Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-06-21
YoRKvILLE GRADED SCHOOL.

The board Of trustees Of the York
willie Graded school has chosen a new
superintendent for that institution.
The choice was made last Friday night
during a laborious session Of five
hours, most Of the time being spent in
earnest consideration of this very SER
ious problem. Mr.. J. G. Allen Of Wa
terloo, S. c., will have charge Of the
school during the next twelve months at
least, and indefinitely unless his many
friends are seriously disappointed In
their expectations.
In ALL there were more than fifty ap-
plications for the position Of superin-
tendent alone. They came from all
parts of the state and all parts Of the
country. and along with a whole raft
of Indifferent place hunters -adventur-
ers some people very appropriately call
them, included some Of the finest ma
terial to be found anywhere.
That the board was perplexed over
the situation goes without saying, be-
cause to do the right thing under such
circumstances Is very difficult. Let
ters of recommendation are easy to
get, and often two or more appli-
cants came armed with almost identi-
cal recommendations from the same
prominent educator. But after all re-
concentrations do not count for a
great deal, and the discriminating trus-
tee at last finds himself necessarily
reduced to his own discretion.
In this case Mr.. Withers Adickes,
secretary Of the board, had simplified
matters very much by notifying each
applicant that in so far as he person.
ally was concerned, he would not vote
for any man who failed to come to
Yorkville in order that he may see and
be seen. This reduced the number of
eligibles to less than two dozen, Wheth-
er or not it materially decreased the
burdens of the board.
With painstaking deliberation the
revised list was still further considered,
and as it grew smaller the tension be-
came great. Mr.. Jackson Hamilton,
the well-known and thoroughly compe-
tent principal Of Gold Hill school was
among the last to be discarded, and
Mr.. Allen was selected after a deadlock
between himself and another eminentiy
qualified applicant.
After Mr.. Allen had been elected, he
was called before the board and Major
James F.. Hart, chairman, in extending
congratulations took occasion to re-
mark: Nov, sir, we have decided TO
put you in charge Of this school, and
we want you to take notice that at the
end of the year we shall hold you
responsible for results"
II assure you, sir" replied the new
superintendent, with a ring of hearty
assurance in his voice. that l shall
shirk no part of the responsibility that
properly devolves upon me; but at the
same time I beg to remind you that
inasmuch as this board has already
seen proper to elect the teachers with
whom I am expected to work, 1t must
not seek to escape its part of the res
possibility also. However, l am not
finding fault. If your teachers should
not prove to be what they ought to
be, shall not hesitate to let you know
it, and l shall not wait until the end
of the year before filing my complaint" :"
Mr.. Allen Is a graduate of Wofford
college, and has been teaching school
since leaving that institution. Dur
ing the last few years he has been prin-
cipal of a school of three hundred pu-
pills at West Palm Beach. Fla. He
had eight assistants. He had already
been reelected for the next year at a
much larger salary than he will be
able to get in Yorkville, but desires
to return to South Carolina on account
of considerations of health, both him
self and his wife having become filled
with malaria.