The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-01-31
MISS oLAnIlH,s. APPOINTMENT,

hOhi VIZ FuH VI AuApuyeT III iuRutu
10 tho appointment OF Miss Julia Clarke,
OF Marshall county, Rs teacher OF Webs.
tor school In tho city Of Wheeling.
Taxpayer" IN tho article mentioned,
assumes to give tho public "a fow iatta
about which they Beom not well post
cd, ind yet II tho taxes paid by tho
author OF that article AFRO to DO meas.
urcd by "tho fow facts" which no there.
IN presents hc 10 neither Vanderbilt
In wealth nor philosopher In point OF
Information. Indeed, tho "lew facts"
which he assumed to give tho public,
arc go very fow IN number, and
go very insignificant, us to convince
tho most unbiased rcNdor, that tho
writer either Ind no iac,s to present,
or II ho Ind, was 30 wrought upon, ut
the timo, by m Insane dCluSion, US to be
wholly unable 10 mako good his pro-
mise to rive tho public "a few facts
about which thcy scom not vol post
Cd" Wo shall not stop to investigate
the nature Of tho dclusion under which
Taxpayer" was laboring Wo cannot
now say whether 1t wns smile dcmdiid
or monomaHi1. Suffice 1t 10 say thu!
whom ho wrote thut eilusion he mistook
assertions for facts, md sellconceit for
wisdom. Taxpayer" would havo us
believe that tho only question to DO do
tGrmincdis whether or not Miss Clarke's
tNthGr once resided In tho city Of Wheei-
Ing, and whether no paid taxos during
his residence here. Suppose no did
once reside here, and pay taxes In this
county. Dous this Establish either Miss
Clarke's competency, or her superior
claims over tho daughters OF persona
who have always resided in our city,
paid their tAxea,, and encouraged
our Tree educational institutions by
sending thoir children there to DO in
structod? But, saya "Tax Payer" Miss
Clarke WAS not educated at the expense
Of tho city, county or state. | suppose
lie moans by this that sho was not edu.
Gated in theL public schools OF our city.
II this DO true, 1t might prove lack OF
qualification on her part to teach in n
school OF which she knows nothing, but
1t can never prove that she has any su-
perior claim over those who graduated
from tho public schools and have had
experience as teachers IN those schools.
And just here l would remind 'grax
Payer" that while he seeks to convict
others Of tho horrible crime OF being
educated at tho expense OF tho state, il
he Is not careful he will convict Miss
Clarke OF being educated ut the expense
OF the church. And if, indeed, it DO n
crime OF such magnitude to BIO educated
at public expense, then may 1t not also
be crime Of like turpituJo TO teach Mt
public expense? And II it ia prefcra-
bio to DO educated at the expense OF
tito church, ia 1t not also preferable to
teach at the expense OF the church
Tho logic iii such it may be called) en-
ployed by tho "Tax Payer" will
certainly get him into trouble II he Is
not careful. The state for her own
preservation haa established public
schools and in them sho asks that the
children OF her citizens DO educated,
that they mavthe better discharge their
duties OF citizenship. That is, our edu-
cational system is an indispensable part
Of the machinery OF tho state OF which
Taxpayer" ~ n citizen Il prcsume).
And when he lntlmates that the public
schools are institutions provided sim
ply for such as must be educated at pub.
lie expense, he only gives further evil
donce OF, that overmastering dclusion
to which We have already referred
Malachi Clarke once paid taxes, did
he? But do not the one hundred and
three petitioners who protested against
tho action OF the school board also. pay
taxes? And do they not also sen d
their children to the Webster school?
and have they not right to soy aome-
thing as to who shall teach those chill
dren? Ia the claim OF Malachi Clarke,
Nliss julia and Taxpayer" to be weigh.
ed against the will Of the patrons OF that
school?
But Taxpayer" says: 1.-THE iact is,
that Miss Clarke is Catholic, and that
is tho cause OF the protest in nut
she'll" need not say that this is only
another evidence OF that all powerful
mental delusion with which the "Tax-
payer" seems to be 80 terribly affected.
feel that | risk nothing when L say
that not ono OF tho entire number OF
petitioners objected to Miss Clarke on
tho ground OF her religion, and when
persons Of the senilcl denlentid type at
tempt to introduce religious questions
into our public schools, they deserve to
be set down upon. Our public schools
arc non.sectarian and We intend to
keep them so. No religious sect will
over be allowed to manipulate and con-
troll them. No church or denomination
will ever be allowed to Use our cduca-
tional system in the interest OF their
creed. The command to one and all is,
hands oil !! This ia the peremptory
command OF tho people, and tho church
that disregards ii will make tremend.
GUS mistake.
1t has been the custom for years in
this city to appoint graduates OF our
public echools as substitutes therein,
and TO advance these substitutes, in
their regular order, to teachers. And
there were several such worthy, compe-
tent young ladies who had reason to
expect and demand that some one OF
their number should be selected to fill
the vacancy. But two members OF the
school board tako advantage OF the alb.
sence OF the third, and wholly disre.
garding the custom OF tho past, turned
a deaf ear to the superior claims
Of other applicants, and selected
Miss Julia Clarke, OF Marshall
county, TO fill the vacancy. And
what does Taxpayer" say about it?
Why, he saws it is all right, because her
father used to pay taxes In this county,
and because Miss Julia was not edu-
Gated in the public schools. How su-
promely ridiculousl But what does the
public, tho patrons OF that school. think
about it2 They think, ono and all OF
them, that 1t was an outrageous pro-
ceeding on tho part OF that school board,
and hundreds OF other good citizens
join them in their convictions.
PETITIONERS AND PATRONS
OLE ANRnSrER Scuon1.