The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-08-17

cipalities of the state, such as CO.
iumbia. Sumter Spartanburg. Green
Vile. and OraDgeburg. have long ago
found ii necessary to give as much
stability as possible tn their public
schools by retaining at least the su-
perintendent for number of years
These superintendents are elected to
their positions with the understanding
that their tenure is as long as they are
effective and progressive
Is not a State system of education
of more vital concern TO the people
than any single college or the school
system of any municipality Why
not exercise the same common sense
in selecting and retaining the State
superintendent of education as ex-
ercised in selecting and retaining
college president or city superintend.
ent Why not let the General AS
sembly eject State Board of Educa-
tion. with a seven-year term, one OF
which would expire each year: then
let the, State Board elect d State Su-
perintdndent for term of four
years? The General Assembly could
be relied on to give us good State
Board. as 1t has done in giving us
judges. The board itself would be
non-political. as far as it is possible
to keep any elective state office non
political. and 1t would be stable. Its
policies would not be subject to sud
den changes. The State Board
would select for superintendent an
educational expert equipped and
trained for his work. The Superin-
tendent would be directly responsible
to the State Board for his success or
his failure. He would then occupy a
position very similar to the presidents
of the State Colleges and the super
intendent of the hospital for the in
sane
anticipate thes, arguments against
the proposed plan Of selecting a State
object on the ground that an amend
ment to the constitution would be
necessary. To be sure it would but
when the constitution stands in the
way of needed legislation, the only
sensible thing to do Is to amend the
constitution. Constitutions are the
embodiment OF sober and prolonged
study; constitutions may be improved
after still further study reinforced by
experience. A few members of the
General Assembly have said that such
plan OF selecting superintendent
would give that body a new respon-
sibility. My answer is rather laconic.
but not impertinent: representatives
of the people ought TO be willing to
bear responsibility: most of them at
present seek this position rather than
wait for the position to run them
down. Some people are ready to say
| that the superintendent would be too
far removed from the people. OF
| the one hundred thousand voters in
| the primary election i'm 1903, it is safe
to assert that twenty E,ousand of
them could not have told on the
morning Of the election the names of
three candidates Offering for the Of
flee Of State superintendent. 1t is
equally safe to say that several thou
SAND of these voters could not have
| told week after the election for
| whom they voted for that office.
is It too much to ask that the
state Superintendent OF Education be
given salary sufficient to command
the services of a competent man ir
the open market? That officer is paid
less than the city superintendent in
Columbia. Charleston, Sumter, Spar
tanburg. OF Dillon. and the same as
the superintendent in Greenwood.
Under our present school system.
far the most important office is that
of County superintendent In re-
sponsibility and opportunity TO 9TH
er officer approaches him. He holds
the key to the situation, and his
| strength or weakness Is everywhere
felt. In the past and at present. no
| other county official has had as much
! work and responsibility placed on
him for as mean remuneration. Con-
| sidering the beggarly salaries and the
low esteem in which the County su-
perintendent has for long been held.
one can but marvel at the quality of
service these men have rendered. In
| many counties men of ability and en-
| terprise have held the Office and al