Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1878-12-20
SOMETHING ABOUT OUR PUBLIC
SCHOOL SYSTEM

trench upon a domain which lies beyond
our own special calling SO we, only too
mindful of lack of knowledge and exper-
the organization, government and daily con-
duction of public schools, venture to say what
appears in the following with all becoming
ditfidence
''This world is governed too much, saith
the proverb. Now proverbs ought to be pro-
verbally suspectable from the very oracular-
ity of their seeming; but there. underlies
enough Of truth in this one of the family to
serve our purpose For do most earnestly
believe that our schools, under the existing
system, are governed too much. First, we
have State Superintendent, which (office),
20 far as it is sort of public recognition OF
the Importance of the institution of the Pub
lie School is, no doubt, a most commendable
thing In this State the Office is harmless
enough, and, except as its incumbent shall
see his way to be useful useless enough.
Happily he is denied any say in the ap-
pointment of teachers or the immediate gov
eminent of the schools. He apportions the
school moneys, Cor rather furnishes the tnan-
cal officers of the State with the basis of
such apportionment), has a voice ill the selec-
ton of school books and, under the present
law, is entrusted with certain exofhcio
powers of more or less Importance. So that
the State Superintendent, if he can do II"
special good, is almost powerless to do much
harm. Un the instance of the State Superinten-
dent elect, the figure head is entirely orna-
mented in all respects.) But it is in the
counties where the trouble begins and con
tinues. John Smith is the County Superin
tendent He is ust enough of All authority
i'll School matters to be a puzzle to himself
and stumbling block to teachers, scholars
and the public. He should be abolished off
the face of the earth Not this Winter-for
we are uncompromisingy opposed to legislat
ing folks out of Office to which the people
nave elected them there should be a law
passed-but anon.) Then come the Boards
Of School Trustees. What these machines
do that might not quite as we'll (and better)
be done by the Board of County Commits
sioners, we should like to have somebody tell
Us. But it is not because the Board of Dis
srict Trustees supernumerary and needless,
but because they have and exercise powers
which aie dangerous ia their tendencies and
demoralizng in their application tlat we Il"
most strenuously object to them. John Doe
il the Principal of " graded school. He
acts out with a design (crude or otherwise,
but yet design, to systematic MS school
He assigns Miss Rebeeca Sharp to this
place, Hiss Susan Nipper to this,
Miss Dolly Warden to this and bliss Olivia
rurnipjuioe to that. All beautiful in theory!
Next Saturday Mr. Trustee Snodgrass comes
10 the Principal with cloud upon his brow,
and objects to Miss Varden's place OF assign
ment. Perhaps she is his cousin, or his sis
ter-in-law, or his hiece; or maybe she boards
At his house. The Principal attempts, good
man, to set up the necessity for himself being
recognized the captain of the ship with
complete authority to preserve discipline.
But man is selfish creature, and it is not
long before the Superint endent (his conflicts
with the Board increasing in frequency, is
made to feel that if he would rather preserve
his salary than his selfrespect ne must sub
nit to the modification of being snubbad by
his subordinates and bulled by the Board |
Now, then, what needs be done} Not in ex- |
plict terms will we attempt to state what !
should be enacted, but it is only too glar-
ingly apparent that either the Principal |
should be made the actual and not the more |
nominal head of the school, or the school |
should be under the direct mastersh.p of the |
Board, acting through a committee of one.
Of course the latter proposition is an ab-
surdlty. The schoolmaster should stand first |
and uuquestioned as the chief in command
inside the school house, not only OF the scnol-
ATS, but of the under teachers as we'll. There
CAR be neither grading" nor sub0rdination
nor healthful rule or system of any sort in
school which is officered through the selfish
ness of family or other ties acting upon the
Board OF Trustees; nor can the school attain
the ends intended by the system under which
it is maintained unless it be segregated aid
set apart from all scrambles, all petty notions,
al greed aud all Rarrowaess of section, creed
end party. And i'll all this we are spe aking
ia general, not in special terms. We are
attacking a. system aud not an individual
That that system is faulty and cumbersome,
and without lines of definition and determin-
atIen nobody who has examined it can deny