Litchfield enquirer., 1853-05-12
LITCHFIELD, CONN.,, THURSDAY MAY 12 1858

No complaint of the amount of tax rai'
 ed Tor State purposes is likely to be urged
 -the avails from other sources cOnstiIutin |, nearly two thirds of the annual receipts , and may be thus stated :-Siaie tax $56 f 167. .SS; Bank dividends the past yea $SS, ,55S; Tax on Railroads, &99, ,S72.S .S5
 savings Banks and other corporal liOni Forfeited Bonds, &c.,, $26, ,556.77. f It has been the good fortune of those en
 trusted witt the School Fund from it's eaE Hest date, 10 secure 10 a very cOnsiGerabl extent the confidence Of their fellow ciU . Izens in their management of that impgf |, tant trust. The skill witt. which i; has bee . managed during the year which has jus closed, will be seen by reference to the ac counts of the able officer who has Simc
 been honored with another appointments - The following statement for the year end g March Slst, embraces all that is necc
 sary to present in this place.
 Balance on hand April lst, 1852, $lO, l4S.84. Collected to March Slsi, 1858 $l4S,69S.69 ,-total, l5S, ,8S7,53. Amour of dividends paid 10 schools during ahe year ending March Slst. 1858, $lS5, ,4o7. S2. Expenses, $S,499.66. Ouisla ndine loans of revenue, sc. 500. Cash on hand March Sls,, 1853, $s,lSO.55. The mum Der of children enumerated during the veal 96, ,SS2,-dividend ,o each scholar, $l. .S5.
 The Hon. MT. Waldo, having been hoE- ored with an office under the general gov ernment, rendered his resignation of the post of Commissioner of the School Fund the 18th of March last, which ! accepted on the SOlh of the month, and immedately ly proceeded to fill the vacancy by comforting 1 the appointment upon John c. Palmer Esq.,a gentleman whose previous discharge of the duties of that office had fully estab, i lished his claim ,o the public conlide nce.- The future disposal of the place will de- v"lve on the Legislature at its present ses sion.
 in considering the object to be attained by the School Fund, it has been 10 muct the custom to look at it as a whole without any reference to :he avails, and seeing 8 fund to the amount of upwards of two mil. lions uf dollars set apart foa school purpo. ses, she presumption has been that nothing further was necessary 10 sustain tue schools of the State. But when ihe attention is turned from the principal to the interest derived from thai iHves,menf, which has never divided over $l. 50 to a scholar, and which there is no relson 10 believe will ev- CT reach that sun again, it is manifest enough that someting more will be required l io give new impulse to the system which lles at the foundation of everything solid and valuable in our free institutions.
 No one who recalls with pride the self. sacrificing spirit of the people of this State, as long ago as the time when they first conceived the idea of creating fund f,u school purposes. can for a moment harhnr the thought ilat fl they had never taken that step, they would have permitted the object they had in view to be los, for wan, nl the necessary means 10 secure it. On the contrary, it is highly probable they would have borne any amount of tax for the benefit Of those into whose hands. as one generation succeeds another, the tabIes of the law are 10 be given. And this is rendered more certain from the fact that, in States where there has been no School Fund, or only small investment for the benefi, of public schools, the people have taken the burthen of it upon themselves. and borne alofi with noble patience and l intrepid resolution which no obstacles could withstand, the cause of popular educa ton, which, next to that of pure religion, is confessedly greater than any other that can be named.
 With respectful dcrerence 10 the opinions of those who do not see the necessity lDv any additional legislation respecting the system which prevails here, wha: little al. teniion ! have been able to 2 ve 10 the sub. ject, has led the 10 different conclusion
 The true course 10 be adopted in suci an emergency, is apparent enough from ihs facts winch a free discussion of the subiee for several years past has eliciied-and witt this general view of question of eDgross- ing importance, l again submit it to youl candid consideration.
 For the purpose of providing for high CT degree of instruction, together with a uniform and improved plan of school teach ing than had been previously prescribed, 1 tie Normal School was esia bIished.- Though mol favorable ,O the plan at the outset, q more intimate acquaintance with the purposes and p:acrical working of the school for teachers has convinced me ol iis merits and importance, and produced in my mind the conviction ihsl it is worthy of the future support of the State. l, can hardly be considered an experiment, for in othe parts of the country where this kind of in siruciiOn has been introduced, the mos neficial results have followed. Having made it part of my duty to visit the schoo occasionally during the year, l can speal from personal knowledge of 'he skill will which iI is managed, by the experienced and able public teacher, who lias recent, been placed at iis head, and who, toge,he
 with his associates in the work, deserves
 the sympathy and encouragement of th' friends of educa lion generally.
 | Having provided for systcm ofcommo' schools, through the ins,rumcntaily of ; fund set apart for that purpose, and tak' the first step towards the training of teach CTS to take part in the great work of i'm parting wise and wholesome instruction iC inc pupils who fill our schools, shall make no apology for ire suggestion that at fu ture day, it may be deemed advisable t' give encouragement perhaps 10 some fea sibIe plan for esta ablishing seminary of ; higher grade-one which shall reflect th' main features of the common schools, ant