The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-06-12
Third Annual Report of the Public Schools of
Evansville.

Evansville.
To the Hon. the Mayor and Common Council Of
the City Of EUansUilLe, and citizens generally:
The Trustees of the Public Schools Of the
city of Evansville would offer the following re.
port of their condition and progress for the
School year ending the first of July, 1856
This is the third year of our Public Schools,
and thus far they have been highly prosperous
and satisfactory. Less than three years ago,
the Public Schools went into operation with
about 1900 children in the city, and with
less than 800 enrolled in our schools. Now
we have over 1900, between the ages OF live
and twenty one, and this year there have been
enrolled in our Schools over 800 children, and
the interest manifested, and the advancement
of the scholars have been fully equal to the
increase in numbers, and we can now boast of
as good schools as can be found IN Indiana
Children heretofore idling and loafing about
our streets, vieing with each other in mischief
and impudence, and measuring strength of
muscle upon less vigorous urchins, are now
measuring intellect and competing for the
highest honor in school,
We feel highly gratified in being able to re-
port that the prosperity and prospects ofour
schools have at no time been so flattering as
at the present. For the first two years we
labored under many and great difficulties and
disadvantages. We had neither school rooms,
school furniture, or school apparatus, at all
suitable for our schools. The city of Evans
vile did not own a school house or school
room Of any kind within her boundaries. But
with promptness, zeal and unanimity, high
ly commemorate, the city has furnished the
means to complete within the past year. one
of the most convenient, substantial and capa-
cious, if not the best school building in the
State, large enough to accommodate from 500
to 900 children, with six large well ventilated
school rooms and a recitation room attached
to each. This building is designed for six dis
tinct schools, with from II to Is teachers. 1t
is covered with slate, and is placed in the
middle of block 7, in the Eastern Enlargement.
The land belonging to the school is 800 feet in
I length, well fenced, affording ample play
4 ground for all the scholars.
The ground has been procured at cost OF
about 81 600; the cost of the building and i'm
proyements have been $4,000, making the
expense of the school lot and building $4,000
most of which has been paid by the city, du-
ring the past year; and for the erection OF this
building, now the proudest ornament of the
city, we are greatly indebted to John s. Hop
kins, then Mayor of the city; through his en-
leTgy and devOtedness, every contract was
-fprompty met. But while we with gratitude
commend the promptness and unanimity of all
in furnishing the means for good buildings
and good schools we must as heartily condemn
the needless. thoughtlcss course, pursued by
too many parents, III not only permitting, bu
+ even requiring their children to be absent from
school upon the most timsy excuse. Oul
schools are 50 graded, that every recitation il
any school, is one step forward; that missed
the scholar is behind his class; two recitationS
missed, the scholar, if not very ambitious, be
comes disheartened and discouraged. lie can
not learn or understand the lessons of hi
class having lost the former lessons, he there
S by loses all interest in his studies disikes hl
y teacher and his school, and leaves in disgust
to become a loaler and nuisance about the
streets, and in the opinion Of the parents tn,
{ teacher is not fit to teach school. All Thu
G comes from John or Susan being required t,
n remain from school to take care Of the bah,
while the mother makes a few calls or from
still more himsy excuses. If parents would
consider that each recitation in school forms
/ full complete link in that great cnain extend
: ing from the Primary to the High School, ant
I, that from such chain, whatever link yot
strike, tenth or ten thousandth, breaks tht
. chain alike" they would assuredly put fortl
e some little exertion to have their children
: more punctually and regularly at school,
q Without excep ion, our best scholars are thu
most punctual and regular in their attendance
advance the most rapidly, and they and thei
C parents are the best pleased with our schools
o while those irregular in their attendance ar
Il dissatisfied and fault finding, and their parent
:, with them They injure themselves; they in
jure the schools; they injure the Teacher, ant
increase his labor four-fold. If parents do no
If correct this irregularity and absence from
d school, We shall be compelled, hereafter, t,
exclude many from school. They may CLAIM
- the right to do as they please with their chill
dren, and we shall claim the right to protec
C our schools from injury and disturbance, an
e our teachers from so much extra labor.
S Many parents have already -seen the iniur
g to their children, and injustice to our Schools
E by absences, and are correcting the same; here
after, absence from school, except from abso
lutte necessity, will exclude scholars fror
d school. Scholars absenting themselves fror
% examination will not be received into schoo
thereafter, except upon the most satsfactor
, reasons.
81 The schools are now we'll classified, and di
l. vided in four grades, as follows:
is The High School, the Grammar, the Inter
J. mediate and the Primary Schools. There ar
thirteen teachers, three males and ten females
with an average salary to each of less tina
e $40 year.
S. HIGH SCHOOL.
n The High School has been under the charg
o of Mr.. B. P. Snow, graduate of Bowdai
;, College, Maine, for the pastyear He has labor
= ed hard increasingly and successfully, to max
le this school, what high school should be,
he model school, for admission into which th
s. ambition and energies of all scholars are excl
W ed and constantly directed so to be the beS
leoI, Ill
" ton. The standard for admission in thi
IN Sohnnl nc