The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-09-15

0'uSy Va NSiuhu III TUG bCnOOlb because
was instrumental In assigning the Office
room In the school ho1se-the only un
occupied, room In the buildinp-to thE
German classes instructed by Miss ZIm
norman. In connection with the attack
upon me reflections are also cssl
upon my colleagues, Messrs. Bowers
AndOtte, for neglecting what the writer
conceives 10 be their duties. In their be.
half II Is proper to say that the business
requirements Of those gentlemen are such
that they have not been able TO devote as
much OF their time to school matters as
have, and In my own behalf l will saw
that my acts have been acquiesced In by a
majority Of the Commissioners. What.
ever blame however attaches 10 any one
Tor fitting up the office room referred 10
Tor the German recitationS attaches to me,
and l am willing to take the responsible.
" Tor the whole affair. am willing also
10 let the whole public, for whose benefits
the public schools were established an
the buildings erected, judge whether my
acllon viii warrant the attack OF the
Arbiter Freund.
l have heard 1t said that It Is useless TO
undertake a controversy with an editor
through the columns Of his own paper. II
THIS Is 80, how much more difficult Is il
TO cope with an editor having not only
his own paper at command but also using
language with which you are unac.
quainte1. However mine Is a simple
story oil facts, and l herewith present
them. Since the new building was erec.
fed the German clSssea heard by Mise.
zimmerman, have recited in room mum.
Dor lone OF the four rooms on the
second loor-a room fitted up for the
regular grade Schools. We had no En-
gllsh teacher TO occupy this room until
this year and therefore allowed II 10 be
used Tor German recitations Had it been
occupied as was intended when the
was finished, the German recita,
lions would probably have been made ss
they are In some OF the other schools OF
the city, viz after the English primary
schools are dismissed. 1t Is necessary 10
understand that the classes STUDYING
German in Miss Zmmerman's depart.
ment come from all the rooms Of the b
and Q divisions. They remain In the
room thirty minutes, and then return TO
their Euglish studieS.
The Board of Education at its last
meeting, through the recommendation Of
The Committee on Teachers and Schools,
of which Committee am a member
granted the Ritchie School an additional
.eacher in O. Division, and that teacher
vas assigned to the only vacant room in
he building furnished Tor q grade school.
The committee on Teachers and Schools,
II which Mr. ]. N. Bickel Is member
ls well as a member OF the Committee on
German, understood that the room that
lsd been occupied by Miss Zimmerman,
would be assigned to the Eugllsh School
lnder the new teacher and that the office
'Oom would be fitted up and used for
4erman recitatiOns. The question was
Lsked in the Committee before we were
allowed the additional teacher, whether
Te had a room furnished In which the
lew teacher could be placed without ad-
iitiOnal expense, and | stated the
act, as given above, in regard 10 the
'oom referred to.
1t is necessary to understand that mas
much as the German classes remain in the
'oom but 30 minutes at a time the num-
Der in the room at any one time must be
small, and therefore the
)iiice room is abundantly large for all de-
nands upon it. On the other hand il
must not be forgotten that the division or
grade school scholars remain in their
looms as a school the entire school hours. |
since the school opened this term so new
Icholars have been enrolled. At this rate
u increase 1t i3 not certain that we have
'oom sufficient for the near future. The
'oom assigned to the German department
5 better room than any of the children
occupied before the erection OF the new
'chool building, and as good for the pur-
pose Tor which 1t is now used as any in the
building. II is the same room in which
Mr. MerIz heard his class last year, and
n which other scholars with my own
children recited their lessons.
But l am led to suppose that the com,
olaint about the room is not the real
grievance. but rather the position l took
n the Board Of Education and in the
oint committee on German and on Teach.
,rs and Schools in opposition 10 Mr..
Shatter's rule, prepared by him, and 70
commended by the German Committee,
giving him what l, as well as a
majority of the committee, understood
lncalled.ior authority over tho English
eachers and schools. Said rule was
stricken from the report, presume also |
hat my effort TO have the study OF Ger
nan commenced in higher grade OF the |
Ichools may be another grievance against
me-. That l have no prejudice against
he study ol German In the schools is
Ihown by my efforts to have nv own
educated in that language, not
)nly in school but under private teachers
llSo. lam opposed, however, to depriv.
ng children who may be study.
ng German Of the full benefit |
1f their English education. To
Illustrate what I mean, l may mention
he fact that not single scholar in one Of
he general classes from the grammar
'oom in our school received any instruc-
ion In their English writing last wear
The German recitation was during the
writing hour. The scholars wrote at odd
lines but without instruction. And also
| scholars were detained in tho German
department. over their time they Lost part
oE another Euglish lesson. I was and am
that It Is an irreparsble Injury
% young children 10 mix them up in two
languages before they have o we'll fxed
dea ot their Euglish, rudiments. In this
opinion am sustained by many we'll in
ormed persons.
The charge Of Know Nothingism Ia
rather thin, especially as / have been con.
iidered too much on tho other side by
Iome people. Such motives do not govern
ny conduct-as as a School Commissioner,
and, IN conclusion, beg to say TO ali per.
sons who think that can be used inthe
interest OF any particular clique, be the
'amg American or German, political or
religious, that they will throw their votes
away by supporting me for the position
which 1Ihold, as ahall surely dissppoInt