The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-11-01

as many hackers as he has among the lady
teachers notice quite number talk
for him.
r. c. Well, just as tell you, Campbell
IS In my opinion demagogue. You know
that in all school departments there is
qnite a percentage of worthless material.
HObcken has her full share. They want to
he scheming, &c, IL it was not for him
they would be annihilated, eaten up. A
number of them believe this and allow
themselves to be used by designing parties
who don't care a rap for them beyond pres
emit purposes. This accounts for mo t of
it.
| Rep.-I saw in some of the newspapers
that Campbell had been bounced. How
was that?
II. C.-Well, no, he was not bounced, as
you call it, except from the Normal School.
Rep.-What is the Normal School?
Il. CT is school for training teachers.
All teachers must attend there two wears.
1t takes the place of County Examiners.
and grants diplomas to teachers in Hobo
ken, the same as by the county authorities.
The Normal School teachers are paid $3.50
year each. Some of our most advanced
citizens think that this might be saved. as
very little reason exists why Hoboken should
pay for training teachers, when all needed
/ SOUAN No AoN LII eAIC ubhluS. LII IL tl6lr
own business to come qualified Let them
go before the County Board, the same as
the District schools. The Hoboken Manual
provides for three teachers for the Normal
school and three classes. A short time
since, it was found that one of the three
grades provided for was attended by only
four ladies, who never got beyond a third
grade, and sometimes had to get a time
allowance to get that. The members of
the Board got provoked, and by resolution
excused them from further attendance at
the Normal School This left only two
classes, notwithstanding the Manual said
there should be three The logical conse-
quence was that teacher must be dis
charged. Trustee Harksen, of the Com
mittee on Teachers Salaries and School
Government, had observed that Mr.. Camp
bell for the last year, and more so during
the last two months, had been very irreg-
ular in attendance. He offered resolution
to dismiss HIM on that account In talking
over the matter it was noticed that there
was only enough pupils to make two elias.
ses, and in fact that there was but two
Trustee McCann suggested that the teacher
might be dismissed because he was not
needed, $3.50 per year could be saved
Trustee Wolff Immediately made an amend
ment, which was carried by almost full
Board, dismissing the junior teacher-Mr
Campbell-because he was not needed.
With any one else this would have been
sufficient, not so for Campbell. He kept
running around for two weeks among the
trustees dining in their ears that he was
sick, that an injustice was done to him.
That they were violating the law made by
themselves, etc. The clear-headed mem
bers saw through the whole business, and
refused to reconsider or reinstate Some
of the trustees wilted, and got laughed at.
1t was the most ludicrous thing ever heard,
to hear such q din about discharging
teacher who was not needed Nothing at
all was said about their law providing for
three grades or classes. No ones conscience
was touched about that, although an appar-
ent violation of the rule. No ones salary
was touched by that, and no one COM
planned. Besides, their own law says that
''when any class runs down below twenty,
report of the same shall be made by the
principal to the Board of Education, who
may discontinue the class and discharge or
transfer the teacher, as they think best for
1 the interests of the school" None of the
members appeared to know about the
above. Campbell, in the meantime, was
| playing beautiful tune on their feelings,
about his injured reputation, his sickness,
ETC., when none of these had single thing
to do with it, as he was dismissed simply
because there was no class for him. AS
taxpayer, I object to paying $3.50 a year to
any one, when it can be saved. 1t is time
that foollng was stopped, aud some thought
had for the interests of the city. There is
a class of cormorants hanging on to the city,
whose only business is to get all they can.
If they are not satisfied, they should go
elsewhere.
Rep.-I think l understand a great deal
more about your schools now than when
sat down. With your permission l shall
publish the facts as you have stated them.
I. C.--Be careful that you do, as | am
very particular about having what say not
misunderstood. Mr.. Rue tells me that next
year the Normal School will have less than
fifty pupils.