Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-02-14
SCHOOL CONFERENCE.
THE FOURTH DAYS SESSION.
Praisins sir. Pesbedr-A statue 20 HIS Mem
sry Talked Absut-The whippins Cues
tisn-AdJsurned.


terday at 1890 o'clock A. M.-presi-
dent Farr in the Chair.
Prayer by Rev. j. Z. Perkinson.
REPORT OF COMMITTEES.
The Committee on Resolutions re-
ported the following:
|. Resoired, That the Conference
Of Superintendents Of Public Schools
respectfully requests the General As
sembly of Virginia next convening TO
amend the Grandstaf act so as to re-
quire the Auditor Of Public Accounts
to report his calculation Of the school
tax to the Superintendent Of Public
Instruction ON or before the LIST day OF
August each year, who shall at once
apportion 90 per cent. Of it among the
cities and towns and counties according
to school population.
2. That we also deem it very i'm
portant that larger percentage Of the
State tax be set apart by law for the
support Of public instruction.
3. That the Superintendent Of Pub
lie instruction is hereby requested to
send to the General Assembly a copy
of these resolutions.
The resolution passed, as did the fol-
lowing:
Resolred, That we believe the Con-
ference would more fully accomplish
its end by having the president to Sc
lect some time before our annual meet
ing the subjects for discussion at that
meeting, and appoint member TO open
the discussion, and that such opening
address shall not exceed twenty mi
nutes.
The committee reported fayorably
the following:
We respectfully ask the Legislature
at its next session to amend the laws in
reference to schools so that when the
regular appeal court-the Board of Edu-
cation-shall have given their decision
in any case, an appeal can only be to the
Court of Appeals, and the inferior
courts shall have no jurisdiction in the
matter"
Discussed and tabled.
QUESTION OF FLOGGING.
The Committee on Resolutions also
submitted the following
lnasmuch as corporal punishment is
allowed as a mode of discipline in our
schools, in the opinion of the Confer
ence, while not desirable to withdraw
that power altogether from the teachers,
it is yet desirable to, i'll some measure.
control il so that it may not be used
excessively: therefore, be it
Re,olred, That the object desired
may. in our judgment, be obtained by
requiring reports from teachers of all
cases of corporal punishment inflicted
by them, and that such reports be in
cluded with usual monthly reports to
superintendents.
Discussed at great length and voted
down.
After long discussion the report
was rejected.
NEW BUSINESS.
The chairman of the committee of
Glass / :" whose duties were to exam
inc maps and drawings of pupils in the
various public schools and award GER
tificates for superiority of work, asked
TO he discharged on account Of the brief
time left them in which to perform the
work assigned. The work. it was said.
would consume six months in order to
do it honestly. The committee was
discharged.
A resolution referring the whole mat
ter Of awards of certificates i'll the classes
named to the discretion of the president
of the Conference was discussed some
time and voted down.
STATUE OF MR.. PEABODY.
Mr.. r. X. Farr (Mr. Strother in the
chair offered lengthy preamble and
resolution. which took the shape of a
bill which would be presented to the
Legislatures of such States as had re-
ceiyed benefits from the Peabody fund.
and which bill had for its object the ap-
preparation Of certain sums by the
States for the purpose of erecting in the
National Capitol at Washington a suita-
BILE statue to the memory of Mr..
George Peabody.
Mr.. Farr spoke at length in support
Of his bill. and in high terms of praise
Of DR.. Sears and the present general
agent of the Peabody fund. DR.. j. l..
NJ. Curry.
Mr.. Farr moved that committee of
five be appointed, to whom the matter
should be referred, with instructions TO
present a bill to the various I.egisla-
lures of the States and Territories in
tereStcd. and to the Superintendents Of
schools of the same, and ask their CO.
operation. This motion was agreed to.
READERS ASSOCIATION.
Mr.. Painter took the stand and ex-
planned the objects Of the Virginia
Teachers Readers Association. and
asked the snperintendents to give the
work their hearty cooperation. \
resolution promising this was adopt
ed.
A COLORED TEACHERS LETTER.
Mr.. Barksdalc read letter from A.
b. Roberts. colored teacher at Hall
fax Courthouse. The letter contained
a very creditable criticism of the
school system.
PEABODY COMMITTEE.
On motion of Mr.. Stevens, Mr.. r. Il.
Farr was made chairman Of the commit
tee on the memorial statue of Peabody,
and the Chair was instructed to appoint
the other members, who were named as
follows Messrs. Stevens, Slaughter.
Logan, and Mcdonald.
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATES.
Major f. y. Branch, of Petersburg.
opened the discussion Of the subject.
" Should the Standard of Professional
Certificates be Raised and Made Uni
form!"
Professor Storum (colored), principal
of the Colored Normal School at Peters
burg, was introduced to the Conference.
and spoke of the organization, &C., of
the normal school.
Ad;ournod until 2 o,olooi.