THE AMERICAN OUTLOOK.

Evening Star, Issue 4967, 3 February 1879, Page 3

THE AMERICAN OUTLOOK.

The following are extracts from the Californian correspondence of the Wellington ‘ Chronicle. ’ The writer is understood to be Mr It,' J. Creighton : One of . the most unblushing transactions for jtfnerica even has been dragged to light 'in California. Our school department is run by* politicians, the consequence being that mfcn of hb character, or of bad and doubtful character; obtain nomination at primaries, arb confirmed at county conventions, and elected by the sovereign people. Politicians who mean to rise in their profession usually start ,in with the, school department. It is .an office, 5 that of school director, it controls an annual expenditure in this State of some million and a half of dollars (San Francisco alone spends dollars a year on its public sdhdols), the position is one of influence and credits But money lies.at the root of it all, ,'ahdfM;he disclosures 7 ‘''how being made on publrc investigation, show that the school department ia rotten to; the core—so rotten that-it stinks-even in political nostrils. For , thedast twelve years or more teachers’ examinations .were from; printed questions, ;Secretly issued: to the County Examining '■• Boards froih the office of the State Superin:tshdent of : Schools at Sacramento. Well, 'it‘ is now on sworn testimony that ever since this system was adopted, the questions were I issued in advance and sold at from IpOdqh to 200dols each, amounting in the aggregate yearly to 30,000d01s or 40,000d015., The State Superintendent, his ;is his deputy, his son, who is r an ? officer of the department, s'($ool superintendents, principals, and t lackers, chiefly young women, are ail duplicated all more or leas victims The amount of perjury Already Jn this) examination is something amazing', end tne capability of the young “ school mafms ” to perjure, themselves ana suborn perjury, and to do a great many othbr naughty\things connected therewith, proves that the secular system, if it tends to emancipate youth from superstition and make it has failed in this conspicuous example to a apply any moral check or restraint, I have a consistent advocate of secular and perhaps upon Occasions took an extreme view of the S question; bht lam prepared to say now at what I have seen of of that stem, subject to the popular^check (and it quid be effective) of frequent election, jSbility to investigation and impeachment, :«td the restless vigilance of American news'ajSbers, has led me to modify my conI can at least be tolerant of the OTiersicle, and admit that it is better'for the mOdd to cultivate even superstition the «ie. of personal morality than to cultivate which dispenses with it wholly. T||ire now, I have made my confession on the education question, which I perceive instill unsettled in.New Zealand, and am ready to take , a back seat. There is no reason why it should be so ; all I know is that so it is. The Rev. Dr Platt, 6f Grace attacked it vigorously - from hie pulpit on Sunday week, and hit another bTbt which, I understand, is much more comipon east of the mountains than on this coast,’*, It is this: that men of influence and wealth force their mistresses into the schools as teachers. Doubtless this is ocasionally the case here ; but as a rule it is not true. However, there is sufficient foundation for Dr Platt stating that such was “ the common talk ” in the community. The school directors are, as a rule,-. Ward politicians. One of • them (the preset chairman) is an American printer of German extraction, who li&s been continued for a second year because the Board could not agree upon which of their number should succeed. The chairman nominates all committees, and therefore controls appointments, contracts, and expenditures, and, if rumor docs not lie, the incumbent always makes a snng-thing of it. I cannot speak with knowledge ; but say with Dr Platt, “it is common talk.” Well, on the fact of this man’s continuance in office being reported, he was accosted by a gentleman of culture, who said :

“So you are to be chairman of the School Biftrd for another year, I see;.’’ “ Yea,” said the chief of the Education Department; “I am Chairman of the San Francisco School Board for a'nother year, and a bigger ’man'than a little Christ, by Q— ! ” This is ho libel. It is the truth; and showh the dags of men who obtain office under popular-, suffrage by the dexterous manipulation <jf the machine. Men of education feel insulted by such a man’s control of the school fund and patronage, but they do hot attend the primaries, ami permit whiskey-sellers and political strikers tb ipake their «wn party nominations and “mp the machine.” What has befallen secular education in America should put you on ychu Becpae we ■ failed ■gi'ievond), bow-eT.iT. is no 10-aiCTi fef going to toother extreme. There is room , for every educational system, and I think' the m>‘re competition the better. Our schools should be models; you may learn much from us; and as you have one English gentleman in Wellington, I believe, who passed a creditable examination here lately and got a certificate, in competition with at least 200 who had bought the examination papers beforehand, it might be profitable to use his exnerience in pci-fectins? v.niy oeb r r system. The Otago plan is gjod, bub it is far from perfect. Talking 61 tooka and bookmakers, v Zealand 13 taking some Credit in America for

; ptoduoiojg literary men. The latest book and it ts very clever and well written) is from the pen of J. F. Clafk,' an old Aucklander, now of San Francisco. The book, in novel form, is an attack upon popular vices and rascalities, entitled. “The Society in Search of Truth, or, Stock Gambling in San Francisco.” It deals with men and manners in trenchant style. It will doubtless command a considerable sale, and has already brought reputation to its author. Edison’s electric patent will be issued in this country as soon as lie is protected abroad. Meanwhile gas stock is trembling all around. The Palace Hotel here is now well lighted by a new electric process. . The Californian testimonial to Earl Beaconsfield was got up and largely promoted by old Colonials, The chief duty of the presentation, which was a grand eqgcess, devolved* upon W. G. Harrison, for rff&ny years in the Imperial service in New Zealand, and latterly a lousiness man in Auckland, You will perceive, therefore, that abseuce from your shores does not weaken the sentiment of attachment to the Mother Country. It is something to know that the most conspicuous, as 'well as the most artistic and valuable, recognition of Earl Beaconsfield’s services to the empire during the late European crisis, namely, that from Anglo-Califor-nians, is in some measure at least identified with New Zealand Colonists.