Saint Mary's beacon., 1877-08-30

rate biennial ehanzu in oar Textbooks. Can
We teachers m aay nsOes successfully these new
bochA mari, -sdA pvsev isRrsefios, thsa can .
trnsr new iassatioa. II may be Urged that
Dc snchsss should instruct themselves bow 10
ne 70 e6ecfivenf0 th0e new books. Agreed;
but doo their salaries justify such outside special
labon? Besides The ehiids miod u framed to q
certain srrangemens of ideas. distractions in
any branch is - first necesssrily srbitrsry-an-
other charge, the mind b syfrsnsd and % On in.
definitely, until the result 10 complete chaos of
idsas not By aay nsaas facilitating the operation
ofinesruction. Cnaes these trying circumstances,
what can il avail, Ne bend our united energies
To improve our school system? Would /, avail
. straw?
Suppose We discoves superluity or error, ere
We not bound to submit quietly and patientiy to
it? Is there any good we can do by thought
and reflection, 10 ourselves, our schools, or our
school system? assert positively the only step We
seffdom. @
II was only few days ago, whist riding with
. friend, 6rst-grzde teacher Of our county, that
be remarked "when asked what business am
engaged In, blush 10 tell them that am pgi-
mary school teacher" Iexpresed my surprise
when he aualiSed his sssrtion By saying, .'It is
not that the calliag 10 not highly honorable
even more 50 than that Of q Professor Of an acad-
smy or college-but the aamnable serfaom 9th
teachers which gives them such low ssandinx
In society" Agreed, and we rode On.
II we are ht to train the future men and wo-
men Of the country, we are competent TO choose
our own School Board. the Treasurer and Exam
are not capable Of doing the other, and il We have
not prudence enough to choose q reliable Treas
urer, il u high time we were learning even At the
dear school ofexperience.
In this connection, permit me 10 refer you 70
paper read by Prof. VIM. 2. Phelps before the
National Educational Association. This gentle
man, I think, seems 10 comprehend the situation
very clearly. (See Nd. Sch. Journal for Nov.
rs, p. lli.) | do not mean 10 say that bad
school system necessarily leads to the selection
Of bad scool officers. On the contrary, believe
that under the worst possible mode Of appoint
ment, We have As Efficient and upright a School
Board as We ever had or ever will have under
any system we may devise Even when the
time arrives (and arrive il must or public schools
viii ever be hunbugs) that the teachers elect
their own School Boards, they will find them
selves, am afraid, wofully disappointed in many
men Of their own selection
must acknowledge that il Is the nature Of all
men, To turn emerging circumstances to their in
dividual advantage whenever they can. Be-
sides this the best men are not aw the wisest.
The crafty and unscrupulous can always find
way to dupe them, and thus good meaning men
are betrayed into wrong. believing they are do
ing right. The best systems of law aim to check
rash and precpitate action, and to set the strong
est possible barriers to human cupidity, Eyorit-
ISM and prejudice. In these matters, the teach
ers may end themselves wofully defective for
many years. The system | would now have
them devise in theory might soon disgust them
in practice. Human laws can nerer successfully
defy human ,age7ui.y. We must call to our aid
the caution of experience.
But what Of all this? Would you have the
6.dsling never to try TO fly lest II might Catch
a fall--or the novice TO try 10 swim ". tnout en-
coun'ering the peris Of 'he sea? Others have
learned TO lcgislata prudently. and how can we
learn, except as Others have done BY taking
counsel from our own errors? We must ap-
peal earnestly TO the teachers and the advocates
ofpcpular education ,hrouyho the State espe-
cially those Of my own county--info.m ourselves
how TO consult for our own good and TO manage
our own affairs. Unless We do We live and die
children.
Through the kindness of friend laid this
matter before our last legislature and nv views
although Individually presented, were for long
time en ter tanned aud ayored by the Chairman Of
the Committee on Education, Sir. German, whose
desertion can be traced TO its true cause-to the
influence Of some OF the politicians Of our county
To check efiec;ually this influence, requires the
utmost vigilance, energy, perseverance and at
tention On the part Of tic teachers and those in
'erested in popular education. An impesus he
,heincrease OF inter,st manifested-the fair god
dess, Good Fortune, will fall deep in lore with
interest, and We each of us will he "a hero in the
strife. individuals not having power in our leg
isla,ure TO effect their ends at our expense.
In concluding this topic, must be permitted
TO remind the teachers of the request made by
Prof Newell a, the last Institute After they
had selected respectively their subjects, or sub
ject on which to prepare essays for the next In
stitute he urged and requested them to meet in
association and determine upon a day for hold
ing the same, excepting July and August. This
is one pririiege granted US but even this fav or
lowing 10 our serfdoml places us in an awkward
position. ls il probable all the teachers Of the
county will come together at fixed time and
place? Would il not be presumptuous in the
Teachers Association to act for them. or, more
properly, would not some disfavor think his
rights infringed thereby Could either act with
propriety and courtesy with the consen. and ad-
vice Of the Examincr--the bone and sirew Of all
such bodies! Thus even this privilege proves 10
be a virtual restriction and an embarrassment
hold that il is not only privilege and light,
but the duty Of every citizen 10 examine and oues-
tion- the conduct OF public officers and TO maui
fest their objections TO any measure which may
originate with such officers. | act upon this be
liet Rumors OF the late examinations of teach
ers reach me from every quarter expressive of
much dissatisfaction nj the results. For my part
have every reason TO believe that these exami-
nations. all Of them have been conducted upon
stric, sense of justice, without favor;ism preju-
dice or fear. The Examiner usually receives
both verbally and by letter. the acknovledg-
menss Of some for liberal credits awarded a well
as the remonsirances Of Others, for being too ex-
acting, thereby showing the necessity for a fixed
rule for casting up percentage in these examna-
tons.
When Mr. BENZ Tippett was appointed Exam
liner in % and for several months afterwards
there was no system or rule for estimating the
percfntage in this county. ] never heard OF any
As far as my knowledge extends, the books If
ted by the School Commissioners and the pre-
ference awarded by vote.
IL seems he saw how unsatisfactory and how
deserve6ly so this mode Of examination Nas, and
ever would be, and therefore devised rule where-
by 20 remove the possibility Of injustice in future
AL modes Of estimating percentage are necessa-
rily arbitrRy-adcpsed from suggestion and in,-
proved BY experiences. That one is best which
most justly and clearly develops the merits Of
candidates. None are or can be deduced from
any principle Of abstract or certain science. II
would therefore, be absurd to expect all rules for
this purpose 70 be alike Provided the one adopsed
is effective and Just alike 70 all rsr.erasis man
will object to il.
Under the rule used by Mr.. Tippctt the forfeit
for erronecus orihography was charge one-tenth
for every erroneous letter or figure. nlegi6le or
erased words, letters or figures were charged to
the same extent. Omissions from evident mad
the Examiner. For the purpose Of having the
teachers and the people who may feel an interest
in these matters 10 comprehend the rule VIII
asfempt % illustrate il.
Imagine the examination to embrace 100 cues
tions ID everv heading or hranch Of ssudy Ey-