Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1847-05-19
REPORT ON SCHOOLS.

unent, ana presents valuable facts ana statistics
reference TO the condition of the schools in our viii
ase, with suggestions of an important character as
TO reforms which are needed. The author of the
report r. II. peming, Esq, and his colleagues OF
the board deserve great credit for their efforts in
behalf of the educational interests of the place and
we trust that these efforts viii have the effect desi-
red, viz to arouse citizens to proper sense of
their dnty in regard to the great subject suggested,
and induce them TO take the proper steps, without
delay, to establish system OF education which WILL
to extent at least meet the wants OF the rising
generation, as regards their Intellectual and moral
improvement and progress.
We should be pleased to publish this report en-
tire; but our limits forbid our readers must be
content with brief notice of its leading features
l. There are, it seems eleven select schools in the
village, the average daily attendance upon which is
263 and the cost per scholar upon the average at
tendance is, including all expenses, SO 40 The
| entire cost Of sustaining the schools being $5IO4
per annum.
2 The board bear testimony to the capabilitv Of
those Of the teachers OF the place with whom they
are acquainted but remark that with the improve
mens of the age few places OF 5000 inhabitants arc
to be found where such dostitution exists" in re-
gard to proper educational facilities.
3. The rooms in which some Of our schools are
held are objected to. They are low, unlayorably
so to the health and progress OF the scholar damp
and dark, and the entire whole of them but most
imperectly seated and destitute of all school appa-
ratus." Another objection is that the location Of
the schools is bad-bcing generally in the business
part Of the village, where he hum Of active busl-
ness lie dstu:bs tie quiet OF the scholars pursuits
i. According TO a census taken by tie Marshal
in February last, it seems that at that tine there
in the village 81 children under our years OF
age, 653 childIen and youths between TIE ages Of
four and sixteen, 103 youths between the ages OF
sixteen and twenty -one-rnaking in all 1927 mo
intelligent man (emarI; the Directors) would at
firm that make the estimate too high, VIXEN We
say that of this number $50 ought now to be IT
tending school, while in fact less than hall are thus
employed"
5. After dwelling upon the evils, present and G1-
ture to be apprehcndei from state of dcstituton,
SNSLl 90 ltIS' t-c DOtit jdItIlci say
Every consideration which is involved in The
subject OF education must always lee Ieen ed Of vast
importance. Let our en- he what it may in rel
egence 70 mode OF operation, or manner OF support
it should embrace the following principles
" F0s'-W.thia he scope and design OF its lanc-
fits should lie brought the mass of youthful mind
"Sec0ad'y-tEc instruction should lie ti0rourh
in order t. prepare that Of mind Tor tie &c i've
duties Of lie.
"Ihrdiy-It should he as economical in exren-
ditue as tie Object in view will admit.
" Fo"r't'y-lhc system should strictly guard
against all false distinctions in society
"Fyihiy--lhe whole tenIency Of the system
should be 10 promote sound morals"
The soundncss Of the. e prime pies no one we e1e-
| sumo, will be disposed to question. lie haagI
express tie opinion, FROM a fall examina :on~1 Ne
SUBJECT that the system best calculated to accom-
pIish these desirable results would be system Of
PHbEc free schools. They believe tllat educational
history our own well as others, clearly establish
the two following propositions:
That instruction. through the me1iuYn of CLASH
led Public Free ~chools viii be found a saving Of
nearly tWohirds Of the exrense Of the pIeeent s,-s-
tem. That such schools can lie made the lest
6, The statistics furnished and arguments pre-
scented in support Of these propositions, as drawn
from the educational history of eastern cities and
towns, and from other sources, are conclusive in
character We haze room only for paragr1pa in
proof q the first prol osition:
" In Buffalo C5ie.e the Public School system
IS establSted) Tie cost scholar, rcr annum. on
The average attendance is So 43, Ia Philadelphia,
- 80, including text books, which constitute per-
manent appcadagc Of ther schools. in Rochester
| 20 ~. In syracuse So r. In Geneva. 50 IS
In Chicago 50 10. Thee items INCLUDE tuel and
| incidental expenses. Cincinnati. Boston and Frol-
ldence ale known not to vary this es innate Com
pare this with tie average cost OF tie elect ch0ois
IN southport which, without any re erencc to
rent fuel, and otier incidental expenses we IND 70
he ST Is. all our chilhel ale to lie educated
at elect Schoos, taking $50 as the present NAM
| bcr the actual cost would he 1882 Per anHum
Taxing the average o. the above named places l.
| 81, and the annual expense would lie S>.647-the
difference in favor OF Public choos S4.405, and
equal to the cost OF large and commodious school
ctiHce
We give entire the concluding part Of the re-
port
The sentiment is now almost universally adj
united IN the larger towns OF the east-that small
School Districts are the blne OF the Common
School system. Let US examine the subject o.
multiplying school Districts Has this plan
ever proved efficient for populous villages? Our
observation would give Us an answer in tie mega
tive. IN Butiao, in 1873, the number OF Oh ID en-
OF proper school age amounted 10 3, 400. Thee
were then : Common chools, with an average Al
tendance oi25 TO eaca>chool, and b elect choos.
IN Which there attending 1925; leaving 1JJ3
10 range the streets. In 1889 with toe ntroIuc-
ION OF the system o. classification Their schools
were made Tree, and before the year closed near
1900 We're enrolled on the LIST OF their Public
Schools in 1915 these Free Schools were edacl-
ting about $500. Similar results we learn sue
ceeded the change from small to Union Districts in
Syracuse n Y, and >andus1y City Ohio And to
your Board this seems the egitmate result
Consolidation. Marx what to us seems the un-
| avn Iql,l 10 a..