The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1877-07-05
81. Ames,,-Hfs Bosh.

nave r1ght 70 cr1tictSe tnem. AWNING o"fseih
Of this great boon, We have, ON two occasions,
spoken our opinion Of the late law providing for
County Normal Institutes, in our wonted plain
Dutch uncle vernscular. This has at length
aroused sleeping giant, who comes at us send
ways" in last weeks Bsllef;s in IN effort that
must have deprived him of sleep for q week. He
writes over the signature Of J. Ames, of Wolf
River Township-(probably fictitious name of
some galoot ashamed of his own name.) wheth-
er this J. stands for Jackmule, Jackrabbit, Je-
hosaphat, or some other eqlally euphonious
name, deponent saith not. This Amos is evident
ly a country school teacher who feels his oats
perhaps all the way from some Eastern State, on
n mission of love and mercy, to teach the dunsa-
rees of Kansas manners and civilization. In the
happy possession of thrd-grade certificate,
(Which perhaps the Board of Examiners strained
point in order to allow him. he imagines that
the veal of the entire teaching fraternity rests
upon his shoulders, and rushes forward as their
spokesman.
When a school teacher is q fool, he is generally
o bigger fool than anybody else. We presume,
as We remarked above, that this fellow Ames
pretends to be q teacher. At any rate, in his
volunteer effort, he makes a fool of himself. We
his shovel in so familiarly, and fattens us out
SO completely, Tin his own estimation,) he will
excuse familiarity on our part-especially as his
display of it has had the effect set forth in the
old copy books: to breed contempt
One effort of this erudte Ames is q hint to Mr.
Rose that We are committing some outrage upon
him. Our relations with Mr.. Rose, for the past
five years, have been such that it is unnecessary
for the oficious Ames to give him any informa-
tion upon that subject Besides, as Mr.. Rose is
a man of good common sense, he can, without
the aid of the astute Ames, discover whether we
are condemnng law which he had no part in
enacting, or whether We are rejecting upon him
personally. As the alert Ames evidently borrows
and closely reads the Chief, (but replies to it
through another paper,) it might have saved him
much mental toll if he had borrowed and read the
issue in which We printed the Normal Institute
law He would there have found, without show
ing his ignorance in making public inquiry of
Mr.. Rose, that the County Superintendent must
fix the time of the meeting of the Institute, with
the advice and consent of the State Superintend-
ent. Whether the State Superintendent has used
any arbitrary power over any County superin-
tendents or not, in fixing times for the Institutes,
we are unable to say but the law itself is clear,
that the County Superintendent is powerless in
the matter, without the consent of the State Su-
perintendent. And, furthermore, our article was
written as much in behalf of the County Super
intendents as of the teachers, because it imposes
extra drudgery upon them, without any extra
compensation-which has already been cut down
to the little end of nothing, SO that Superintend-
ents are compelled to 60 out and labor between
times, to make living. Perhaps the terrible
Ames is the self appointed champion Of County
Superintendent, as well as of teachers.
The brilliant Ames, (who is Ames, anyhow y
further shows his great depth of skull, by the
assertion that it will cost teachers but 25 cents
per week to attend the Institute. Let us see
majority of the teachers of the County are
employed from three to six months, at from $50
to $40 per month, ont of which they must pay from
$40 to sl2 per month for board, to say nothing
for clothes, washing, and other ct ceteras. The
tremendous Ames, We presume, gets sl50 month,
with board thrown in, for the sake of his conf
pauy, and his pay goes on during vacation; but
we are speaking now of ordinary school teachers
poor teachers, as he emphasizes it. 1t is evil
dent, Therefore, that il they want to live without
stealing, they must find other work during the
balance of the year-say, working on farms, at
about $50 a month. These Institutes must be
held at time of vacation in all the schools which
is in mid summer, the busiest time on tho farm.
They have paid their dollar for examination for
certificate, and must pay their 81 fee for attend
ing the Institute. They must lose months
work, which is $50 more; and rs they must eat
as well as study, they must pay board while at
tending the Institute, which is at least Sl2 more.
Here, then We already have s44 for the Institute,
months routine which will not benefit them
S. as teachers. We find the astounding Ames'
little 25 cents q week has already run up to s11
per week, which We call right good interest
One of these teachers, who gets three months
school, at $50 month, when he comes to Daboll
his account, at the end of the term, will find it
as follows: Total receipts for teaching, 800
Paid for board, Washing ETC., say Sll per month,
S33; loss of time and expenes in attending Insti-
tute, s44-total, ST.. Net receipts, to buy cloth
ing, etc., sl3. Whoopee! Long live Ames!
His name should be Fisher Ames, as he is
whale among tadpoles.
Seriously, we think that this distinguished
mes writes the ablest articles that were
ceived by the lower end of q mans back-bo ne.
If, after taking medical advice, he thinks he can
continue it without njuiring his spine, he should
keep on writing. This is the bilious season of
the year, and his effusion is cheaper than pills.
Besides, the papers containing his wisdom can
be borrowed after the owner has had the use of
it; but pills cannot well be borrowed after they
have been used. OF course, Ames might do it,
for he is smart enough to do anything; but we
refer to ordinary mortals. But, Ames, let us
beseech you, when you come at us again,
don't sit down on us too hard. If You have no
compassion upon us, remember that it might
concuss your brain, and then the world would be
bereft, and 60 about wailing and weeping, and
wiping its nose on its coatsleeve.
Bye-bye, Ames.