Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-02-02

speech Of Col. Lake before the Con ven.
tAOA Of school O6lcers held at indie.
pendence, Iowa, Jan. rs, 1877.
subject Of Discussion, ssCOun-
" High SchOOl.0
When any public enterprise is to be undertaken
the question naturally arises. what are the bur
dens required to carry forward this work?
What are the benefits to be derived from the
accomplishment Of the undertaking! On the sub
lect before us, the legislature Of the state have
very carefully guarded the interests of the public.
Chapter ), Code OF 1873, provides: When one
third OF the electors Of county petition the SUI
pervisors shall, or they may without petition If
they deem Improper, submit the question of estab-
fishing high school to vote of the electors of
the county.
The election is to be conducted and votes can
vassed as at other elections. II majority of all
the votes cast on that question are for the high
school then the board of supervisors are to appoint
six persons, residents of the county, and not more
than two OF whom shall be residents of the same
township, who, with the county superintendent.
shall be board of trustees of such school.
At the next succeeding general election the cleo
tors shall elect six persons residents of the coun-
HI.
who shall take the Office at the same time county
officers now do. And they shall hold their office,
two for one year, two for two years, and two for
three years The persons SO holding to be deter
mined by lot. And at each succeeding general
election two trustees are to be elected who will
hold for three years.
These six trustees, with the county superinten-
dent shall constitute the board. The supervisors
may pay these trustees not more than two dollars
per day for the time actually employed, but moth
ing for their expenses. They choose the site for
the school building (Which is to be donated to the
county as the law prohibits the trustees from pay
ing anything for site) and fix the plan and cause
the building to be erected.
When erected, they hire teacher and such as
sistants as may be necessary, and provide for the
management of the school,
In the erection Of the building and for all pur.
poses connected Herewith the that can be lev
led for that purpose is restricted to five mills on
the dollar, for any one year.
After the building is erected-for the purpose Of
paying teachers and contingent expenses no more
than two mills on the dollar can be levied in any
one year.
Thus we see that no very onorous burden can be
imposed on the people OF county by the erection
and maintenance Of high school therein
tax Of five mills on the dollar for one or two
years is not burdensome tax
If there are any benefits to be derived from this
school, the burdens of erecting and maintaining il
are not great. Let us examine further the proyis-
ions OF this law.
In the first place we find that all the pupils from
the county who can be admitted are to be admitted
without tuition; and if more apply from the coun-
ty than there is room for then the room is to he
apportioned among the several districts of the
county. So that those living in the immediate
neighborhood Of the school could not monopolize
the entire benefits.
All parts of the county are to share its benefits
equally in proportion to the number OF its schol-
ars of school age II there is room after all from
the county that apply have been provided for then
for certain compensation to be fixed by the trus.
tees, pupils from other counties may be admitted
But none such are to be admitted or remain to the
exclusion Of those who reside in the county
The object Of the school. as stated in the law
is to afford better educational facilities to the adj
yanced pupils and fit those who desire to be teach
ers for their vocation.
1t is generally conceded fact that those who at
tend our district schools cannot there acquire sui.
ASlcut III tLeir TO enable them
successfully to teach the same school,
Persons who desire to be teachers have to attend
some more advanced school some institution
where the more advanced branches are taught. and
where the same branches are taught in more ad.
vanced state, in order to be able to successfully
teach the district school.
As we in this county are situated we have to
send our children to some institution at distance
either in our own or another state, at a consider
able expense for board, clothing books and tut
ton, in order that they may be employed in our
own county as teachers OF common schools.
The great object Of this county high school is to
ft those persons for the vocation Of teaching
This can be done at home at much less expense
to their parents than by sending them to some in
stituton at distance.
The expense for books. Clothing and board would
be no more here; they would their tuition
and travelling expenses. There is no reason why
a school organized on this plan should not afford
as good or better facilities for acquiring an ad-
vanced education as any institution of learning in
the state, except perhaps the State University
The benefit to the schools of this county that
such an institution would confer can hardly be
estimated. do not know that our county super
intendsnt would allow any person to look over the
examination papers in his office. l presume he
would not allow any one to make general exam
ination Of such papers.
short time since, however, he did lay before
the directors of this independent district the ex-
animation papers of some Of those who had APP
piled to teach in this city. And it was a cause OF
great surprise to those directors when they saw
the work that some of those applicants had made
her in ha han I'll; of
over their own signatures. There was no way of
gain saying it. The result showed great lack of
proficiency; not in botany, physiology, or some
Of the higher branches, but in arithmetic and
grammar, the elementary branches, and those that
they ought to be familiar with.
1t is in failures such those that we find the
lack OF efficiency in our common schools.
The answers to questions which do not seem diff
fcult that our county superintendent has publish
ed from time to time in the newspapers, as being
those given by persons who have applied to him
for certificates, shows that there is sad lack of
the requisite amount of learning in those who ap-
ply to be permitted to teach our schools.
These answers ought to convince every one that
very great yesa very urgent necessity exists for
some school where those Of our own citizens who
desire to become teachers can acquire the neces-
sary learning
Such teachers would make great Improvement
in our present schools and would elevate the |
standard Of the same very materially We think
the benefits in that one item would more
than compensate for all the hnrdens that could be
imposed on us under this law. But this would be
only part Of the benefits would receive from
such an institution being established in our midst
l now propose to consider another question in
connection with this subject, that relates directly
to our county. I
Some three or four years ago, do not remem
Der the date, this subject was submitted to vote
OF the people Of this county by the board of super
visors. There was no general discussion of the
subject far as heard ut that time There was
very little said about ii in the news papers do
not recollect to have but one item as to the
general policy Of voting, either one way or the
other.
do remember that saw in one of our papers |