Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-06-09
THE REASONS WHY.

THE REASONS WHY.
DIRECTOR PRIDHAM MAKES A
STATEMENT.
He Says Prof Halves was Dictatorial and Over.
bearins-That he Showed Favortesm-
That to Retain Good and Serviceable Teach.
ers He Had to Go.
ED. STANDARDS:
As a member Of the school board,
feel it duty to this community as
we'll as 10 the board and myself, to
make statement as to Prof. Halves
and his connection with the public
schools. have now been a member
of this board for two years and have
devoted great deal OF time to the
public in that particular and am
very glad to have done so and the
board has from time to time, had
much complaint and trouble with the
conduct of the Superintendent, but
we have endeavored to do nothing
that would in any manner, injure his
reputation or affect the schools. We
have been patient with his faults and
have overlooked many of them for the
reason that We know that any disturb
ance would inJure the schools, and we
have put up with much conduct on
his part, that would have caused us to
have teen censured by the public, had
it been known.
1t has been his habit, invariably, to
correct the teachers in the presence of
the students, and to do so in q very
disagreeable manner and he has con-
Quoted himself in such way towards
the teachers in the presence of the
children, that he has lessened their
respect for the teachers and left them
without power of discipline. | think
that generally speaking, the teachers
IN the various departments have been
excellent instructors and with good
powers OF discipline, and whateve r of
improvement we have noticed in the
schools. has been directly traceable,
not to the Superintendent, but to the
teachers in spite of him. The Board
of Education has visited the various
rooms of the school in company with
the Superintendent, and OH such &C.
caslons he has always conducted him.
self in such manner as to humiliate
the teachers. He would correct the
teacher in our presence and take the
class from them when there was no
excuse. He seemed always, in the
presence of the board, to be determined
to show his authority and the board
has many times reasoned with him and
tried to convince him it was wrong and
he would always promise to do better.
He has been in the habit of max
ing sport of the teachers in grading
the papers of the children, saying
to the children, that had he grad
ed them, he would have made it
100 per cent. instead of 80 per cent. or
whatever grade was given. He has
been in the habit of furnishing the
girls, but not the boy, so that the boys
became insolent to their teachers and
only the few who have been favored
have any respect for him, and would
say so if they were not afraid. He is a
man of no culture or dignity and the
children do not look up to him as they
should. 1t is true that at least one
girl. almost grown, has had her arm
pinched black and blue, and the moth
er compelled him to go to her home
apologize to her daughter. His con-
duct to the various teachers has been
such that they do not respect him. but
they have been afraid to complain ON
account of his position over them. Be.
fore he was elected q year ago he
promised to reform in all these mat
tiers. He has permitted his own boy
to be disrespectful to his teacher with
out correction and permitted him to
be insolent to the teachers and has
then marked him 100 per cent. in
department in the same month. He
has had his favorites to the very great
detriment of the schools. He in
formed one member OF the board some
time ago that if they retained q GER
tain teacher, they must look for new
Superintendent and because the board
believed that it was for the hest inter.
est OF the schools, they retained that
teacher, and secured a new Superin-
tendent.
am not stating these facts to in
lure Prof. Halves nor have any per.
sonal feeling in the matter, but solely
and only that the public may under
stand the spirit in which the board
acted and the reasons for not retain.
ing him for another year, and the
Board feels that in employing a new
Superintendent they have done the
best thing possible for the schools. l
could state very many more blunders
and mistakes he has made, but this
will be sufficient.
l simply have to say that if Prof.
Hawes were to continue as Superin.
tendent of, schools for another wear,
the Board probably would not have re-
tanned some of the teachers they have
retained Tor the reason that it would
not have been in the best interest of
the schools; not on account of their
inefficiency, but because of their
strained relations with him. It
would be necessary to select others in
lieu OF the excellent corps that we
have. CHAs. H. PRIDu.v
The Benson Logging & LAUNDERING
Company, at its Waterford camp in
Wahkiakum county, last week, put in
stick OF timber to be used as the
Japanese national flagpole. Its di.
mensions were IA feet long, % inches
in diameter at the butt, Is inche. at