Wichita eagle., 1889-06-11
THE NEW WAY OF sDLECTING a SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENT.

The action of our board of education on
resolving to send out committee OF
search exploration aud reprisal is liable to
encounter some criticism, and we guess 1t
ought to be so challenged. The move is
an innovation no less confusing than ex-
pensive. Chairs have been filled by chan
cellors, professors, tutors and teachers
from time to time immemorial on the
recommendations of recognized successful
educators, presented by the candidates or
applicants themselves, or by friends. That
they have ever been selected by the means
of still hunt and personal inspection,
and their mental qualifications determin.
ed by the same rule that mule would be
chosen from heard is, at least, new and
novel. We suppose the committee having
arrived at given educational
center will round up in a
public square or a big ball all such
as desire to compete, as bulls and asses are
rounded up in the ring of the county
fair, and those presenting the greatest
number Of standard points will have a
blue ribbon of acceptance attached to
them. OF course the committee Will have
no trouble in determining a superior
educationalist by his or her looks. Even
if sent around the ring at smart trot the
carriage of his head, the scew of her
psyche-twist. the bob of her hustle and
roll of the eye are unfailing indices in
determining the imparting-qualities as
Observation-Disclosures and idea-shooters.
The fact that this junketing committee
scheme, at the expense of the taxpayers,
was never hit on before, is nothing against
it when it is remembered that Wichita is
famed for her original superior
ways. She is always first in every
thing, always setting an example
which is copied and adopted by all the
towns of the state. Some towns in Kan
sas have become quite famous simply by
their newspapers initiating the EAGLE,
and by their people stealing our city's
methods of doing great things. Yet this
new way of hunting up school teachers
will be likely to stump these monkeys for
a season. However, successful candi-
date, when he learns that his quallfica-
tions or success as superintendent OF the
public schools of Wichita will cut no fig
ure in his chances for retaining his place
long enough even to get acquainted with
our progressive ways; but, that his show,
and only show. will be in holding the
good will of a majority of the board of
education; that for years, fine educa-
tors, men of good executive
ability, have, one after another, been
regularly dumped into the soup, they may
not be so ready to turn out to exhibit their
fine points to the rapidly moving junket-
ing committee with whom the certificates
of educators of national repute amount
to nothing, when it comes to the selection
of a superintendent. compared to their
own powers of discrimination and selec-
tion by personal inspection.
A farce is a farce until it goes beyond
the line Of decency, when it becomes
something else. There is but one way to
wisely and successfully choose the heads
of educational institutions and Of aggre-
gated schools, and that way is always de-
pended upon by boards of regents, Of di-
rectors and trustees universally, and that
way is upon the personal knowledge of
the success of the applicant by the
individual members of the board, or upon
certificates of that fact from educators of
regulations; and, it strikes US, that the
committee, before starting for Boston or
elsewhere, might better stop and consider
that man brought here under such per-
sonal inspection as they propose, is man
against whom the community is already
prejudiced, and further, that the COM
mittee had better also make arrangements
to liqudate their own bills Of travel and
hotels sooner or latter. as there can be no
moral or legal warrant flor the proposed
expenditure. besides some mossbacked
patriot, whose school taxes are no light
burthen, will either ask a court to con-
travene or do something with a more
ugly name.