Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-12-12
Our Hish School.

utSt1 @tS G'ttNN dt'u N'V ltNNNht
seems 10 he one of thcm-when
torbearanec ceases to be Il virtue.
The article published last week,
entitled X few Facts" was the
climax ol L series Of articles
osrrNsinlN written NJ behalf of the
public schools, Int UrMiy design
ed as vicious TRADES against thc
most efficient principal that ever
graced that position ii Mineral
Point,
We had hoped that 50 Obvious 4
duty rs vindicatng the principal
and the schools, against all unjust
imputateus, would be promptly
performed 10y the proper custodims
of the public school interests, the
members of the school board; and
that the wanton attacks made there
ON in said articles, so Justly onti-
thng their author to the sobriquct
Of Madam Carper, would have been
squarely met and repulsed But
rs school boards rarely exist by
reason Of special fitness for their
duties or because Of their intclh-
gent interest in education, So NO
surprise is excited by their rrti-
ccnct.
Were the whole facts as well m-
lerstool \ all those whom Madam
G. seek, g prejudice, as they are
by Il few, her scnbblings might be
harmless; the moro SO, were it also
generally known that She writes to
defend and glority that transparent
fraud and mmitigatcd humbug,
"PRorEssoR' Ray, Yet in the
absence of such general knowledge,
no one can expect the asssailod
principal to step aside from his
duties as teacher, TO notice fur
ther than he has done, the
grounditsa fault-6ndings Of the
, would be directriN of our public
schools
When Madam Carpcr assumes
the character Of dircctrix, she ought
to know that her assumed func-
tions belong exclusively to the
school board; and that the most she
can properly do is to ADVISE the
board, not TO DICTATE to the prin-
cipal. Even innocent and proper
suggestions may become odious
and disgusting by being inoppor-
tunely or obtrusivcly made, or if
known to be made in M unkird or
antagonistic spirit That the spirit
and manner of Madam G. : suggcs-
tions were thus Objectionable il
apparent from her articles; and il
has been observed that she has
sought to fomcnt disturbances and
create prejudice against the prin-
cipal
Hence, under the circumstances,
it would not be passing strange If
the principal, after exhausting all
reasonable patience, should fail
to recognize Madam G. as a paragon
of wisdom or even discretion; and
it is barely possible that he
might regard certain acts, questions
and suggestions as not only pert,
but also as decidedly impertinent.
Perhaps others may regard the
matter in the same light.
Under Mr.. Ray, his iavoritcs
were not only granted variety 81
privileges, but were actually
marked up" far beyond their
merits; so that wien their true
standing came 70 be fairly tested,
they were found wanting. This
practice not only injured the char
acter Of the school, but was also
detrimental to the true interests of
the pupils themselves. They have
been obliged under the present
r principal to master difficulties pre-
viously sighted; and have thus
lost valuable time which they
would have saved under more
competent teacher than Ray. His
wishy -washy teaching, conjoined
with his pernicious system of mark
ing up far beyond requirement, left
the hiuh grhoOl in n wrctrhpd cor