Morning journal and courier., 1881-09-15
Price Four Cents

most worldwide reputation for their thor
 oughness and completeness, so that methods
 used here have been quoted and employed in
 foreign cities? If not, these obiectors will
 have to plead ignorance to what can be
 known if there is disposition to know the
 truth and do justice to the question. The in
 situations made against the respected super intendent are as unfair as they are severe. If there are faults in our system he is not the only one to be held responsible, and who can truly say that he has not devoted himself unsparingly to the duties of his office." It has not been ''ten months'' or five days in the week" with him, as some one has intima ted, but rather twelve months, six days in the week and twelve hours per day. Our schools are not perfect, for the millennium has not come yet; but system which is doing so much to ensure the intelligence and morality of the rising generation should not be con demned fm toto There may be a little too much of discipline in some schools, but this can easily be modified. The marking, aver aging and statistical reporting may have re- celyed more attention and absorbed more time of teachers than their value in school work demand. Such seems to be the drift of public sentiment, and the matter IS proper one to be weighed and acted upon. But no one will for moment suppose that the su- perintendent and principals devise and con- tlnue these statistical methods for their own amusement. They are all designed to stimu- late pupils and furnish parents with weekly information concerning the welfare and progress of their children; while the yearly report compiled with such care from the va- r1ous records of the year enable the taxpay- CT and parent to know with some degree of dehnlteness how the public money has been spent, and what has been accomplished during the year. Do the citizens of New Haven want this report abolished l? Are the interests of 1O, GOO children of less account than the accounts of the fire depart ment or Street Commissioners Would it be wise to go back to that chaotic state which marked the period when little if any record of educational matters was kept Not long ago certain library in Paris, seeking for American works on education, desired com plete file of the reports of the New Haven board. If, instead of these complete records, there had accumulated lot of meager and stingy documents, what would have been the feelings of those whose pleasure 1t was to &C., cede to their request ? It is true that the age of organization in the educational field has passed and the of scientific develop ment has begun. Marks and statistics must, from the nature of things, be secon- 1ary in importance. If they have been made an end rather than means that cannot con- tlnue. The law of natural selection and fit ness will work here as elsewhere, and lazy, incompetent and easy. going teachers will nave to give place to those who gre up to the times. The gentlemen who have been peti- toned to be candidates for election to the board are all patrons of the schools, and if new and young blood is needed can doubt ess furnish quantity. No partisan scheme 0 meddle with educational interests should oe listened to for moment, nor should any 7io1ent hands be laid on our free schools which are precious boon to the poor and ich alike.
 Let the people vote for them who have hildren to educate and no selfish or partisan nds to accomplish.
 A PATRON OF THE SCHOOLS