Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-05
a MODEL SCHOOL DIRECTOR.

So completely was child of Sparta born
into the arms Of the State that it was liz
5cally adapted to its uses from its birth
The Spartan mother laid her son upon
shield with the words. "either with this
or upon it." School Director DR.. Cleve-
land, OF San Francisco, is some centuries
behind his age. He should have been born
TO the Lycurgar administration and that
system under which the Spartan child, if
found bodily sound, was reared to serve
Lacedtmon; hut, if defective, was cast
into some Of the innumerable abysses of
the Taygetus range Evidently this model
School Director believes the sole interest
of the State in the child is for the pur.
poses of the shield or the mountain crew
ice. Before committee OF the Board of
Edueatiou OF San Francisco came Superin-
tendent Mouider and represented that
under the stimulus Of the desire to obtain
credit and promotion, the teachers Of San
francisco are examining the pupils, and
that the ambition of parents to advance
their children aids and countenances this
overwork. The euicidal character Of sach
methods should not have needed more than
their suggestion to receive the application
OF remedial measures. But before any
thing of this kind could be proposed, DR..
DECENTRALIZATION it would be charitable to
suppose was in his cups-declared his be-
lief that the children of the public schools
d" are not crowded half enough. He
wanted more examining; all this talk of
overwork he deemed mere twaddle boys
Of twelve are st tasks they should have
had at six. To the protest Of Mr.. Moulder
the new reformer cried, "Put EN- through,
put EN- through {" A fellow. director sug-
gested that surely the doctor did not mean
10 force the little tots between Elk and
nine years OF age. " Yes, do, retorted
this model educator you've got to put
EN- through you've got to use force at
home Won We got to drive children" An
experisnced teacher ventured 10 suggest
that a remedy for examining would be
found in giving an assurance to teachers
that their failure to promote scholars would
not be deemed evidence OF want oSability,
and thus the pupils would be conscien-
tiously taught. To her Mr. Cleveland re-
Piled, "Whip EN- up, whip EN- up"
Later in the debate this man expressed the
opinion that The school hours are
too few. In his boyhood days
there vas a great deal of pushing
he went to school from a. NJ, to 3 F. 81,
and that process turned out fine, sturdy
men. To his credit, however, be it added,
that the doctor had enough OF modosty to
refrain from presenting himself IS an illus
trasion Of the result OF the method Of the
days when they went to mill with stone
in one end Of Che bag. To the expressed
establishment his v,ews, so at variance
with the popular and quite universal belief
created, and regardless of the blow he was
giving the polygamic doctrines OF Mormon
ian, he volchsafed to say 10 his hearers
thst ain Africa and everywhere twenty
one boys are born to twenty girls, and
this modern Herod added in response to
the suggestion that the physical being of
children mus. he considered, as well as
their capacity for intellectual cram, 'them
that it kills, why. let 'em go; the world
amt suffering for lack of population" The
refinement of this advanced doctrine of the
survival of the fttsst, it will be noticed, is
only paralleled by the elegance OF the
language employed to clothe it. 1t is
fortunate, however, for the doctor, that
after all he was not born either to bear
Spartan shield or add to the filing of a
Laconian gorge, since in this day and age
there are ne laws prohibiting the existence
IF IDIOTS, or trumreting by fools. Therei is
&C.. purpose. however, that the Director
doasor seems to FIJI, and that is to exem
plify the recklessness with which the
people commit the most sscred trusts to
the most incompetent guardianship. Mr. !