The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-10-13

On Thursday next the Board Of Re
gents Of the Institution for the Dea
and the Dumb and the Blind meet at Rom.
ney. tits the only meeting which they
are required by law to hold, and in fact
they hold but two meetings in the year,
this one in October and another inJupe,
when they re.elect the Principal and such
OF his officers and teachers as he may
designate, and do such other work as he
may lay out for them. At the October
meeting they adopt report to the Gov
ernor,S which the Principal has prepared,
look over his accounts, through his
speCtacles, inform the Governor how
many pupils there are at the Institution
without taking the trouble OF investigat-
ing, express themselves as highly gratitied
with the progress Of the pupils in their
studies, without visiting the class rooms
or examining the pupils, pocket their mile.
age, or double mileage, as the case may be,
and after a session OF few hours dis
perso to their homes, leaving the Institu.
ton and its affairs in the hands of man
who after o protracted trial, in which he
had every opportunity to defend himself,
was dismissed from the Institution ut
Staunton. From October to the follow
ing June the Board hold no session, and
during this long period, comprising nearly
the whole Of the academic year The Princi-
pal and the Secretary, his appointee,
draw the public money from the public
treasury and spend it as he, the Principal,
sees without any check upon or super.
vision over his conduct, management and
expenditures. In word, the only use OF
the seven gentlemen constituting the
Board, seems to be to approve the ex-
penditures OF the Principal, however ex.
travNgant they may be, and to endorse
his recommendations without taking the
trouble to ascertain whether they are
based uponcorreCt Or imaginary estimates.
For several years past the Stale Treas,
ury has paid out annually S2S.4OO Tor the
support Of the Institution at Romney. In
addition to this large sum the authorities
Of the Institution are authorized by law to
draw on the counties $40 per pupil for
clothing. This item amounts to about
$1,000 per annum, and added to the SoS,-
400 drawn from the State Treasury agvre.
gates SSl 400. What has the State re.
ceived in return for this large sum OF
money! The clothing, board and iustruc.
ton of about seventy boys and girls for
forty weeks. Seven or eight Of these pu.
pills arc graduated annually after Eve or
six years Of Ibis expensive education, the
best Of them, Judging fromthose We have
seen in this city, &ithia very Incomplete
knowledge Of tailoring, shoemaking or
carpentering slight acquaintance with
arithmetic enough to make change, alittle
knowledge OF geography, far less OF either
than is acquired ut the poorest Of our
public schools, and not as much iamiliari.
ty withthe English language as d possess.
ed by an ordinary child eight years old.
Ii no better results can be reached.
We have no hesitation in saying that this
is an extravagant waste Of the public
money. This school at Romney is the
most expensive boarding school in the
State, asiWe have before shOwnS a11 it
were private enterprise. managed and
conducted as tpresent, II would be bank
rnpt in six months on a less charge
than $500 per pupil. The people OF this
State desire that these unfortunates
should DO educated, andwell educated
and the Legislature has uniformly made
liberal Sbhrpptaaons iof this puatpose,
but they expect that those to whom they
commit the careot these children and the
expenditure Of this money should see
that it Is wisely and economically sssa