Evening journal., 1914-05-26
School BOARDS
X-RAY ON ITS OWN
Administration
Continued From First Page.

schools.
Some of these persons have been
loud-mouthed and insistent, il may
be excused for using the word" CON
tinued Mr.. Baynard, lin advocating
that the board acquire a gymnasium,
a playground, race track and other
things, but they have failed to advo-
cate any measures that promise real
betterment for the schools.
= 1t is well that some things should be
said OF the past. During the first ten
years of the management of the Hiph
school it was not hampered by the
Board OF Education. lt had absolute
free control in the management of the
school. What was the resultY Abso-
lutte Generalization of the best and
most expensive school in the State.
This Generalization was so great that
our late president repeatedly referred
the matter to the board. The board
sought some method to remedy these
conditions and an investigation was
made. Conditions were found that were
absolutely disgraceful. Inere was no
harmony and no unity of acuon. Every
department seemed to be a government
in itself. Notwithstanding the expense
to which the taxpayers We're placed the
results were very meagre.
AFTER repeated complaints the mat
ter was referred to the High School
committee. the teachers committee and
the president tDr Snortlidge) to formu-
late plans for better results and eff
cheney at that school. That committee
met in the superintendent oific6i in the
I High School, those present being our
late superintendent of schools, DR..
Iwitmyer; the late president, DR.. Short
lidge; w. y. Burton. Dr. Thomas o.
Cooper, Professor a. II. Berlin. princi-
pal of the High School; DR.. John Pal
mer and myself Those present went
over the matter carefully
"The committee first catechised Su-
perintendent Twitmyer. He was told
of the deplorable conditions that ex-
listed in the High School, and was asked
why he allowed such conditions to
exist He replied that he didn't con-
slider that he had much to do with the
High School, as he had been given TO
understand that he hadn't anything to
do with the High School-that they
were their own managers. The com
mittee next catechised Professor Ber-
lin. who replied that his hands were
tied and that had absolutely no con-
troll over the school, The teachers
would not cooperate with him in any
way, he said and further stated that it
was impossible for him TO get out the
classes for rectations, a members of
the classes would prefer to remain in
the industrial department. The result
Z q sN,t
We're in session may of the pupils were
in the training department"
This condition was found to be alb
/ solutely true" continued Mr.. Baynard
"Some OF the pupils only put in about
one-third of their time at actual stud
les, by remaining in the industrial
/ department at recitation time, and
some of the industrial scholars were
I found in the recitation rooms when
the industrial classes were going on.
The committee was then convinced
that IL was necessary to do something
to restore order out of chaos. They
told the superintendent plainly that
he did have something to do with the
/ High School, and that the board ex-
pected him to get the same degree of
efficiency from the High School as
from the other schools, and if he could
not do it the board would have to
/ get some one who could.
1--WE told Professor Berlin that the
had charge of the High School, under
| the direction and cooperation of the
! superintendent, and that he had
charge of every teacher in the school.
| He was told that the board would hold
him responsible for the conduct OF the
school and if he would not do it the
board would get some one who would
do it so the citizens of the city could
get some results. The principal said
he would do his duty but was afraid
/ of the results He was told to go
ahead and to report to the board the
| failure of any of the teachers to CO.
operate with him. The teachers we're
then called together and informed of
the action taken.
"Under the new dlspensation, from
that time to this. the school has ma
terially improved ir character, but
in this dispensatiOn it was necessary
TO provide some rules for the govern
ment of the school, that were a little
different from the rules governing
the smaller schools It took some
time to prepare and formulate proper
| rules for the school, but the board
finally adopted a set of rules which
| permitted the use OF the school for
proper purposes and forbade its use
for improper purposes. These rules
we're unanimously adopted and we
! have worked under them up TO this
time Conditions were materially
improved. No one has been denied
the use of the school for proper pur-
poses, and any one who has wanted
TO use the school for improper pur-
poses has been prevented from do
ing So"
Mr. Baynard remarked that there
was one thing in connection with
the affair that was hard publicly to
explain, but promised that when the
committee of the whole make their
report on the conditions at the school
the people Of WILMINGTON will have
the full reasons fci the adoption OF
these rules governing the High
School.
THE newspapers, not all, but some
have been very ungenerous I'm theil
editorial columns" continued Mr.
Baynard. "They have failed. abso
lutely failed to take their evidence
from authoritative sources, but hav.
needed the nagging complaints of tn,
children and the insinuations made b,
disgruntled persons. This has beer
done for one of two reasons, eithel
for public spiritedness or for mali
/ ciousness. 1t is only right that if Il
has been done out of public spirited