The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1923-07-14
SCHOOL BOARD CONTEST in
CROMWELL IS GETTING HOT
Peculiar Principal Has Gone and now Progressives
Propose to Eliminate "Old Gang" Directors
and Their Dark and Twisty System.

I taught at Brookston and at Flood.
wood, encountering trouble at the
latter place.
Principal Collovin had six teach.
ers at the central school and he did
not get along very well with them
Three were in his favor and three
more or less out OF his favor.
Shortly before school closed q
year ago. ColloVin summarily dis
| missed a teacher without any au.
thorization by the board. She re-
| ported the matter to the board and
a hearing was held. The autocratic
principal charged that she was too
active in church work and that she
was insubordinate.
The teacher had class in the
M. e. Sunday school and was zeal
Gus in church work, but that was
out Of school hours. 1t Is believed
that her, only act of unsubordina-
ton was her refusal to- let her
superior escort her home from a
school entertainment one evening.
Even then, he was told that he
might have the pleasure If he
would permit the other teachers to
accompany him. He seemed to think
that one teacher was company and
! six of them a crowd.
The school board had a hearing
and the teacher was told to con-
tinue with her work. Patrons then
circulated q petition, praying the
board to dismiss Prin. ColloVin.
There were $50 signers, about rs
per cent Of the vote in the district.
The autocratic educator had a pull
with Col. Beck and others of the
"Old Gang" hence held on until
the close Of this year. He will be
succeeded next year by A. e. Gus
tafson, of Waukanha, MINI.
The past year, Prin. 4Collovin tried
to have the school board pass a
rule, requiring the teachers to be
in their rooms at a certain hour,
fquite early in the evening. 1t seemed
to- irk him to see the young men
of the community escort his teachers
| to parties, entertainments and
dances. That rule, by the way, may
have been intended to help Prin.
Collovin know where a certain fair
teacher was each night. He sent her
a box of candy once upon time
and that was taken as prima facie
evidence that the young woman was
| very high in his favor. The scheme
did not work, for the board turned
down the proposed rule.
Although Prin. Collovin gener-
ally is credited with being good
instructor, despite his personal
idiosyncracies, his work with the
Cromwell algebra class did not
please the patrons during the two
years he was there. The first year,
only four passed in algebra out of
a class Of IA. The past year, only
one in the class succeeded in pass
| ing.
Principal Colloyin's troubles were
greatly due to the fact that he was
narrow in his religious belief and
practices. He is charged with in
jecting entirely too much religious
bigotry into his relations with the
public. There never has been trouble
in Cromwell over creeds and church
es and it is hoped and believed that
the troubled waters will become
calm now that the zealOt has de-
parted.
I The progressives and opponents
of the k-Clark-Benson gang have
another grievance in the fact that,
year ago, an attempt was made
to defeat the anti-gang ticket by
trickery. Not only was Mrs. Hill
strom's name put on the ticket
| without her wish or consent, but
there was some trickery in printing
the tickets. The gangsters were well
coached, but others, who were not
wise, so marked their tickets that
quite number were spoiled, hence
thrown out when counted. Trickery
failed to win the day for the Beck
Clark-Benson gang and the pro-
gressives propose to clean up the
Beck-Peterson ticket this year. Col.
Peterson, by the way, strongly
fought school consolidation ten
years ago. That fact and his. close
connection with Col. Beck will cost
him many, many votes. =