The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-05-08
LIVELY TIME
OVER SCHOOLS
Directors Listen to Exhaustive Re-
view of Educational Matters
by the Superintendent
BUT DIFFER IN VIEWS
AS TO ITS REAL VALUE
Mrs. Wilson Points Out One of
the Qualities She Thinks the
District Should Expect From
Its Employees

O1str1ct should Expect From
Its Employees
Superintendent Sterling of the
Yakima school board ''put one over, >
to use the language of the street. or
the school directors at their meeting
Friday night He held the floor for
! an hour and a half while he discussed
education in a few of it's various
phases. He closed by apologizing 70,
the fact that some things had beer
| left unsa1d, but he promised to say
these at the time of his next monthly
report. Hitherto it has been the Gus
| tom of the superintendent to submit
| a monthly report made up almost ex.
| clusWely of school statistics as to at.
tendance, enrolment, number belong.
ing, punctuality, hardness, enroll.
ment as to grades and such things A
month ago it was suggested that the
superintendent give TO the board some
/ idea of what is really going on in the
schools and this was agreed to.
Directors Differ
Messrs. McAulay, Knerr and Watt
expressed themselves Friday night as
we'll pleased with what Mr.. Sterling
presented. Mr.. Fechter declared thai
1t was not of value to directors
though probably it would have been
to school teachers. Mrs. Wilson said
1t was not what 1 expected"
Mr.. Sterling said his remarks were
review of his eight months admin
istration of the school affairs. He
went into the past to some extent
talked of the present and 'gazed into
the future as far as human eyes could
see.' He discussed kindergartens and
the doubt as to their merit. Then he
took up the first grades and reading
writing. spelling and numbers. In the
higher grades he considered domestic
science. manual training, agricultural
training and the junior high school
Then he went into the high school and
took up English, science, history and
the various branches, laying a foun-
dation on which a school system is to
be constructed which will be in nc
sense nebulous but in every sense
practical, direct, fitted for the needs
of the community, etc.
Many Detectives Here
Considerable attention was given by
Mr.. Sterling to the recent visit here
and inspection of the schools by DR.
Stephenson Smith, who is said &c
come as representative of the state
| university, and who now announces
that he proposes to open in Seattle a
school for detectives. He is a doctor
of philosophy, not of medicine
though Mr.. Sterling announced thai
ne had had two years at a medica
school but was strong on the psychi,
| rather than on the physical.
OF two schools of the eight in this
| city which he examined DR.. Smith
found. according to Mr. Sterling
twelve detectives. This, he reported
| included near-idiots. There was one
| bright boy who has cataracts ans
others who in various ways are sub.
normal Mr.. Sterling intimated thai
| had the schools all been gone ovel
thoroughly startling condition
would have been revealed.
Caring for the Sub Normal
On motion of Director McAulay the
superintendent was authorized t.
communicate with the county attor.
ney to the end that that official take
such steps as are necessary to prop.
erly investigate and If necessary seq.
regate from the common schools such
children as are mentally deficient ant
are proper subjects for care at til,
state institution at Medical Lake.
DIR. Smith suggested an oculist il
| Seattle who for IS visit, twelve Wis
| Its probably being necessary, woult
| operate on the lad with cataract
Director Fechter suggested that Their,
are men here capable of performing
such an operation, which would BIZ
better than the expense of boardins
a boy in Seattle, and he thought i
the parents have not the money tn,
school district would gladly pay tn,
cost. 1t was decided to ascertain
whether the district can legally incur
such an obligation. 1t was the feel
ing that the boy should not be per
mitted to develop in ignorance wher
an operation will probably save hin
as good citizen, the report bein.
that he is a bright boy.
| Much Praise for Davis
| Principal Davis of the high schoo
came In for very general praise a
criticism of her predecessor, who il
still in the service of the board. Mrs
| Wilson instanced time and plac,
where such criticism had been mad,
publicly and suggested that loyalty OF
the part of an employee, whether en-
| gagged in a private business concern
or in a public office is a grand thinf
and desirable thing and thing tina
| it Is right to expect. Such criticism
as she had heard, Mrs. Wilson thought
| did not make for better service II
the schools or better support of tbs
| schools on the part of the public.
Miss Beckwith is a teacher who
was brought here from Michigan or
| the recommendation of Superintend
ent Sterling and who Is this year Civ
en- a substantial increase in salary
and made head of the dom este
science and manual training depart.
ments of the public schools. Mr.
Sterling has several times said ir
board meetings that Miss Beckwitf
has no knowledge regarding domes
tic science. but that she Is remarka-
| bly, we'll qualified in the manual train
ing branch.
| Some Phases of Discussion
| In the discussion relative to the su.
perintendent many interesting things
were said When Mr.. Fechter was
making his fight against an increase
| in salary for the superintendent, Mr.
Knerr declared that since the mar
was being retained, he ought 10 have
, a substantial increase In salary.
Very we'll" said Mrs. Wilson. Il.
Mr. stsrltns, wing hes rwo-6frra q
rhix board sgxn2t LIN IL snraAsd u
/ 800 y year Msatsass WY nor eve w
same iketsass to 1ff DaviS ~tth re-
gard TO whose excellence the board i
una nirhous?'
| Mr. Knerr argued that If the sal.
airy of the superintendent is kept a
the old figures of $2400 good men ""
not seek the position.