The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-17
IN VERY GOOD SHAPE
Butts's Public Schools Are a Credit to
the City.
WORKED HARD
Out OF Chaos and DisunIon Mr..
Hendricks Has Brought Order
and Unity and the Reward
go OF His Labor Is Large.

Hendricks Has Brought Order
and Unity and the Reward
"n OF His Labor Is Large.
Butte. May 1s.-This has been the
most successful and progressive year
I'm the history OF Butte public schools.
and the graduating exercises will take
place at the opera house tomorrow. be-
ginning at $50 o'clock in the morning.
The people of Butte can well regard
with pride and feelings OF satisfaction
the progress made IN the public schools
| during the past year as well as the
previous year. under the superintend-
ency of Professor Hendricks. and the
excellent condition in which they are
found at the close, of this school year.
When Professor Hendricks took hold OF
the Butte schools they were in a cha
otic state, without system and without
head or tail to them. The teachers
were at constant war with each other
and with the superintendent and the
scholars were taking part with the diff
ferent factions and the whole school
government was a shame and a dis
grace.
During Mr.. Hendricks incumbency
there was perfect harmony and a unity
Il
results are that Butte has now some
OF the best schools in the state. with
no better in the West The most COM
| petent teachers were selected and their
work speaks for itself IL has been in
timated. but without any positive
foundation for the rumor. that Profess
sor Hendricks would not remain in the
| schools this year. and the report has
| resulted in a general expression Of re-
| greet on the part of the teachers and
citizens and an effort is being made TO
have him remain. 1t is well known
| fact that IL Is a serious injury TO
schools to frequently change teachers
| by a change OF superintendents. and
| such towns in the state as Helena,
| Missoula and Bozeman have retained
the same superintendent from year to
year.
The teachers held their last meeting
this evening at the High school build
ing and handed in their records and
made their reports. after which Profess
sor Hendricks addressed them with an
appropriate talk on the work of the
year and presented deserved compli-
ments to the teachers, principals and
pupils.
1.-Two years ago. said Mr.. Hen
| bricks, ct met you in this hall and
| asked for your cooperation In giving
Butte a graded school system of which
| the city could boast We started TO
| together to this end. We avoided gos-
| sip, attended to our own business, and
made the other fellow attend to his.
| believed in the ability, intelligence
and high purpose of this corps OF
| teachers. The people inturn acknowl-
| edged these facts. and by this earnest
cooperation have shown US that they
| believe in us and in our efforts. have
always believed in leading and not
| driving. Two years ago / requested
n. "A
| so, and in less than six months the at
| tendance in the schools increased near
! ~ one, fourth. In the two years there
| have been no permanent suspensions
| and but few cases OF corporal punish
ment. No schools of 1000 pupils in this
ter record. 1t will be a misfortune IL
| public sentiment in Butte will ever
/ again allow these schools to be disor-
| ganized and turned backward
mo one act did more for Butte and
her schools than when we killed the
| secret service idea and destroyed the
key-hole detective. You will remember
/ that we began work with the intention
| of helping each other. You were to be
| helpers and not critics, teachers and
not fault-finders. came to the Butte
| schools believing that the people want
| ed business schools, and that IL is the
| teachers duty to lead the pupils to
/ work and to know that everything
worth having costs something. 1 am
| proud to say that you carried out this
idea, and, without the aid of band
/ wagons and circus, taught school every
| day in the year.
THE modern teacher is not employed
i to teach reading, writing and other
branches OF learning alone. but IL sue
| cessful she must teach neatness. clean
/ illness, gentle manners and good NOR
ais. This could not be done in the
| dirty school rooms to which you were
sent to teach. IL is encouraging to
know that in this there has been an
| Improvement. and that possibly the
powers that be will recognize In time
| that cleanliness is next unto Goodness
and that a good janitor is an import
ant factor in school work.
| You know that / have encouraged
| the adoption of some of the methods of
our fathers. We have taught the null
| DUPLICATION tables, spelling up and SPELL
ling down, and reading according to
the dictates OF our own judgment. not
withstanding the fact that our course
| is not orthodox, and that we are set
down as away behind the times. In
/ other words we have been teaching
/ school for results which have an edu-
cational value in solving the bread
and butter problem. The self-appoint-
! ed critic, the curbstone school master
and tho professional fault-finder may
not like this ordinary way OF doing
things. but the good sense of the COM
munity will like II and applaud you
for avoiding the popular experimental
| craze.
In conclusion let me refer briefly to
one of the characteristic features of the
past two years work. We believed in
the power of example and in respect
ing each others rights. avoiding all
forms Of deception and secrecy, and
| this taught the first great lessons of
good citizenship. Honesty of purpose
In this corps of teachers set TO work a
| movement which will eventually give
Butte a public sentiment strong enough
to demand harmony OF effort among
teacher and pupil and give the city a
magnificent system of schools
County Superintendent Davies was
also present and explained to the
teachers the operations OF the new
school law under which present first
grade certificates are made third