The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1905-10-06
IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF
BOARD OF CONTROL

We call the Eespecial attention of
county superintendent and high
school principals to the factythat Sec
ton 80 of the Buchanan bill not ::only
vests in the board of control::the au-
thority to fix a uniform course of
study for the public schools of the
state, but makes it obligatory upon it
to do so. This section reads as fol-
lows:
'Sec. 50. That the said ss..board of
control are hereby authorized and
empowered to provide a system and
course of written examinations by
questions and answers for all public
high schools in the state and that no
pupil shall be admitted to said high
schools, or be advanced to any sue
cessive grade therein, Or shall be per-
mitted to enter any institution crea-
ted or maintained by this act until
such examinations have been had,
and the result of said examinations
have been approved by the said board
of control in each instance and a GER
tificate of admission or advancement
by said board of control, ETC."
If this section is carried out % no
pupil can pass from one grade to an
other in the high school until he has
passed a written examination on a
list of questions ("and answers'D
furnished by the board of control
and has obtained from the board a
certificate of advancement" 90 no
pupil can be admitted to the high
school until he has passed such an
examination and received certif-
cate of admission. This clause puts
q course of study of the elemen-
tary or grammar schools also entire
ly in the hands of the Board of Con-
troll; for since pupils pass from the
grammar school to the high school,
the authority that prescribes the
qualifications for entrance into the
latter practically establishes the
course of study of the former since
it is the purpose of any grade to pre-
pare the pupil for entrance into the
grade above. This system of entrance
and promotion examinations persup-
poses and necessitates fixed and IN
form course of study for the entire
public school system of the state
from the Kindergarten to the univer-
sity, q plan theoretically simple and
attractive, but practically almost an
utter impossib;lity under present cir
cumstances.
The proper preparation of these ex-
animation papers calls for, on the
part of the man or men who are to
prepare them, not only broad and
accurate scholarship, but a matured
judgement as well as a wide educa-.
tional experience. 1t is a response
bility too great to be entrusted to
one man. and too vitality related to
the educational welfare of the state
to be put into the hands of any but q
body OF most capable and experience
ed educators. We do not know
what plan the board means to pursue
in the matter, but we do know that
to avoid possible shipwreck of our
public educational system they will
need the best help, the best educa-
tional talent the state is able to
give them.-Fla. School Exponent.
Isham Edwsrds, the convicted MUIR
derer of N. w. Eppes, superintendent
of public instruction of Leon county,
must die on the gallows, the death
warrant having been signed by Gov
ernor Broward Friday, and the
date for the execution is set for No
vember 8. The signing of the death
warrant for Edwards alone and not
mentioning George Caldwell and Mel
son Larken, who were also convicted
for the murder of Mr.. Eppes, makes
it appear that there is some hope that
their sentences will DE committed.
Major Porter and his eStimable wife