The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-10-19
First County Super
iltendent Resigns
After Two Days
Cleft over from last week.

The present teachers institute is
being held in county that was Or
ganized in January, 1885, from ter
ritory that now comprises about all
the counties of eastern Idaho, but
Oneida and Bear Lake.
The teachers of today know some
thing Of the requirements that are
added each year, and Of how most
teachers have to study and attend
summer schools to keep up in the
progress of the school system. When
this county was organized and 1t was
time for the county commissioners
to appoint the rest of the county Of
ficials, they had one application for
the position Of superintendent OF
schools, and he was not a teacher,
but merely an Anticipated gentleman
who had practiced law little some
where and was not very capable.
At the second sitting Of the board,
the chairman announced that he had
appointed Mr.. Crawford county
school superintendent, and the clerk
wrote the statement. upon the min
ute book where 1t still shows, in the
archives" Neither Of the other
members of the board moved OF
voted to confirm the appointment
and after q couple Of days the super
intendent got peeved about some
thing and rose up in his wrath and
told them he had quit and that he
hereby turned over to them ell the
goods and chattels Of his office,
namely: one desk, two chairs and
cuspidor. -
"A couple of days later the boart
received an application from DR.. J
G. House, who lived and practicet
medicine at Oxford, Idaho, then
part of Bingham county. He wal
appointed in open meeting and thu
clerk wrote 1t down. There was {
text book man present, representing
Ivison, Brakeman, Taylor & Co., o
Chicago, and on his recommendation
they adopted their line of books, an,
1t was recorded in the annals Of tn
county that the text books to be uset
thereafter should be Swinton's read
ers and spoilers, .Fish's arithmetic
Monteith's geography, Sill's lesson
in English, and the Spencerian writ
ing books. In this manner wa
education launched in the distric
now comprising the 1922 teachers
Institute, and when, not long after
ward, q young lady in Blackfoot de
cided that she wanted to teach, sh'
wrote to DR.. oHuse at Oxford, toll
him she had taught school in Iowa
to he promptly sent back a permi
for her to teach until further orders
The salaries paid at that tim
ranged from $50 to $85 month
One Of the teachers in the Blackfoo
school received $50 a month, and
cost 81 day to live at our "bes
hotel" which was combination o
hotel, barroom, express office, stag
office and telegraph office.
AS the needs of the school system
broadened, new subjects were adde
to the list of studies, or to state
more correctly, as new educators ar
rived from the east, the local peopl
were told that the school system
needed to be broadened to make
like those of the densely populate'
commonwealth farther east, and
was broadened accordingly to tn
supposed ability Of the taxpayers t.
carry the burden until at the presen
time, the taxpayers have protested
and cut off some Of the educationa
trimmings and are demanding tina
at least one of the higher executiv
officers of the state be abolished.