Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-14
The School Situation.

The same legislation which pesto"eo
upon the teachers the boon or increaseu
salaries and a system of automatic promo
lions has been so applied and construe" vi
misconstrued as to infict upon them anu
the community certain counterpaiancihs
evils First. the separation OF the schoois
,ror, the rest of the municipal system and
the substitution of the control of the Su-
preme Court for that OF the Commission
.ers have isolated the system and weakened
the forces which are bound to fight TOT us
interests and Its development before Con-
eress The injurious effects OF this divorce
will be perfectly obvious next winter ana
WILL In the nature of things, steadiiy IN
crease. Next. the new board OF educa'ioh
has exposed the schools and the commuh-
.ity to the risks incidental to the seiection
of a superintendent from outside the LIS
trict of unknown temperament ana TELL
denotes and himself ignorant OF local CON
ditions. Lastly. the new superintendent
has so construed Cor. as The Star mas con-
tended. misconstrueO the law as 10 convert
n. intended blessing upon the teachers
into a curse He has treated the law as
yaca,ing all the teacherships and as oestow-
,rg mon him the power and duty of filling
these imaginary vacancies. No teacher III
grace of the superintendent. and that ohc'al
has feIt compelled to render his decisions OF
of,ciaI life or death in hundreds OF cases
Gin twenty minutes" without the aid Oh
,rev,ous knowledge Of Washington men
and women and local conditions and en-
vironment He has had to dispose onhaho
~ q dozen bitter controversies concerning
the fitness of teachers. and has Deeh coh-
nelled to rely largely for his opinions upon
the whispered suggestions or those WIN
have been so fortunate as to secure MS ear
and his confidence. What an opportunity
for the assassin of character, the "enoih-
ous backbiter. the sneak. the migrate. the
false friend to vent his spite without In
curing personal responsibility! Inc way
10 onened for the qualification of factiohai
malice to any clique which may ACT
through the new official as its UNCONSCIOUS
instrument.
One of the avowed purposes In choosing
a superintendent from outside washington
was to avoid factionalism. The result OF
such selection has been to infiiet upon the
schools factionalism run mad. The new
superintendent set himself the task OF
trying the fitness of every one of his teach
ers before the opening of the schools Win
the guillotine for those who suffered de-
nunciation before his tribunal and failed
TO find favor In his eyes. Judge Jeffrey's
court or the tribunals OF the Reign Of Ter
ror were not more expeditions or more re-
lentless. 1t is true that the last batch OF
suspeets held under denunciation were re-
brfeyed: but the axe is still suspended over
them and they tremble under the shadow
of the guillotine. Even the teachers VINO
escaped I'm the beginning the attacks Oh
factional jealousy and spite are appointed
only for a year, and at the end or tnat
period must again plead for renewal OF
Official life.
II there had been the least suspicion that
the new law was by any possibility caoaDle
of the construction which has been given to
II this community would have risen IN pro-
test against 1t. 1t would not have received
a dozen votes in Congress. the President
would nsycr have signed 1t. This miscon-
struction of the law, this violation or we
spirit Of the statute and of the recognized
legislative intent has brought anxiety and
distress upon all the teachers and cruelty
unjust deprivation Of their means OF nven-
hood upon a few. It has resulted In In
flaming every existing factional bitterness
in the schools and in starting fruitful
crop OF new jealousies and deadly animos-
files. to the injury of the educational func-
ton of the schools and to the detriment OF
movements for the further development and
improvement OF the system to be proposed
to Congress next winter.
Many of the teachers who have been
.clamorous for reorganization" and a non
local superintendent are now comparing
themselves with the frogs In Aesoo's fable
whose discomfort at first with home rule,
and then with King Log, brought them
finally into the gullet of strenuous King
Stork.