Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-05-14

l eAAo DShoOio lioll lutg COIlc
If he is familiar with conditions un,
der which they obtained their preyi.
Gus training he can prove more help
full to the pupils entering the High
school. The county superintendent
should be in touch with the work of
the town schools. By SO doing she
can encourage the rural school teach
ers and pupils by melting them to
their best efforts. The town schools
may. as a rule, be considered mod
els toward which to work.
What helps one will help the other.
since both lines of schools are. and
should be Independent. Poor rural
| schools will not enhance the excel
lence of the town schools. since the
general average of education will be
| affected. One poor rural school, from
Its effect on the individual it turns
| out, lowers the standard of the whole
county.
To conduct any one school. or sys-
TEN of schools, well. the person in
charge should know what others are
doing Before determining what is
good he must have an accurate sense
of perspective, that is, he should know
educational matters as a whole Judg-
ment is a matter of comparison. Com
pare this school with that, and both
with another. If you find that the
general average of the three is about
the same, conditions are as they
should be.
In this connection the logical differ
hnt oh fn ha hoe
ment of our schools, exist, are not
taken into consideration. Instead. it
is the general effect of these schools
as educational factors in their respec.
tive districts, to which your atten-
tion is called. In this age the indi-
viduality of the pupils is emphasized.
We dwell almost too persistently on
the differences existing between child
dren. rather than on their common
likeness.
1t is good thing to remember that
lasting progress has been made
through a recognition of the resemb-
lance of individuals rather than
through their differences. Great re-
forms have been made possible
through this 'kinship of mankind.
We're it not for this relationship ad-
vancement would be out of the ques-
ton. therefore, we must not neglect in
our school work to teach each pupil his
general duty as an individual, He is a
part of the great whole. fraction OF
the general scheme. but this is gener
ally overlooked in most school rooms.
If at the proper time a person rec.
ognizes his position as a world citi-
zen. he will play his individual part
the more sanely because of such rec
ognitiop,
1t has been a subject of much mo.
ment that the County Superintend-
ent's office is sinecure, in fact in
many Counties the public takes it as
a matter of course and looks upon
the position as a soft snap" SO far
as labor is concerned. Speaking
frankly, the people often have reasons
for such opinions. 1t is not however
with the County Superintendent who
is shirker that this article has to
do. The case to which your at
tention is directed is rather that of
the superintendent who works faith
fully for the good of the schools but
is able to accomplish little in the line
of real improvement. Such an official
may bring about certain reforms here
and there but considering the time
and energy expended achieves poor
results,
The reason is not hard to seek
there is no method in his madness"
His work is conducted without sys-
ten. He takes up certain reforms
in a happy go lucky style without
stopping to consider the effect of the
system on his County as whole.
Very often he takes no heed of local
conditions. On account of climatic
differences things that are helpful in
one community will not prove at all
satisfactory In another. To accom-
plish much in the line of educational
reform the would be reformer must
know the end he seeks, That is, he
must have one definite aim and work
towards it,
AS a school girl the writer rememr
bers that In studying Ancient History
the reign of each king and queen was
recalled through some event. Many
of the monarchs made no impression
whatever Consider the United States
Presidents. can you separate the man
and his action? Some OF these admin
istrations doubtless made no particu
lar impression on your mind. We
know that the presidents all accom-
plished something during their terms,
but the movements with which they
were connected were not always ar
ranged in such way that association
Is easy, Perhaps we hardly care to
take the responsibility of saying that
any of our presidents failed to make
their mark. We are safe In saying,
however. that some of them made
very faint ones. Washington, Jeifer-
son and Lincoln rubbed their impress
sions deeply into the public mind
The inference is clear Raeh eoun-
ty Superintendent should strive TO
! make his administration notable for
the accomplishment of at least one
important reform. What that reform
IL will depend on the County SuperiR.
tendent and on the conditions and
needs of his County. One important
measure will carry with IL q number