Clinton School Committee and Rev. Mr Connor.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 23, 17 December 1874, Page 6

Clinton School Committee and Rev. Mr Connor.

At the monthly meeting* of the Education Board the following report, communications, and explanations were submitted relative to the appointment of a teacher, lately made by the School Committee at Clinton. REPORT BY THE BECRETAY. • The Secretary to the Board made the .following report of the matter to His Honor the Superintendent, of date the 4th insfc. :-— " A district school has been recently established by the Board at Clinton, mainly through the strenuous and' persevering efforts of the Bey. Mr Connor. The School Committee met about a month ago for the election of a teacher. Among the candidates were Mr Alexander And3rson and Mr Charles Connor, son of the Rev. Mr Connor. Mr Anderson was from his boyhood trained for the profession of a teacher in a national training institution in Ireland, and was master of a sohool under the Irish National Board for a short time before, leaving for New Zealand. I have known him for.several years as a very painstaking, successful, and acceptable teacher,.. and as a man of most excellent character in all respects. He ranks -as a certificated teacher of the first class under the Board's Regulations of 1872. Weak health compelled him some time ago to resign his appointment in the Kaikorai School. On his recovery he was anxious to resume work in a country school, and hence his application for the appointment at Clinton. Mr C. Connor, aged about 20 years, has attended the Otago University for several sessions. " He has had no training or experience whatever in school management and teaching ; and as he purposes to prosecute his studies'with a view to the clerical profession, he could not well undertake the continuous charge of a school for any length of time. .At the meeting of the Clinton School Committee, Mr Anderson was elected teacher by the castingvote of the Chairman, the Rev. Mr Connor and two other members having voted for Mr C. Connor. Immediately on the result of the election being ascertained, the Hey. Mr Connor seems to have become very excited. He protested against the election, and resigned his position as clerk, treasurer, and member of the School Committee. It is very evident that the School Committee has performed an important public duty in a very creditable manner, but not more so, I believe, than almost every other committee would,have done under similar circumstances. Mr Anderson is a skilful, experienced, and certificated teacher, and a man of very fair education, and of the very highest moral character. His election was therefore perfectly valid in all respects. Mr Connor, however high his scholarship and personal character may be, is untrained and inexperienced as regards school management and teaching; he does not intend to follow the profession of teaching for any great length of time, and his election under the circumstances would have been in direct violation of the Education Ordinance, and the Regulations of the Board. It is only 'in case a qualified teacher, cannot be obtained for any school that a person not duly qualified may by leave of the Board be temporarily appointed.' [See section 19 of the Education Ordinance 1864.] It has often been to mc a matter of regret that the Board has been obliged so frequently to grant leave to engage untrained teachers in the case of side schools; although in regard to main schools such a course has been sanctioned only at rare and distant intervals. But in all cases where such leave has been granted, it was necessary to satisfy the Board's Inspector that no properly certified and qualified teacher could be obtained. The establishment of the Training School will by-and-bye put a complete stop to the employment of untrained teachers." rev. Mr connor's version. The following letter from the Rev. Mr Connor was submitted to the meeting of the Board. The letter is dated Manse, Clinton, 9th November, and proceeds as follows :— "On Tuesday night, by the casting vote of the chairman, Mr Connor's application for Clinton School was rejected. I was made aware, before the meeting, what was to be the result. University certificates are of no account with men whose minds are warped by religious jealousy. I felt it was an insult not only to the University through which he has passed with honors, but also to myself. I threatened to protest, and appeal to the decision of the Education Board; but, in deference to the wishes of Mr Connor, I am not going to do so, but some one ought to do it, so that the incompetency of School Committees to decide on the merits of candidates may be publicly known. I have, however, recorded my reasons of dissent in the minute book, and resigned all connection with the school and the School Committee. I need not say that I think Mr Connor worthy of something better than a side school. His character and qualifications I reckon of the highest order. You wish educated teachers? How

are you to get them ? Here are two

young men, Messrs Hay and Connor, who have passed through the University with honors, rejected : the one by Waihola Committee, the other by Clinton Committee. The students (for they are both enjoying* themselves at the Manse) are having fine fun over their being ' plucked ' by committees utterlyincapable of appreciating University, certificates; but I must tell you that my candid opinion is that young men of talent and spirit will not submit to such treatment, and the result will be that the Board will lose the services of both these young men, and still the cry will he ' We want better educated teachers.' Who is to blame ? What is the use of asking better educated teachers from home if highly educated young men, who have passed through our own Otago University, are to be rejected when they make application for a side school ? I have not the pleasure of knowing Mr Petrie, the Inspector, but I will be obliged to you if you show him this letter. You are at. liberty to. use this for any purpose you please." The following is Mr Connor's protest :— " I beg in my own name, and inrthe name of all who may sign this, to protest and appeal against the decision of the Committee to the Education Board, for the following reasons:—lst.. Because the decision come to is not based on the merits of the candidates. 2nd; Becuse it is known that with certain members of the Committee it was a foregone conclusion, before the election place that it did not matter what MrConnor's qualifications were, they would oppose his election. 3rd. Because it is our belief that Mr Connor'sappointment would have given great and general satisfaction throughout the district, and his scholarship have been a great boon to many young men in it. 4th. Because it is but right that. the Education Board should know that District School Committees are not always fit judges of the respective merits of the candidates. sth. Because Mr Connor's appointment was rejected by the casting vote of the chairman." THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE'S EXPLANATION. The following explanation made by the clerk, Mr F. Lange, to the School Committee, was also read and submitted at the meeting of the Board :—•

j ''As regards the misunderstanding between Mj Connor and the Committeee, I beg to say that it is with great reluctance we touch on this subject; but, since Mr Connor persists in following the course he has taken, there is no alternative for mc but to acquaint you with the circumstances as they transpired. At a meeting held on the sth inst., for the purpose of considering the applications of the respective candidates for the teachership, Mr Connor's behavior was considered insulting to members of the Committee, by his .endeavoring to dictate, and finding fault with all the candidates, his own son excepted, on whose merits he dwelt so long that it became very tedious and tiresome. Nothing could have been conducted fairer or more openly than the election was. As soon as the result became known, Mr Connor rose, and read a protest against the validity, pf the election of Mr Anderson but the Committee as a body — Mr Connor excepted—including even his son's proposer and seconder, ignored his protest, Mr Connor thereupon with drew his protest, but stated that in this case there was, only one course left open for him, and that was to tender his resignation as secretary, treasurer, and as a member of the. Committee. The Committee consider that they have just reason to complain 4 about Mr Connor's behaviour, which was, to say the least of it, very ungentlemanly—throwing. about books and papers, and trying to uybraid others for rejecting his son—' who had stopped to. apply for a side school, he being capable, of filling a much higher situation '—in language both vehement and insulting., he also taxed members of the Committee ( with combining together to prevent his son being appointed, whioh.is both Tin?-, founded and incorrect He likewise, tried to blame the members of the Epis T . copal Church for using undue, influence —a most unwarranted assertion to make especially by ai person in his position,; and showed anything but a charitable feeling. But this was considered at that time better allowed to pass, all appearing sorry that he should have forgotten himself so far as to allow.- his temper to get the better ot him." THE OPINION. The Secretary to the , Board (Mr. Hislop) read the following reply to the Rev. Mr Connor's letter:— " I am in receipt of your favour ot the 9th November, 1874, which seems to have been written underthe influence of very strong feeling. I -do not, therefore, consider it wise on my part to enter into the matters referred to by you. If the gentleman elected is Mr Alexander Anderson, recently second master of the Lindon (Kaikorai) school, and formerly schoolmaster at Lake Waipori, his election is perfectly valid, Mr Anderson being a certificated teacher under the Board."

Mr Hislop. made the following additional explanations :-r— " It was not my intention at first, to take any further. notice of the - letter,

but I was -quite astonished,--a few | days after, to find; it almost wholly re-, produced as : a leading article. in the Otago 'Guardian-' of November : 16. Names are, Of course, omitted irom tne newspaper, but the identity of the- two productions is so striking, in many rer spects that I cannot account for it except upon the supposition < ;i that ~the: writer of the letter is also the author of, the leading article, or that they were. at. all events penned under, the.same roof. Though no names are. given in the article I am able to identifyi.the individuals pointed at. As an illustration of. this, and to, show the> actual value.of, the strong inveotive with which the article abounds, I venture to give one. very short extract:—" While against, one who could produce a letter from such dignitary as a Resident Magistrate, a. thinker with a head like ; Aristotle.i would not have the ghost, of j a chance/ Mr Anderson produced to the. Clinton Committee a letter-from a well-known 8..M., who was for some years a muchr valued friend of the Provincial Scholar-. ships'. Board of Examiners, wh(» is at this moment a member |of the High • School Board of Adyice, and who, if anon-political Education: Board were, to be appoinfjed, would probably, be amonw the first to be nominated* as. a member >of it.. With .the Rev. Mr Connor's letter as, a key, there l is ; no.';diffi?: : culty.in recognising the : * thinker, with, a head like Aristotle,''whose services the Education Department has been ;sp unfortunate as: to lose through the ignorance and stupidity of a School Comjmittee. The article, is so extremely silly, and.mostof the writer's assertions and conclusions are so wide of the truth, that I should not <have considered: rit worthy of the slightest notice if it had not appeared in ; the leading column of so highly respectable a newspaper, into which, I am sure,; it '■ could only have found admission through some unaccountable oversight. Besides, I consider this a most excellent opportunity of exposing the origin of these violent jattacks upon School Committees which: from time to time find their way into the and which have been somewhat frequent of late. A very exevtensive and intimate acquaintance with what goes on in connection with educational matters enables mc in most cases to trace the origin of these attacks, and I am confident that many of them have proceeded from disappointed candidates or their friends, as in' the two instances above mentioned. It sometimes happens, though rarely, that" a teacher's gross misbehaviour'necessitates his dismissal from the service, and there is generally no one" so ready as such a person to denounce the education system and its administrators. j Many people are no doubt surprised at the facilities afforded to men of this stamp to vilify the service into whioh they may have been refuked admission, or from which they may have been deservedly expelled." After reviewing the matter, the Secretary adds-.- 4 - 4----"It is well known that, in of this kind, a very few ill-informed persons may make nitely more noise thant the ,200! or up-, wards, of good anq! true men \. and, women, who, in all parts of the Pro-.. vince, are quietly, and to .the best : of, their ability, performing a great public duty—sometimes amidst circumstances of discouragement and difficulty. As an.expression of what I believe to be the opinion of most : of the teacheis ;) of Otago, I beg to. submit ~the fojlpwing, extract from a letter I have recentlyreceived from ,a schoolmaster in this Province, ; who.; : in his. day gainerl distinction as a TJpiversity *I hold that the Eduoatipn.ißoara, would not be acting fairly to the tried teachers, or carrying -out the spirit, of. the Ordinance, - if. : it; allpwed persons, Without experience to. be appointed..,as. teachers of .District Sphools... All other., things being my syjppaties v are,; of course,, with Uniyersity mcn } but H I, taust own .(and here : I. speak from .peiy. experience and; observation) jthat, college life is far,too exclusive, and has., little .tendency tp piap-. tical, capabilities.so essential to a schoolmaster. . I have ;, ready.. ,o,r; heard it remarked, that the,.scurrilous. we sometimes see ,are from disappointed applicants ox their, friends, and I, .begin,. tothinkthere must be some truth in the statement. The principal defect I see in the Otago Education Ordinance is the want of power on the pari pi', local Committees to raise a small sum annually to keep school buildings clean jfnd in.repair* yli they had such power, they would not.be, so :: apt• to cast a longing eye ;on; the school fees, about which, you ihow > we teachers . are. #o : very touchy/ I heiartily ponour witih, , my. correspondent in what he states., as to the main defect in tho-Edueation ; OrdinanpOi. I. respectfully; urge this matter upon, the..consideration of,the, Boardi r) I know that it is nqt.the, fault; of your Honor, or,any ; member of the. jrresent Education Board, that thiside-,, feet was not Temediedyears l ago/ , ; ~ \

: A short discussion endued amongst the .member* of the Board, after whicnl on the motion of. Mr J. L. ; GilljeSj, it, was; unanimously: - agreed-H-" That. the thanks of < this ' Board should be given. ToMr 1 Hislop for the trouble'he 1 lias taken and that its concurrence with tbe, action .of the.Clinton.Sctool,Com.-/, mittee be also expressed.