The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-03-28
NUMBER ID.
EDUCATIONAL.
eoSDUcrnD ~ saoE. 5. $. nApeock.

; making bodies. Prominent among
those deserving notice in that re.
spect stands our own Legislature
Several Of its acts Of legislation
seem almost unaccountable. OF
these we will mention only one.
Under the new Law for the re-or-
ganization of the Boards of Direc-
, tors of the various institutions OF
learning, the President of each in.
stitution is ex-oJfcio member oil
the Board OF the same institution
of which he is President. Besides
this, the State Superintendent Of
Public Instruction, who has hith-
erto been ex-oReio q member OF
i these different Boards, is now ut.
terly excluded. hs1evipE ''
i. This Is truly an anomaly in
Eschooi laws. Who ever before
heard of q President of an insti-
tuition being made, in any sense
whatever, member of the same
Board which employs him as an
instructor? This would indeed be
strange, even on the natural sup
1 position that at the meetings of
the Board such President would
not be entitled to vote on any
tquestion which came within their
special Jurisdiction; for the very
fact of his being permitted to be
present and to speak on matters
pertaining to his own interests is
enough to place a decided restraint
upon the action of each member
present. But if our information
is correct, the President is actual
ly entitled to vote at such meet
lngs. Now this seems to be I'M
accountably inconsistent. Just
think, for moment, how ridicu-
lous it would seem for q person to
sit in judgment upon the merits
of his own actions! But how
would this absurdity be increased,
if that person should be q public
officer accountable for his conduct
to a special set Of men. Yet we
have in this new law such q condi-
ton as will give rise to this very
inconsistency.
Besides this unusual privilege
places an unwonted degree of pow
er in the hands of one individual.
IL he proves to be a man of selfish
and arbitrary disposition, this law
opens up to him the finest posi-
BILE channel through which he may
introduce all his personal projects,
argue their merits before the very
persons who should be entirely
unbiased in their Judgment Of
them, and then actually vote upon
them himself To illustrate this
proposition more fully, suppose
that he is a man utterly unfit for
the responsible position of Presi-
dent of one of our public institu-
tons, how are the Directors to get |
rid of him? Under the present |
law if he be q man of only ordi- |
nary ingenuity, he can easily so |
represent matters to the Directors
as utterly to blind their better |
Judgment. But suppose further,
that the Directors should be ac-
tuallyc onvinced of the necessity of
a change so far as the President is
concerned, how easy it is for him
to be punctual in his attendance
upon all their business meetings
and by his presence alone thwart !
their intentions for it requires
much more than an ordinary de-
gree Of courage to tell man to
his very face that he Is a failure. |
Now to my personal knowledge |
there is at least one President of
a certain college in this State who |
ought not TO be at the head Of
that institution, simply because he
is SO deficient in education and SO
behind the present spirit of learn
ing as to be utterly unfit for such
. position. The Regents have
even sought some good pretext as
reason for asking his resigna-
ton; but this new law will give
him new lease of public life.
He wiz still continue a prominent
representative of our State educa-
ton, at the same time he is a
laughing stock to the we'll in
formed. Information has come to
me from a reliable source that this
is not the only institution in our
State which suffers from the su-
pervision Of incompetent brains.
Be this rs it may, this Law will on
y perpetuate in Office this want OF
ability and true manly force Of In
tellect. No wonder that We are so
slow in reaching a first-class stand
ard OF educasion!
Besides, this new law will give
too much independence 20 the
President so far as his co-iaborers,
the faculty, are concerned. 1t
win encourage . naughty and ar
bitrary spirit of domineering. IT,
perchance, he does not ADMIRE q
certain Professor he can readily
recommend his dismissal. He can
be present il necessary to show
why it should be done, and then
vote inungenerous triumph on the
MISTER himself 2e e ae
But what shall NC say OF the to-
| tai exclusion OF the superintend-
ent Of Public Instruction from
these Boards Of Directorsa He
Of Al men in the State should he
most deeply interested in the
growth aAd prospeFityof our State
institutions. He should be per-
Sectly familiar with their work:
ings in all their departments. He
should in particular be thorough
| y informed of the standard OF
educational work done in each in