Evening star., 1898-07-07

twelve. appointed for the purpose at the
convention in Denver, in 1895, consisting
of Henry Sabin, D. L. Kiehle, A. B. Poland,
C. C. Rounds, J. H. Phillips, B. A. Hins-
dale, S. T. Black, w. S. Sutton, L. E.
Wolfe, w. T. Harris, l.. B. Evans and c. K.
Skinner The report is a voluminous one,
comprising over two hundred printed pages
and goes into the subject in careful detail.
President Andrew S. Draper of the Univer-
sity of Illinois opened the discussion by
complimenting the committee highly upon
the conscientious and thorough manner IN
which it had done his work. In the course
of his remarks President Draper declared
that the teachers who confined their work
to the great cities were altogether at sea
On the subject of rural schools. He then
paid attention to that part of the report re-
iatlng TO rural school maintenance, which
recommended liberal provisions of funds
from the state treasury; a county tax, and
q town or township tax where such civil
systems exist. Prof. b. A. Hinsdale and
others discussed the feature of school
maintenance.
The Country School Supervision.
The section Of the report relating to
school supervision was then taken up, and
Super ltendent n. C. Dougherty of Peoria,
Ill, rmIy approved the recommendations
of the report regarding the character of
tact with the rural school teacher. If
rural schools ale poor lie was sure ii would
be found that the teachers were mis'ed
by the one who directed them. If there
IS to be Improvement in rural schools it
must come from some one person. and
consequently leader of should be
made the county superintendent of schools.
The committee said rightly when it declar-
ed such an official should be selected with
view to his being able to hold the re-
Spect of those he was to direct; his Schol-
arship should be above that of the ordi-
nary man; he should be man who is a
living example of Christian civilization. He
should carry with him spirit of sincerity
in his work, that people. teachers and
pupils may look to him with hearty re-
spect and with entire confidence in the
integrity of his purposes.
Good Pay for Good Men.
Professor Dougherty was followed by
SAFE Superintendent n. C. Schaeffer of
Harrisburg, Pa, who highly complimented
the entire report of the committee. He
said, however, that the report does not
claim to have said the final word on the
supervision of rural schools. So long as
there is growth and. progress in human
life will there be new phases of education
for superintendents to define and discuss.
on how superintendent may earn his sal
on hiw superintendent may earn his SAL
ary. A book agent who was asked what
question interests superintendents most
deeply, next to drawing their salary for the
current year, replied: The question of
drawing 1t next year. The new superin-
tendent invariably talks about the course
of study he is introducing but after he has
been al work on 1t half dozen years he is
very anxious to learn about vacancies else
where"
Must Do His Duty.
To retain his place the superintendent
must not only make people believe that he
is earning his salary, but he must actually
earn It. How is this possible when he gets
from two to five thousand a year, while
the teachers in the lower grades get only
as many hundred? Not by perpetual re-
vision of the course Of study, nor by Wig
orous policy of doing nothing while busily
engaged In visiting schools, nor by dis
pensfng that compound OF acid and alkali
called criticism, the chief ingredient of
which is fault finding. Least of all can he
earn his salary by perpetually preaching
the gospel of a new education. That may
impress the community with a sense of
great reforms to be achieved, requiring
time and permanent tenure of office If they
are to be successfully carried out. Occa-
sionauy radical change becomes necessary.
Generally the attempt at radical reform
robs the teachers of genuine joy in their
work makes them believe everything they
| have been doing to be fundamentally
wrong, and increases the crop of patients
! which physicians get from breakdowns due
| to worry and sleeplessness.
A Striking Example.
How does the manager of factory earn
| his salary? asked the speaker. If by su-
| perior skill, wise direction of the work, sci
| entific knowledge of how everything should
| be done, he prevents waste of effort and OF
| raw material If he arranges the machinery