Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-03-19
Correspondence of the Herald)
cational-Political Government
and Supervision Of Public
Instruction.

ucational-Political Government
and Supervision of Public
Instruction.
Mr.. EDITOR Politically, we have
the General Government, the State
Government, the County Govern
ment and tho Town Government,
each having its offices and officers
and 1t has been found to be really
necessary TO have such government
and the offices and officers pertaining
to each. Yes, even town govern
ment, with town offices and officers,
has been found essential in forming
the complete political government
securing the efficient and harmonious
action of the same. The National,
State, and County government, with
the best OF officers in each Office, would
necessarily do their work very i'm
perfectly-or SO it would seem-and
give very poor satisfaction to the
people, if there were no Town gov
eminent with it's offices and officers
to complete the system. Nor would
we be any better off with good Ma
tional, State, and Town governments
we'll Differed, but with no County
government, offices and officers for
the system would still be incomplete.
Internationally, until lately, we
seemed to have no National Commits
sarial Department Of Education, and
strange to say, the people of this
great and progressive nation seemed
TO feel no need of any such office but
| am very glad that now, the whole
nation seems to give signs Of a gener-
al waking up to the east importance
of such department. And, TO day,
] would glddty pay treble the tax |
paid for 1871, if by so doing, | could
place the Report of the United States
Commissioner of Education for 1870
in every house in the county; for il
would surely do much good.
But not long ago we had Town
Supervisory Department of Public
Schools, though no County Super
visory Department. Then we had
Town Superintendents Of Schools,
and we needed them ; but they should
be very different mems from those
who were,in many cases, then chosen;
and they should do their work in a
very different, moro systematic, aud
more efficient manner than was then
practiced. And then we needed
County Superintendent 10 unite, sys-
temize, harmonic, develop and thus
render more efficient, the plans* and
labore* of the Town Superintendent
Yet, for the purpose Of completing
and improving the system, the Town
SUPPLEMENTARY was abolished and
the County SUPPLEMENTARY institut-
ed. fit were possible, as we'll might
the Surgeon take an imperfect arm
which has the bone between the
shoulder and elbow, and those be-
tween the elbow aud the wrist, and
no wrist bones, but finger bones,-
and supply the lcriSt bones, but a It the
same time remote The finger bones,
and yet expect the poor man soon TO
be able to do good, accurate work.
For my part, however long the sur~
geon might wait, and however faith
fully the patient might strive to do
his work well, | should be greatly
surprised if much Of whatever the
poor man might attempt to handle,
should not ''slip through his fingers"
And yet similar treatment has
been practiced upon our School Sys-
tenn, and many observers as well as
some of the surgeons in attendance,
have really expected perfect work
from the incomplete system; and in
many cases, too, this was expected
before the system had time to recov-
er from the double surgical operation,
creating the County Superintendency
(supplying the wrist bones) and abol-
ishing the Town SUPPLEMENTARY
Cutting out the finger bones).
But for convenience | have suppos-
ed that during this time, we had
National Education Office (the bone
between the shoulder and elbow
IN perfect working order yet such
was not the case, so we have been la
boring under even greater disadvan-
tages than those just mentioned.
During my administration Of the
affairs of this Office | am continually
reminded of the missing link, the
Town SUPPLEMENTARY. La our
county, so large and thickly settled
we can mover receive nything like
the benefits which was Contemplate
ed and which we might and should
receive 'front.' he County Slperntend-
ency, unless we divide tho county
into two or three Superintendent
Districts and have two or three Su
perintendents, or take better courss
and have SUI erintendent and an
Assistant Superintendent. The stat
ute that authorized the County Super.
vision provides that any county con.
tanning more than 10, 200 people may
divide into two Districts and have
two Superintendents. According to |
this we have population and territory
enough for four Superintendent Dis
trcts and bad we had them, and |
good tiCe men tor Superintendent in
each district during the past five |
years, | have no doubt that the Coun-
ty SUPPLEMENTARY would now meet
with the most general favor.* And
believe that | know that after a
TWO years trial of eitb ar the first, sec
1nd, or even the third plan, the peo-
Dle wonld ha far mora Uillinc, ~ no,-