Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1895-04-19


quired for certificate of any grade
and since the State Board of Educa
| ton prepare all questions, and the
the President of the State Uni
| versity. instead of the Sur
veyor- General, is now member of
that Board, the standard of efficiency
required of applicants for certigcates
will be greatly increased. The argu.
ment has been advanced by some that
the law will be repealed, but it never
will be repealed, and never should be,
for the following reasons: The
standard of qualification of the teach
ers of Nevada has been entirely too
low, and the patrons of the schools
have complained, and, in many in.
stances Justly so, of the quality of in
struction given their children. There
are teachers teaching in the schools
OF this county who have taught year
after year on second grade certifi
cate. renewed from time to time, is
sued when the local board of examin-
ers prepared the question and did not
include even simple interest. Just
think of it! Certificates granted to
| applicants who were not even requir-
ed to be able to compound the inter
est on one hundred dollars for six
months and 10 days at nine per cent!
The teachers are not to be censured
for this but the people who make such
conditions possible.
| The same law referred to above pro.
vides that no second grade certificate
shall be renewed after the year 1897
This is only requiring of the teachers
of this state what has long been ex-
acted Of the teachers in other states,
and even now the number of subjects
as well as the proficiency in those sub
jects is far below the average. There
Is no alternative. We must either
provide better educational facilities
for our boys and girls or they mnst
stand back and let others from more
favored localities take the positions of
our home teachers and also the money
paid for teachers services.
Speaking still further ON this sub
Ject as business proposition, among
the nine hundred and sixty-two chill
dreu between the age Of six and eigh-
teen, residing in the county, there
are many whose parents are DESTROYS
of giving their children better edu
cation than our common schools af-
ford, and are abundantly able to do so
These parents rightly hesitate to com
NIT the care Of their children to
strangers, and 80 they take them to
places where an education is possible
and the result is a loss in popula
ton.
In such a crisis as the one now be.
fore us, petty jealousies between diff.
ferent localities is not a sufficient ex
cuse for an adverse vote. A city like
Reno or Salt Lake situated anywhere
near would greatly enhance the value
of all kinds of property all over the
country, When people seek homes
they choose them wherever the best
advantages may be had, and among
the first advantages sought for are
, good schools. Elko county contains
undeveloped resources more div1rsi
fed and far superior to any othel
county in the StGtc. Yet with all hel
natural advantages what progress has
she made or is she making? W.
boast of our low rate Of taxation, bu
! what is it doing for us, and what hal
it done III the past? In the absence
Of even a High School, how man,
families has it attracted to our count,
and how much has it enhanced tin
value of your workshops, your ran
, ches or the products Of either? lie
, the rusting tools of the blacksmitl
and the carpenter, the depreciatet
values Of our homes our farms ant
their products answer these ques
= tons.
L.