314 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

tenance of the different parks and squares shall be made by the
Park Commissioners.

98. The night watchmen employed by the Board of Park
Commissioners shall have, while on duty, the same power that
police in said City have as conservators of the peace.

Department of Education.

99. There shall be a Department of Education of the Mayor
and City Council of Baltimore. The head of said department
shall consist of a Board of School Commissioners composed of
nine persons, who shall serve without pay, and who shall be
appointed by the Mayor in the mode prescribed in section 25
of this Article, and removable as therein provided. One of
said Commissioners shall be President of said Board and so
designated by the Mayor when appointed. Their term of
office shall be six years, three of them to retire at the end of
every two years. The Board first appointed shall determine
by lot their term of office, so as to provide for the retire-
ment in the succeeding two and four years of three of
their number. The members of said Board shall be resi-
dents of the City of Baltimore for at least one year and citizens
of the State of Maryland for at least five years prior to their
appointment. The members of said Board shall be chosen by
the Mayor from among those he deems most capable of pro-
moting the interests of public education, by reason of their
intelligence, character, education or business habits. In the
selection of members of said Board and in their action
in the administration of the public schools, ecclesiastical
and party ties shall not be regarded, so that the public
schools may be entirely out of the field of political and religious
differences and controversies. The said Board shall confirm
or reject all nominations of teachers made to it, as herein-
after provided by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and
his Assistants. It shall not confirm the appointment of any
teacher whose name does not appear upon the graded list here-
inafter provided for. All officers, secretaries, clerks and em-
ployees shall be appointed by said Board, and may be removed
by it at pleasure, and any teacher may be removed by said