Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-06-26

A ss
icy It tends to submerge the original
and logical purpose of the high
schools"
Oficial state inspection, on the
other hand, Is weakest where the
other Is strongest, and vice versa. 1t
Is broader and more liberal In its
scope, 1t establishes more flexible
and more logical courses of study, 1t
hearkens to the voice of the 80 per
cent whose needs are the greatest,
and It should not be less efficient
over the field which Il Is primarily
appointed to cover. 1t Is argued
that state inspection would be sat
isfactory were It not for political
influences. The argument Will
scarcely hold ground when 1t Is
shown that politics can be almost II
not entirely eliminated in the ap-
pointment of high school inspectors.
In Wisconsin, for instance, the In
spector Is appointed by the state
superintendent on the basis of civil
service examination, and In Minne-
sofa he is appointed by a high school
board composed of the state superln-
tendent, the president of the state
university, the president OF one OF
the state normal schools, and city
superintendent Of schools. In both
of these states the system OF high
school inspection has been pro-
nounced a success. 1t should be un-
derstood that inspection by the state
does not preclude university insepc-
ton for university purposes only,
and indeed II has been demonstrated
that this dual system 10 frequently
a success.
California has established prob
ably the most rigid system OF univer-
sity inspection. It's high school
courses. while nominally created by
high school board, are In reality
shaped by the high school inspector
The superintendent OF public instruc-
ton for this state says: There
ought to be more supervision from
some source Independent of the uni
versity II seems to me that some
plan independent OF the university
would allow pupils TO do more than
prepare for the university. As II Is
the high school teachers seem 20
think only of preparing for inspec-
tion and for entrance to the unlver-
sity. Most OF the pupils do not at
tend the university, but they are all
subject TO those conditions. The
grind Is very heavy, and many big
boys and girls drop by the waysiie
for the reason that they are growing
too fast to do the work And yet
the accredlting system has built up
many high schools and sent many
students to the university" This s
uniformly the testimony OF state
superintendent where the upiversity
exercises sole control California,
too, Is a state which can lay Just
claim 10 the control OF It's public
high schools for II furnishes about
one third OF the total expense OF
conducting them.
In concluding this paper, the auth
or desires to quote the words of the
superintendent of public instruction
for the state OF Rhode Island re-
gardlng the matter Of high school In
spection. He says: 81 see no more
need OF inspection of high schools
than OF elementary schools" The
author heartily approves OF this
view. He belIves, however, that this
inspection should be carried on un-
der the direction of county superin-
tendents under a reorganized county
system of supervision.
In so far as high school inspection
for Oregon Is concerned. the author
believes that the state should pro-
vide the Inspector; that he should be
appointed by state high school
board composed of the state super
intendent, the president of the state
university. the president of state