The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-03-02
a PLAIN LETTER.
Parent" Writes on the Relation of
Teacher and Director to Pupil.


Astoria. March lT-4EditOr Astoion)
When | read in your last Sundays
edition that Prof Campbell. or the state
Normal School. world address he con-
gregRtion at the Methodist church.
thought. We'll. this Is novelty
layman IN a pulpit" 50 | went TO hear
what the professor had 20 say. The
church was we'll filed the music good.
and the address timely wished
heartily that tho church had been three
times as large and crowded with the
fathers OF our city Why are the men
of this city ~ afraid OF the church?
They shun the streets the churches are
on of Sunday. Prof. Campbell Is hot
IA preacher they wopld no; have heard
a sermon. Instead he Is one or the fore
most educators Of our state. and his
remarks regarding teachers and their
qualifications FOR their vocation. school
directors and their fitness FOR their
position. ought to have been heard ty
every parent and every voter In this
city There is an old familiar saying.
NO use crying over spilled milk" but
is there not some use in trying 10 carry
the receptacle for the milk so no more
shall be spilled? Would Il not be well
to clean away evidences OF the former
mlshap? As a whole. we as a city
have good corps of teachers but there
are weak members who fail wofully
behind the standard we ought 10 insist
upon maintaining. II, as Prof. Camp
bell said. the mind. character and in
fluence II teacher is more than half
as factor in the education OF our
children. would 1t not he well to do
a little wedding out and transplanting
before another year of school work be-
gins? II we desire our daughters to
develop into modest. refined. pure-mlnd-
ed women and boys. your son as well
as mine into manly honest, noble-heart-
ed men. then a sham presentment Of
lmodeSty and refinement honesty and
nobility OF character. ought not 10 pose
daily before them as a model from
which they are TO mold their own char
acters. IL a girl or hoy-your girl or
! boy--See in their teacher constant evil
esty and purity in life as is shown in
Ipenclled eyebrows, stained eyelashes
and painted cheeks, with other weak
neSses Of like nature, and realizes that
such a character is thought so we'll of
as to be selected by a board of directors
/ for them TO copy, what character can
parents expect in their children? Just
as near like the model as tney dare to
so, Who is responsible for sucn teach
lerS? First, the fathers of these chill
dren. for by their votes they elected
mon as school directors totally untitled
by birth and education to select, with
any degree of Judgment, proper in
structors for their children. Second. tie
directors who have allowed themselves
TO be influenced by any motive. polit-
ioal or otherwise, to vote FOR any one
as teacher who was not fitted in
every respect as an educator for the
youth of our city. AS to the personality
of our present board. The public knows
without my telling them that some of
them are fitted for their position, while
some could not, il their lives depended
on 1t. write and spell correctly even a
brief letter. While we all believe heart
lily in using home talent as rar as prac-
tioable, do we believe in SO doing TO
the detriment of the best interests of
our public schools? If this article Is too
plain 10 suit some readers. no one can
say that the statements in 1t are un-
true. PARENT.