Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-24
THE
ELECTION OF
SCHOOL HEAD

OO1AOOh 1AGIAD
Continued From Page One)
no way. short Of an actual try out,
either to prove or disprove this state
ment. II is sufficient to say thst if it is
not always safe to trust the people in
the affairs of government, they have at
least made no serious mistake in this
instance.
In 1892. Richard G. Boone, an able
educator Of this State. who was professor
Of pedagogics IN Indiana University and
author OF q volume on education in the
United States, wrote and published
book. under the title A History OF Edu-
cation IN Indiana" When this volume
was published. sixteen different men had
served Indiana as superintendent Of
public instruction, and in writing Of
them. he says
"Of the superintendent who held the
office not too much praise can he spoken.
They were generally scholarly and eff
Gent"
No more than this can be said of the
Governors or Of the Supreme Court
Judges OF our State.
But possibly the advocates OF this pro
posed amendment may suggest that Pro
AFceUE DNNAtb NAOtE AtN EuARE9 ANNhN1
nine years ago, and that things have
changed and that our experience has not
been 50 satisfactory since then. Very
we'll let US consult another page OF In
diana history.
REFERS TO VIEW OF
TALENTED WOMAN.
In 1915 but FIVE years ago. very tai
ented woman. Julia Henderson Levering.
published her Historic Indiana" most
entertaining and Trustworthy volume, in
which she says:
step by step, Indiana has developed
2 most admirable free school system
from kindergarten up TO the universities
One If the chief factors in this steady
growth of opportunities for all the
children Of the State has been the service
that Indiana has received from successive
boards Of education and state superin-
tendents Of public instruction. If one is
skeptical regarding the sum Of good
citizenship. be should be encouraged by
the record or the incumbents OF these
positions. notwithstanding that the
superintendent is an elective office. and
the candidate changes with the political
party. in power, each Of the parties from
the beginning has secured good men, who
had the advancement Of the schools at
heart
But it may be said by those so earnest
IL championing this amendment. that the
writer. Just quoted, is a woman and that
she hadn't had the advantage OF the
ballot when she wrote. and OF course
she was not schooled in the profound
affairs OF government so as to make her
opinion OF much consequence.
RECENT
AUTHORITY.
Granting the impeachment 90 ne sound
let us sgain turn to the masculine side
OF the house and consult another oracle
of our State University But two and
fraction years ago, Logan Esarey, as
sstant professor Of western history,
wrote in his History OF Indiana" that
professional training has been re-
gsrded from the earliest times as the
panaces Of all educational difficulties.
Every State superintendent from VII
liam e. Larabee to Horace Ellis has
publicly recognized this. The effective
work along this line has made Indiana
schools among the bast IN the Nation"
The supporters Of this amendment tell
US that In comparison with the schools
of other States Indiana today is occu-
pying a humiliating position. Do you
believe that OF do you believe what
Esarey says about our schools. And we
are told that in order to remove the
flush Of shame from our face the people
should surrender their right to choose
the head Of their school system and
authorize the State Legislature to deslg-
nate some unknown man or board to
make the selection. It proposes that the
people shall have an abiding faith in
future Legislatures and take chances.
STATE BOARD
MAY APPOINT.
IT has been assumed generally that
the Governor would be given the ap-
pointive power, but recently an advO-
cate of the amendment said publicly that
It was q mistake 70 indulge this assump
ton as the State board of education
probably would be given the power to
make the appointment.
II the safe board Of education is like
" to be given this power, then the pro-
posed amendment is all the more objec-
tionsbIe. II would be better for the
Governor, who is not a member OF the
board. to have the appointive power.
1t f. the duty Of the superintendent to
join in selecting the books to he used in
our schools and he ought TO be left free
to exercise his best Judgment for the peo-
pie and not made to feel he could not
personally afford, IN the adoption Of text
books. 70 oppose the views of the other
members oL An6 UOdEu lHdL gave MN MS
position.
ONLY SUPERINTENDENT
OWES PLACE To VOTERS
II the board is given authority to make
this appointment what viii he the stu
stion7 The State board Of educati ton, a s
now constituted, has for its members. the
superintendent Of public instruction, who
is elected by the people; the presidents.
respectively. OF Indiana University. Pur-
due University and the State Normal. not
one Of whom owes his position to the
people; the surerintendents. respectively,
Of the city schools Of Indianapolis. FIT
Wayne and Evansville. not one Of whom
owes his position TO the people: three
persons actively Interested in sduca-
tionaI work and three persons actively
interested in and of known sympathy
with, vocational education, all appointed
By the Governor. and not one Of whom
owes his position to the peopls. Thus 1t