The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-12-17

EDUCATIONAL xzgDs m MONTANA.
[BY W. noBERT SIXTH, TERkIroHIAL SUPER
INTExDENr or PUBLIC irSsTRUcTIosJ
III
While taking note Of the defects of our
our system of licensing teachers, and
pointing to the inconsistency Of requlr-
ing physician to obtain certificate of com
potency from the road supervisor, 1t Is proper
to question the wisdom of electing school
superintendents through the usual party ma
chinery. Let IL be borne in mind that the
school law makes the county superintendent
the examiner and sole judge of the teachers
qualifications. His decision as TO the fit
ness and the qualifications Of the teacher Is
supreme and unquestioned. He may, IL he
| choose, decide arbitrarily in favor Of one
candidate, or against another, and there Is
no remedy for such wrong. He Is clothed with
the powers of an absolute despot in the
important duty of cerifcating teachers.
Now, If this officer were chosen with special
reference to his ability in educational sci
ence, If he had been trained In the teachers
vocation and holds from competent authority
| teachers diploma, 1t might still seem UNI
fair to entrust him with such powers; be-
cause fayoritism and nepotism have infu-
eneed greater men than he Is supposed to be.
But, how shall 1t appear when no qualifica-
ton whatever Is requiredin his selection ex-
cept. the favor of political convention?
Does 1t not seem clear that since with the
highest credentials Of fitness he would have
severe temptations to abuse his trust, that
without any credentials except partisan SCI
lection he would be absolutely disqualified?
1t Is often remarked that the school super
intendency is not political Office. I sup
pose 1t Is meant by this that political favor
itism should not have place in school af-
fairs. But can 1t be expected that an officer
elected by partisan votes will entirely ignore
the political policy that obtains in all party
affiliations? May he not, for the votes sake,
grant certificate or divide school district ?
While this aspect of the case merits consid-
Grafton it Is urged that the great fault Of our
present method of choosing county superin-
tendents lies in the tendency to elect good
fellow instead of a good officer. If the du-
ties of this Office were merely clerical or adj
| ministrative, as In other county offices, the
question of fitness would apply simply to
integrity of character and business capacity
in a general way. But the examiner of
teachers and inspector of school work must
be an expert in matters educational, or he Is
nothing but stumbling block! Unless he
can lead teachers to higher levels in profess
sional aims and work he will inevitably sink
them to lower. 1t cannot too often be reiter-
ated that this officer has the relation Of chief
to the teachers upon whom he assumes to
pass Judgment. He should hold the same
relation of eminent distinction to the teach
ing fraternity that the judge on the bench
holds to the legal fraternity. Can we hope
to secure such relation under the present
mode Of selecting? A writer in the Neo
York School Journal, complaining of the
defects In school superintendent, says: "All
over the country the Office Is being grasped
after by politicians. Men who know moth
ing about teaching are being made into sup
erintendents.r 1t Is q mockery!" The con-
clusion must be reached by all who observe
and reason upon the duties that relate to
this Office that the farther 1t Is separated from
political patronage the better. The officer
entrusted with its responsibilities should be
independent Of partisan obligations. More
than this, no one should be eligible that was
not, at the time of election or appointment,
the holder of first-class teachers certificate.
The self-respect Of our teachers, as well as
the public service, demand this much, at
least, as an evidence Of fitness. .s
While the above considerations disfavor
the election of school officers through party
machinery they do not imply that appoint
ment by some individual authority would not
he subject to the same objections or to others
quite as serious. The argument does not IA
vor, nor is 1t intended to favor, system of
appointments that would place the school
patronage in one-man-power. The princi-
pie that should be recognized Is that such an
officer as school superintendent should be
the representative Of the school interest.
While this Office should not, on the one hand
suffer the indignity Of being subject to par
tisan struggle for spoils. neither should 1t, on
the other hand, be subject to peryersion and
abuse by the idiosyncrasies of personal choice.
Two methods are here suggested that will
avoid the extremes have just outlined: u
l Let the school trustees elect the school
superintendents LAD E@a' aa.aR h#E2 =5os
. Let them be elected by a properly con-
stituted Territorial Board, representing in
Its membership the educational interest. ra
Either Of these modes would be sufficient
ly representative and quite free from the OBJ
jections Of partisan influence. Neither would
be an untried experiment. The former has
been practiced in Pennsylvania for twenty
five years with excellent results. The latter
is the mode used in many representative
States and seems TO be regarded with favor
by all educational authorities The ten
dency Of recent school legislation points to
It's general adoption. Liz " A@. s#7 Ei@~fs3 |
INCORPORATION OF . TOWNS AND
= sstsft aisa |
In anticipation Of the establishment and
rapid growth of towns In Monfap within thu