The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-06

May the day soon dawn when high professional
equipment shall alone govern in the selection OF
teachers for the Seattle public schoolsl
corRsE or STUDY.
There is cause for rejoicing that the text books
recently adopted by the state board OF education
for the use of the public schools are OF % high
an order Of excellence. The change niece 81
tases. however. IA immediate revision of the
course Of study TO conform 10 the new text
books This should be done before the opening
Of the schools in September.
SPECIAL TEACHERS
Up to the present time drawing and music
have been taught IN each grade of the schools
BY the individual teacher. While the results
In order 70 unity the work In these studies. a
wise economy demands the employment of
special teachers 70 supervise the work of oil the
grades. I therefore recommend that steps be
taken by the board Of education to secure the
services of two teachers possessing the highest
professional and technical training, for super
vising the branches. respectively. OF music and
drawing.
NIGHT SCHOOL
The right Of 6 child to an education by the
state IL now regarded ss valid, both
from the standpoint of ethics and of
sound political economy. In q republic
the safety of the commonwealth depends
upon the intelligence OF the masses.
Bayonets cost more than birch soldiers than
school houses, pillsge than professors. The ma.
ton must educate its voters. Statistics show
that the children of the United States remain in
school, on an average. but three years. Various
causes have contributed TO bring about this re-
suit. With the tendency of modern civilization
to forsake the country and TO mass isself In
great cities. the contrasts between wealth aud
poverty. between labor and capital, are con-
stantly growing sharper. Then. too, the press
ure OF population upon the means of sutsis;-
encc is another cause of the terrible struggle of
the poor in great cities for coarse food and
wretched shelter. Even little chii.ren have
been forced to become bread-winners What
wonder that labor and capital are at war, when
mere babies sre permitted to enter the msrts of
labor. In Seattle probably several hundred
boys and girls under II years of age are out.of
school because q commercial value is placed
upon their services In many cases their wages
are indispensable to the maintenance of the
family in comparative comfort
In view of these facts, trust that your hon
orable body will take steps looking to the estab-
lishment of night school as q necessary aud
permanent part of our school system.
PRINCIPALS.
The effort, during the present school year. has
been to minimize the amount OF actual teach
ing on the part OF principals. Previously they
had been chiefly occupied in the work of teach
ing in the higher grades. Consequently there
was little time left for the Legitimate work
OF q principal. 1t is believed that the maxi
mum OF efficiency on the part of our
school officers implies the minimum OF regular
classroom teaching The unprecedented growth
of the schools has emphasized the need of ex-
treme care In grading and assimiating the
diverse elements thus brought together. The
distinctive junction Of a principal-that of
organization and supervision-has been empha-
Al A. IA
sound financial policy to increase the number
of grade teachers. thereby diminishing the
number of hours of classroom work required of
the heads of schools. In accordance with this
policy, the principal of the Denny school taught
but one class per day during the past term, in
stead Of five as formerly.
RULES AND REGULATIONS.
The rules and regulations, while well adapted
to the condition of the schools two years ago,
have proved totally inadequate to meet the de-
mands of the present year. The duties, rights
and privileges of superintendent principals,
teachers and pupils should be more clearly de-
fined than they are at present. Above all, it
must be borne in mind that these rules should
provide more literally than they now do for
system of city schools The several schools
should not be regarded ~ q collection Of village
schools held together by slender thread which
any disaffected school 10 at liberty to snap at
win. Instead. the schools should be unit
working together under the same laws, labofing
for . common end and bound by the strong
cable of a centralized authority. This authority
should be vested in the city superintend-
ent OF schools as executive off,
Ger. During his incumbency a proper
sense OF official responsibility no less than that
of dignity, would seem to require that this
officer be sustained in his pc icy by the board
of education. Any other course tends to an
archy and disintegration. Great responsibility
implies the exercise of power. The superin-
tendent of Q vast and an intricate system of
machinery must be given absolute control of.
the works before he can hope to avoid friction
constant tinkering OF the machine, and a
re-adjustment of cogs and belts and wheels on
the Fart of outsiders unused to the works would
be regarded, in the world of business, as peril
Gus in the extreme. No less is this true In the
domain of spirit than in that of matter In
deed, the danger is intensified when the forces
are human minds, with all their delicate
springs of action, in lieu of steel and iron and
leather. Empiricists clothed with q s.litfle
brief authority" often endanger our public
school system by an unwise exercise of their
prerogatives. 1t is therefore recommended. in
the intsres s of the public schools that a more
liberal policy be inaugurated in the future than
has prevailed during the present year, and that
henceforth the city superinte ndent be given alb
solute control of the schools. am respectfully
yours, JULIA E. KENNEDY,
City superintendent
On motion of Smith, seconded bv
Hughes, the report of Superintendent
Kennedy's was accepted and ordered placed
on file.
The clerk then read the report for the
year ending July /. 1890, to be forwarded
to County Superintendent Pussy. Part of
the report has already been published in
this paper. Following are the items of the
report referring to Indebtedness:
Amount spportioned by county super
intendent. Recommendations $500 sc
Apportioned by county treasurer s4'7ss 10
Total. ..-..---................$ 96,039 O5
Paid teachers. 1871 rs
Pald ior rent .-....-.......--....-.... 2,SN II
PAID Tor repairs -.--....+.--......- $50 20
Paid Ior furniture .---...--....-...... $40 90
Paid for school apparatus ......... l5O0 On
Paid for school-house sites .. 3Y2S4 o.
Paid Tor oulidlngs. ...-..-....... 81, 403 Is
PAD tor fuel ana sunuries A,5S5 73
Paid interest on bonds. ........... oOO0 m
Paid interest on 5000 for school site,
due lSs2. ............................ 400 90
$17s,752 IS