The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-04-28
NOW he Kicks ABOUT RE. c
Hutchinson Replies to His
Letter-Writing Adversary
THE COUNTY INSTITUTE
The Champion Kicker Makes Strong
Defense of His Position
We're the Teachers GIeefuI at Being Shut Up
During La Fiesta ami Other
Questions Discussed


member tnat about ten days ago | Sc
verely criticised the county superintend-
ent of schools in this county for his man
agement of the late teachers institute.
Now comes one whose newspaper name
is an alias, r. +. c., to defend at this
late day what [ condemned over my own
name and in two or three newspapers;
what was condemned by majority OF
the teachers who were afflicted with the
late county institute. r. f. G. attempts
to prove that the majority of the teachers
were in favor of holding the institute
during the week of La Fiesta; that they
were in favor of holding sessions of the
institute during the afternoons of the
great parades; that the teachers are in
favor of the plan of holding lecture insti-
tutes.
4 lie attempts to prove the first point by
stating that he was Informed that many
teachers requested that the institute be
held during La Fiesta week If that is
| not the weakest kind of leIISiy evidence
any evidence is admissible.
He does not stat, how many made such
a request. There are 3l5 teachers in the
county. Did l5S make such request?
Did the taxpayers of the county make
such request? Did the men who paid
in the 5000 the institute cost implore the
superintendent to invite all the teachers
to the institute, or La Fiesta at their ex-
pense? Or, did certain interested and in
! huential individuals say to the superin
tendent. I'VE would have a much larger
crowd at La Fiesta if the country schools
were not in session. Could you not call
an institute for that week so that all the
schools would nave a vacation?' With
some people it does not matter whether
boy will hoe any corn IN the lot next TO
! the circus tent or not. He is not their
boy nor is the corn theirs. AS to whether
the teachers were particularly gleeful at
! Inc institute during the time of the great
parades. all the wor d knows that they
were not.
Every time that | went to the institute
| during the week many teachers told mo
their opinions, and il classical phrase
| said: Give it to him, with remarkably
! strong emphasis on the word Ito. y
We are told by II. +. c. that on one oc-
! cdson only twenty mine were absent from
| the institute! He does not mention that
! the superintendent announced several
times that a strict watch would be kept,
! that all who were absent without being
I excused would be reported to the county
| board of education and would be liable to
| lose their salaries and have their certlfi-
Gates revoked. lie fails to mention that
! the superintendent took seat suSp-
! ciously near the door and kept an eye on
/ that interesting object; that he calleu the
roll on the day of the children's parade
/ at about 3 o clock. Just as the procession
/ was passing Central park. only block
/ away that the pleasurable exercise OF
calling the roll took thirty or forty mir.
uteS OF valuable time-time enough to see
! the parade and return TO hear the absorb
! ingly interesting lectures and acquire a
! keener relish foI the soothing melody OF
! the rattle of the jeiune pedagogical bones
/ and osstied linguistic organs.
| X. +. c. claims that | fought against
I 1. 1. Il. ~ l,n
! pense of the county, and that | said
| that teachers institutes were not useful.
! | made no such statements. AS long as
teachers, in general know as little as they
| do at present, | shall be in favor Of edu-
| eating them, even at the expense OF the
! public.
| am not in favor of evading the law
! which says plainly and justly that the
teachers must | e instructed at institutes.
| Ilerdng 300 or 400 teachers together for "A
week. to listen to all sorts Of theories
about what might have been done during
| the year about to close. is not III any
! sense within the law which calls for in
/ struction. Even tae best instruction to a
/ departing teacher can be of little service
to the district which pays for t. People
who have plenty OF information can form
all the theories they need, without the
aid of professional theorizers. People
| who have no information have no right
" thcpii'S' .V'''Si "i'iNi - ~ J'S'i
has so arranged matters that they never
Canhave any theories.
i | have always camored Tor working
institute. Readers OF The Herald know
that on the llth OF the month that III st
OF the world is now idling away | pub
lished a column on this subject; that |
plead for an institute i'll which all would
be allowed to learn something. class
with good working teaching Instructor
could learn more in one week than could
be cleaned from all the lecturing, palaver-
ing institutes held iii the last ten years.
II. f. c. seems to think that | attacked
the superintendent for his management of
the institute because of the result of the
late election. If he be near relative of
the superintendent as | have reason to
believe he is. he knows that | have been
talking and writing on this SIDE of the
question for the last five years; hat |
have attacked host Of people with whom
never had any other cause for quarrel
than the knowledge or belief that they
were not doing right and that | believe
that the only way to destroy an evil thing
is to expose it to the light. The
mental light | use is the only one by
which | can see. | spend all my time
trimming it and supplying it with oil.
| was not a little astonished at reading
X. +. G. IS statement that this city has
only two available buildings that will ac-
commodate an institute OF 3l5 teachers.
/ WOULD have thougntsthat there were at
least twenty such buildings. After think