tern of free public school education, and
perform such other duties pertaining to his
office as may from time to time be prescribed
by law.
Mr, Tone moved to amend by striking out
"three," in line five, and inserting "two,"
so as to make the salary $2,000.
Mr. CUSHING. I should like to hear some
reason assigned for that.
Mr, TODD. I can give my reasons in avery
few words. We have already fixed the salary
of some State officers below that amount,
whose duties are more onerous than will be
the duties of the superintendent of State in-
struction. It is a very nice, pleasant little
office, with light duties; and I think $2,000
will be a sufficient salary. I offer this amend-
ment to test the sense of the convention upon
the question.
Mr. CUBBING. I earnestly hope there will
be no reduction made in this salary. Any
man who is fit to be the State superintendent
of public instruction is either worth $3,000
or is worth nothing. If you want to make
the office so cheap that men of every degree
of calibre and every want of qualification
shall apply and get it, reduce your salary
to such a sum that a first-class man will not
take it. If the man that is appointed shall
do his work properly, there is no office in
the length or breadth of this State that will
tax every energy of a man, mental and phys-
ical, as this office will tax him. If he makes
the faintest approximation to what the peo-
ple of tills State will demand of their super-
intendent of common school instruction, it will
almost wear him out. It is no" nice office; "
it is no sinecure. It is no office in which a
man can have all the work done by deputies ;
but it will require in every detail of system
throughout the whole State the personal
supervision of the man himself.
Another portion of this report intrusts to
the man so appointed, the suggestion to your
legislature of a complete common school sys-
tem. You put upon him a grave and important
duty, which will in all probability affect the
action of your legislature when it comes to
complete the system of details. Yet there is
a proposition to reduce his salary below that
which in this State almost any man in teach-
ing a private school can accumulate clear of
all expenses, when the bill itself provides
him a salary less than any man fit to take
the position can make at any department of:
business in which he may choose to engage
within the State of Maryland, You do not
want second-class work, nor a second-class
man. Unless you intend to take a first-class
man for the place, you would better have none
atall. I do riot know one man fit to have it
that would take it at $2,000. I wish the con-
vention seriously to think of this question
It is reducing the salary of an officer who will
be, so far as regards the interests of the State |
and of the people, one of the. most important
of all ifs officers.
Mr. SANDS. I will just say that I agree
entirely with the member from Baltimore
city (Mr. Cushing) in this respect, that we
want a first-class workman. There we agree.
As to the fact that we cannot get a first-class
workman for $2,000, there we do not agree.
I know many men within the State of Mary-
land, and could select them if called upon to
do so to-morrow, who would take it as a
perfect God-send; men of capacity, men of
ability, men who are laboring hard now in
the occupation of private teaching, having
the highest grade of qualifications, and who
do not make $1., 000 a year. It has been no-
torious through the State that this branch of
employment in the State—teaching—was the
worst remunerated in the community. 1
have seen gentlemen of the very highest grade
of qualifications teaching for a salary of
only $1,000. I know, them and can select
them by the half score at least, this day.
As to the duties of this office being so
onerous, I really do believe that it would be
the pleasantest berth a man qualified for
them could possibly occupy. As to his hav-
ing to prepare and suggest to the legislature
a system of common schools, all that he
would have to do would be to look into the
systems of some of our other States which
have such admirable public school systems,
and recommend such features as in his judg-
ment are best calculated to promote public
instruction. Then what would be his prac-
tical work? To travel through the limits of
the State, from Allegany to the seaboard,
with his expenses and everything else paid ;
with no anxiety of mind about the expendi-
ture of his salary in travelling, or anything
else. He is provided with an office, which
would of course be made a very comfortable
one, and all expenses of travelling from place
to place are to be paid. This is in addition
to the salary of $2,000, which I say would
be, to many gentlemen of the very best and
highest qualifications in this matter, a perfect
God-send. To go from point to point in the
State, and enter a school here and there all
over the length and breadth of the land,
where the little ones go to receive public in-
struction, would be a very pleasant task no
double—to go there and simply see that the
mode of instruction in the schools was in ac-
cordance with the provisions of the public
school system. Simply to ask, What books
are taught here? Arc they such as are di-
rected to be used? What is your manner of
instruction? What is the progress of your
pupils? Who could imagine a more pleasant
duty than that, concerning the teaching of
the young idea how to shoot; mingling with
these little harmless ones whom we all idolize
so much? It seems to me the pleasantest
occupation in the world.
The question conies down to this point; |
