The San Francisco call., 1897-09-20

HOPLY BARB
Webster
School Directors Reply to
the Superintendent's
Accusations.
THEY SAY CHARGES ARE FALSE.
Director Ragan Accuses His Ao-
cuser of Gross Ignorance of
School Affairs.
HIS Bad ADVICE WAS OFTEN Needed.
Much Incensed, They Reply That
Webster Himself Selected the
Textbooks.


! thrown down the gauntlet and the Board
of Education picks it up. The result is
that the school book question is likely to
be thoroughly ventilated, whether some
ambitious reformer tries 10 oust them or
whether they rem ain in office undisturbed.
In yesterdays CALL exclusively Super
intendent Webster made a lengthy state
ment on the school book question,
wherein he censured the Board OF Educa-
| ton for adopting tbs books that caused so
much discussion. incidentally he charged
the board with extravaganza, political job
| berry, nepotism and other sins.
| 1t so happens that some of the city's
dire ctors in matters educational are gia-
diators of long experience, and when they
felt tn cir brawny aims this morning they
! decided to measure their steel with the
| superintendent.
! DR.. D. +. Ragan was one OF the most
! outs poken mem bers seen. When he
| felt the sting of Matador Webster's darts
| he sprang into the ring like nervy
| Spanish animal, ready to gore the first
| thing in sight. He and the other dlrec-
tors. while expressing great re spect for
! the Superintendent's erudition, were
| frank enough TO say they did not believe
| he knew much about grammar and pri-
mary grades and their requirements.
DR.. Ragan gazed intently at his life di-
ploma as a teacher while he spoke, re-
| calling that it was earned by ten years
service as a teacher. The recollection of
| his pedagogic experiences gave him new
confidence, and he said:
This mans charges come in bad taste
| il view of the fact that our greatest sin
i has been in deferring to bis judgment as
| to the course of study, instead OF con-
| sulting other teachers and going more on
our own ideas. am surprised at th6 at
tltude of the Superintendent toward
mem bers of the School Board, with whom
he has apparently been working In per-
| feet harmony, the more SO because his
wishes have been consulted and his ludg-
ment deferred to in every matter concern
| ing the adoption of books.
II can only venture the suggestion that
| he is piqued because the board ventured
| to reconsider his proposed course of study,
or that he is no longer able 10 hide the
| fact that he is the emisSarv of an element
| known to be hostile 10 the present board.
| He knows the man whose agent 1t is gen.
orally believed he Is.
| ITO reply to his accusations more
| specifically, let me say that the selection
| OF the books was made on the advice of
such men as himself and State Superin-
| tendent Black, especially in the matter OF
mental arithmetic and word analysis.
| ''He says many teachers have been ap-
pointed in payment of personal and pollti-
!
| gardIng the employment of substitute
| teachers are the same as they have been
| for years. Last year there were thirty
| hired as appears by the record of the
secretary. 1t is also seen that the last
| board suspended the rules aud appointed
forty-eight, which mum Der came TO US as
| an inheritance. We cut this down to
| thirty-six the present number. There are
| a thousand employed in the department
and it seems to me that substitute list of
| about 2 per cent is all right, Tor some of
| the teachers are always unable to work.
"As to his charge of extravaganza in
| the labor field, it IS apparent that Mr..
Webster's knowledge OF the labor depart
! ment is Just as vague and limited as is his
| assistants knowledge of matters educa-
tionaI. Relative TO the appointment of
people i'll payment of political debts some
thing might be said regarding Mr.. Stones
| engagement as assistant.
1.-THE Superintendent puts his foot in it
| when he says the unassigned teachers
| ought to do the work of the substitutes.
There are only six unassigned teachers.
| Two are Ill, two away on leaves, and two
are so incompetent that the board will
| probably move for their dismissal. The
charge that the unassigned cost money
savors of viciousness, for they do not
| ordw pay.
what the Superintendent says about
the EN- ployment Of useless teachers in the
evening schools shows his ignorance of
the affairs of the department There are
| 100 more pupils in these schools than
there were i'll August last year. He him.
| self consented to the employment of
| twenty-five in graded classes and fifteen
! in the ungraded or mixed divisions. He
| also concurred that more attention ought
| 10 be paid to this line OF work. This
| change of the sytem, in connection with
| the opening of district evening sc ools,
Or aotically com PEELED the employ ment of
| m auy extra teachers, as the most casual
study of the subject will show. The
| Superintendent ought to know that the
| increase alone would really require about
forty -eignt teachers, but we have cut 1t
| down below that.
| "The charge of nepotism is very trifing.
| | have sister in the department.. am
| glad of it and / know of no reason why
| she is not entitled to be there. he says
some old employees are chagrined be ecause
| others have gone ahead OF them. 90
not know of any old emplove with en-
| phasis on the old) who is chagrined, uu-
| less it be one OF Webster's superannuated
| iavorites. man,whom the Superintendent
! has been trying to have the board pro-
/ mote on account OF his great knowledge
| of the law OF gravitation. q gentleman
who, so the wise ones say, is the real
| author OF the present course OF study.
| This old favorite baunts the Superin-
! tendent's sanctum like perturbed spirit
| doomed to eternal disappoin iment,
picture of infinite suffering and woe.
| 1--WE have never violated our own laws,
except when we have suspended the rules
| in the regular and authorized way. The
| Superintendent put Dote's Am erican Citi-
zen, Pacific History Stories, Wards Busi-
less Forms and other books on the list
| without consulting US in any manner
/ whatever.
Il never said that the Superintendent
had confessed that he made the list, but
Darlington and Carew tolu me he was
going to write defense of himself and
| the board"
Director Drucker was much iEcensed