Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-05
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

From the Knoxville Press and Herald.
The passage of liberal common school
law by our Legislature has been hailed with
liveliest feelings Of satisfaction by the peo-
pie of the State, and, with hopefnlness, they
are looking forward to the benefits to result
from its operation. But it should be un-
derstood, al the very outset, and co..clnusl.
ly borne 10 mind, that the sdceess OF the
law depends largely upon The active inter-
est manifested by tne PEOPLE, themselves,
in the organization Of the system. Es
pecially should tie members of the County
Courts, ID the various counties, be
awakened to a sense of their
gre1it and immediate responsibility in
me matter. The Governor. with
the advice and consent of the Sen
ate, has already furnished q State
Superintendent,w who will enter st once upon
the active discharge Of his duties. But the
plans of the State Superintendent, however
well matured, will utterly fail of their OBJ
ject, if he is not supported by earnest, in
tellieent action on the part of the County
Courts, whose frs duty will be the appoint
ment OF County Superintendents. Upon
the County Superintendent, together with
the district directors, viii mainly rest the
responsibility for the success of the system.
BY the eighth section of the school law, it
is provided that ''there shall be County
Superintendent fer each county who shall
be elected by the County Court, at its April
or july term, 1873, and after 1874, he sdall
be elected biennialy in January, and no
membeI Of the County Court shall be elig-
lble 20 said Office. He shau bs person of
literary and scientific attSinments, and,
when prac icable, of skill in tie art of
teaching; shall hold bis ofica for two years,
and shall receive such pay for his services
as may be allowed him by the County
Court, 10 be paid upon the order of the
Judge or Chairman of the County Court,
by the County Trustee"
The dulles and the powers of the county
superintendent are most impor, ant, and the
proper discharge of bis duties will be abso-
Iutely essential to she success of the schools
IN his county. While the system is gener-
al in its character, it is essentially local in
ITS responsibilities, and the friends of eSu-
cation in each county should at once become
aroused To the vital importance of having
thoroughly competent and efficient man
placed. in charge Of the schools of the
county.
Il will be seen that the county superin-
tendents are TO be chosen either at the
April or July term in this year. While it
is desirable that the work OF organization
should be begun t,once, it may be found
selection of county superintendents should
be deferred till July. The school law has
not yet been generally distributed. Its de-
tails may not be sufficiently understood in
many localities by the first Monday in
April, and the members of the courts may
not be prepared TO make such selections as
they would find, after a more thorough in
vestigstion, to be necessary. In all pru-
dent cases such little delay will be far
preferable TO hasty and ILL advised appoint
ments.
In any event-whether the appoint
ments be made in April or July-let the ex-
ecution of this great measure, upon which
so much of the hopes Of the State now de-
pend, be not entrusted to unworthy and in
competent hands. Let the county courts
act under due sense Of the Importance of
their action, and let the friends Of educa-
ton in each and every county see to it that
this great interest is neither neglected nor
strangled in its swaddng clothes.