The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-06-14
PUBLIC EDUCATION IN LOUISA N A.
THE Sol DISTANT STATE SUPERINTENDENT, AS
A GRAMMARIAN AND RHEToRICIAN.
Excerpts from the Annual Report Dedicated, by the
Boy Of the Bulletin, to the Teachers and Pupils of
the Public Schools Of Louisiana.
CHAPTER l.

fyiuy improvement as to detail and general
| statements over those made at any time
, since the establishment of our public school
system.
"1his is fortunate, as 1t not only disarms
its opponents of All effective weapon ,cith
which to destroy it, but it furnishes its
friends mith potent arguments with which to
defend it.
Pupils: The former of the preceding para
graphs affords you a capital opportunity
for exhibiting your skill in punctuation !;
and, in your analysis of the latter, your wits
will be exercised in detecting the antece
dents Of this and of it, its, it, it, its, it, which
now stand in bristling array before your
astonished eyes, and in reconstructing the
entile paragraph, for the enlightenment of
its author.
2. "The magnitude and responsibility of
this work can only be appreciated by those
who have had similar duties to perform
Some bright little girl will have the kind
ness to complete the preceding sentence, by
mentioning what is Implied, according to
her grammar, by the position Of the word
"only."
8. "The success or failure Of this Depart
ment rests with the officers appointed. The
two hundred aud fifty thousand children in
the State will be blessed or cursed, as they
are faithful to the interests committed to
hem."
There must be hundreds Of young gramma-
rians who can solve the ambiguity of this
paragraph. Does their veal or woe de-
pend upon their own fidelity, or upon that
Of the "officers appointed" to supervise
them?
4. "For four years the present system of
supervision, VIA Superintendent for each
Congressional District, and one for the city
of New Orleans-has been in operation. Its
advantages and defects, which have been
brought to notice daring that period, derelop
its superiority for this State Orer all other
systems in operation in this country"
You can display your. genius, boys and
girls, by showing how "defects brought to
notice" can derelop the superiority Of the
present Louisiana system orer all others in
t,'is country-eren the New England systems
not being excepted. Your teachers may not,
however, have heard of the illustration af-
forded by the brief career of qnondam
division superintendent, (now deceased,
who, notwithstanding radical defects in his
political afinities, proved his superiority to
Parson Conway, his supposed chief, by using
the Louisiana system of public education for
his personal Development" as representa-
tive of his Congressional District in the
Congress of the United States.
5. at having been demonstrated in other
States as. we'll as this that unpaid local
boards Of school directors can not be induced
to take that interest in the establishment
and maintenance of schools in ward or
parish that is essential to their successful
hence system of supervision
that would be economical as well as eff
cent, as the present one has proven to be,
became necessity"
Hell taught boys and girls, no less than
teachers, will perceive the keen sagacity of
the State Superintendent in his segrcga-
lion of can and not, and in his discovery of
he necessity of a prolific " ward Or parish
ior the successful Development of schools"
The teachers who have been so long and 50
,ruelly deprived of their salaries may also
ind some consolation in learning that the
economical and efficient SYSTEM" lauded
IS "necessity" in the preceding para
,raph, has cost the school fund, since the
beginning of 1859, the moderate sum of
hirty seven to fortytwo thousand dollars
y the State and Division Superintendent is,
It their own discretion, without any such
ormality as the preparation If a payroll.
6. Those faithful officers (the Division
that broke the .fallow grouna
f this State by organizing the first school
'oards, and then aided them to establish
chools, and by attentive and efficient super
'ision have brought the system Of popula-
ducation in this State up to a cOynized
ower for good need no words of approba-
ion from me. The good they have accom- {
lished, the esteem in which their laboes
re held. and the hold that the system OF I
ublic schools has taken upon the affections
f the people, is satisfactory evidnce of the
nccess achieved. Their labors ytolloW them A
nd praise them. |.
Rhetoricians Of the high schools, whose
utv it is to maintain the constituencies of
raHlmatical construction, as we'll as the !,
urity of your native tongue, your pruning
hives are needed for the condensation and {
pvision of this modest paragraph, 80 that
8 beauties may be clearly evolved. Your
ppreciative observation of the labors, and
ffcctionate visits Of your Estate Superin-
,ndent," will doubtless render you eloquent
expositions of the opening aud concluding
CURES. You have able aud accomplished
'achers to guide you in your Investigations
I'D most cheerfully will the Boy of the Bull
sT1N aid in giving publicity to your i'm A
roved version of those "Iabors" which
follo,c and praise" the State and the .Divi.
On Superintendents.
"Of the school houses in thiscity even the
,st Of them would not I've tolerated in any city
large town at the North any longer than
, give time to erect others, and erery prop
rty owner would feel such pr onal respon-
biIity in the matter that they would not
st until steps had been been taken to en-
re the speedy erection Of such q house OF
uses, as the interest involved demanded.
Il g., ~: oh min -,ik 10 !