The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1916-06-07
POUND RECOMMENDS A
CHANGE IN SYSTEM

The Georgia Educational AS
ISOLATION, at its last meeting pass
ed unanimously a resolution in
troduced by Jerre NJ. Pound that
recommends several most radical
changes in the laws Of Georgia
governing schools, and school
books. The resolution follows:
BE it resolved, first, That we
unsparingly condemn the present
method of electing county school
superintendent, as defeating the
very purpose of its creation, and
as bad in theory and worse in
practice, since we have had cause
to know by fair, unprecedented
but painful trial, that this official
for the sake of the children and
in justice to the people, who pay
the taxes, ought to be highly
trained and unusually skilled in
all school administration that to
secure such men all laws requir-
ing that they should be citizens
of the county in which they serve
ought to be annulled; and that
the selection of these officials
should be placed in the hands of
competent boards, who shall be
required above all things to Sc
cure men of special training for
their work, wherever they may be
found, as encumbent of these
most vital offices.
Resolved, secondly, That we
believe the schools of the state
ought to be kept in close touch
with the people, that to this end
the authorities who directly CON
troll them should be responsible to
the people, and that therefore,
the members of the board of edu-
cation, and not the superinten-
dent, who, in the last analysis, is
but their executive officer, should
be elected by popular vote.
Resolved, thirdly, That we re-
lterate with absolute unanimity,
Our belief that the curse of litter
acy can never be banished from
this state nor every child receive
his right to a fair chance in life
until it shall be as unlawful. as
is immoral and immoral, for any
child in sound body and mind to
be deprived by any preventable
cause of reasonable amount of
schooling; and that we demand
with no uncertain voice, the early
passage of some effective laws
concerning compulsory school at
tendance.
Resolved, fourthly, That if, to
secure such laws and make them
effective, it is necessary to fur
nish tree books to the child, in
the minds of any considerable
portion OF our people, the thought
that some children being poor,
will find it difficult or impossible
to procure the required books and
it, therefore, will be tyranny to
compel such children to attend
school, constitutes an insparabale
obstacle to such laws, we recon-
mend that the state provide,
organization, for such
or if need be, for all its
free. but good and suit
able books to be bought in open
market and from the fairest bid
der.
Resolved, filthy, That we be-
l'eve the STATE ought to provide
a reasonable and certain revenue
tor all rs schools, whether high
or low, and that to this end. def
fdte portions of its income ought
to- bc assigned them by constitu-
tlonal provisions so as to prevent
the Observation-Disclosures annual
endorsements and
paralysis Ill school administration
as well as the unseemly and al
most disgraceful scrambles for
school app cpr:ations incident to
every session Ct the legislature
Resolved, sixthly, That the ex-
isting mo>ht.d Of disbursing pub
nc moneys among the counties
Tor schoo! purposes on the basis
OF school population alone, is
waSietrl, ard unscientihc in the
extreme, conducive to MANY of
he Ills that afflict our common
school system, and ought to be
replaced l. some more equitable
system, which will stimulate
greater educational activity in all
our counties.
"kcso'yed, sevcnthly, That we
believe the state has gone far
enough in the matter of leeisla-
tive appropriations for the com
mon schools; that these schools