Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1881-06-17

really the caSe, appearances dt iedst DIT
deceptive, and the official acts of Its
management unfortunate in the eX-
treme. We are not speaking now OF
the internal management OF the school
but of its political and official manage
ment.
Why should, in the past half dozen
years, popular, competent, and success
full teachers be removed, summarily.
and why should they generally prove
to be either religiously or politically
opposite to the syndicate which is popu-
larly supposed to sway the destinies OF
judicial, political and so far as possible
religious affairs IN North Missouri.
Men who will be swayed by
political considerations, personal ia
voritism, or church connection, do
net realize the sacredness OF their
trust as regents ofa great public school;
that such an impression has Judgement
in the public mind is evident. and that
too, to the detriment of the school: but
for some such cause, the school would
now number an annual attend
ance of one thousand instead of FIVE
hundred. The shape this public i'm
preston has taken IS about this:
There are men here (whom it is un-
necessary to name the people know
them) who are constantly intriguing
with certain members of the board of
regents in the interest of a certain
church organization, and there are
others who work in the interest of a
certain political ring, and these two
Join hands for mutual beneft-a kind
ofa-"you tickle me and I'll tickle you
thus prostituting the influence of the
school to the meaneSt ends. These
things have been carried to such en-
tent, that a teacher, however inef-
ficient he may be, may retain his pos
ition, ifhe belongs to a certain church,
or if he allows himself to be governed
by certain influences, while another, be
he one of the best, IS in danger OF re-
moval if he does not secure this in
fuence or if he has the independence
of a true man. Aye, it has even
gone so far that threats of decapitation
are freely used if members of the facul-
ty do not vote for certain individuals.
We have charity to believe that some
of the regents from a distance have
been imposed upon, and are not cogni-
zant of these facts
Some of the teachers removed and
that without any expressed cause were
among the most popular and efficient.
ana their subsequent success proves the
force Of the blow that was dealt to this
school by such removals. Prof. Dutch
er who had been perhaps the mGst earn
est worker in the school outside OF Prof. I!
BALDWIN, failed of reelection here, and
was at once elected president of the
southeast Missouri Normal School, at
a salary nearly doubly that which he
was getting here, and held the position
of president until he resigned. Prof |
Potter finding he could not be reelected |
here, accepted the position Of president
Of the Shippensburg Normal School,
Penn. Prof. krall who was one of
he most popular teachers ever IN the
school, and whose decapitation almost
treated revolt among the students,
lad to be got rid of and why? As one
If the regents expressed it: because he
vas ID little northern yankee and
'adical at that. He has received a
position in the Washington University,
It. Louis, and has standing offer at
mother place whenever he wants to ac-
ept it at 500 per month.
And now the climax has been reach
d by the failure to re-elect Miss Alice ;
ieath. who tor two years has filled the
osition CT preceptresS. with perfect
abstraction to bath students and facul-
Y. against whom there s...i,,,aes no word
complaint as lady or teacher, ane
the most profound scholars in the l.
.hooi and one of the most popular, yet
lie mnst be got rid OF to make a place "
II favorite, The people here among f:
HON she has live, for the last two
ears-the people who ki..w her worth o
e justly indignant. So soon as i, ,-as c
DOWN that tie board of regents had &
eatal Der SO outrageously the school \,
'ard of tills eity met, and rendered her -, :.
e position Of Superintendent of the
lblic schools at salary of 800 per
onth or SO more than she was get
ng ia the Normal, tins is slap in the il,
ce that the board of regents after
ear action, justly deserved. and the
ople say amen. If the board Of re-
nts are to lend themselves to the
leme OF making the Normal faculty 81
eceptacle for favorites without regard
scholarship or worth, the sooner they ia.
removed the better for the school
d the state. ma