The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-28
Board of Education Still On the SUI
perintendency Question.
EXECUTIVE SESSIONS HELD
SUPT. f. A. COOPER OF THE DES
MONIES SCHOOLS HERE.
lie Is Not a Candidate, But Might
Accept the Office If rendered Him
Game on Special Invitation to
Meet With the Board-His High
Opinion of Salt Lake Schools.

The board of education. in committee
of the whole, held another executive
session again yesterday afternoon, go
ing over the credentials OF the twenty
odd applicants for the vacant city
school superintendency, which names,
out of a list of nearly ninety. were Fe-
ported back by the subcommittee on
teachers and school work. Aside from
a careful consideration of the mass of
endorsements, nothing of conclusive
nature was accomplished Another
meeting of the board members viii be
held this afternoon, and probably sew
eral more executive sessions will have
beer held before a selection is agreed
upon. In fact, it is quite improbable
that the new Superintendent will be
chosen before Trustee Simon Bamber-
ger returns from Mexico about the
middle Of April.
1t is the boards determination to Sc
lect the very ablest man available in
the whole country to fill the important
position, and only slow haste is being
made, in the hope that no mistake will
have occurred in selecting Dr.. Mills
paugh's successor.
THE NEW SUPERINTENDENT.
At this afternoons meeting Of the
board members, Professor Frank b.
Cooper, superintendent Of the Dies
AIoines, Ia, public schools, will appear
for consultation, on invitation Of Presi-
dent Nelden and some of his colleagues.
Professor Cooper is in no sense a can
didate for the Superintendent Of the
Salt Lake City school system, buc if the
office should be rendered him he might
conclude to accept it.
Ia the course of an interview with
representative OF The Herald ut The
.,,-r Il,.r,T-
Cooper stated that he was taking a
spri.-S vacation, visiting the schools in
the larger cities out west. and ac-
cepted an invitation to come on 10 salt
Lake TO meet with the board Of educa-
ton. He has filed no application for
the vacant suDerintendencY. and con-
templated making no change from his
present position, unless sufficient in
ducements were offered him. 9dr. Coop
er's relations with the Des Moines
schools are entirely congenlal, and he
would hesitate before SeVering his con-
nectioG with them.
In reply to questions. Profess Or
Cooper stated that in his district, COM
priSing the city Of Des MOineS west of
the river, there is population CT about
So, 600. Under his direction are a corps
of 13G teachers, including supervisors of
music, drawing and kindergarten, and
about 5000 pupils. The Des NJ )rles high
school is larger in proportion than Salt
Lakes. but not larger than ours Will
soon develop.
Des Moines was the second city in
th. United States to establish kinder
gaiten work in connection with the free
school system, and the people there are
SO welded to it that they would rather
forsake the high schoo, than the XII
cergaIren. Iowa's capital city maintains
in the schools a system or manual
training, and has accomplished success
ful work in that direction eser since
Professor Cooper became Superintend-
ent, nearly nine years ago. The man
ual training course covers u period of
Two years.
Prior to assuming the superintend-
ency Of the Des Moines schools. Mr.
Cooper was professor of pedagogy at
the state university of Iowa. Professor
Cooper is the head Of "a family, a gen.
tleman Of engaging personality and
agreeable though modest manners. He
is in the prime of life.
HIS OPINION OF OUR SCHOOLS.
Professor Cooper, under escort of act
ing Superintendent HOlton, yesterday
visited the Oquirrh, Webster and Ham
ilton schools. and today. he will visit
the high school and some others, prob
ably on the west side. With Salt Lake
City's public school system the visiting
superintendent confessed his agreeable
surprise and favorable Impressions
While on this subject Superintendent
Cooper said to the reporter: Judging
from your school buildings, which l
visited today, 1 have no hesitancy in
saying that no city in the country IS
better provided with school facilities,
from an architectural standpoint. The
rooms are we'll lighted ard eouipped
with modern ventilating apparatus and
other necessaries. Your schools COM
pare favorably with the best scnooI
systems in the country, and | have VS.
tied many. II appears remarkable that
Salt Lakes schools are in such a state
OF excellence, considering the short
time since they We're organized, as l
understand it.
There appears to be an excellent
spirit between teachers and pupils
both seem to be working with a hearty
good will This is the first essential to
success. Methods are secondary. Good
methods VIII quickly follow, naturally,
where there is a proper school Amos
Dhere. So lar as l could see, there are
no evidences Of strain.
The Salt Lake schools have a splen-
did reputation among the educators of
the country. The well-founded high
character Of your school system justi-
fies this reputation. Today l witnessed
some work done by pupils in the eighth
grade that have never seen surpassed.
1 can conceive that the new suDerin-
tend, whoever he may be, will have a
task to carry on the school work sue
cessfully and to improve it as he goes"
Before saying good night, Professor
Cooper seized the opportunity to pay
tribute to the high character and recog-
nized capabilities of DR.. j. F. Mills
paugh, under whose management the
Salt Lake schools achieved such great
success. and who resigned last Deceln-
Der to accept the presidency of the
Winona branch Of the Minnesota state
normal school.
Piles re EaSilr H,,rod