The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-02

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GREATEST NEED OF THE SCHOOLS.
Virginia has about 100000 children
suf school age, and in few years these
boys and girls Will be the men and
women OF the State. The men will be
directing the political, financial. Indus
trial and commercial affairs of the
state, to say nothing Of moral and ed
/ ucational affairs. and the women in
large part will be presiding over the
homes.
To educate these children the State
] is employing 10000 teachers In the
public schools alone, and expanding
approximately s3.o0O,OOO annually. Yet
Z in a great work of this character we
arc using teachers whose qualifications
in most cases are known to no living
man. and we are using many superln-
tendents who have no expert knowl-
edge OF educational methods, who ere
unable to make any practical sugges-
lions to teachers, and We are paying
them a pittance for such portion of
their time as they may see fit TO give
to the work. AS n result, the methods
Of teaching IN many schools are fifty
years behind tho progress of the age.
1t is the most absurd contradiction IN
our scheme of government; 1t is the
most wasteful of all our false econo-
mics. We employ experts to superin-
tend our factories. our farms, our rail-
roads and even our machinery; we
leave the supervision of our schools
and the operation of the delicate ma
chinery of the system to novces. This
is not true OF all cases, for Virginia
has some good superintendent. but 1t
is true as general proposition, and no
reflection is meant upon the chara cter
OF the superintendent. We are speak
ing Of their accomplishments. 1t is no
reflection upon a college professor to
say that he is not qualified to operate
railroad; nor upon an expert rail-
8 road man to say that he is not quail
z fled to teach a class In moral philoso-
ply. But 1t would be ridiculous to
place either in the position CT the other
Supervision in any direction which is
worthy of the name must be expert
'Ths superintendent must have accurate
ssslsss knowledge of the work which he Gi-
{ reefs. Teaching is a profession, and q
superintendent of schools to be worth
8 anything to the work and TO the teach.
.rs must iStthssw better than the teache..
themselves how to direct school, how
to enforce discipline, how to bring gu
the best that is in the pupils, from dull
B est TO brightest. We cannot hope Il
i have n school system that is better
i than its supervision. If we would i'm
prove our system III Virginia VIC mus
: begin at the top and improve the quail
!ty of supervision. The people of Mas
sachusetts reached these conclusions
years ago and that State employs in il
d public school system 179 supcrinten
dents at an average salary for each o
more than $1,000. This is but an ex
IS preston Of the thrift and business tao
9 (which characterize TIE people OF Me-,
England A little of the same sort ,
leaven in the Virginia public schoo
system would soon leaven the Who'll
lump.
sR We beg of tho members Of the Wiz
ginia Legislature TO take these p!ah
but serious facts under considerable,
Give the public schools the same chan,
N to develop and improve that the con
s6 mercial and industrial enterprises eli
JOY. Appropriate sufficient money
give to every county an expert superi.
tendent whose entire time and enere
Fs3 " and good VIII service Will be devote
8 TO the work, and the efficiency of Il
schools will be improved a hundred p,
cent. and more,
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a9a L. i. "A. AND HUNI.IC lNAnS