Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-30
ALETTER FROM sADDLERsvILLE.


EDITORS our answer
to my inquiry is not at all satisfactory,
and write this hoping it will be seen
by the State Superintendent, and that
he will explain to us from what stand
point he views the school law, and from
what source does he think the author
ity comes. MAXI it right to allow the
County Superintendent dollar for
each teacher he examines. As the law
reads, it is as much the Superinten-
dents duty to examine teachers as to
organize and visit the school, and if |
understand the law, the State Superin-
tendent has no more authority to make
such allowance than |, or any other
man, and I haven't conversed with
single teacher or citizen, in this or
Robertson county, on the subject, who
believes it to be right, or who approves
of it. Eli admit that their salaries
are small, and | think now, and
thought at the time they were fixed by
the authorities, that they should have
been larger; i think the Superinten-
dents salary, in this county, should
have been, at least, seven hundred
dollars; but the County Court made it
less than that, and less it is, and the
State Superintendent has no right, by
law, to add to, or take fromit. Should
l be examined by the Superintendent,
preparatory to teaching one of the
Public Schools, shouldn't object to
giving him dollar as an examination
fee. But that is not the point, is it
right? 1t is the principle of the thing
| oppose, one dollar is not much, and
that is the reason think it looks right
in the eyes of the State Superinten-
dent. 1t may have come up this way
[ don't say it did, however; Gentle
men, your salaries are small, SO when
you get back home just have remind
er published in your county paper, that
each teacher will be charged dollar as
an examination fee, it being SO small an
amount, they'll just pay it and go along
without saying anything about it, and
it will help considerably,-lets see
there will probably be, on an average,
(if not more fifty teachers examined
in each county, which will amount to
four thousand dollars-this amount
the County Superintendent get out Of
the teachers in the State, to which
they have no right, according to my
view of the law, [ may, however, be
like many others, so weak minded ]
can't comprehend the meaning of the
school law, or for aught / know, il
may be like the Constitution of the
United States-susceptible of several
interpretations shoe to fitanybody's
foot. How stupid the Legislature
must have been, not to have seen this
feature in it, they might have paid of
their County Superintendent by al.
) lowing them fee of ten dollars fol
the examination of each teacher EN-.
ployed, they (the teachers) would have
paid it without word of opposition
it being the law, and thus forty thou.
sand dollars would have been saved tc
the State. Oh why didn't they see it
how that amount of money would
have helped us, lin this, our time Of
need"-but they didn't, and it is use
less to grieve over mistakes, already
made, but let US brace up, and go to
work, hoping to succeed, under the
present system, trusting that circum-
stances will be such, as to give us a
wiser Legislature next time, but the
State Superintendent can see that it is
right one tenth of the way. Please
tell us, Mr.. Superintendent, how, and
why, it is right and you will oblige us
in this section very much
GRANVILLE.
Auo,,Sf Onfb 1879