The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-05-23
STANDS BY BEEDE
George l., Fox Says He Is Right
in Going Out of the
City.
DUTIES OF A PRINCIPAL
Hue and Cry About Local Talent Sim
ply Protection Carried to the
Extreme.

To the Editor of the Journal Courier:
! am disappointed to see tbs posit-
Ion OF your paper with regard % the
question Of selecting a new principal
for the Webster school. and | wish
to express dissent therefroin. Mr..
Beede Is perfectly right In going out
side In selecting new man, as It Is
his duty to get the teFt man possible,
who shall be worthy successor 10
the Nestor of New Haven principals.
To narrow his cho.Ge to candidates
frcm New Haven schools would vs. un-
wise and q harm to the district. 10
ask why we do not lave large corps
Of excellent candidates from persons
already In the service of New llaven
ls entirely an academic question. The
fact Is that we do not. For he last
twenty-five years not more than ten
boys on the average from the HILL
house high school have been gradual
ed from Yale college, and of these not
oLe-thlrd of one per cent. have aiken
up teaching in the grammar or high
schools. 1t is very unwise TO say
that in seeking for Il successor 10 one
who has served 80 well for fifty years,
the choice should be limited to this
small number. Very few graduates
o. Harvard. Yale On Princeton 10 into
grammar school work. Most of those
who have shown themselves compe-
tent and successful as principals
throughout New England are gradu-
ates OF the smaller colleges. Mr..
Lewis has made the school power IN
the community, .,nd every earnest
effort should be made to get a sue
cessor, who can bend the Lw of
Ulysses. The duties are onerous,
made more so by this miserable free
text book system, which makes /. nee
essary that he should have business
qualifications, TO keep tab" on the
property OF the city. He ais of
course, should be q good discipllnar-
ian, who can deal successfully with
pupils. parents AMI teachers, thor
oughly familiar with the best methods
OF teaching the subjects taught la the
grammar grades, who can wisely crit
icize, direct and help his subordinate
teachers. and likewise be a good or
ganizer and executive, able to run the
machine with its endless details.
This hue and cry about local talent
Is simply the uoclrlhe Oh nisn plo.eC-
llon Gaiiieu ~ 40 mos. eA,Isii, IliI-
az. Its legitimate result Is an IN
uieeulng, MniCn lIanes government al
tnis Cvuhtry Iess ehIC.Sat ana more
IUrrupl liiuil IA Helinany Vi LdSianu,
Nnele tho Cnolce OF p,iliidnrnt exc
cutiNe oliiccls 10 noe bvuIIa .iaII ana
ivot " ioeai pfeJuui-e aAd qudIllIea-
uons. / once Nisieu SnvruultSn, u
I.onuon borough, Nnere Mds one ol
me Earliest succasslu pIdnts lol
burning the refuse vi lne, Gay IA oraer
20 plouuce the eleclric ngIl. W wnlch
Tie streets were lgnrCu. lue 'own
cIerk or tnat borough, VINO is me chief
lad come from similar position N
Il small English city, because no was
considered better than any local can.
didate Tor the place, The late AIR
Bellamy, who made tho municipal
tramways great success IN Liverpool
told me that one OF his chief assist.
ants was II young American, whom he
had chosen entirely tor his illness, anc
the young man III that time was G
citizen OF tho United States.
Let Mr.. Beede use his best judg.
ment IN choosing from wide rangC
Of choice, ana let him have the hearty
support OF citizens IN doing so,
GEORGE l.. FOX.