The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1880-09-09

County SUPPLEMENTARY is a wors,
than useless appendage to the Publ,
School System, and ought 10 be done
away with as speedily as possible while
the money now expended in its main
tenance, should be applied TO bet
ter purpose.
In some Of the western states, eact
county Is provided with q Board o
Examiners consisting ofat least thre,
gentlemen OF some years and expe.
rience in teaching, whose duty it is tc
hold Teachers Examinations at stated
times, and who are paid by the day
for their services. By such au ar.
rangement, teachers may not only be
examined and licensed at about one
fifth OF the cost now incurred In Sny.
der County but the abilities and At.
tainments ofthe several teachers. are
generally ascertained and set forth
with more fairness, than is the case
where all authority is v ested in an ig-
norant, small.brai ned, selfish little in.
dividual.
The laws Of our Commonwealth
however, make IL necessary for us to
tolerate the County Superintendency."
and such being the case, IL should be
rendered as endurable rs possible, but,
20 the disgrace Of Snyder County, the
Office, useless and expensive as il is,
has been rendered odious, by certain
would-be. politicians, who have appro-
priated II, and employed il rs a means
for the advancement of their own self.
ish interests, aud one ofthe results of
their ini putty Is, that person totally
incompetent aud unfit, is now enjoy.
ing the emoluments, aud pretending
TO exercise the functions of this office.
Behold tho youth who now pro.
claims himself "Co. Supt," and mark
the strange effects produced by his
transition from his former condition.
to this the highest, grandest pinnacle
of terrestrial glory. A peculiar con.
glomeration of opinions rs to who, or
whdt he is, now seems to exist some.
where beneath his hat all shrouded in
the mists OF uncertainty.
See him at times assuming the airs
of proud steed, as he prances with
beauty and dignity along the sidewalk.
See him at other times assuming the
wisdom and authority of the ancient.
hoary patriarch. as he "superintends"
the small boys Of thirty or forty, in
the management of their schools, and
again behold him rs he ascends the
throne in awful majesty, and the
small fry" fearing and trembling, ap.
proach the terrible presence, to re.
ceive his astute decision as to their
"profess onal competency"
Let us see il pe know who. or what
he is. At period in the past,"to which
the memory of man runncth back
this same identical Billy Scharf, set
rs htoyer in Selinsgrove,
Pa, but owing to tho smallness of his
intellectual caliber, and his inferior
his legal career soon came to
grief, and persons desirous Of employ
ing an errand.boy, hostler, or II man.
of'all-work, were naturally attracted
toward shat boy OF Scharf's." But
brolher.in-aw Lumbard saw $1,000,
and he thought well of it so after
putting Billy through hasty process
of metamorphosis, with an Intellectual
effort to relieve him of his swaddling
garments, this natural stahle.boy and
bartender was, at all events, set up a
brand new "Co. Supt" and the thing
was done, and, inasmuch rs William
has been largely "tickled" by the Sec
linsgrove Normal School, he now
turns around and "tickles" the Nor
NAL School. and those young people
who have few dollars to invest in
Normal tuition pretty generally receive
very nice certificates. while some of
your sons who have attended, real Nor
NAL schools, and have received good
from superior authorities
receive very poor certificates and can't
teach because Billy Scharf says 80,
and then for these services, you COM
pensate him with $1,000. per annum
and so it must continue, while he re-
mains in office, because his egotism,
and self esteem, together with his i'm
perfect powers of discernmen I. and his |
ignorance in the branches of learning,
render him incapable TO decide intelli-
gently and fairly upon the attainments
and abilities of teachers generally. but
so Of those who are his SUI
periors and If any doubts are enter.
aimed as TO his ignorance and incapac-
ty. let him be required u appear be.
ore the writer for public examina.
ion, and then you shall see If he does
lot fail to answer as large a percen-
age of questions, as some other zig
lorant teachers" The public will
oon be bombarded with shower of
commentators and testimonials in
lis behalf, from certain professors"
II Selinsgrove and elsewhere, but we
,au ton all against these professional"