Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-02-13
New School Law and its PerpIexities.


to examinations for teachers. The
powers of the county superintendent
were abridged by the new law in
that. it took out Of the hands of
these officials the right to hold ex-
aminations and grant certificates in
their own right. The county superin.
tendent still conducts examinations.
but he grants them merely as an
agent.
The wisdom of this provision
might we'll be questioned, we think.
There is too much tendency nova
DAYS to centralize everything. II we
keep on shall have bureaucratic
government, which to say the least
is un-American. The county superin
tendent is on the ground he has op-
portunity to Judge the local condi-
tions and to become personally ac.
quainted with the teacher. 1t fol-
lows, therefore, that if he is fitted
for his office he is better qualified
to pass Judgment on these matters
than any bureau located in the capital
of the state, which will do things ac.
cording to fixed rules without pay.
ing any attention to the personal
equation, which is generally present
and quite important, says the Cedar
Rapids Republican.
1t is safe. of course to discount
many of the stories and considerable
of the criticism that one reads in the
newspapers about the working of the
new law; but so much is being said
along this line backed by specifica-
tions that it is only fair to assume
that the law is being administered
with some degree of narrow minded
ness, if not with downright little
ness. 1t is reported, for example,
that a young woman from one of the
southwestern counties was denied q
certificate, although her answers to
the questions were full and complete
and generally correct, because occa-
sionally in her answer she did not
keep wholly to the right of the red
line on the legal cap paper upon
which she wrote her answers. More
over some of the questions that have
come to light are ridiculous in the
extreme. Think of asking q candi-
date for certificate to teach a
country school TO give an outline of
the history of tariff legislation in
this country. That question is scarce
lv touched upon in the average school
history, and outside of few tariff
experts there are probably but very
few men in the country who could
give complete and correct answer
to that question. This law will fail
completely. 1t will drive some of the
best teachers we have in Iowa out of
the business, or out of the state. un-
less it is administered in spirit of
broadmindedness and common sense
Putting the matter in the hands of
the state bureau is very apt to en-.
courage narrow -mindedness and fam
tasticism. In all probability the best
thing the legislature could do would
be to repeal the law and go back to
the old plan. This continual tinker
ing with laws, especially in the di-
rection of concentrating power and
lessening the authority of local
officers is not wise. Neither is it in
keeping with the spirit of our insti-
tutions. If the state wishes to be
sure of the standards, let it provide
tests for county superintendents and
stop there. then give them authority
within their jurisdiction. Even in
the matter of providing tests for
county superintendents methods not
in keeping with common sense might
grow up. Within the comparatively
narrow confines Of county, the peo.
pie can be depended upon to settle
these things for themselves. In the
larger cities the power to grant certi-
ficates might with propriety be placed
in the hands of the county superin-
tendents. They, as rule. are better
able to judge what standards should
be established and maintained than
anybody else. On general principles
we are opposed to the concentration
of authority at Des Moines.
-N-
When we hear, as we do every day,
young girls from fourteen to twenty
years, and older saluting each other
with "hello kid" "how're kid
etc., we feel like wishing they would
read and take to heart the following
clipped from an exchange: "Young
people should acquire the habit of
correct speaking and writing, and
abandon as early as possible any use
of slang words and phrases. The
longer you put this off the more diff
cult the requirement of correct Ian
guage will be, and if the golden age
of youth, the proper season for the
acquisition of language be passed in