Gilpin observer., 1908-02-13

system it harms, no one need fear to
take action toward it's removal, because
the good done, by it's election from the
system, will stand as an enduring monu-
ment to him who incepted the undertake
ing.
/! But there are many persons who OBJ
ject strenuously to such willful tamper-
ing with evils of a system, because they
are foreign to the duties recognized as
belonging to the occupant of this or that
office. Most office-holders who serve
the public, believe it to be unethical, as
well as senseless presumption of pow
er, to assume in connection with an of
flee responsibilities which do not belong
to the prescribed duties of that Office.
That is, district or county attorneys do
not believe it their duty to take the
iniative in prosecuting violators of the
law. Until complaint is registered
against law violator by some party
who can prove beyond doubt the allega-
tions set up against the offender, it is
quite unlikely that the party accused
of any wrong doing will be prosecuted.
But this view of the limitations of the
official duties of an officer who serves
the public is not true criterion by
which to determine the domain of a
teachers duties in dealing with the
problem of absenteeism. The man who
serves the public in some legal capacity
by virtue of the office which he fills, has
his duties defined in detail by the law
which created the office, while school
teachers have some things which the
law says they must, or must not do, a
large part of their duties and privileges
are determined by the wisdom of their
own discretion. 1t is true that school
boards are vested with the power to fix
the course of study, and determine the
specific rules that shall govern certain
phases Of the school, yet to a large ex-
tent most teachers, so long as they do
not prove themselves inefficient, and
morally weak in ministering to the needs
of the school, they are in most instances
relieved from school board intrusion.
and given almost free sway to put into
execution their plans as how best to
conduct the school.
When school boards do not bring par
ents to task of keeping children in school
it is certainly open to the discretion of
the teachers to say whether or not they
will wage crusade on delinguents and
absenteers. Parents may think this i'm
proper, but the end will justify the step
which teachers take in this direction.
No one would question the advisab bility
of foreman of mine to discharge men
who counsel their own pleasure only
about coming to the mine to work, or to
stay at home, and yet expect to hold
the job. 1t is just as sane for men to
make themselves tools to this sort of
practice and yet question the right of
the foreman of the mine to give them
their time, as it would be to contend
that it is not the duty and business of
the teacher to hold pupils as near as
possible to perfect attendance record,
even if it must be done by methods
which compel the teacher to take the
iniative in enforcing the law.
1t would be base stupidity to say that
these two cases are alike in the sense
that the foreman of mine and the
school teacher have the same problems
to deal with, but the two cases are alike
in the sense, that if both foreman and
teacher are wisely loyal to their jobs,
they are keen and seriously anxious to
get the best results obtainable, for all
the problems, which hinder progress in
one as business and the other as an
institution, will not yield to the same
solution in bringing it about. When a
miners work is unsatisfactory, when he
ignores the rules of the mine, the fore
man has quick-acting and effective
weapon for stopping the abuse-dis-
charge the man-and it is this fear OF
being discharged that compel many men
to do fair days work, or to keep them
, in obedience to the will of the foreman
/ and the rules that govern the hiring OF
, labor for the mine.
Suppose teacher should become such
q stick of leniency, as to say to pupils
stay at home or come as you please-o
/ take the other extreme-tell them to dc
satisfactory work, come regularly, obey
) all rules, or quit the school; what dc
; you think most pupils would do? Lef
to their own bent-stay at home, o.
, course. But in spite of it being told t.
} many children, some parents woulc
force their children in giving the schoo
> a perfect attendance, because the,
know that a teacher could not, agains
' the desire of parents to keep them il
, school, except for disorderly conduct, o
fn, sauna ,npt J;,a,,n ,l,;,,.