Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1849-01-06
70 ALEXANDER DIMITRY.
STATE supERtNrENDENT
Public EAucatior.

by taking and subscribing the oath reqaiF.
cd by law. Atthe fret regular meeting Of
the Police jury, thereafter, 10 wit: In tbs
aetcbth day Of Febrnery, eighteen hundred
and forty eight, attended lis Session, and
bad the parish divided into twvlvs School
Digtricts-Immediately alter the districts
were formed. ] give the notices of election
Tor district school directors rs required by
law. The qualified voters Of each district
there upon assembled except IN district mum
Der nine, and elected r ON their Que nom.
Der school directors, who were sworn, and
continued in office until their successors
were chosen and qualified. The frst male
schools was established on the twelfth day
Of April, eighteen hundred and Gprty Bight;
and tho first female school OH the eight
day of May, game year--Both Of which
schools have continued, Aourishing to the
present time-sirce which wp have esta-
hiished throughout the parish Free Public
school In almost every district. Twenty
one teachers have been under employ,
since The twelfth day Of April, eighteen
hundred and forty eight fifteen male, end
ak females aad eighteen schools have
| been established. From tho -~oficial cen
sus Of the Assessor Of this parish for The
year eighteen hundred and forty eight, Il
will bU seen. that the number Of white
youth brtwcen the uges Of six and sixteen
years, a,e tou hundred and sixty males,
and five hundred and fourteen female
| making a total of nine hundred and seven.
ty four. Ofthis number three hundred and
seventeen nal y, and two hundred and
twenty eight females, have received the
advantages Of education, making u total
If five hundred and forty five. The
branches Taught In addition 10 the require.
mcnts Of The lazy, TO wit reading, wiring
aud AritbemaIie, are tue Greek, Latin and
French languages Geometry, Algebra
and Surveying ; Botany, Astronomy, and
Natural Philosophy History, Geography
and Grammar.
The directors have completed no new
school houses, but have contented them
selves by renting aud repairing the old.
The spirit and zeal, however, manifested
by most of them in This great work gives
earnest ofthe future, and another year may
sce erected IN every district new, commo.
dtous and comfortable school houses, con
sidering the disadvantages under which we
have labored tho absence Of all p]ecunia-
ry add hattcr myself, that in this parish
we have done well the teachers deserve
great praise Many Of them in INDECENT
circumstances, have, nevertheless, come
forward, and toiled in The education Of our
youth, with nothing but the prospects Of
pay, uncertain as TO time, and still more
so us 20 amount | trust their labors may
meet with a satisfactory remuneration. In
this connection, | may add, | have cxa-
mined and given certificates to twenty six
teachers, eighteen males, and eighr females.
Certainly, from this showing, the friends Of
this present system of Free Public School
teaching have uothing to fear. Should we
continue to progress, and our course is
onward, Louisiana will soon take her stand
among the enlightened and liberal Of her
sister state in the goat course Of %uuiver-
sal, republican education.
The wise suggestions in your report to
the last general assembly relative to some
alterations and amendments 10 the act Of
81, May l547. hope will be iavorably
eonsi iered, and acted upon. Parish Su-
periutendants need not If necessity be the
treasurer of the school fund certainly,
mot for a whole year, when payment to the
teachers is Only rcqai ed 10 be made quar-.
tcrIy. The safe keeping Of The public
R,onpy should be well considered, and
booked into. In the country where there
Ore no banks Of deposit, the large amount
dtmeney c, ming into the hands ofthe par
ish superintendent, and for so great a
length of time, would sender it hazardous
to the officer, and a risk TO the state which
no bond, however large, might cover.
Besides, for the small compensation allowed
that office, for the performance Of his duty,
wnich if ia ithfuIly performed is an ardous
one, ! doubt whether many could he found
who would be willing to assume the res
possibility The yearly aPproPrintions
made to the parishes respectively, could
be paid quarterly upon the warrant Of the
pari h superintendent or, what | would
suggest as being still better, the issuing Of
blank warrants by the Auditor. to be filled
up by the parish superin endents to the
teacher, aud by him endorsed: and drawn
out Of the Stale Treasury.
All Of which is respectfully submitted.
RICHARD LOUCkS,
Parish Superintendent of
Public Education, for the
Parish Of East B. Rouge.
a". @4" H-.
PAc1F4c SrEAMERs.-ih he Washington