84  HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

    “The county in which I reside has often been complimented
with being one of the darkest corners of the state. If this is true,
a few remarks from one living, as I do, in a retired part of this
county (and, I suppose, one of the darkest parts of it), may be of
some value as affording a better view of the ‘shady side’ than you
would obtain from some other sources. In acting in the double
capacity of examiner and township trustee, I have found myself
obliged to use, to its fullest extent, the liberal construction you gave
to Section 9 of the school laws, in your instructions on page 58; and
even then, it has been with some difficulty and considerable delay
that our township has been supplied with teachers. The law, how-
ever, on this point, in my opinion, is about right. The standard of
popular education in our country is everywhere rising, and some-
thing should be done to elevate it in our state. And I do not see how
this can be done without bringing up the standard of qualifications
in teachers to the proper point. In endeavoring to make the law do
its best, instead of refusing to license those whose qualifications were
not such as were desirable, I have g.ranted them in all cases seem-
ingly admissible. But, at the same time, it has been my aim to be so
thorough in all my examinations as to show the candidate wherein
he was deficient, and give those who were rusty (as most of them
were) a pretty fair hint to brighten up, and I have had the satisfac-
tion of knowing that in some cases this course has had the desired
effect. Tedious examinations have been much complained of, and
the fear of such may have been one reason why I have had so few
applicants. No license has been granted to any one who had not
some knowledge of English grammar. There is great want of sys-
tem in the mode of giving instruction in our schools in this part of
the country. This should be attributed to the wretched condition of
our houses and want of uniformity in books, rather than to want of
capacity in teachers.”

    In March, 1861, an advance step was taken in the legislation of the
state affecting popular education, providing for the appointment of one
school examiner for each county, to serve for three years, and enlarging
the sphere of his duties and powers. At the June term of commissioners'
court, 1861, Samuel Loveless, then teaching at Bowling Green, was chosen
the first examiner for the county under this statute. In June, 1864, he
was succeeded by William Travis, of Center Point, who, having been
legislated out of office by amendments to the statute at the next succeed-
ing session, was re-appointed June, 1865. In June, 1868 he was suc-
ceeded by William H. Atkins, of Bowling Green. Three years later Mr.
T ravis was re-appointed, and was again legislated out of office at the ses-
sion of 1873, when the county superintendency law was enacted, providing
for the election to be made by the township trustees. In June of that
year (1873) W. H. Atkins was elected superintendent. In June, 1875,
he was succeeded by Allen R. Julian, of Bowling Green, who was suc-
ceeded in 1877 by Preston B. Triplett, of Harmony. In 1879 Triplett
was re-elected. In June. 1881, he was succeeded by John W. Stewart,
of Brazil, who was re-elected in 1883, and succeeded in 1885, by Maston
S. Wilkinson. of Center Point. In June, 1887, William H. Chillson, of
Clay City, was elected and successively re-elected up to and including the
year 1897. having served twelve years, when he was succeeded at the