Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-31
KANSAS AND MISSOURI CONVENTIONS
BOTH ENDED.
OFFICERS FOR NEXT YEAR.
STATES WENT THROUGH AS THEY
WERE PRINTED YESTERDAY.
superintendent Stryker Precipitates
Lively Wrangle at Topeka and
Ii WOrsted-NO Fight Over
the New Kansas Text
book Law.

Kansas state TeacherS Association conf
pleted its labors to-day and adjourned.
At the session of the general convention.
three subjects were discussed. as follows:
Saving of Time" "Why Are Boys not in
the High SCHOOL," and 1.-THE Necessity of
Art in the High School," Each subject was
thoroughly discussed. At II o'clock the
association elected officers for the year.
They were the same as was printed in to-
days Journal. An executive committee
was selected. as follows: l.. l.. l.. Hanks.
Kansas City, Kas.; 1. L. Dayhoff, Hutchin-
son, and B. B. Bone, Howard.
Norton county's delegation captured this
prize for having the largest number Of
teachers in attendance travelling the long
est distance. Riley county won the banner
for having more teachers as members OF
the state association than any other county,
In proportion to the number of teachers
employed.
The following resolutions were adopted:
Resolved, That we favor the follow
ing changes in the school laws OF our
state: ~ A uniform school tax law. (9
A law authorizing the consolidation OF
weak school districts. 90 A more efficient
county high school law. a. law author
izing the adoption of uniform course Of
study for rural schools. and empowering
the state and county superintendent to
enforce its use in these schools.
Resolved, That the president of this
association be empowered to appoint
committee of three persons whose duty
1t shall be to formulate bills covering the
above points of school law and present the
same for discussion and approval at the
next meeting of this association.
Whereas. 1t is proposed to hold in
Omaha during the progress of the Trans
Mississippi and International exposition,
which continues from June to November
/, 1898, gathering Of the teachers west Of
the Mississippi: and.
Whereas, This educational meeting. II
held, will enable thousands of those en-
gagged in school work in this region an op-
portunity to benefit by the inspiration of
such great meeting at the same time
that they attend the exposition; therefore,
be it
Resolved. That we. the teachers of the
state of Kansas, assembled In our annual
state association, do hereby express our
approval of the plan to hold such meet
ing in Omaha during the time mentioned
above, providing such meeting is arranged
upon dates which will not conflict or inter-
fere with the meeting of the National Ed
ucational Association, to be held In WASH
ington. d. c., July to II. 1888; and we
pledge ourselves to cooperate In any way
practicable for advancing the enterprise
and the organization and success OF the
meeting as described above"
The expected fight over the new textbook
law did not materialize. The advice of
conservative teachers was followed. Had
it come up, as was anticipated. the asso-
citation would have been badly divided.
In the afternoon the teachers divided
again into departments. The only depart
ment which furnished any news of i'm
pcrtance was that of county superintend-
ents. They had a row and for awhile
1t was very warm. The trouble occurred
when the reading circle work came up
for discussion. State Superintendent Stry-
ker wanted a change in the manner Of
operating the reading circle. The circle
has always been managed by an executive
committee, composed of a county superin-
tendent from each congressional district.
Stryker claimed that the committee had
not worked for the best interests Of the
circle. He intimated that the members
had sold themselves to the trust. and that
as a consequence the books which they
required the teachers to buy were rated
too high. He thought If the work of
managing the circle were left to the state
board of education, Of which he is chair
man, that everything would be conducted
in an upright manner.
J. w. Stout, of Topeka, one Of the men,
bers of the reading circle committee, in
dignantly resented Stryker's insinuations.
and made fiery speech which was highly
entertaining to all present but Stryker. AS
he denounced the superintendent's remarks
he walked up toward Stryker with his eyes
blazing with fire and pointed his finger at
him. 1t looked for moment as if there
would he a wrangle on the Fitzsimmons
style, but Professor Stout cooled down after
Stryker said he was afraid he had been
misunderstood. Other members of the COM
mittee also took a shot at Stryker, and
for several minutes there was an inter-
esting time. Stryker's motion to place the
circle in the hands of the state board was
voted down by a big majority. This ended
the incident.
The superintendent. before adjourning,
adopted a resolution commenting Superin-
tendent Stryker in his efforts to secure
law providing for township schools. and
urged more rigid observance of grades in
district schools. The county superintendent
next annual meeting will be held at lola,
but the date has not yet been fixed.
The teachers tonight listened to lect-
ure on 1.-THE Public School System as an
Instrumentality of Social Advance" by Dr.
E. Benjamin Andrews, of Brown university,
Rhode Island.
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