The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-10-29

kind enough not to lay it on Prof. R
E. L. Bynum, city superintendent o
Jackson, member of the state board
who really prepared the questions
and who certainly is getting paid fol
it. Prof. Bynum was appointed to tht
state board by Gov. Patterson away
back yonder, and he plays things com
ing and going.
1t is doubtful whether much faul
can be found with the principle oi
having a uniform examination con-
Quoted by the state. There should be
a state examination, properly man
aged, strictly reported and conducted
in an efficient and business-like way
Thompson had finger in getting uI
the law. There is really no objection
to charging a small fee, say of SO
cents, to cover the cost of preparing
and mailing the papers, but the law
says $3.50 for elementary teachers
and $3.50 for high school teachers,
| and so they had TO dig up.
The records show that $12,343.47
was collected in fees from the teach
ers of Tennessee in the two state ex-
aminations, May and July.
What went with the money?
This same examination law of 1918
provides that the state board of edu-
cation, with the exception of the gov
ernor, shall be state board of ex-
aminers, of which the state superin-
tendent shall be the chairman. The
ting the new law into effect. The
question of providing graders to grade
these examination papers was brought
up, discussed, and 1t was proposed
that they should be paid per diem
Of SIS and receive $2 day expenses,
together with fare to and from Nash
Vile. This was opposed by some
members of the board, and finally it
was unanimously agreed that the ex-
aminers should be allowed their trav-
cling expenses, a per diem of IS and
their actual living expenses away from
heir homes.
Thompson was left to run the thing.
All the BOarders Get On.
The result was natural one, con-
sidarino tho oirounocto poac ond oop
litions at the capitol. The teachers
were made to ante up and the shekels
rolled in. Then the papers were sent
to the capitol to be graded.
Thompson went out into the byways
and the hedges, drummed up graders
Of all classes and descriptions, and
brought them to the capitol. There
we're two sets of graders, about 25 in
May and another of about 80 in July.
The law plainly says that only COM
petent persons shall be employed in
the work Of grading. The facts slow
that Prof. and Mrs. Bynum, neighbor
or so and five or six of the professor
teachers from Jackson came along to
grade and handle papers. The Hon.
s. Y. Adcock, chief clerk to the state
superintendent, and his wife run
boarding house on the side in Nash
Vile. Mrs. Adcock, relative, Miss
Mary Sue Adcock, and long list of
boarders were invited up to the capi-
tol to grade papers.
Miss Isabel Hayes, bookkeeper in
the Office of the state superintendent,
has sister who recently lived in At
lanta. This sister came to Nashville
to pay Miss Hayes visit, and she
was invited up to grade papers.
Oh! Those Expense Accounts.
In the very face of the express reso-
luton of the board providing for ac-
tual living expenses while away from
home, these graders who lived right
here in Nashville turned in expense
accounts which averaged 81 a day.
They charged up board at home, street
car fare, lunch uptown and incidentals
running up to 80 and 40 Gets day.
Some of the men graders who live
In Nashville charged up expenses,
saying they were boarding with their
wives.
1t is fact that the text book COM
mission got balled up on the primer
and first reader, making it necessary
to go through and revise them, and
that four or five of these graders were
engaged in this work for a time,
though they were paid out of the ex-
fund.
1t is a fact, too, that some of these
graders were scarcely out of the high |
school, and some had not been inside |
a schoolhouse for years. and yet they
were invited to pass upon the quail
fications Of young men and women
who had saved and sacrificed for |
years, trying to get through the
schools in order to equip themselves |
for the noble work of moulding the |
thought and training the mind of the
of Tennessee.
Politicians Piped In.
But this is not the worst part. 1t
was pretty bad, it must be admitted,
when many of these graders sloshed
over the papers of these same ambi-
.ious young men and women and really