The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-22


lac school teachers Of Riehmcnd the blank
contracts which are condition precedent to
IL cir employ Iaeiss h..Yo heeu added
Additional Rules Governing school En-
pioycs.' suurE when IL tine f0tiovius
Third. 40 principal OF teacher ,taI dirsetly
OF indireetis Undertake @ns campaign ut asita~
tion relating TO 'h@ pubiic school system or any
leaturv thereof unless he or she has first
cured ti1e consent Jbe school board by petit
Ter. 1nsdt IN Trtlpe through the suporintend-
EN-.
Beyond doubt this rule, coming at this
time, Is going 10 create great deal Of adverse
criticism School matters are in a tanele
They have gotten into politics They haye
been made the basis OF partisan opinion. An
invest gation" is Oh. y section of the school
teachers have tor months been actively paging
= campaign Before the City Council An order
o. this sort IS sure to suggest the cry that an
onort Is being made to stife criticisn TO donse
the light Before anybody tears off his shirt
let US reason the thing quietly
4 city Is. or should be. something very
much like big business with a central head
delegating authority 70 a number of depart
nents The departments have heads. aud
distributed according to departments The
departments are responsible and report 70 the
head The employees report 20 the snil-h heads
and are responsible thereto, The b-heads
report to Ire department chfetz tn THIS way
although he may seem remote from the Presi-
dents Office. the humblest employe is really
n constant touch with the nerve center Of the
business.
suppose tAat the 4s4pIoye4 10 oa-+- depart
ment could talk it over at lunch aud then
march In yody the Presidents office and
criticise tie way the business Was being con
Quoted. What would be the effect ON the
business What would be the sense Of the
departments, or the men who rule them? Hon
long could department be maintained and
bat would jhe head OF the general business
~now of it, workings, or how would he find
time 10 do his own special task?
This is an imperfect picture OF the practice
of system and the rnin-that would come the
n.inute it vas abandoned What Is good for
business ought to be good tor q city IT. ait
comes doRn 70 the truth that somebody has
10 be trusted for somethine II the trust in
aoused. there is always the authority 10 take
j. away The stockholders trust the presi-
dent the president trusts Ills chief. the chief
lis sub-chiefs, and they their employees, Any
corporation is glad OF merit ana the suggess ION
faat 1t makes II is glad Of intelligent criti-
But II would be destructive Of .he
whole uni'orm plan II either helpful sugges-
ion adverse criticism undertook 10 ride
down the plan Of organization
Ne do not remotely undertake to say that
the primary teachers Richmond schools are
rot entitled 70 the increase IN salary which
Council has cndeayored to give them We do
: 1nfnE that tie method taken of going over
he heads of the School Board was subyersive
Of discipline and tending 10 injury 10 the
school system whole. We think also.
that the rule proposed Is a reasonable one.
The Investigation now in progress can only
effect the wisdom and efficiency of the present
board. However much the new rule coming
ct the present tin,e. may inGame an already
unfortunate feeling we aan ouly con lecture.
Hut It's wisdom SIS oest apparent ia the fact
that, bad 1t been made much OF the
confusion and distraction OF the present
agitation might have been avoided