The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-03-28

Auo NCW SCuOol IO toi'aps
The attention OF those inlercsle.. In
tie amended school law OF 1866. psorid-
Ing for n County Superintendent. is cal.
led to the text OF sail law in another
column. The demand for copies vi IL
an the Superintendent OF Public In>.ruc-
tions is bcyound his ability to meet.
Most Of lis provisions are good, and
some bad. The excessive. abnormal sulic-
itudc OF tho legislature Ia guard against
the possibility o.. the County Superin.
tcndent's getting even respectable paw,
snpposihg him Ia be u competent man.
il In striking contrast with the views OF
the same gentlemen In reference TO the
value Of their own services. They vote
themselves eight dollars day and con-
uve ~ all sorts Of perluisites, but the
County Superintendent. whose prescrib-
chduties have been made ~ so iahorious
aud difficult \ character that very few Of
those men who made the law either
could or would perform them, ia to be
paid -four dollars per day, and is studi-
ouSly prohibited from any advantage i n
the sale Of 4 book. u slate pencil or a
steel pen, and from any perqnisite what
ever. He is required TO visit every
school In the county once during the
wear and 10 set conveyance the best way
lc can out Of his four dollars per day. to
hold public examiuation once every
'nonth. 10 attend ut least one township
teachers institute in each township, once
IN every year; TO examine eli magisteri-
al records and watch the collection aud
layment OF fines all the time; to see
tina, all school funds aud interests there
on arc collected and paid over, and to SO
labor in the schools as. in the language
of TIE act, TO elevate as far Is possible.
the poorer schools 10 the standard of the
best" Aad with Mi there positive du-
ries required Of him, involving great
labor, much travel and expense, the ut
most he can receive TO cover all and
compensate himself IL four dollars day
Tor at best three hundred days, which
would give him $l,2OO. But in point of
tact rs he must itcMize his daily service
and show 10 the Board of Commission
ers not only the days but the hours, as
il were, that he has wrought, no man
can get In over $50 days fairly, or draw
more than el,0JO salary. This salary
will be paid in county orders, which
will nearly always have to be sold at a
discount. But these astute and econom.
zeal legislators were not content thus to
prevent the possibility of respectable nav
Tor the class of service required. They
nave made 1t possible for any ni2gardlv
Board OF Commissioners Of themselves.
or like themselves, to restrict the nnm-
Der OF days which this man NAV charge
for to the number Of schools in his
county, Now, suppose q county has
one hundred schools, land most of them
have less,) and the commissioners saw TO
the County superintendent you shall
draw pay for only one hundred DAYS.
he gets the enormous revenue Of 800
while he is bound by both bond and
oath to do al the work above set forth.
lie is ct the mercy of the County Com
whoever accepts the office. h
10 be forced to do hard years work.
for such 1t 10, 10 one hundred DAYS. or
work for nothing. Shades of Epvptian
tyrants! como forth with your Hebrew
trick-makers - witnesses, and shame J
~ Indiana Legislature who bind heavy
and lay them on mems should
nrs, and vote themselves eight dollars a
lay. The friends of the schools have
thought the passage of this law a tri. y
nmp-a matter Of graduation: but. in
fact, it Ia almost made useless by this
spasm Of-not economy, but nig9ardIyl
parsimony, from the fact that me capa-
Die of properly fulfilling its intent cam
not be had on the conditions prescribed
Above expenses, with the most liberal
Board of Commissioners, allowing nav CO
Tor every working day, the Superintend-
-nt can not realize for his services over
$500 or 5000 per annum-a fact that. I'm
,ne word, almost assures the filing OIL
his office with class Of second or ,hir,, .,
ate mon. A Legislature that will raise
Is own salaries, vote extra pay to com
nittees for going on pleasure excursions
o visit prisons and schools, give per-
iuisites to doorkeepers and GRAND boys q
,ut Of the public treasury, and strive q
.hus to dwarf education by practical
'tarvation, will aud ought to be charac-l
erized as infamous by the better gene
,ations that will succeed them.
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