Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-11-06
THE SIXTH PRESIDENT
oE fHs LANCASTER scHuUL BossD,
THUsts n. BUkROWEs.
a nsn VINO Was Widely Known In the rdu.
o,tionai Citdss OF the Coun,ry-ke-
calling some Warm Proceedings
over Vote OF gcusure.

oi the Lancaster school beard, Is more
widely known In educational circles than
any of bis predecessors, and did more PEI haps
in behalf OF the common school system Than
any Ui them.
Bora ot Irish parents IN the borough ol
Strssourg, this county, ON the l6.h oi NO.
vember 1885, he received the rudlnents OF
AN education in private schools, and more
liberal education at Quebec, Canada, and
Trinity college, Dublin, here his parents
resided for q time and where he acquired a
fair knowledge of the Latin, Greek, French
and German languages. Returning to Penn
sylvants he studied law with Amos ELL
maker, esq, aud also for year in the Yale
college law school, and in lS29 was admitted
to practice before the Lancaster county
courts. In 1851 aud 1882 he was elected hy
the Wings OF this county to a seat III the leg
islature. In ISIS he WIS appointed by roN'
Ritner to the office of secretary OF the COM
mOnwealth, aud was ex.otlicto supefintehu-
ent of common schools. In December, leoa,
as secretary of the commonwealth, In making
up the roll of the House, he certified Tue
election of the Whig members from fhlla-
delphia county, whereas the pemoCrauc
members claimed To have been elected. Inc
| " Buckshot war - followed, and alter great
| excitement the Democrats secured their seats
Retiring FROM politics, Mr.. Burrowes devoted
| tary of the com mcnwealth he had IN 1886
prepared revised school law, which was
| adopted in 1886. In 1857 he pubhshea an
| improved plan for school houses and school
| furniture In 1889, at the close OF Gov. MT
ner's term of service, he returned to Lancas-
| ter and esssyed farming, but after following
| ii for seven years failed, and again returned
| to bis profession as lawyer. Soon alter
wards he wrote for the Lancaster 1NTELLI-
| GENCEK series OF papers on the nature, de-
ftsssfs AN M
system Of the state.
At the election IN May. ls4T, be was chosen
| a member OF the board of school directors OF
| this city and took his seat on the 18th OF that
| month. he Al once took leading part in
| the deliberations of the board and in the d.
| reCtiOu Of the schools. In December, 1919, he
| drafted the special school law for Lancaster,
| which in 1850 was passed by the legislature,
| and under the provisions of which, with
| some amendments, the schools are now con-
| Quoted. In 1851 he started the publication
| OF the School Journal and continued It's pub
| licaton for many years. In 1854 he prepared
| for the state volume Of 2i6 pages ON school
| architecture.
| Having served as a member of the school
| board from ls47 to lS54 Mr.. Burrowes was
| on the 9th OF November, 1854, elected presi
| dent 10 serve the unexpired term of Gen. g. NJ
| Steinman, who declined to serve longer a!
| president. On the Sd of May, 1856, Mr., Bur
| rowes WAS reelected and served as presiden
| until February 4, 1858 when he resigned
and the board passed very complimentsr,
resolutions for the able, diguitied and impar
tiai manner in which he had discharged hi
| duties
During his presidency much importan
school WORK was done. The first count,
teachers institute was held at Mount 10.
December so, 1884 anew set of rules wer
adopted for the government OF the schools
a third school building was erected on tn
| West Chestnut street lot brick addition
was added TO the old high school. and a nev
| piano bought for use in ii In 1853 In lS5
Mr.. Burrowes drafted the normal school law
| In February, 1855, he was elected mayor O
| Lancaster, and resigned the presidency o
the board, but renamed member eX-officio
| In ls60 he was reappointed superintendent
| of schools, and in 1854 superintendent OF tn
| soldiers orphans schools, and establishe,
these institutions in various parts OF tn
state In 1859 he was elected president OF tn
Pennsylvania agricultural college at Belle
fonte, and held the position at the time OF hi
death, March 25, is7l.
HOW A SPECIAL SCHOOL LAW WAS PAssEr
As part of the history of the publ
| schools Of Lancaster it will not be amiss I
state here that the board OF directors in lS5
secured the passage by the state legislator
of a special school law for the government {
, the Lancaster schools, and so jealous Of theil
| rights and privileges were the directors
, that day that they had provision inser ted
?
| by Implication or otherwise by any ger
eTal law passed by the legislature unless tn
, repeal was set forth in express terms in sue
general law. Therefore, when the genera
| school law of 1854 WAS passed, all provision
in the special law not concurrent with tn
| general law remained in force. Anon
| these were the right of the Lancaster schoc
| board TO examine applicants for teachers pC
| sitions TO the exclusion of an examinatio
| by the county superintendent and to sele,
| school Hnnka without gnnigrenCp
, | teachers.
The conflicting PORTIONS ofthe two laws le
| to some angry discussions in the board. Th
, | teachers of the high school, in MAY 1855, r,
| fused to he examined by County Superir
! | tendent Wickershsm, and appealed 10 th
, | board for protection against his intrusion
| The matter was referred to committee
| the board consisting of the following name
lawyers \. III. Hood, t. II. Burrowes New
. | ton Lightner, Amos Slaymsker, and Wu
, | r. Wilson. On the 10th OF June, 1858, tn
| committee made majority and minority r,
| ports, the majority (Messrs. Burrowe
Lightner and Slaymaker) reporting that th
school directors and the county superintenC
| ent had concurrent right to examine the cit
teachers, and the minority (Messrs Wilso
and HoOd) reporting that the superintene
ent had no jurisdiction.
AGAIN STIRRED UP.
The mai lrity report was adopted by th
board, and there was no further trouble o
that score until May, 1852, when Col. d. "
Patterson, member OF the board, discovere
that an amendment TO the school law Of Is,
had been "surreptitiously" passed by ii
Legislature of 1882, repeating section OF ii
special law which gave the directors OF Lsl
caster the right to examine teachers an
other applicants for teachers certificate
Col Patterson presented preamble an
resolutions censuring the slate superb
tendent (Burrowes) and the state sen ate
q. A. HIestand) for having compassed tt
repeal of section 0 OF the act of 1850 Til
preamble and resolutions were referred bac
to Col. Patterson to report at next meeting.
On June s, 1862, Col Patterson offered Il
following:
WHEREAS, This board has learned th
| T. Ii. Burrowes, esq, state superintendent
of common schools at q late stage OF the 80
sion procured the passage OF law enacted b
the last egislature, entitled A further SUI
plement to the general school law OF 1854
&c, In a covert manner, and without an
notice whatever to this board or the citizens
Lancaster was instrumental in procurin
the repeal of the 9th section OF the loc
school law OF Lancaster city which has bee
! in successful operation since 1850, ther
|