The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-10-26

| perlntenQent VINO STANDS hlgh IN hi!
profession. He selects for his principal.
the best talent he can find in the coun
try, without regard to the expense, anC
after this home talent is passed by il
something can be found in other places
which is supposed to ba better, which
often involves higher salaries than 9TH
ers at home are willing to serve for. II
would seem that by this time, with this
high grade of talent, supervisors could
be dispensed with without serious loss
No doubt they are quite convenient and
lessen the laborS of the superintendent
and principals, but a similar want may
be found in many banking and manu-
featuring establishments, where an ex-
ira man may be felt as almost a neces-
sity, but is dispensed with for economy.
| Now, | am not opposed to giving, at
public expense a suitable education to
every child, and many years ago labor
ed in the city, where | then lived, for
free schools, when it was quite unpopu-
lar to be on that side Of the question.
Now, as the domain of science is in
finite, and there is no such thing as a
complete education, so far as acquiring
all knowledge is concerned, how far the
taxpayer is in duty bound to go should
receive serious consideration. 7 assume
that this may be variable, depending
somewhat on the ability of the COM
munity to contribute in this line and do
justice to other necessary objects
protest against the narrow view taken
by some that education is the only
thing to be considered. Police and fire
departments are an absolute necessity,
one for protection from fires and the
other to protect our persons and prop
erty. Interest on debt must be paid,
and the poor cared for Money must
be had for the care of streets, parks and
things in this line. 1t does not follow
that We must copy from other cities in
all matters of education, or any others.
We may have greater burdens outside
of educational matters than some other
places. We do certainly have in some
lines, as, for instance, our peculiar loca
tion involving such large outlays for
bridges, with the upper milestone of the
general government to add to these bur-
dens, Some may say that all this is
mot relevant to the question before us,
but in conclusion l shall endeavor to
show its relevancy.
1t has been said, that in the conduct
of this matter, the committee is I'M
der oath, which l think is correct ]
am sure in Weighing the evidence, 1t
has not been all on the side of the SUI
perintendent and board of education
There has certainly been some valuable
expert testimony on the other side,
notably Rector Fox He has been call
nd ;,,+1 ,+al I;,I~1a
be biased In his Judgment, but if So
does not that apply to the other side?
Now it seems to me, that this commit
tee can come to only one Of three con-
illusions. l.. That supervisors are an
absolute necessity for the conduct of
our schools, and ought to be retained.
2. That they are an unnecessary ex-
pense, and perhaps in some cases detri-
mental to the interests involved, and
should be dispensed with; or 3. That
there may be some advantage derived
from them in the way of relieving the
and principals, and in
cidentally producing greater unity in
this work, but all things considered,
with the pressing needs in other lines,
the advantages derived from this out
lay, Qf any, are not such as to call |
for an expenditure of this ar7ount. But
we are told, that there is great neces-
sity for this outlay. What an elastic
term this word necessary Is How 1t |
will figure before the board of finance |
as they consider the appropriations for
next year. Each department, with its
expert testimony, calling in the aggre-
gate, for from half milton to a mill
lion Of dollars more than it is possible
to grant, without burdens that would
be intolerable. 1t is as much the duty
as other branches of the city govern
nent, and some of us who are la boring
'or less burdens in the way of public
AKA ton, are sneered at, as making a
great fuss over a few thousand dollars
here and there, yet the aggregate of
hese amounts in different lines make
l large sum- IT Is a serious question,
whether a portion of the money APP
oroprated to schools should be given
o the public library, as a much greater
benefit to the masses of the people In
'iew of the fact, that at the present,
20 much that is of absolute necessity
S pressing upon us, as, for instance, new
for grammar schools, / trust
hat this committee Will be able to re-
BORT, and be sustained by the bodies
rom whence you come, that this outlay
# supervisors for our public schools
ven If in some respects desirable can
,e dispensed with, without serious in
ury to the interests involved