The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-12-13
COMMISSIONERS SCHOOL
ATTITUDE REVIEWED
Supt. Rathbun Sets Forth Their
Liberal Attitude Towards Mod
ern Educational Standard.

! At meeting of the board of county
commissioners held at it's office last
Tuesday evening, the county superin-
t4ndent Of schools, Mr.. F. E. Rathbun,
took occasion to say few words of
recognition to the board for its attitude
towards the public school system of the
county, the present board completing
its term of office with the close of this
calendar year, Messrs. D. NJ. Dixon and
A. c. Smith retiring and Mr.. George W.
Warwick continuing.
THE passing of this board of county
commissioners as the chief executives
of this county," said Supt Rathbun,
sis of more than passing interest.
Your work in the upbuilding OF the
pu bic Institutions of our county has
been most active. Aud to those who
have endured the trials of public office
and yet who have acquitted themselves
so commercially, few words of ap-
probation will not be out Of place.
"Whlle recognizing the work you
have done, the ceasure you have quick
ened thereby, by doing the best you
could for the roads Of the county, with
all the unsurmountable obstacles at
tached thereto, as we'll as noting all the
other fields of activities that YOU have
entered upon for the welfare of the
people of the county. vet it is the rat-
tention that you have given to the pub
lie schools of the county, that | desire
particularly to address myself.
During your terms of office you
have raised the school year from seven
and one-half months to nine. thus giving
the boys and girls of Garrett county an
equal opportunity for educational
equipment that boys and girls in every
other county of Maryland enjoy.
Under your administration, the
board of education has made bold to at
tempt to pay teachers the minimum
salaries as provided by the state school
law, the first year thereof being this
school year. While those salaries are
yet too low Commensurate with the high
est Efficiency you have laid the founda-
ton stones for d greater structure.
'You have further created a nucleus
fund to build a suitable high school
building for the boys and girls of this
county, thus enabling many 10 secure
grade teacher S certificates and an ad-
vanced education that VIII be so needed
| by them in the years to come when
they shall be men and women and when
the eco! omic demagd5 viii be sharper
and competition keener. 1t is the hope
/ of the far-seeing people of this county
that the fund you haye thus started
may end in a building that will be as
good or better than our jail and a
GROWING glory to the educational sys-
tenn of our county and which shall be
the source of jealous pride to every
citizen thereof.
Finally, gentlemen" concluded
Supt. Rathbun, II desire to state
that one measure of your work is
the fact that our leading citizens do not
advocate returning our school system to
the short term nor to lower salaries FOR
our self-sacrificing teachers, both of
which conditions once prevailed IN our
county. The momentus results of your
many school laoors and interest, how
ever, like all educational work, will not
be pronounced for twenty years vet TO
come only when the boys and girls now
in school become men and women. The
day is now passing when the people If
this county will need to apologize for
their schools. And the good citizenship
of county feel confident that the good
work you have begun will be carried on
by your successors in office who will
strike for still greater possibilities and