Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-05-18
ACCORDING TO AMENT.
A Few OF the Brighter and More Striking
Sayings In His valedictory.

81 fully realize how hopSlessly fu-
tile would be the effort on
my part. a stranger. single
handed and alone. to attempt to turn
the tide of popular sentiment, ere
ated by 60 self-interested women and
an Inscriptions newspaper.
'.In the main shall leave my pro-
fessional reputation to take care Of
itself. and ask only for my right to
be considered n human-not q mon
ster.
II might say that during the past
year my relation to the Rock Island
schools has been little more than that
of q spectator.
when the examination of the
Carroll teachers came of, the board
was Mortified to find that they had
teachers employed in their schools
who could neither read, write nor
speak the English language correct
Iva thing that beg to say is true
Of your own schools today. And no
matter how vehement their denial,
my well-known views on this matter
have had more to do with the teach
ers' efforts to throw me out of nv
office than any other one thing. 4
"School boards from other cities
began to seek my services and the
Carroll board in January made a s.
year contract with me at an increased
salary.
81 do not carry recommendations
from laymen; my credentials are
from men highest in the educational
work of this country.
MIR. Kemble and l had carried on
occasional correspondence for several
years with = view to my becoming
his successor.
"Are we in Spain or America Is
this Salem or Rock Island? \ n
ITO give all my plans for building
up and improving the schools of this
city would require many issues of
this paper.
The board of education know my
plans, my views, and know me bet
ter than do the teachers, aud thew
declare because Of their general in
terest in the schools. that the welfare
of the same would be promoted by
retaining me in my Office.
Il am sincerely, and 1 believe
justly proud OF the support accorded
me by the brave members who con-
stitute the majority of this body. No
other superintendent in America,
certainly not in illinois, has ever had
Drawer little group of supporters at
his sack-brave because they have
stood alone.
There has never been any open
outbreak between me and even the
most uncultured of the corps. or the
leaders of the insubordination. y n
sour present trouble is due largely
to the fact that we have suffered
from the rule of a president who
neither recognized the dignity and
responsibility of the position, nor
understood his own mind. =
Had we not had in our corps
such people as Miss kirkpatrick and
Mr.. Halsey, self-constituted leaders,
this trouble leaving out of account
Mr.. Robbins and TaE ARGUS. would
never have been known.
IF should do exactly what be-
lieve to DO right and for the best for
the schools, l should not resign.
\
Il will reproduce my little intro.
ductory speech here. which thought
at the time was pretty nice.
'.In a week or so after this we held
our first principals meeting. Myself
and all the principals except Mr..
Halsey were there. and no one else
was there.
81 would not cast reflection upon
an honest mans illiteracy. but pre-
sumption and pretense are another
thing.
IF any Of the principals have been
derelict in the matter, it should not
be charged to me.
1T may be right to have a high
protective tariff on teachers, that is,
give the home teacher the preference
when she is the best to be had for
the salary paid, bat to erect a Chi
nese wall around a school system
and give each teacher a mortgage on
her position, nonors the heart of a
people more than their head. Such
plan never fails to produce wooden
methods of teaching.