Morning journal and courier., 1881-11-26
SunrnsI sIb Gourier.
Saturday Morning, Nov. 26. 1881.
Council of Teachers.

CO0nC11 or 166Gn6ESs sen1i-Annua1 HTeetinE-EIectIon of New ATembers-Discuss1on on the Proposed ! Education Bill.
 Yesterday morning at 10 o'clock the Con- ! necticut Council of Education, which is com : posed of superintendents and principals of i schools in the State, met in semi-annual con ! yention in room of the High school build ing, this city. The meeting was called to or der by President M S. Crosby. of Water bury. After the reading of the minutes of the last meeting by the secretary the Coun- cil proceeded to elect the following new menl- bers: H. F. Bassett of Waterbury, F. H Brown of Glastonbury, Henry M. Walraat of South Norwalk, Porter L. Wood of Bristol, Rev. B. A. Smith of Middletown. G. E. FL iott, of Clinton, presented report on the bill concerning State Board of Examiners. He stated that two years ago bill was pre- sented to the Legislature for the examination of teachers, which was not accepted. Last year they presented4a a new bill and this was reported upon unfavorably by the legislative committee. The committee now propose an addition to the bill, which provides that the bill of laseyear shall not apply to any town, city or school district, unless the school vis- itors or board of education in said town, city or district shall accept the same.
 The report created good deal of argu- ment at the morning meeting. The discus sion was opened by MT. Whitmore of the New Haven High School, who strenuously opposed any efforts on the part of the eoun- Gil to secure any further Legislation. He fa- vored similar legislation to that of last winter which secured the appropriations for the State Normal School He believed that there aIs. ea., s,,la pendence of the towns Capitalization as secured in some large cities was not so good as we have in Connecticut. In Ohio when there was State Board of Examiners the schools were not so good as in Connections.
 Mir. Sawyer, of New Britain, suggested taken to bring the matter before the Legis- lative Committee on Education ?" should be particularly discussed.
 Section of the proposed bill, the subject of which IS given above, was then adopted.
 MT Whitmore moved that the whole ques- tion of State Board of Examiners be indefi- nitely postponed.
 Mir. Curtis of this city, thought that the bill would not tend to centralization, but thought that the liberty and privilege should be enlarged.
 Mir. Northend, of New Britain, said if the bill was what was wanted he saw no objec- tion to urging action upon the same In
 
 boards of visitors
 MT. Walraat, of South Norwalk, favored the bill and believed that good would come from it.
 MT. Whitmore claimed that the teachers in Connecticut rank higher than in those States where there is 8 Board of Examiners. The great objection to the bill was that of cen tralization.
 MT: Elliott, of Clinton, cited an instance where town had asked persons from an ad- | joining town to come and examine teachers. MT. French, of this city,, thought the bill was worth working for.
 Mir. Lewis, of New Haven, said he was | present at the meeting when the original bill was discussed. At that time he thought the | idea was that the teachers would be greatly | benefited by it's passage. Since then he had l lost his enthusiasm for the bill for he had reason to fear that the bill was not 8 wise | one.
 l Professor Northrop, secretary of the | State Board of Education, claimed that the l bill was what was needed. At the time the free school system was presented to the Leg | islature it met with great opposition and was | rejected. The next year the bill passed botl | houses almost unanimously. He thought the l thanks of the State were due to ex-Governol l English for the interest he took in the free school system. It is certain that many ot | the schools in our State are in need of better l teachers, and this bill would bring about the l deaired result.
 MT. Loomis, of Middletown advocated the | bill and said there was no danger of it caus 1 ing injury to the Normal school The speak CT gave many illustrations of the working ot the present system and urged the necessity of the new bill as proposed. He said tha under the present system many good teach CTS were rejected and many poor ones were l admitted to the. public schools. He though the proposed bill was the only plan in whicl AI1o1 fcyryc <,eko l~I motives, could be obviated. He thought i this plan was adopted the grade of the school | would be thirty-three per cent. higher in les l than ten years.
 The motion of Mr. Whitmore to indefinite ly postpone the report was lost
 It was moved that the question be further discussed in the afternooR, which was car | ried.
 | Mir. Elliott, of Clinton, said there wer several questions in connection with circulat ing petitions in favor of this bill whict should be discussed, as to who should sigl the petition, and whether committee should be appointed to advocate the bill before tn Legislature and many other points bearing upon the question.
 | It was voted that the several points in tn discussion of the question be taken up at | o'clock, and the council at 12:15 adjourned until that hour.
 THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
 At the afternoon session the following ney members were elected: Rev. Lawrenc Walsh of Waterbury J. D. Bentley O Bridgeport, E. P. Clapp of Westville an, Herbert I. Matthewson of Essex.
 The treasurer reported $23.50 on han' and an indebtedness of $26. It was vote l to lay an assessment of $1.
 Then ensued discussion as to who shoul be requested to sign the petition to the Leg islature in favor of the State Board Of Ex aminers, some favoring general circulation and others wishing to confne it to the teach | CTS.
 It was moved that for one petition the sig natures of legal voters only be requested, tn special part or present official relation to tn schools of any signer being designated, an' for another petition the names of teacher and others interested, whether voters or not This vote was passed.
 At the evening session Messrs. Whittemor of New Haven, Harrington of Bridgeport an Bishop of Norwich, were appointed g. com mittee on nominations.
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