The age-herald., 1898-03-13

forty. I learned to read and write by myself, and I am going to start my child ren just like I started. What was good enough for me is good enough for them Here was a man, who, apparently intelli- gent to a certain extent, had no thought for the future of his children, save to leave them few acres of land and no edu- cation. He had no desire to improve ms family so that generation after generation would continually improve, and some day in the future, a family would stand as an honor to his name. Instead of that he preferred to stand still and die an ignor- ramus and have his offspring do likewise. The narrowmindedness on the part of the inhabitants of the rural districts is caus- ing the coming generation to be colossal monument of ignorance to the aslnty of their parents.
 But, to return to the subject of the mar rative The assistant to the principal of the Brandytown academy Is and must be populist, inasmuch as the principal is democrat, for each party demands share and share alike of the state appropriation, and in the control of educational as well as all other affairs pertaining to the welfare of the people. Politics was stronger to them than any other cause under the heavens.
 When I had been in Brandytown a few days, from what I could gather in the way of information it seemed that cli- max about to be reached in the school question. The assistant to the principal is dn eA-cOunIy SupeTlnIeHueHL Ol tuucdtlOh in the county in which these events took place, and is pre-eminently unfit for any duty pertaining to the education of chil- dren, for he stands prominently as an ig- norant man to those who can discern be- tween ignorance and knowledge. But he is a shrewd politician, and controls affairs in a way in the populistic ranks in his dis trict, and, consequently, imposes himself upon the people, protesting to be fit to educate boys and girls to become useful citizens, for a man or a woman without an education is of no permanent benefit to the upbuilding of a community. On more than one occasion he made himself the object of ridicule to those in Brandytown who were capable of seeing affairs as they really were, and a few of this kind of peo- pie lived there; and especially did he make a beautiful picture of himself when on a certain occasion the traditional "bad boy'' in school created some disorder. The as- sistant principal arose from his seat, brandishing a stout hickory stick and ad- monished the mischievous youngster to lease down there, you'uns" in tones of thunder.
 This is very elegant language for the 1, assistant principal of Brandytown academy to use but it is only one of the many in- stances showing the practical incapacity of teachers who are put In their positions without regard to their capability and fit- ness or to the educational needs of a com-
 
 tion.
 The principal of the school desired very much, and justly so, to rid himself and the school of this self-possessed teacher and when he made known his desires in the matter he met with the usual antagonism of the other faction though I do not believe he would have cared whom they placed there as his assistant if they would only supply him with intelligent assistance. The town of Brandytown owned the school building, which made the school semi-public, and the building bore the usual debt upon it; the holder of the mort- gage being constituent of the assistant principal. About the time that the prin- cipal expressed a desire to have new assistant appointed, the mortgagee sud- denly recOllected that there was a large amount of interest on the mortgage due and unpaid, and also a portion of the principal. es
 When he saw that an effort was being made to displace the representative of his party, the populist party, he gave notice that unless the interest, and that portion of the principal which was due, was paid by a certain time-an unreasonaby short time he would foreclose- the mortgage, take possession of the property, and close the school He was willing to sacrifice the interests of the entire community by clos ing the school at the most inopportune time of the year in order to accomplish political purpose. A purpose which was absolutely without virtue. He would ef- feet substantial loss upon the community before he would yield his small politics. A meeting was held by the board of trustees for the purpose of ascertaining exactly how much money was due upon the mortgage, and to arrive at some under standing about meeting the obligation if it could be done.
 I attended the meeting of the board of