The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-03-22

must be very inefficient indeed about
whom something good could not be
said.
Witness was asked whether or not
Mr.. Chance approached him and ap-
piled for the principalship of the
school in case of vacancy, to
which the superintendent said that
the plaintiff had so done. However,
Mr.. Sperry had replied at the time
that he could not consider him be-
cause he did not have the expert
ence.
The witness denied having told
Mr.. Chance that the latter had bet
ter drop the matter of aspiring to
the principalship that former
teacher had been dropped for agitat-
ing similar matter, as far as he
knew.
Chance Graduate.
Mr.. Sperry was then questioned
regarding the education of the plain
tiff and he testified that to the best
of his knowledge, Mr.. Chance was
a graduate of the College of Educa-
ton, which is a school especially for
training teachers. However, it was
also brought out on the witness
stand that in proving the plaintiffs
failure at discipline, about three
fourths of the students in his classes
were alleged to have failed in the
monthly examinations, which requir-
ed a passing mark of per cent.
Attorney S. B. Wilson for the de-
tense then questioned Superintend-
ent Sperry, and in a few words, it
was brought out that Mr.. Chance
had had several talks with the wit
ness in the latter's private office
concerning the work.
Arvid A. Erickson, reporter for
The Free Press, was the next wit
ness, and he testified that he was
present at the meeting of the board
of education on the evening of De-
cember IA, when the charges against
Mr.. Chance were filed by Superin-
tendent Sperry. He gave briefly the
nature of the charges that were filed
against Professor Chance at this
meeting, and named those who were
in the room at the time. 1t was
brought out that the charges were
read before the meeting went into
executive session, and that the
teacher in question had demanded
an open hearing and claimed there
was no occasion for holding the
meeting behind closed doors. The
teacher himself demanded this open
hearing, but the rules Of the board
of education read, that in consider
ing the qualifications of teacher,
the meeting must be held behind
closed doors, and this rule prevailed.
sss Chance on Witness Stand.
Professor Harold K. Chance was
called to the witness stand. He
stated that he was at the present
time employed by The Minneapolis
Tribune in the city news depart
ment. He referred to his qualifica.
lions as a teacher. He was a gradu-
ate of the College of Education and
the University of Minnesota. With
the minutest detail he tried to i'm
press upon the court and the jury
what the work at the university con.
sisted Of Before coming to Man
kato he had taught nineteen months
or two regular city terms, in st.
Louis county.
Witness had secured a number of
school and college certificates show
ing his ability as teacher, among
them first grade common schoo:
certificate, a second grade profes.
sional, and also the university teach
ers' certificate, which was considered
| the highest given in the state.
Feeling confident that Mr.. Chance
was a learned man, Attorney Por'
ter for the plaintiff asked whether
OR not his scholastic training was
not more complete than even that
of Superintendent Sperry and the
witness was about to answer when
the attorney for the defense object