The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1923-06-09

creasingly apparent under the pres
ent boards organization and 1t has
been evidenced to him by the
attitude Of the president of the
board, and again by tue conduct
Of the investigation of the charges
recently made by one of the pa.
irons of the schools"
Mr.. Bentley then went somewhat
into the Stevenson case, showing
much resentment because he was
not asked to the private meeting
after which he concluded: .
II therefore tender you my res
ienation as superintendent OF
schools to take effect at the pleas
ure of the board, but not later
than July i, 1911. s..
"If 1t seems best to the board
or If the board cannot at once
secure a head for the schools, ]
shall be glad, for the sake of the
children Of the schools, to continue
to hold the organization together
and give legal effect to the boards s
| acts when they require superin-
tendent's approval"
"T'll retire while you consider
my resignation" said Bentley with
| an unctuous smile, after his resig-
nation had been read. He did not
have the least idea that his res
ignation would be accepted.
II move that this resignation be
accepted to take effect at once, -
moved Miss Dow Husbands, one OF
two women members of the board.
II second the motion" said Joe
Gardner.
DR.. Caldwell, president of the
board, put the motion and 1t pre-
vailed.
Supt. Bentley returned from an
other part of the building.
Ibid you act on my resignation"
he inquired.
"Yes," was the reply, 'and we
decided to accept It to take effect
at once" as
The bluffing, autoeratic superfn-
tendent turned pale In the face. He
had expected rejection of his
resignation which would have been
equivalent to a vote OF confidence.
Palph Yakal, Instructor ii history
lsss.s al tIsleas awp 81 nlerfAd 81
1rosSd M. bentley. Tte retiring SUI
perintendent told Yakel that citi-
zens were saying that acceptance
of the position would ruin him, but
all citizens charged with SO saying
flatly denied the charge. Despite the
Bentleyan croaking, Yakel still is
superintendent of the Paducah pub
lie schools, a tenure Of five years.
Paducah then was as badly torn
up as was Duluth when Mr.. Bentley
insisted on turning down all Duluth
architects and importing strangers
from Chicago. Down in Paducah,
Irv. Cobb's ancestral home, Supt.
Bentley played up closely to all
the civic organizations, hence he
was looked upon as a world-beater.
In Duluth, he has the civic organ
izations against him.. In Paducah,
too, the women members of the
school board turned against Bentley,
while, in Duluth, they have clung
tightly to him. But that's another
story.
When Bentley found himself out
on the cold world, without pro-
fessional position, or money in the
bank, by his own act, he vigorously
prodded up his admirers, club
brethren and others to protest
against his going and to demand
his retention in the schools.
The papers in Paducah were
cunningly cultivated by Bentley, the
same as in all other places where
/ he has carried on. The Paducah
Daily Democrat, the paper on which
Irwin s. Cobb served his apprentice
ship as a reporter, anne out with
these headlines:
THE GROWING ERROR.
SCHOOL CHILDREN OF PADUCAH
MUST PAY THE PRICE.