National Republican., 1883-05-17
THE SCHOOL BOARD.
A Protracted Special Meeting at the Franklin
Building Yesterday Afternoon.
who Arc "hdvanced" Pupils for Admits
sion TO the Normal school,

llusltts WIS nNlu ~ lHt TIuuhlh buhNiNo
yesterday afternoon. There werc present
Mcssrs. Birney, Curtis, Clark, Brooks john
son, Barnes Atlee, and Lovejoy.
The secretary called tho meeting to order,
aud on motion of Mr.. Loveoy Mr.. Clark was
called to tho chair in the absence of Mr.. War
ner, the president.
The call for the meeting was then read as
follows:
The examination Of candidates for admission TO
the Washington normal school Will take place on
June and .. before the next regular meeting Oh
the board. Therefore We have TO request you lhat
you will order calls to be issued for special
meeting 10 take place on Wednesday next, tne
sixteenth instant, at 1880 o'clock m. in the Franz
lin building, to consider the question OF the advs-
ability OF admitting candidates 20 said school tom
the second year class Of tho Washington hlgn
b. G. LovEIoY.
HENRY JOHNSON.
joins b. BROOKS.
Mr.. Curtis moved that the subject be post
poned, inasmuch as tho minutes of the last
meeting were not printed, so that the mem
bors should have more time to consider the
matter.
Mr.. Lovcjoy said that the matter was post
ponod until the next regular meeting, but
that before that should take place the exam
ination of candidates for the normal school
would have taken place. and he desired that
special meeting should be called so that the
matter could c definitely settled.
Mr.. Curtis desired to ask the committee on
teachers If Il second examination for teachers
lad not sometimes been held by direction Of
tho board, 50 that the coming examination
would not necessarily be final.
MIR. Lovejoy said that second examinations
in individual cases had been sometimes held,
but not in classes.
Mr.. johnson asked If the reports from the
principals of the normal and high schools had
been received.
Gen. Birney stated that the board was not
full, and he thought that postponement
should be made. lie said that in the absence
of Messrs. Wormley and Warner. If those
who had determined to push this matter
through should accomplish il, he would not
consider this action final.
Considerable argument was had between
Mr.. Birney and Mr., johnson, the latter as
sertng that if the subject should be consd-
cred at this time the rules would be fully
complied with, and the former that such ac-
tion would be violation of the rules.
Mr. Curtis advocated postponement, and
believed that IL would be irregular to act
upon the matter before the time when it was
set for action.
Mr. Lovejoy gave n history of the matter
of the two reports, and urged that action
should be taken now.
The president read the resolution adopted
at the last meeting, and suggested that SOME
one who voted in the affirmative at its last
meeting should move to reconsider.
Mr.. Lovejoy made such motion, which was
seconded.
Gen Birney did not think that this was a
proper day to call the meeting, as il was gen.
orally holiday, and suggested that an ad-
iournment be had until next week. especially
as n full board was not present.
Mr. johnson said that Mr.. Brney had a
right to his individual opinion, but that the
law said that majority OF the board consti-
tutcd the board. There were seven present
out of nine.
Mr. Brooks said that Gen. Birney had taken
very untonablo position, and if he said that
he would not be bound by the action of the
board ut this meeting he openly defed the
board. '.tt
Gen Brney undertook to disclaim any
such intention, but Mr. Brooks went on We.
hcmcntly until Gen. Brnoy made the point
Of order that Mr. Brooks was not speaking IL
the motion of reconsideration, and the chair.
lnau put the motion of Mr.. Loveoy, (which
was carried.
At the request of Mr.. Lovejoy the secretary
read the two reports presented ut the last
meeting, and the communication from the
principals of the high and normal schools.
Mr.. L. A. Paul, principal of the high school
stated that
The taking from the second year class at till
time of some ten or twelve of It's best pupils woulC
necessarily make the average scholarship of thC
class during the remainder Of its course much
lower, ami would therefore, not be In the Interest
Of the school; but If the number taken should bt
from tho oldest and most mature pupils, who, al
Is generally the case are not the brightest scholars
neither the school nor the class would suffer any
injury
Mrs. Lucila L. Smith, the principal of the
normal school, wrote as follows:
rOu conversation Nyitl unntharQ n M frtauds r..
our public school children know there are many
girls In Washington who look anxiously forward
u the time wheu they shall be able to provide oI
their own needs and do something to tighten tht
burden which Others carry. They work hard in
GIl the grades that they may be successful candi.
dates Of the normal school. II seems to me thai
those who have the school in charge woult
do great injustice were they to establish
the precedent OF admitting outside parties unless
it can be shown thnt there are candidates much
bet ter disciplined by study than our own higt
school girls are We ought in no way TO under
value scholarly attachments. Yet 1t should be re-
membered that scholarship alone is not the meas
ure Of teaching ability Ii there are in the higt
school girls who possess natural qualifications
with an amount OF culture equal 10 that OF III,
present normal class can see no good reason fol
rejecting them The defect in the normal schOo
At present is not so much the lack Of preparation
for professional studies as IL Is the lack OF prone
facilities for right quantity and quality OF prac
iicul teaching.
The debate upon tho two reports was con.
tinued at great length aud the argument
meeting were reproduced. The defendants o
the majority report were blcssrs. LOvejoy
Brooks and johnson, and Slessrs. Curtis ant
BiTnoy were the opponents. Tho forme
claimed that they were morally bound to lool
after the scholars of the high school; that thu
law also required that pupils to the norma
school should be from the advanced scholar
of the public schools, and that all three classe
of the high school were now further advanced
than the highest grade known at the time o
the establishment of the NORMAL school,
Messrs. Curtis and Birncy contended tina
the first class alone of the high school wsr
advanced pupils, and that tho second elias
were not advanced in the sense contemplatet
by the law. and that there was no especia
necessity for twenty fve-pupils to go to In
normal school anyway, but that the seventeen
which were in the highest class in the hgl
school, would be sufficient this year.
In the course of the discussion il VIZ
brought out that the standard of examination
for admission into the normal school wa
higher than the examination for teacheTahips
and that if those applicants who come fol
ward aud successfully pass the examination
for teachers positions were subjected TO th
rigid requirements for admission TO th
normal school they would fail.
The majority report, which allows IN
twenty class pupils in the high school TO enle
Tor examination for the normal school Wa
finally adopted by tho following vote. AyoI-
Tt...-r. ! .,,rYf,p t.1rnsv Ilpuun nrnnlya ,,