Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1879-10-11
CoHsszUNICiTED.

cations pointing to me are unmistaka-
BILE. AS to the bitter contest between
the people of Zoar and Mr.. Kephart, in
which the will of the people was totally
disregarded, l was not personally inter-
ested, except as one of the applicants
for the school, and hence | could not
understand why was singled out as a
special object of attack. | therefore, at
first determined to treat this issue of
misrepresentation, falsehood, verbiage
and ignorance of facts with quiet con-
tempt. The solicitation OF numerous
friends, however, has induced me to
make some reply.
The general insinuations and inuen-
does of this article / will at once char
acterize as false, malignant and SANDER
Gus in the extreme. Upon the charac-
ter of the present teacher OF Zoar, l
never pronounced an opinion; for no
facts coming within my observation,
would have warranted me in so doing.
But as this issue has been wantonly
thrust upon inc and The patrons OF the
Zoar school, | must declare that in the
contest between Mr.. Kephart and those
patrons, as conducted by their rePresen-
talives before the Board of Education,
no reference whatever was made 10 the
moral character of the teacher, except
by Mr.. Kephart and his friends. | un-
derstard that they undertook to repel
charges that had never been made 10
the Board, and that tTey were reminded
BY the Board, that no such charges had
been preferred As regards the rumors
on which such charges might be based,
car only repel with scorn the auda-
cious imputation of your correspondent
that | had anything TO do with either
their origin or their circulation. If they
had assumed such form and shape as
justified Mr.. Kepbarl and his friends in
referring TO them in SO public manner,
surely the people Of Zoar cannot be
blamed if they assert that Mr.. kephart'S
wisest course would be TO demand a
thorough investigation of them by the
Board of Education.
The leading objection urged against
her by the representatives OF the pa
irons of the school was that she could
not command full attendance OF the
school-all the larger boys refusing to
attend her instruction.
Two of the most prominent patrons
of the school were invited by one OF the
commissioners TO appear before the
Board, in behalf of the people of Zoar,
and TO state their objections to the ap
pointment Of the present teacher They
were refused admittance until the APP
pointments were made. They were then
admitted and coolly informed that the
teacher in question had been selected,
but that they might now state their OBJ
.jecfions.
Now let me examine in succession
the statements of this Shepherdstown
champion of Mr. Kephart, against the
people Of Zoar.
lst, lie denies that law ever was
in existence that allowed the people to
select their own teacher by trustee of
their own election. This is the same as
to deny that George Washington was
once President of the United States.
There is not an intelligent man in the
community who does not remember the
elections that used to be held at each
school house for the election of one
trustee to select the teacher, and attend
TO the affairs of the district for the sue
ceeding two years. Such Ignorance is
intolerablc.
2nd. lie states that in 1877 there
were but two applicants for teacher.
No one knew the untruthtulhess OF this
better than his informer. The fact is,
there were five applcants-and when
Mr.. Geo. L. Currie, the third trustee,
proposed a discussion Of their applca-
tons, he was at once informed by Mr..
Kcphart and his cousin, the other trus-
tee, that their minds were made up, as
they had already fixed upon the teach
err. In this case, n majority Of the trus
tees, but not majority OF the people,
ruled.
3rd, He states that the school was at
its lowest ebb previous TO the advent OF
the present teacher. Again an eXami-
nation Of the records OF the Board Of
Education is only necessary to stamp
this statement with untruthtulness.
Those records will show an entire pu-
pilage of &c to 40 pupils, and an aver
age daily attendance OF in and about %.
4tl, His reference TO the immoral
conduct of 16 large boys can under
stand. No pure-minded person, with
ont an absolute necessity, would have
referred to such a subject in public
print The charge was made against
these BOYS by person of extreme igno-
rance, credulity and prejudice. A thor
ough and searching examination proved
it to be grossly exaggerated-nay, al
most entirely untrue. The trustee was
Joined in this examination with me.
9th, lie states that the pupilage OF
Zoar school only amounts to 45. This
is altogether unfouDdeG in fact, as an
examination of the records will easily
prove. The last enumeration showed
the number of pupils to be over 80, and
this everybody in the district knows.
According to this enumeration, the law
requires daily average attendance OF
20 pupils, and everybody further knows
that since the school has been opened
there has not been.a daily average of
10 pupils. The reason is that more
than half the patrons refuse to send,
though some of those that are sending
declare that they are bitterly opposed
TO the teacher. He further states that
only 10 families represent the pupilage