The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-27


| paid upon franchises although there is
mandatory law requiring it to be done
! Against that item on the assessors list
| for years has been written value I'M
| known" The main purpose of this suit
is to compel these corporations to make
the same statement to the assessor that
| they make to the stockholders, and leave
it to the assessor to determine, under the
| law, what the amount of tax shall be.
| one curious thing in connection with this
| is that rural assessments have not de.
| clined in Illinois during the past twenty
| hVe years, and yet, Notwithstanding
! there has been during that period an
enormous increase in wealth, the assess
ed valuation in 1898 was SITS, 474, $40, as
! against 81, 3n, S61, S42 in 1878, a decline of
| almost so per cent. The results of this
| suit therefore will be far reaching, and
| great interest is following it's progress in
the courts. The corporations hold that
the value of a franchise Is matter of
| sentiment" and the state cannot tax "a
| sentiment" The ladies are meeting with
much opposition. So long as it did not
| appear that there was to be a system
attic, determined and we'll conducted
hght there We're many who felt like thu
moring this whim'' of the ladies, and
gave seeming encouragement but now
| they are being vigorously told that their
| business is to teach school, and that the
| people are growing tired of having impor-
! tant duties neglected and the business
interests of the city assailed by city en-
ployes. The ladies express themselves az
willing to discontinue the work Whenever
real public sentiment expresses positive
dlSapproVaL 1t must be allowed that So
lar the ladies have made a good fight.
ana nave gained a decided advantage.
and they are seemingly undaunted The
SplFlleo manner in which they have car
rled on the fight has revived the Sunday
! schooi boys explanation of the creation
OF woman. He said that God created
Adam first and then caused him to fall
INTO deep, deep sleep; and then he took
his backbone away from him and made
| woman out of it.
But the federation is doing a great deal
J aside from prosecuting this suit Seri-
| ously, it Is to be hoped that this and all
| questions relating to salaries, tenure Of
! office, etc, may after a while be perma-
! nently settled by those properly charged
with that duty. The ladies', we have no
reason to believe, like this work and
greatly prefer to devote themselves to
the study Of their profession and to
teaching. If the reign of law, justice and
equity, however, cannot apply to them
without an active effort on their part to
secure it, who shall blame them for look
ing after their own interests in a proper
and reasonable way?
GREAT ARE THE CHICAGO SCHOOLS
We are told that the schools need no
Improvement by some at least in charge
Of them. 1 have spoken in forner
communication Of the work of the com
mittee of 100 who had undertaken the
redemption of the school system Ct Chi
caSo These benighted people fancy
something is wrong, but they received a
certain amount of enlightenment A few
days ago, which should put a SION to
further investigation on their part w.
L. Bodine, superintendent of com ulsory
education, in an address before the Chi
cage Collegiate Alumni association, re-
ferrlng to the condition of the public
schools very m6destly claimed: "In the
general excellence of It's public schools
Chicago leads. The world follows"
can but wonder if this modest gentleman
fully appreciated the debt of gratitude
that Chicago owes to the world for fol-
lowing. The world follows" how very
significant, and how we long for such
view of the procession as would enable
us TO plainly see and fully determine the
gracious carriage and humble spirit of
this mighty giant rising from-its con-
dition, and leading the world procession.
But this is not all Warming 10 his
subject, he says:
Chicago has the brightest boys and
girls of amy city on earth" Vel we
arc lhdihIul InaI ne did not inc ude
Mars and Venus, and after all it NAV VET
appear that there is something for The
children of Chicago to strive after LET
! no one hastily judge the Superintendent
| He assures US that he had made a care
| full and conservative estimate The
: only question that comes to my mind
is why he made an estimate He coUld
have quite as easily reached the resuIt
! without it.
THE
A careful reading of the course Of
study and a hasty visit to the schools
Will show that the schools here are like
those in st. Paul and elsewhere. In
the past there has be5n N some cites
an attempt upon the part OF some con
hected with the work to neglect iheir
ordinary duties and instead exn.oft the
| schools for the purpose of attracting at
! tehuon, with view ostensibIy of offer
| ing Inducements to those seeking q
! change Of residence to come and Iocate
| in their midst. 1t will be found trua
! however IN most cases, that when there
Is the strongest attempt at getting ma
! 1onal or international recognition there
IS the loudest, strongest clamor among
| the patrons of the system TIL fact Is
! Wen known to teachers that "the show
! schools are not the best in anv citv
! nor do those who place themselves before
the PUBIC as the opponents of the svs-
! ienl' as the representatives of the teach
ing force always do the hest work in their
! School rooms. 1t is impossible IN the
| very nature of any good thing or work
that it should trumpet forth the fact
that 1t is good. 1t is inherently incon-
slstent with the essential qualities of
goodness and of excellence that these
things should be self-proclaimed.a This
publication would alone injure, if net de-
stroy the goodness or excellence. Chica-
go has munificently provided for S pub
lie school system. 1t has MANY build
1ngs that are magnificent; it has a no.
bic army of teachers; it has at least
| some. Yes, a great deal of wise super
| vision and it is doing incaIculabIe good
to the rising generation. But the same
thing can be said of St. Paul AMI hun
| dreds of other cities and it is id.e and
lhept to resort to boasting when the~work
speaks for itself.
To the silent workers in the system the
real honor belongs-thOse who give their
| whole heart to the work and with an
| earnest affectonate tenderness, haIp the
! little ones, cheer the struggling ones and
advise and counsel the confident ones.
| Happy, indeed, are they who have such
teachers! Rarely, indeed does cmoty
| boastinS include these but the infftle nee
that they exert in the school reaches
farther than we think, and accompl' shes
| lie. "A. J. Smith.
sleeper Service to Kansas City Via
| ssTvhe NIiIyvnuI.oe,, Jina