The San Francisco call., 1897-08-16
PARENTS ARE
NOT PLEASED
Methods of the Solid Nine
Which Are Un-
popular.
Favored Candidates Said to Be
Lifted In Over the
Rules.
Director Head Tells Something OF
How Things Are Managed on
the Inside.

The Solid Nine of the School Depart
ment is not pleased with the spirit In
which the parents of schoolchildren ano
the citizens generally have viewed tnelr
actions of late, and because they are not
pleased the ringsters are squirmlng In
manner that is not pleasant to look upon.
AS time passed they promised each otner
the objection to the augmented course OF
study would die away. and in this belieI
they tried to be happy. But time has
passed. and the mem bers of the majority
find it disagreeable to walk abroad. to ride
on streetcars, to visit friends or to snow
themselves much anywhere. People
will say such unpleasant things about the
alleged textbook job.
With a noble show of repentance they
have instructed principals that the stu
dents need not purchase some of the more
obnoxious books as ii would be sufficient II
the teac..ers procured them. The lnstruc-
tions were useless, save as a pleasing evil
dence of a change of heart, for most OF
the pupils hau already obtained the
books.
There are people unkind enough to ques-
ton the methods by which some or the
recent appointments were made, and there
are Others who have ceased questioning TO
conde mn.
BY a sklllful manipulation tae EIe-
mentary Education Com m ittee, of which
ID rector Dtrham is chairman, has been
shorn OF most of its power. The actual
work OF selecting teachers is done in
executive session and only a few of the
schemes which are said to be discussed in
the recesses of the commit;ee-rooms leak
into the other chamber, where sit the mi.
nority, about as us eful as wooden Indians.
Snce January the Solid Nine has
placrd about forty teachers in the depart
mrnt. OF these some are admitted to pe
good, others are considered doubtful. and
there are still others. Ali are admitted to
have proper pulls, and the fact that many
are i'm portatiuns has aroused considers Bile
unemployed teachers of this City.
One of the imported teachers is Miss
Ryan, a sister-in-l law of Harbor Com m s.
sioner Rarney OF this City, and a Sis .er of
Frank Ryan, A SCISSOR of Sacramento.
Mis- Ryan has been empoyed until this
year in the School Department Of Sacra-
mento. She is SAID to be an efficient
teac er, and perhaps that is the reason
why the board saw tit to overlook the rule
which says that teachers must serve as
substitutes for one year be fore being
placed on the regular list. Miss Ryan
was el.c ed upon the substitute list and
the same night WAS .lgned as teacher
in the M ssion High School.
z! ofes ,or Husky, late of st. Helena,
was one of the maJority's favored ones.
Professor Husky was slated for vice.
primo palship and according to Director
Head, who has the bad luck to be on the
outside. he was placed as ce-principal
of the Hearst Grammar School, while
Captain A. ]. Itsoll was placed upon the
unassigned list. Itsell draws $100 month
and has no hing to do.
Director Head cites the case of Levi
Bowman, late principal OF the schoo. at
Hunters Point, as evidence of the con-
trolling body's methods. Bowman was
accused, though not formally, of a very
serious offense. Tne matter was taken up
in committee of the whole and spe-
cial committee consisting o: Superintend-
ent Webster, E. l.. Head and Charles L.
Darlington was appointed to investigate
They found the charges groundless and
all agreed to a resolution generating
him.
When the Superintendent had drawn
up the resolution Head says Barrin g ton
refused to sign on the ground that it
would offend Director Waller. The solid
Nine refused to receive the report, and
with the accusations still hanging over his
head Bowman was relieved of his school
and placed on the unassigned list. A
friend OF the com bination was placed at
Hunters Point.
There are other reasons, scores of them,
why parents and other citizens are dissat-
istied and each day seems to bring more.