Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 157, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1915 — TEACHERS DEATH DUE TO DISAPPOINTMENT [ARTICLE]

TEACHERS DEATH DUE TO DISAPPOINTMENT

B. D. Comer, of Union Township, Says Jesse Smith Was Refused License and Health Failed. - B. D. Comer, of Union township, former trustee and always interested in education, called at The Republican office Friday to commend The Republican for bringing to the attention of the people of the county the deplorable condition existing in the schools of the county under the management of Superintendent Lamson. JVIr. Comer says that the death of Jesse Smith, a fine young man of that township, was in his opinion the result of disappointment because after he had taught school for several years Mr. Larnosn turned him down when he made application for license. When Mr. Comer was trustee of Union township young Smith was one of the teachers and was a good one. Mr. Comer says he was one of the best teachers he ever employed and that he possessed the moral character necessary to make for thorough success of his work. He was conscientious and of a sensitive nature and when he failed to pass the examination he was disappointed to the extent that he worried himself sick and finally to his death. Mr. Comer said that this statement could be made with his full consent. He also said that he had watched the schools of his township with a deep interest and that they were not succeeding under Mr. Lamson and he deemed a change in the management a much needed thing. J. W. Faylor’s daughter, ’Miss Gertrude, also of Union township, graduated from the Rensselaer high school last year and then took a course in the Terre Haute normal. She received a license but did not get a school, owing to the fact that so many teachers were brought in from outside of the county. She was promised by Lamson that she would be given a place if a vacancy occurred. Along in the winter one of the teachers at Fair Oaks was removed. Miss Faylor made application but was not given the school. It was given to Miss Lois Meader, a thoroughly competent young lady, but it is reported that at the time the vacancy occurred she had not received a license but was called to Mr. LamSon’s office and a special examination given her. This is important only from the standpoint that it shows that Lamson’s word could not be depended upon, and Miss Faylor was again disappointed. She took another term at Terre Haute and this year came in to take an examination. She arrived a little late and Mr. Lamson informed her that she could not take the examination as “the questions were out.”

She is now talking a third normal course, this at Valparaiso. Her father is a farmer who has made many sacrifices for his daughter’s sake and who has had more than his share of misfortune, having lost an arm a feW years ago in a shredding accident. He called at The Republican office to say that his daughter had been very shabbily treated by Lamson. Along toward the end of the term a vacancy occurred in the Aix school. Miss Faylor applied for the position. Lamson told her that there were to be several township graduates at the school and that he wanted an experienced teacher and he brought there to teach the school an imported teacher who had taught the primary grade at Kniman. The Walker township schools had closed early and of course the imported teacher was to pay the 5 per cent for the privilege. The 5 per cent went to the agent who sent her here, presumably. But Miss Faylor, a graduate of the Rensselaer high school, who had passed the teachers’ exifwrdnation and taken two terms at a normal school, was not given a chanice.

The Republican editor was in Monon Saturday and was informed by a person who keeps posted on school matters that graduates of the Monon high school are quite invariably licensed if they take the examinations. S. W. Noland, of near Lee, a teacher of many years’ experience, mostly in White county, talked freely with the writer. He is a fine type of man and has taught many schools. Because of the convenience in reaching his school he secured the McCoydburg school a few years ago and this gave him an opportunity to study school methods in Jasper county.- He said that in White county they have an energetic superintendent with the proper school spirit and the faculty of securing results. He said that conditions in Jasper oounty under the Lamson management are pitiable. He is teaching school in White county because he dees not care to teach in Jasper county under Lamson. He spoke of one incident in his school experience with Lamson. One of his pupils had failed to pass the eighth grade examination and some of her grades were quite low.. She was very

good in. writing, however, and Mr. Noland was surprised to find that her writing grade was below the requirement He appealed to Lamson about it and was told that her other grades were so poor that he “just cut her down in writing also.” The destructive effect on the pride and ambition of the pupil can weft be imagined. A daughter of John Williams, of Wheatfield, is said to have been turned down to make room for One of the second-hand teachers from other counties or other states. Any old applicant from any old place jusft. sb they came through a 5 per cent agent seems to have been good enough to suit Lamson. The charge is made by a number of old teachers that Lamson has the habit of grading them down for the purpose of reducing their pay below the provision of the law for teachers with a certain standard of success. The Republican wants to hear from all who have met disappointment at the hands of Lamson and wants above every other thing to secure for the able and deserving boys and girls of Jasper county a fair chance to secure a higher education for themselves by being allowed to teach school. Rensselaer graduates year after year more scholars than are graduated at Monticello, Delphi, Kentland, Goodland or any of the surrounding towns. It is conceded that we have the best high school in this part of the state and the graduates uniformly make a success of their college work and in aH fields of labor they apply to fill except in the matter of getting licenses to teach schoofl. z Should the people of Jasper county be content or permit the schools to be managed by an incompetent man, The Republican will proceed to investigate and report to the people our disclosures about Lamson and if there continues to flood to us the class of information concerning his unfairness and lack of ability shown by the disclosures of the past ten days, an effort will be made to have witnesses come before the board of education at the August meeting and tell what they know to show the unfitness of Lamson as the school head of Jasper county.