The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1888-03-01

itself to No. 2. that whether twenty Romuuses
made Remus a verb always agreed with
cient Briton or three times four Taurus a bull,
open questions with him. But however high
and false the temperature at which DR.. Blimber kept
his hot-house, the owners of the plants were always
re,dy to lend helping hand at the bellows and to
stir the fre.'
would respectfully suggest that our brethren
of the city schools first eliminate the sins and
faults Of their own system before they assume
the office of dictator to the teachers and people
of rhe country. For "Why beholdest thou the
mote that in thy brothers eye, but considerest
not the beam that il in thine own eye? Or how
wilt thou say to thy brother, Let pull out
the mote out of thine eye; and, behold beam
is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast
out the beam out of thine own eye; and then
thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out
of thy brothers eye"
The uugraded schools of to-day are free from
corrupt politics. They stand the only safe
guard against anarchy. Boodle and dynamite,
the two most potent and dangerous forces in
the civilized world, perpetual1y menace the
peace of the Nation, and threaten to overwhelm
with calamities dire, that to trace the his
tory of such time would be like cropping
through chaos, amidst upper, neither, and sur
rounding darkness.
Look to your outposts then. Strengthen your
position. Rally to the support of your free
school system. See that the demagogue and
boodler find no point of attack nor means of
entrance. Guard against surprise and repel
every assault.
Unless the school year is increased to nine
months, the office of Superintendent would be
a mere sinecure. And, by the way, you who
complain that teaching is made a stepping
stone aud falls below the dignity of profess
sion, will find the lengthening of the school
year long step toward professional recogn1-
tion.
Indeed it never can ceme up TO that standard
so long as only half the year is devoted to the
work. Have you ever asked the ques-
tion, or do you know the reas on why the
schools are not required 20 continue in session
longer than six months? Do the members of
the Legislature think the people not enti-
tied to more? No sir. The general Assembly
has given us as many months of school we
are able TO pay for. Then, if we can raise funds
barely sufficient to carry on our schools for six
months, what consummate folly TO waste so
much of our scanty allowance for the luxury of
fgure-head-a half-year Captain! Benjamin
Franklin bought whistle once, from man
who had whistles to sell, ana afterward discov-
cred he had only a penny left to buy bread.
Township supervision will COST at the lowest
estimate. $3.50 to the township. Jackson County
having twelve townships, will be obliged to pay
$4,000 ANNUALLY, exclusive of office. travelling and
incidental expenses. Where is the money to
come from? If you take it from the present
school fund, you take it from the teachers of
| the county. If you increase the levy you place
an unnecessary and burnensome tax upon the
people. Were the system a desirable one, we
| are not able to pay for it, and must get along
without it.
Many of our townships are in debt, unable to
maintain their schools for the length of time
required by law. special act for the relief of
Lick Township was passed last winter.
If you are friend to the schools, and wish to
favor the people of the country, ,'dveise some
method of securing funds sufficient to carry on
our schools for longer period, and and when
that is accompl shed, If we feel the need of a
boss, and have the money to pay for one, we
will endeavor to find him in our own ranks.
Some persons seem to think supervisor can
and will make good teachers and good schools
provided he is elected to the office and paid for
the work. Road supervisors are elected and
paid. Do they make good roads?
Supervision NAV indeed be worth what it
costs, in the cities, but in the country IT would
be as much out of place as a police force or
fire department. We cannot afford to ape the
manners and customs of city people in the
management of our schools nor in any other
particular. All we ask is the blessed privilege
of local self government.
Our school system is the best ever devised
and let it alone!
"But," you say, ''you are not keeping step
with advancing thought. Educational leaders
favor supervision, and YOU are opposing it,"
In reply, il is perhaps sufficient to refer to the
ia ct that when, in 1870, certain leading educa-
tors were here they told us the only rational
method of teaching was by object lessons. They
carried around with them great bundles of little
sticks, and put in much of their time showing
US how to teach arithmetic without book, and
urged US to adopt the method into our schools
with as much earnesiness as if The salvation of
the country and the eternal welfare of the
teacher depended upon 1t. Now, they admit
the method is impractical and valueless. The
teachers of Jackson County understood at
glance the worthless character of the system,
and were not deceived. Three years afterwards,
a professor came, loaded down with plants,
roots and vegeta bles, and descanted for week,
as opportunity offered, upon the necessity of
teaching botany in our schools. Then, in two
years more, we had map drawing presented as
the ultima thule of educational progress. The
phonetic crank comes forward also, and spr- ads
the contagion of novelty and change. Phoneti-
phobia as developed among our teachers, is al
ways more or less acute, and never becomes
chronic, and like the measles, it soon runs Its
course, and one is not subject to a second at
tack.
And thus, one after another, new plans, sys-
TENS and methods have been presented for our
consideration and adoption most, Ii not all, OF
which are now acknowledged to be erroneous
and not in the line of educational advance
ment. So. this hobby of supervision will prove
to be delusion, and the gentlemen in the up
per row will find they haye made a mistake as
usual, and pointed u in the wrong direction.