The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-07-23
SNYDER WOULDN'T sIaN IT.


That Explains Why Prot. shupe Resigned
as Principal Of the Lehiahton Public
schools. Mr.. snydor's brilliant Reasons
Have writing Between the lines.
Circumstances make it necessary
for the CARBoN ADVOCATE to clearly
set before the people Of this town and
vicinity the causes that led to Prof.
S, u. Slopes resignation as principal
of our public schools. We do this be-
cause the stories in circulation calcu-
lated TO do harm TO private character
are many aud without foundation We
believe it will he clearly demonstrated
that the action Of County Superinten.
dent Snyder in refusing TO sign Mr..
Slopes certificate was the result of
malice and personal prejudice by II
simple perusal of the "reasons" why
Mr.. Snyder could not sign the certiH.
cate which had been unanimously ap.
proved by the Lehighton school board
and was signed by President McCor.
mick and Secretary NJ. o. Brian.
This certificate sets forth that Mr..
Shope is a graduate of the Cumberland
Valley State Normal School, and
that he had taught one term in
this district singe his graduation and
that he is considered qualified as a
teacher morally, intellectually and
professionally Following Mr.. Shope's
graduation he taught one term in Ian
caster county and the same paper is
signed by the county superintendent
of that county, Mr.. NJ. J. Brecht, "a
gentleman who is very popular in the
educational work of the state, as well
as it is also signed by the school direc-
tors in the district where he taught.
Why then could not Carbon couuty's
intellectual headlight sign this docu-
ment? We will give his ''reasons" why
he could not "concur" just as he wrote
them:
LEHIGurON, Pa, June 10, isg2.
As superintendent Of the schools Of Carbon
county, cannot concur In the foregoing resOlll.
tiOns Tor tile following reasons:
list. His methods Of teaching and HIS manner
from what we would expect from Normal
graduate. Among number Of iniudiciOus
things he would do he would require the pupils
To write words FOR hours as a punishment, and
IN one case, he required "a boy fourteen years Of
age to write words throughout the whole of the
noon mlermssiOn without allowing him to get
anything to eat, while he sent to the hotel and
had his dinner sent TO him. The boy was then
kept IN school until the middle of the afternoon
when he asked TO go out, and then, went home
and got something to cat for which act the boy
was suspended from school by Mr.. ShOpe.
2nd. HIS conduct towards his SuperiOrs In
the school work has been 50 unprOfesSiOnal as
to make Il highly improper TO give him a dip.
Iona that will make MIN Independent OF them
~ tue future, Early IN September, 1891, Mr.
Shope come to LehlghtOn as stranger and
TOOK charge OF the Grammar school. Not long
after this he asked to be made secretary Of the
county Institute. This not being grnnted him
he started to make trouble by attempting Il
publish a pamphlet proceedings Ot the Institute
against the wishes OF the Institute and its OIL
GERS. This fact being made known the follow
Ing resolution was unanimously passed by the
| teachers in county Institute assembled. Re
solved, That the solicitation OF advertisement,
ana the publication OF pamphlet purpOrtlnl
| to be a proceedings of the Institute 6y any Ont
not properly authorized by the Institute or il,
officers, Is hereby condemned and denounced a,
! unworthy of notice and patronage OF the pub
lic.' In the face Of this resolution, this new
conner to the county, printed pamphlet pur
porting to give the proceedings Of the institute
| but which by its omissions and the way il wa,
prepared grossly mlsrepresented the institute
/ satisfied with this nagrant unprOlessiOnal aC
| he soon began to intrigue against the principa
OF the school EN-C0; Supt, j. 5. Werner anC
| lnally succeeded working up the pupils OF thu
! High School to such State that Mr.. Werner
was compelled to resign.
These acts | consider such fagrant violation
normal diploma that ain AIN compelled for ri In,
| first time in eight years to ask a committee [,
refuse TO grant an applicant a diploma.
Careful inquiry among the pupils o
the school, and of the directors wht
frequently visited the school in ofiicia
capacity, brings out the fact that Mr.
Shope was an indefatigable worker il
school work, always careful and pains
taking in his labors and showing N
fayortism with his pupils. The bo.
suspended from school was suspended
for insurbordination as others wer
suspended before him by other teach
ers and in this Mr.. Shope was warml.
sustained by the school board who i'm
yestigated the case thoroughly befor
taking action on the matter
In the second chapter of "reasons
Mr.. Shope's chief fault seems to hav
been in publishing a pamphlet forI
proceedings of the institute whic
greatly displeased Mr.. Snyder. Her
he only exercised a privilege that an
person might haye taken advantage o
The proceedings of the institute ar
not copyrighted consequently it is
Iittla r,affar nf aptarpvigo gg,. ,,,,r ~,
to get the advertisements and have tn
book printed. Mr.. Shope's pamphle
did not purport to be an official orga
of the institute so he did nothing t
insult the teachers or Mr.. Snyder b
any omissions that it is claimed he ha
made. That the resolution of the il
stitute, had little or no effect on tn
public was evident fromthe fact that tn
pamphlet was well filed with advel
, tisements Of our leading busines
houses, &c. In accusing Mr.. Shope {
= intrigue against Mr.. Werner Mr.. Sn!
: der makes an assertion that shoul
? not be lightly passed over, and on
e which it is believed that he can II,
. sustain.
p We have tried to get at the botto
?. of all the facts in order to enlightC
/ our readers for Mr.. Snyder's action
t emphatically condemned by all ia
4 minded people. That he wrote the
5 ''reasons" and then held the certifica
d just long enough to prevent Mr.. Shol
a from appearing before the State Boa
h of Examination may have been an ac,
dent although there are many who I
lieve it was done purposely in order
prevent Mr.. Shope from securing
So diploma which he could have g
through an examination. This tri
&c throws Mr.. Shope out of an eXcelle
= position, but unless it can be explain
= away it puts Mr., Snyder in a very &C
" temptible attitude before the publ
'' We have no desire to say anythi
'unkind" of the county superintende
- for the citizens of this town know
10 capacity too we'll and it would OF
:" be taking up space which can be
70 voted TO other and better purposes.
'u is certainly TO be regretted that thin
* are in the condition that they are "a
4 yet we particularly commend I
- teachers and directors for the wide in
a. pendence they always show against [
~ pompous official who poses as
&c "Great / Am" show to me or off g,
" your head" That this official has dc
a some acts violently unreasonable
iu evident from the fact that Lehighto
'' six directors openly oppose his reel
:, tiOn to the office he now holds.
'n Judging from this it is very evid,
We that county superintendent has