South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1882.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2919, 3 August 1882, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1882.

The vagueness of the Education Act on some important matters is its principal characteristic. It is easy to understand, and it may be generally conceded, that the framers of the statute desired, in the interests of National education, (it being a subject in which everybody would be interested v to leave room for liberal interpretation, mutual arrangement, and the dove-tailing of the provisions of the Act with the peculiar circumstances of various districts. It was thought, and wisely, that in dealing with the great question of National education, sharply defined, or cast iron rales, would be very undesirable, and tend to prevent the diffusion of those blessings which the Act sought to bestow. But our legislators herein erred somewhat on the aide of liberality ; and, with the best intentions in the world, opened the door to endless disputation on just the very points on which the Act should have been precise and rigid. Perhaps the most notable instance of this is to be seen in that portion which treats of the appointment of teachers. The Act merely provides that School Committees shall be consulted in the appointment of teachers, the actnal appointment lying with the Boards. Out of this vagueness there are continually arising perplexity, ill-feeling, and confusion. We will endeavor to state the case as it actually stands. A teacher is wanted for a public school; and applications for the post (as is the usage in South Canterbury, as well as most other districts) are received by the Education Board. From this point three courses ere open to the Board, either to merely forward all the applications to the Committee ; to weed out the manifestly unsuitable ones and forward the remainder to the local body, leaving them to select a man from among these eligible applicants; or to forward all the applications with an official confidential memorandum, stating who, in the opinion of the Board’s officials, are unsuitable for the post. The first of these courses appears the easiest, the second the wisest, and the third the least satisfactory. To simply send all applications to Committees, is to concede to the local body a plenary power of selection, and the question is, bow far is this judicious ? The objection to it appears to lie in. the indisputable fact that the information available by Committeees as to the professional status, suitability for the particular vacancy, character and general fitness, of the applicants is, on the whole, slender and untrustworthy. The appearance of certain testimonials, or the personal presence of any particular applicant who may choose to canvass the district, may weigh with a Committee so much as to induce them to select a certain applicant. Now the Board is in possession of definite and official information about all the applicants, and it has fixed standards by which to judge them, of which Committees know little or nothing. It may be the teaober chosen by the Committee is regarded by the Board as ineligible or undesirable. The Board owes a duty to the school, and in pursuance of that duty, it may object to sanction the appointment of the Committee’s nominee. The almost invariable result of this objection is that the Committee take umbrage, talk largely about the invasion of their rights, official tyranny, and such like phantoms and petulantly resign in a body, villifying the Board. The Board sometimes, to avoid strife and the demoralisation of the school that follows each strife, gives way and allows the Committee to learn, by experience, the folly of their obstractiveness. This is eminently unsatisfactory, and it is of very frequent occurrence. The second course open is to weed ont the ineligibles, and forward the papers of suitable persons only to Committees. Now it is notorious that many very unsuitable men contrive to tell very plausible stories of themselves and to pick up very glowing testimonials. The Board knows these persons to be, say, unskilled teachers, immoral, or intemperate, whom it cannot conscientiously appoint to a school, and it lays their papers aside. Of those sent, the Committee may select any one. In the third case, if an Education Board be asked to attach an official memorandum to the papers of the several applicants, stating whether they are suitable or not, it is asked to do too much. For the Board, while respecting the confidence of other similar bodies, should not be elected to make confidants of Committees in regard to the characters and status of applicants. Once these particulars leave the office, what guarantee is there that they will never be divulged, and

certain teachers gratuitously injured ? Confidence, in that case, would be destroyed for * ever. This matter should be examined impartially by Committees. Very few Committeemen, we fancy, would be prepared to deny that Boards have far better opportunities, through official sources of information, of fixing the value of applicants, than they themselves can possibly have. Nor will they deny that the maintenance of the character of the teachers and the efficiency of the schools is a Board’s duty. It being, then, conceded that Boards possess better knowledge, and that upon them is cast the entire responsibility, committees will hardly deny them the right to say what teacher shall, or shall not be deemed an applicant. On what principle a committee makes its selections, it is often bard to discover. We have heard of one man being recommended for appointment by a local committee on the ground that he was in full communion with a certain church though he was known by the Board to be altogether unsuitable for the post he was seeking. Church membership is collateral evidence of character, but it affords no proof of ability or fitness. The Board objecting to appoint this nominee, tbe Committee were straightway huffed and indignant. This sort of things brings about delay and injury to the best interests of the school. We have quoted one instance among many. We have every desire to strengthen the bands'of Committees but we certainly think tbe Board should neither be prevailed upon or coerced into placing in the bands of Committees applications from persons whom it knows to be unsuitable. Such measures as may be agreed upon may remedy the grievance temporarily, but it is our opinion that; tbe only sure remedy would consist in a reconstruction of that part of the Act which relates to tbe subject in hand, in order that an exact coarse might be defined for both authorities, Boards and Committees.

Otiß contemporary, the “ Herald,” this morning refers to “ the interesting coincidence that the day on which the British fleet threatened the forts of Abonkir was the 84th anniversary of the battle of the Nile,” and it laments that, whereas at that memorable time the Admiral in command did as seemed best in his eyes for crashing the enemy of his country, and burned and destroyed everything without let or hindrance, now-a-days the movements of the Admiral are controlled from Whitehall, so that bis destructive power is limited. And be winds up by a bit of “ padding ” which “ fills out ” effectually. It is as follows Now, Admiral Seymour, who is just as biave as Nelson, has to take his in* etructions by telegraph from some shivering official at Whitehall, who in his turn is under the orders of a lot of Birmingham radicals, who would not risk their worthless skins to save their country,

We have always admired our contemporary’s rhetoric. He is grand in denunciation, very. We like it just as at our school age we liked bon-bons. A very little of it goes a very long way. But we do not think the public ought to be fed upon it. In this instance our countryman is riding bis horse “ Jingoism,” and is plying whip and spur, while keeping a tight rein on him, —to make him prance prettily. But what he says is misleading. The fact is, European politics are not now so simple and straightforward as in Nelson’s day. At that time, an Englishman’s simple creed was, “ Fear God and bate the French,” and it carried John Bull very comfortably along when there was’nt bis match in the world. But this creed is now very much in the position of the Creed of Athanasius, very few people subscribe it, and it is found to be unsound. England has many interests, which are influenced by many considerations. She finds it necessary now to sib at the Council board of Europe ; she can no longer stand at the table and dictate. And not the most patriotic Englishman would desire to see the “ good old times" revived. The air is not to be always filled with smoke, the earth is not to be for ever a battlefield, and surely the endeavor to settle affairs with the smallest possible amount of carnage, is not a bad sign of the times. We excuse oar contemporary’s martial ardour, for we remember how he thirsted to be at Faribaka. But we must really lay bands npon him when he becomes too violent, and roars justa leetle too load. He is one of those brave fellows who would be willing to sacrifice all his relations to the war while he himself would take shelter in the innermost recesses of his editorial sanctum.