The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-04-15

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ed; they are, however, numerous and great
. The Lyceum furnishes unusual facilities fo
direct improvement in useful knowledge; il
supplies interesting and profitable topics fol
conversation, throughout villages and neghbor
hoods; it diverts the attention of youth from
hurttul amusements and dissipation to noblel
objects; it exctes deeper interest in school.
oil every description, and greatly extends thei
, usefulness, although it seldom has any imme
date connection with them; it promotes par
ticularly those practical arts and sciences, or
which social happiness and public prosperity SC
much depends The system promises to devel
op the resources of our country and bring then
into use, beyond most other means that have
come into operation and the committee can
not but indulge sanguine hope, that its infu
ence in the formation of the mind and charac
ter will be salutary in high degree.
The inquiries which the committee would
propose to the friends of education in every
town, are these =
Is there Lyceum in your town or village
If so, when was it formed How frequent are
its meetings' What are its principal officers
and arrangements What are its principal OBJ.
ana inquiry ATs tS It q%6
son are they suspended. and for what cause?
Has your Lyceum any lectures? Are they
given by protested lecturers; or by professional
gentlemen of your town and vicinity; or by
the members alternately? By what rules are
they regulated?
| Has your Lyceum library? How many vol
umes OF what particular character Has 1t
any apparatus, or collection? If so, will you
give brief and definite account oft
What number of members has your Lyceum
What number or portion of the members are
! farmers. mechanics, or other persons III active
business, teachers of schools teachers of Sab
bath schools, pupils in town or district schools
Do females attend on any the public lectures
! Do the teachers of your schools associate, in
this or any other way, for mutual improvement
as teachers Do they visit each others
schools
What is the state of your public schools
What can be done to improve their character,
and render them moro efficient and useful
What Improvements have been already intro
duccd?
What degree of interest do the members of
your Lyceum feel in the association and its
operations Is that interest increased or dimin-
ished since it first commenced
What are the good effects of the Lyceum, on
the members; on the various schools of the
town on the community in general? If any
| bad effects have been noticed, will you state
them What peculiar impediments or difficult
ties has the Lyceum encountered? Have they
been surmounted What improvements in the
objects or management of Lyceums has expert
ence suggested?
What has been done, or what can be attempt
ed, to promote Geological surveys; to make
! collections ofvarious kinds and to form town
map? [Copies of town maps could be furnished
for schools and families by photographic print
ing, at a very small expense, if accurate manu-
script drafts were prepared
Will YOU communicate any information, or
throw out any suggestions, in reference to tho
extension of this system to counties or other
districts, by representation or otherwise.
If you have no Lyceum in your town, what
is the probability that it will be introduced
These inquiries are respectfully submitted to
the officers of Lyceums now existing to school
committees to Ministers CT the Gospel, and
gentlemen in other learned professions and to
all who feel an interest either in Lyceums or
popular Education, in any form. Written re-
plies are requested, to be sent as soon as may
be, directed "to the State Committee on Ly-
ceums," and left at the Office of the Boston
Courier or with the chairman, at the office OF
the Boston Recorder.
The object of the committee, and of the
meeting which they represent, is'not to assume
any direction of Lvceums whatever, either by
permanent organization or otherwise. The
specific and only object of this Circular, is, to
topics, from all parts of the Commonwealth ;
to present it to a future meeting arranged and
condensed into a regular report and then to
send it forth again for the benefit of the whole
community. The committee will thankfully
receive it at any time but would specially re-
quest that communications may be sent by the
I members of the General Court, both in May
and January next; that at the first period a
view may be given offacts now existing, and al
the second, an account may be sent of the early
arrangements for the ensuing winter. Though
the meeting is adjourned to the winter, it could
easily be convened during the summer session
of the Legislature, provided sufficient intelli.
gence could be collected to make an interesting
report.
! The committee trust that no argument is
necessary, to induce general compliance with
this request when it is remembered that every
good object is promoted in this community by
the diffusion of light, and that they ask con
centration of light on this subject only that they
may dffuse it again On subjects of this ma
ture knowledge of facts is worth inconceiva.
bly, more than all theories and arguments; and
facts originating in one place, aohen they arr
published, may be useful IN several hundreds o.
/ places The committee will be excused fol
mentioning here single fact, which they have
derived from one of their own number, the gen
tleman from Norfolk. In town of that county
the present winter. the teachers oftown schools
are associated ; on the afternoon of every Sat
urday, they visit each others schools in rota
ton !. after which they meet together, and en-
gage in free remarks, for their own improve
ment and that of their schools The committee
are assured the good effects are many and very
manifest. They believe this single and by nc
means difficult practice is of immense value
! They believe they are doing more for education
by publishing this fact, than they could do by
adding hundred dollars to the schoo-money
of every town, if the teachers of every town
will avail themselves of the suggestion and imi
tate the example. Now some useful fact nigh,
be furnished from almost every town; and in
almost every town, there are some persons who
would esteem collection of such facts almost
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