New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-28
WOMEN on SCHOOL BOARDS.

We notice with regret the failure in the
State Senate of Mr. Emerson's bill to author
ize the election of women to school ofhces.
1t provided that any woman OF twenty-ohe
years and upward possessing the qualifications
prescribed for men should be eligible to any
Office under the general or special school laws
of this State, subject to the same conditions and
requirements that are prescribed as to men.
We were not surprised that the bill was intro
duced by unanimous consent. If the question
which used to terminate Parliamentary IN
auiries were applied to the provisions OF this
bill-"If not, why not pa reply would be
difficult. TIE TRIBUNE has always favored
such appointments and employment for women,
and has never yet met with any sound argu-
ments on the other side of the question
A school, properly conducted, is in many
respects prOlOngatiOn of model home. Both
in its system of rewards and punishments and
in its main jcct-educatiOn-it is an elaborate
extension of what is or should be undertaken
in every family. In the family this work mainly
deyolvcs upon women. Especially is that the
case in this country, where the men are gener-
ally too busy in providing for the material
wants of their families to give much attention
to growing mind or morals. The ndolcnt poet
of the seasons has characterized teaching the
young as delightful task" but ut best it
Is a very arduous one. In performing 1t the
teacher becomes learner, and has to acquire
patience, and exercise mOhcr-wit and arts
unused before. The result Is that good
American mothers become skilled cducatOTs-
generally without being aware OF the fact !;
and they transmit their skill and teach their art
half unc0nsci0usly, to their daughters. On the
other hand, their husbands and sons on the farm,
in the workshop, in the counting room, forget
mostly what they have learned at school cX-
ccpt that which is needed for business pur-
poses, and add very little to the sclf-tralnng
that would fit them for educating the young.
Taking the average, straight through any one
Of our older communities, and especially in
the smaller towns and villages, it will be
found that the women are very much better
qualified than the men for teaching children
and controlling school.
1t would be easy to prove from the same
premises that women are equally well quail
fled for the higher offices OF education. But
plentiful facts make argument needless 1t Is
notorious that the school boards, having the
appointment of teachers, are usually composed
of men inferior in intellect and knowledge to
the teachers themselves. The rural school
hoard has long furnished lively theme
for satirists aud justly so, since there
is nothing more ridiculous than ignorance
when it sits in Judgment on wisdom. There
can be no question whatever that the quality OF
our school boards would be greatly improved
by the addition to them of few sensible
women. There is further benefit which
might accrue. At present the curse of our
school system is that it is entangled with
party politics. AS yet, happily, women
are not actively engaged in political
contests. They are likely to regard nearly all
questions from a non-pOlitical point of view.
our school boards and the official direction of
our school system might certainly be improved
by substituting as far as possible persons who
are not interested in politics-whether men or
women--for the scheming politicians who now
exercise so much injurious control.