The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-06-28

DALLAS, June IT, Editor HERALD. !
Permit me to say, sir that the friends of
education throughout the city read with
interest communication by j. III. Jones,
in recent issue Of your paper, and we
see no good reason why the reasonable
and salutary suggestions contained
therein can not, or rather should not, he
adopted by our public school authorities.
There can be but one reason why
we should not adopt system of instruc-
ton which the experience of every city
of importance in the Union has demon
strated to be tho only practical and eff
cient one, and that reason is, that we
have better system. Is this the fact?
Let us examine. TO he efficient, our
schools must be popular. Is this the
case? The large number of private
schools receiving, ut our hands liberal
support. in many cases with rates OF
tuition beyond the ability of tho Door, Is
sufficient answer to this question.
Then they like this element of efficiency.
Are our teachers unpopular or ineiii-
cient? BY no means, they are ladies
and gentlemen of ability, and their long
service of ut least some of them, Is
sufficient guarantee of their personal
and professional popularity. With such
teachers other cities succeed in popu-
larzing their public schools. That Dali
las does not can only be attributed to
her defective system, and TO that alone.
our ward schools are supplied each
with principal and assistants
selected Nv Board of Trustees
each school a separate and distinct or
ganization, pursuing, it may be, diff
ferent plan Of discipline and instruction,
principals having but little If any au-
thority over his assistants, and absolute
ly no voice in their selection. The sur
prise Is that there is not jealousy, trouble
and absolute war among the teachers,
and an absolute failure in our schools.
That our whole system is erroneous Is
patent to every one who has seen the
practical working of II different one in
other cities, and the surprise is that the
authorities of Dallas, with the intelli-
gence and public spirit which have al
ways characterized them, have not long
since adopted u system which has
proven to he so practicable ana
efficient wherever tried. We under
stand this subject Is now about to be
brought before the City Council, and
their action is looked forward to with n
great deal of interest. We see no solu-
ton of this question save in the appoint
ment of an efficient, practical superin-
tendent To be held responsible for the
management of the City schools, and as
such, with authority to nominate for
confirmation by the trustees his corps of
teachers, who are to bc by him constant
ly instructed i'm methods of instruction
and discipline; to hear and settle all
complaints, visit the schools, see that
his plans are In satisfactory working
order and perform such other duties as
devolve upon him as the head
of so important public
interest. There can be, we
think only one objection to the ere
alton of this official, and that is, the plea
of economy, and with due reference to
this we say that I'm an interest of such
magnitude, involving as 1t does the ex-
penditure of some $4,000 annually, the
city cannot afford TO practice an econ
omy which, i'm the future, may prove n
fearful prodigalty.
PATRON OF PUBLIC School.