Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-05
WashingtOn's Public Schools.

THE usual summer series of volcanic dis
turkances has taken place thruout the
public school system of the country, and the
annual incurSion of barbarian tribes into
the territory of education has been made.
Superintendent Powell of Washington has
been displaced by the reactonarieS, OBJ
scurantists and wire-pullers who infest the
capital The attack upon Mr.. Powell
was successful, in our judgment, because
1t was a carefully planned conspiracy. car
ried in community where there was no
public opinion to stop II, and no intelligent,
broad-minded newspaper press to expose II.
Washington has no public opinion. The
white population is made up chiefly of three
elements-the wel-to-do winter residents,
who do next to nothing for the intellectual
life of the city, the changing official set and
the great body of government clerks, who
are very obviously under restrictions as to
public expression of any kind. Despite the
lack of any large element from which eff
fective public opinion could emanate, the
newspapers of Washington might have
stopped the blow at the schools had they
been Independent or intelligent. But both
the Post and The Star were either privy to
the conspiracy from the first or else they
aided it out of sheer ignorance and inca
pacity. Meanwhile. the new super
intendent Mr.. Alexander T. Stuart is in
very delicate and difficult position If he
assists in undOng Mr.. Powells excellent
work, or if he looks on and permits 1t to be
undone he will find himself without pro-
fessional reputation or the respect of his
ellow-superintendents: If he does not assist
]
of the schools will turn him out Of the SUI
perlntendency. Unless President Bell of the
new school board asserts himself in the
most vigorous manner and refuses to per-
nit himself TO be used the dupe of the
wire-pullers the Washington children will
be made 10 suffer for the folly and stupidity
of a clique."-The Educational Review.
Nicholas Murray Butler, the editor of
the Educational Review, and the professor
of philosophy and education in Columbia
University, New York, has evidently con-
WINGED himself that all educational wisdom
is concentrated under his hat and will die
with him; that within his little circle Is
educational civilization. while everywhere
outside of 1t rage the barbarian obscuran-
fist tribes.
This colossal self-appreciation, while 1t
may exasperate some of the barbarians
aforesaid, who will resent it as ridiculous
sUperciiousness and asinine arrogance Is
an absolute essential of the professor-edi-
tors makeup: for. lacking 1t, he would
never have the effrOntery to vilify the peo-
pie and press OF Washington, Congress- the
Commissioners and the board of education
merely because with one accord they have
decided to strengthen and improve the
LEGAL educational system. and to that end
have secured more efficient superintend-
ent than his friend and associate in educa-
tional faddism, Mr.. Powell
Editor Butler, in his statements Of al
legged facts concerning the local situation.
Is making himself the mouthpiece of a lit
tie local clique of theory driven faddists,
who are using him to attack at a safe dis
tance from home those who have interfered
to prevent them from running the practical
efficiency Of the Washington public schools
He is voicing the malicious and malignant
outgivings of wrathful disappointment
II seems that other cities than Washing
ton have become dissatisfied with their
superintendent. and Prof. Butler consti-
tutes himself the latter's champion, and the
Educational Review their official organ
against the unappreciative barbarian tribes
who infest these American communities
whose children are taught in and whose
tax-money sustains the public schools He
distributes denunciations. rebukes and
warnings from Cleveland to Washington.
One would imagine that there existed a
school superintendents' trust, controlling