Evening times-Republican., 1903-12-28

] you Always, even uilo tIlc eiio " e''s
world and from him you can have
help"
MIR. Barrett has included in his re-
port as q part of the concluding CHAP
ter of general comment some para
graphs that are suggestive of topie S
/ of coming interest in educational ar
| fairs Here are some of them:
The management of public school
affairs is entrusted to too many Of
fcers. .Fverybody's business is no.
1 hody's business applies with as muen
force TO school interests as to otheI
| interests. The expenditure OF pubic
funds is a matter which demands seri-.
lous consideration in every school CO.
! operation. Including all who have o
vote as members of boards of directors
4 in determining the amounts to be levied
tfor school purposes and the officers
iof the school districts. more than 3d.
| 900 different persons have voice ID
! the expenditure of school funds in the
| state This is SO to each director ara
| officer 1t is a strong conviction OF
many who are familiar with the edu-
citiona system that school affairs
could be conducted with greater eff
/ ficiency with q fewer number of dis
! tlicts In conducting school affairs :
should not be a question of numbers.
| bat rather question of wisdom All
! a knowledge of loM b, ct to conduct
educational interes.s. In some parts
loe tre United State, all CT the eGusa :
tional Interests of "n,'rr rnua'tss are
managed by a single board of educa :
| ton. Reports say that they are sue
i icessfully managed The uniting of ru-
I raj independent districts into school
/ townships has been favored by all u
my predecessors and is again urged.
Before legislative bodies the country
| school has no lobbyist. l do not say ii
lis. but 1t should not be considered Of
/ secondary consequence by legislative
ensembles Fifty-s six and four-tenths
per cent of the people of the state
of Iowa live In the country. They may
not be so insistent to obtain that which
is justly theirs as others are, but ii
| will be unquestioned that their rights
should always be preserved and .heil
Interests protected II was Il great
/ day in the history of Iowa when /. was
declared that the state should have
free public school system. 1t Will
be. a greater one when in the course
of time it is ordered lhat all children
shall have equal school privileges that
the child in the remotest district the
! child of the humblest poor. in the back (.
woods and on the prairie. shall have
educational advantages uneXcelled in
i the best school in the largest and best
! city in the land.
1T would be impossible for me to
| pay too high a tribute to the county
! j.
tim of communication between this de-
partment and the school officers of
the state. No class of workers in the
public service perform their duties
more faithfully and more conscien-
| tiously. 70 try and supervise from,
200 to 800 schools, scattered on the
tayerage over an area of nearly $50
| square miles, in manner satisfactory
to the people or to themselves is an
| inpossibility. To familiarize them
selves with the existing educational
conditions in each Individual district,
to learn the strength and weakness
lof each teacher. and the needs of pu-
! pills in the county, is a task imposed
upon no other class of public employees.
With full knowledge of the fact that
before this important information can
be gained and carefully devised plans
can be fully carried out the statutory
| term will have expired or the exigen-
cies of politics will have caused their
removal these officers enter upon their
work with enthusiasm and zeal not
equalled in any other department OF
public service. There are among them
but few late comers and early go
ers.'
we sometimes seem to speak slight
inE,ly of the young and inexperienced
teacher. Do we forget that we, too.
We're once young and inexperienced ,
can not believe memory is SO short.
desire to improve existing conditions
in the profession sometimes leads 10
utterance of strong statements. The
young teacher may lack wisdom, bu.
she possesses the purity, strength, cour-
age and aspirations of youth, and for
her we have the greatest admiration.
There is need of more men in the
profession of teaching They should
be employed in larger numbers in the
advanced grades and in the high school.
BY men is not meant mannish women,
but masculine men who have reached
the ripe age of discretion and who
nave deiuieiou " eASSiiSil SCiolal
ship had training in the college OF
Investigation and the university of ex-
perience.
For my successor Hon. John r.
Riggs l ask from the people, county
sup rerintendents, teachers and boards
of directors the same earnest cooper
alton given me, and cordially extend
to MIN my best wishes for an admin
istration unexcelled in good works.
NEW BANK FOR MlNGo.