The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1915-02-11
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.

From the Claiborne Guardian-Journal]
Seeing reference in the Haynesvlle
News to comment in the Guardian-Journal
on the methods pursued in the examination
of the applicants who aspire to teach in the
public school, we feel constrained to pursue
the discussion little further.
The editor of the News and this humble
scribe having come up, if you will, in the
rural section of the country, are presumed
to know something of the desires, the ways
and the sympathies of the people. And it
is therefore an easy matter for one who has
been thus circumstanced, to see how our
public school system has been losing the
sympathy of large class of the people for
some time.
AS previously indicated, the taxpayers
will eventually rebel against special school
taxes, unless the centralized system now in
vogue should be changed.
Under the existing conditions the tax
payers, especially of the rural sections, is
almost entirely eliminated from a voice
concerning who are to teach and control his
children in the school room, the nursery of
human life, where the future citizen is
moulded. You ask US how?
In the first place supreme authority is
vested in a central board domiciled at
Baton Rouge, with the State Superintend-
ent as it's head to say who shall be awarded
certificates to teach. 1t does not even
grant authority to our Parish Superintend-
ent to examine and grade the examination
papers.
Then after the certificates have been
awarded, authority is given to the Parish
Superintendent to nominate the teachers.
The taxpayer has no voice in electing the
Parish Superintendent. He is granted the
right to vote for members of the school
board.
Really, about all the use the present sys
TEN has for the citizen is to vote the taxes
to pay the salaries. And did you know
that the State Superintendent draws the
princely salary of 900, besides clerk,
and large amount appropriated for other
incidentals?
This is the Aswell regimen, to which the
present State Superintendent succeeded.
Mr.. Aswell believed in centralizing the
government of the schools in single head
at Baton Rouge. He believed in the doc
trine of a centralized government for the
public schools and high salaries for the
governing heads.
Unfortunately his successor, though
brought up among the common people,
espoused the same views, and we find the
masses of the people back in the rural
section are beginning to lose interest in
public education.
And, as the Haynesville News said in
effect: the young people who would other
wise teach, are becoming diffident and will
soon cease to apply for certificates to teach.
The tendency is away from the people, a
n G. a Mt ito f0 hno nd nd
governing heads.
forced, nolens volens, to attend certain
schools because, forsooth, they might de-
sire to teach, and a diploma from these
schools exem pts from examination. For
truly, no one, however bright, desires to be
constantly perplexed and embarrassed with
| examinations, especially when the papers
are not permitted to be passed on by home
folks, however capable. And knowing,
these papers sometimes fall into the hands
| of those, if competent, are not charged
with the moral and legal responsibility of
deciding the important question of the COM
potency vel non of large number of
young men and women to teach in the
public schools.
=,
new methods perhaps, are being required
TACTICAL education.
1t is matter more serious, perhaps, thaa
some would think, to disgust the young
men and young women of the country to
the extent that they will refuse to apply for
certificates under the present examining
system. 1t means to put the schools of the
future largely in the hands of aliens, Or of
those who were able or were forced to pre-
pare themselves in the favored institutions.
| Not thatthese are not competent teachers,
but that it is manifestly unfair to shut out
all others, which the present system tends
to do.
We submit that the views herein ex-
pressed are justified by the existing condi-
tons, which year by year, are becoming
more pronounced.
We summon to testify to the truth of
what we say, long line of tried educators,
such as W. H. Leslie, j. W. Nicholson,
J. H. Chappell, R. A. Smith and J. H.
Davidson, who will bear us out that there
is danger in the evils of which we speak.
1t is true we have some fine school build :
ings, where a great work is going on, but
there are few, and do not represent the
conditions in the rural communities. And
it is for the boy and girl back in the less
favored sections that we speak.
"Back to the people!'' should be the
battle cry
Referring to the destruction of defense
freighter by German submarine, the
Louisville Courier journal says: Such a
proceeding as torpedoing steamer other
| than war vessel and sinking its crew alono