Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-06

need not be read. | wish to call at
tention to Section 3, which is as fol-
| lows;
sect. 3. Certificates of qualification
signed by the State superintendent of
public schools shall be granted to all can.
, didates who pass satisfactory examna-
| tions in such branches as are required or
permitted by law to be taught In the
| public schools and who in other respects
fulfill the proper requirements, provided,
however, that no person unless he is II
years of age and has completed "a stand
ard High school or academy course shall
| be eligible for a certificate. such Ger
tificate shall be either probationary or
permanent and shall indicate the grade
of schools which the person named there
| in is qualified to teach. Provided, how
ever. that the certificate may be granted
without the examination herein prescrib-
ed to graduates of colleges and Maine
State Normal schools, or of other normal
training schools having two-years
course for graduates of High schools or
academies and to teachers of two years
| service and satisfactory fitness, on the
presentation of such evidence of fitness
| and under such special conditions as the
may prescribe Provided. further. that
certificates may, under the rules pre-
scribed by the State superintendent be
granted to persons holding State certifi-
Gates granted by authority of other
states. Provided. further. that any GER
tificate granted under this or any pre-
ceding act may for sufficient cause be
revoked and annuled.'
Section of the bill provides as follows:
Sect. 4. A list of persons so certfi-
Gated shall be kept in the office of the
State superintendent of public schools
and copies of the same with such infor-
nation as may be desired shall be sent
to school committees and superintendent
upon their request"
Now. Mr.. Speaker and gentlemen, /
| wish to appeal to you for your candid
Consideration of this matter It is
| matter which affects every town in the
| State of Maine, especially the rural sec
tions of our State where the young men
and young women are growing up to
manhood and womanhood, and who are
being educated as best they can in those
rural sections. And can you deny them
the privilege of going into a school and
teaching when the superintendent of
those schools says that they are quail
| fed? Are you going TO legislate this
right out of the hands of the people of
the towns? They have the right now to
certify a teacher after an examination,
after they think that she is qualified to
perform the duties in any particular
school in that town / submit. that the
| law as it is now is ample and is just, and
| to legislate this out of the hands of the
towns and putting it under the control
of one man is a very drastic measure.
| There are many things to be consid-
| cred in connection with this matter.
things that You should look at carefully
and candidly. l am from a town and
| am not ashamed of it. and 1 am going to
stand for the interests of the towns. We
| have these, young men and young women
| who desire to teach school, those people
who will not go before the State super
| ntendent in order TO get certificate
| but who will go before the superinten-
| dent of their town who is amply quail
| fled to do justice by the schools of that
| town. Does, the State superintendent of
Schools pretend to know more about
your schools, in your town, 80 miles or
| 100 miles from here. than do your own
people. your experimenting school COM
mittee and your supervisor? No. say
| he does not. But are We to come here or
to any place in the State of Maine that
he may designate. and bow before him
and ask for certificate?
| Mr.. Speaker and gentlemen. I claim it
is an injustice to the young men and
young women who are growing up In our
State. Perhaps my opponents in this case
| will argue that other states have it. That
is very true. Other states have a law to
| execute a man for murder by electricity
or by hanging but does the state of
Maine have it? Not at ALL We have
sent from this State of Maine. from our
good old Pine Tree State, into other
states of this Union men who have been
honored and respected before the coun-
try, men who have made honored teach
ers, and yet they never had a certificate
from the State superintendent of public
schools of the State of Maine. They are
just as competent to go sforth and teach
in the public schools. in the colleges and
academies as they ever We're RI want to
appeal to YOU gentlemen, to do Justice
j by these towns. Give them the right to
certify any teacher that may come be-
fore them, any teacher who is qualified
to perform the duties in their schools.
There is appended to this measure.
| Mr.. Speaker. the sum of $1,000, which
| is taken out of the common school
| fund which should go to educate those
children What is this for? Hasn't the
| State superintendent of schools, today.
| Il salary sufficient without taking this
money away from the poor children?
| am sincere IN this matter, gentlemen.
| but | claim that the cities will benefit
/ where the towns will be deprived of it.
/ You know, and l know that at the
present time, as the country towns are
/ situated, that it costs a great deal of
| money to transport these children in
| the country schools, something which
| the cities do not have to bear in the
way of expense. The children are los
| ing the benefit of that money which is
| to go into the cost of transportation.
/ am going to be very brief as / told
| you, but | am going to leave it entire
| ly in your hands, for you to do as in
| your wisdom you will see fit to do. Mr..
1 h.. ind not