The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-03-23


of school District No. ), which embraces the
esntralpari'of Ottawa, that they have enga-
ced the services Of Miss MARY LEE, an ae-
eomplished teacher, for the coming season,
and tina, the dsiric, school will be e-ope,i-
ed on the 1t Of April, at the old pace-the
room over Mr.. Freeman's pain'shop.
This, it viii! be remembered, is the public
school, and Ill who send children 10 this
school will participate in the benefits Of our
common school fund, and none others. 1t
will amount, we understand, TO about one
third Of the tuition
We had for some time designed giving the
citizens of Ottawa a ''talkus TO- on the
subject Of schools, aud the presen, is perhaps
as good an opportunity as any we shall
have. l, is no. our design to laud the abili.
ties Of Miss LEE, and insist that the school
she has charge of must be supported at The
expense Of all the rest Of our schools. For
aught we know, Miss Haven, Miss Cody,
and Miss Mortimer are as well qualified TO
teach as Miss L. is, and their schools, under
present circumstances. may be preferable
for some classes Of scholars. But what we
want to talk to our citizens about, aud to
convince them of, are the advantages offer.
ed by our common school system, if we will
only avail ourselves Of them. If we can
succeed in getting our citizens to spend
but single honr of their precious lives in
examining the design and capabilities Of
that system, we are persuaded they will
agree with us in saying that they have act
ed foolishly in not adopting it years
ago. Let US look at orr present situation
with reference TO schools, and what we
might do.
There are at present in this District, four
schools, besides the District School. We
do surely not 60 bayond the mark when we
allow TO the teachers Of these four schools
$500 each a year. This makes $500. The
late district teacher was hired at the rate Of
$500 year, and If future tearhcrs are hr.
ed at the same rate, here are $500 which
the parents and guardians Of District No. 5
pay annually for the schooling Of some 200
children.
Now let us cOmpare this with what might
BE- done i! we all adopted the district school
system. lie, US suppose the district school
house, worth $500 aud capable Of accom-
modating 400 scholars, for which we have
jis. paid heavy tax, is erected, and ready
to receive our present 200 scholars. We
will now hire professional teacher, man
OF learning and experience--such an one,
supposihg the situation to be permanent,
can be had at 5000 year--he shall be the
principal Of our school, aud shall have
charge Of the highes! class, hich shall have
recitations in the languages and the higher
subjects OF English science. Next we want
an assistant, who shall take charge Of such
OF our 200 scholars as are prepared to study
geography, arithmetic, English grammar,
&c. Such an assistant, and he shall be
competent one too, we can procure at 500
ayear. And now the only other teacher
we want is a competent female who can ca
silly take care Of the 50 or IS children, who
shall form the primary department of our
school. An excellent teacher, abundantly
qualified for this part, can easily 10 procu.
red at $500 year.
Here, then, are $500 year for which
we can have such school that we nigh,
Justly be proud Of and with a saving Of $500
ayeas OH our present system which is worse
,han no system at all.
]. would be useless for us TO attempt 10
point out the advantages Of such a system
OF classification and division Of labor, over
the system now in vogue ofhaving one
teacher attempt to attend in one day to
twenty classes in all departments from al
abs up to the recitations in Gracs Majora.
Ask a teacher, and he will tell you the ad
vantage. Nor need We dilate on the advan.
tage Of separating the different classes from
each other in schools, or on the s,,pe.
riority for awakening the energies Of child.
rem oflarge classes over small ones. Thes.
advantages are obvious at glance. Bu
let us look little farther at tho economy
OF our plan At present our parents and
guardians pay from 81, so TO 81 a quarter fol
schooling. Adopt the plan we now propose
and he is an idiot who will not admit we can
have a better school, and the expense 70,
each child will be about 81 ,25 a quarter, and
part ofihis will be paid out ofihe school fund
It's the strangeN thing in the world to u,
That our people have not long ago moved ia
this matter. It's not SO in other parts Of the
state. Az Chicago there Is not q priya,,
school TO DO found. The union or public
school system is pa,ronized by all classes
"c mans child there is,oo good to 90 to the
district school--aud we have the authority o
professor McGufFy, and there Is no hichs,
authority on such suhjcc, IN the country
for saying that there are no better schools
short ofeolleees, in,he country than the pub
lie schools OF Chicago.
Wsshallrecur 10 this subject again.
The ssfarv NJ the presi,len of ths C..n.i