avow-
ed enemies of our American System Of Edu-
cation. We may be sure they would rejoice
in any measure which would reduce Its eff
cheney to a minimum. 1t may have been
provoked by the exceptional independence
and iaitkfulness Of some model superinten-
dent, who may have failed to recognize the
transcendent abilities and attainments Of
Somebody's friends. and may have striven to
do his part toward obtaining the best talent,
without regard to Somebody's imagined pre-
scriptiye right to the dignity and emoluments
of the leadership. We have been informed
that, in this county at least, superinten-
dents have been threatened with loss of Office ,
terrible threat, when the dollar per diem is q
considered , because their standard was too
high and their examinations too severe. In
fact. Somebody's cousins had failed to pass,
and in consequence Somebody was compelled
to use little valuable time in finding a can
didate who could pass. The officers sin con-
sisted in his fidelity to the people and their
children. He did not make the Office sine
cure. And SO, in two cases, he was dis
placed for a man who, it was hoped, would
grant certificates to please the Prudential
Committees. And again, it may have been n
drawn by one who desires to raise the State d
system Of instruction to the highest point Of v
and who would make use Of il
practical reducfIo qd aJsurduH to achieve his Il
end. No doubt, if the bill were to pass,
our schools would gravitate downward with II
fearful rapidity; for, unsatisfactory they y
are, they are by no means at the worst. And q.
1nce brought to ruin and proved to be utter
" worthless. only one of two courses would
De open either to sweep them away and ~,
give over all care for popular education, or
organize a new, more comprehensive and l.,
more efficient system Of supervision and -.
That the latter would be the -,
,ase, we make nc question. Vermont is not =,
low, nor ever, going to hand over 10 secta-
ian and private enterprise the work of it- :;
ing the children of the State for the duties
f citizenship. There is little danger of her
suicide
We are not sorry, on the whole, that the
latter has come up in the present shape.
t may get ventilation in the legislature. 1t
ill certainly bear discussion. And we have a
0 fear that discussion will result in aught =.
se than benefit. Light will come of it W,
nd out of light, help and progress. And ser
re more the matter is turned over and silted. Tn
ne more clearly, We are confident, will it be be,
en-, that the supervision of teachers and on,
hools is not to be given up, hut to be made ing
ore close and constant and effective. And pee
e believe 1t will also appear that this fire. die
lent and intimate supervision will fail of
fectiyeness unless more power be lodged chs
18th it; that such ability and training as the me
ice should command, is worthy of little Tue
ore than half the pay of the common day o'
borer and that all considerations, fairly
I'd candidly weighed, will point toward an ~
ganization by Towns, instead of by Dis :,
lets.
." Hearth and Home" which we can furnish tina
new subscribers to the FREE Pass at half pre-
ice, is one Of the best publications of its kind to
voted to Agriculture aud the things that in
r.s, f.-,,- r..., -, I