DIVISION THREE — BRAINS. 1 79 



This showed an increase of $7,481.08 for running expenses in one year ; 

 and hence parties who took little pains to investigate the matter accused the 

 school board and superintendent of folly, extravagance, peculation and mis- 

 management. These accusers even went so far the next year as to circulate 

 a paper demanding an investigation, naming a committee to conduct the 

 same, and agreeing to contribute $100 for expenses thereof. But only three 

 signatures were obtained to it, and the whole thing fell flat, although the much 

 talk about it at the time did a good deal of mischief. [See school report for 

 1889-90, pages 18 and 19, for further particulars in this matter.] In view 

 of these things, the school board published a table showing that Pasadena's 

 school expense per pupil in attendance was only $10.50, while in ten other 

 cities named it averaged $27.83 per pupil. And many facts about increase 

 of district, with new buildings required, etc., were given, to show how and 

 why the expense account had to be rapidly increased. 



The year 1888-89 was a sort of breaking-up and transitional period. 

 Z. Decker, R. Williams and C. W. Buchanan were the trustees. The city 

 of Pasadena became incorporated in 1886, and there was an undecided 

 question of law as to whether the territory included within the city limits 

 must be regarded and administered as a new and separate school district, or 

 whether there was still only one district the same as before. Heavy school 

 expenditures were necessarily going on both inside and outside of city 

 limits, the validity of which was called in question ; and also an unfortun- 

 ate public strife grew up over the retention of certain principal teachers. 

 These things together made this really the most trying and worrying year, 

 to those in charge of the school, of any one year in our school history ; 

 and personal animosities were engendered which have in some cases hardly 

 worn away yet. The streets were filled with rumors and accusations of bad 

 management or wrong-doing by the school ofiicers ; and yet, in every in- 

 stance where such charges were made specific enough to be met, they were 

 shown to be based upon the most frivolous and sometimes ridiculous mis- 

 apprehension of what had been done or what had not been done, and the 

 reasons therefor in either case. There was no printed pamphlet report this 

 year. Prof. Pierce had engaged to take the principalship of the State Nor- 

 mal school at Chico the succeeding year, and would therefore retire from 

 the Pasadena work at the close of this school year ; and with the many 

 cares and special difficulties of the situation at this time, he found it wholly 

 impossible to do the clerical and literary and press-overseeing work neces- 

 sary^ for such a publication. I mention this, because he has been misjudged 

 and unjustly blamed in the matter. His successor, Will S. Monroe, bore 

 this testimony: "When I took charge of the schools one year ago, I 

 found them in good condition. Efficient work had been done by my pre- 

 decessor, and the foundation had been laid on a broad, practical basis." 



The Annual School Report for year 1889-90 gives some account of the 

 double -district case, thus : 



