Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-03-29
Remarkable Concurrence Of Opinion.

.
that there were two ways by which we
could make our schools benefit to our
selves. One was that the sub director
in each district should have the privi-
lege of having his son teach the winter
school, and his daughter the summer
school, and by that means save in each
district its share of the money. And
further, that it was wrong in our Coun-
ty Superintendent to PROFOUND ques-
tions to them that they could not solve.
And 1t they could not solve them, and
he saw they were in trouble, he should
help them out, and not sit back in his
chair, stroke his whiskers, look wise,
and spit tobacco juice at the stove.
find that my criticism has not changed
the mode of procedure by the County
Superintendent. | am inclined to think
he is an obstinate man If [ were ac-
quainted with his wife, | should ask
her if he was not terribly set in his way.
But by reading the Conseycotire late
ly, find that there is one man who has
my views to some extent NJ. S. H., in
the Conservative, has been giving our
County Superintendent large piece of
advice.
l presume the Superintendent is so
set in his way that he won't follow that
advice any better than he did mine.
But he ought to remember that there
are lot of folks in this county, and
that money is hard to get, and that
hogs are only worth $3.50 per cwt., and
that we want to get as much money out
of what our boys and girls can do as we
can. Now, | agree with NJ S. H. that
our schools should be taught by our
children. Our boys could work on the
farm ali summer, and earn something
that way. Then, when winter sets in,
they could teach school and earn some
more. And then in the summer our
girls could teach the school, In this
way all our money that we now pay out
to strangers would be kept at home
Besides, while we now pay strangers in
winter $50 to $40 per month, our boys
would teach for Sl5 to $25; so there
would be quite saving. l tell you
Mr.. Editor, in these hard times we must
be economical, and there is no place
where we can begin better than on our
schools
But there is one thing about NJ. s. H.
that | don't like. He wants a town su-
perintendent Now, we don't believe
that is necessary We don't believe in
town superintendents | will tell you
all about them If we had a town su-
perintendent, and he was required to
visit the schools as often as he pleased
and stay as long as he had mind to-
just see what a nuisance he would be!
He would go to the school where the
handsomest school-ma am was, and stay
all day. He would go home and charge
the town $3.50, and in day or two he
would think that school-ma am needed
seeing to, and he would repeat the dose.
He might, perhaps, just for a show, go
to the other schools in his town, but
you would find that the school where
the liveliest school-ma am was needed
a great deal more attention than any
other school in the town, and he would
charge for each visit $l5O Now, this
would ruin our county just think of
sixteen town superintendents, each try
ing to see how much more time he could
spend in school than the other, at S1.50
per day each. My gracious. what ex-
pensivc things these town superinten-
dents would be.
No, sir; NJ. S. II. and agree in most
things, but don't ask to be town super
intendent of your town; it won't do; we
can't stand that. One in the county is
as much of an infiction as we ought to
be asked to submit to. From sixteen
of them good Lord deliver us.
Now, when | hire man to plow or
NOW for me, | do not want any man to
examine him and see if he is competent
| can tell that myself just let me see
him strike out with his scythe, or start
off after the plow, and | will soon tell
whether | want him or not SO | be-
lieve most of our directors can tell
about teachers If the teacher can
read, write and cipher, and handle the
rule or rod well, that is enough. Sup
posing he cant parse the words printed
in italics in some abstruse sentence that
the superintendent has picked out of
some rattle headed poets writing. Sup
pose he can't solve all the problems in
Thompson Higher Arithmetic, or sup
pose he don't spell correctly all the very
bunglingly got up words in Webster's un-
abridged; or. supposing, instead ofspell-
ing 'woolen" as Webster does, he spells
it 'woollen," as Worcester does. Who
is going to say which is right? l tell
you, Mr. Editor, this thing of educating
our children is serious task.
One man says, 1t will save our chill
drcn from becoming bad men when they
are grown up' Now, | take issue on
that. just look at the number of de-
faulting insurance presidents and secre-
taries. Some of them have been sent
to States prisons, and others ought to
be; and the defaulting cashiers of banks,
and especially savings banks 1t won't
do to say that these men could not read
and write and cipher. They knew how
to make false returns, and how to make
the books lie. and how to put up pack
ages of money, and label them $500 or
1000 on the bonds when there was but
$4OO or $500 in the package.
Then look at the other tricks played
on people. How man will hand a
package neatly sealed up and marked
$500, or some other figure, to a hotel
clerk, and ask him to keep it safely, and
then after banking hours are over will
ask for loan of $25, and will then dis
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