The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-20

influences under which they work
are too strong for them. The fault. he
finds. is in the system, and he prescribes
the limitation of the activities of boards
to legislation, leaving to individuals the
execution. the selection of practical and
successful business men for board mem
bers. adequate and supported authority
to executive officers and the elimination
of favoritism in appointments to the
teaching staff
One must go deeper than the system to
get at the tap root of what there is of
evil in our city schools, and he will find
1t In the very human nature of men. If
boards are elected. the choice is left
with the voting majority, which. however
well intentioned. has neither the expert
ence nor judgment to select fit men. If
the appointing power is lodged with
mayor, himself the creation of political
methods. he will, unless a man of more
than ordinary strength of character and
breadth of view, make his selections
among those who will bring strength to
the organization. not of the schools, but
of his party. We have seen recently
mayor prostituting this power to the in
crease Of his personal party strength and
we saw merited punishment meted out to
him in his defeat for a denomination.
Again we find human nature in the board
playing mischief with the schools. Theo-
retically the board should select the fit
test man for superintendent, and then
throw upon him full responsibility and
give him adequate authority and back
ing. But If a board chance to get the
fittest man. 1t Is an accident far oftener
than a deliberate action of wise judg-
ment. for the simple reason that board
members rarely know what the qualifi-
cations of a good superintendent are;
nor, for that matter. do they know what
are the essential qualifications for prin-
cipal or teacher. And this is no dispar-
agement any more than it would be to
say that a committee of shoemakers
would be an incapable body to make a
selection of pictures for an art gallery.
And, on the other hand, when. by for
tunate accident, choice of a capable man
for superintendent is made, the board are
unable to appreciate their good fortune,
and either fail to sustain him or let him
become the victim Of the animosities
such a man will inevitably raise in weed
ing out the dead timber that gets placed
on the school staff
Not being competent judges of the
qualifications of persons for these places,
board members, one would suppose,
would, aware of their own lack of ability
among those whose training qualities
them to judge. Not that they should ac-
cept off-hand the recommendations of
school men, for these, too often, are
weakly given; but they should make
independent and personal Investigations
Usually they yield to motives having no
connection with the welfare Of the
schools, the persuasion of applicants
friendly relations, the requests of per-
sons of influence either in politics or
business, the pull of men influential in
their political party; sometimes, to: venal
influences. These are the real defects, the
sole source of whatever dangers threaten
city schools, and they are defects of our
common human nature, There Is but
one escape from Them Let board men,
bers admit their own .incompetency for
the management of school matters outside
of their business administration; let them
take. counsel of qualified and eminent ed
.ucators in the selection of a, superintend-
emit, and then stand by him against the
clamor Of the incompetents he weeds out
and their coterie of interested relatives
and friends. Then the system will work
out GOOD results.