The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-02-25

seven 10 twelve feet high and The most com j..
mon aids to ventilation are the cracks and
crannies of the weather boards, and cor
responding hole ia The plasterng which lines
the building. In many The boards over head
have just cracks enough 10 let out the vilaled
air.
There are, in my report, twelve brick, five
log and one hundred and thirteen frame school
houses. About one half are warmed with
coal and the other with wood, for fuel. None
have furnaces for heating purposes or ven
liaiou.
FunitHe.-Tbe only school house in the
county which has The requisite furniture, is
the upper grade school in Light Street. The
citizens have furnished it with planetarium,
an orrery, tellurian, and useful mathemali-
cal instruments and tables. This school is
also the only one which furnishes chairs for
sealing the scholars. No other school has
any other means than The blackboard TO il.
lus,rate lessons, and ioriy-seven schools have
moi even black board.
There are iwenty-three school houses with
desks for two, arranged in rows, having aisles
through the middle of The room, and long
desks and benches alternately extending from
tins aisle TO the wall. But sixty houses are
upon the plan of long boards edged along
three of the walls, and seats without backs
in front of these apologies for desks. The
small scholars, in these cases, have lower
seats, mostly with backs 10 them and without
desks. These are arranged in an inner circle,
or sometimes around the stove. Ten cases
cannot classify in either OF these descrp-
lions. Only about dozen houses have prop.
er anle.rooms for the disposition of bats, bon-
nets and cloaks. Oilers have small ante
room, used for keeping the fuel dry.
The School--My aim has been 10 have the
primary branches thoroughly taught, ratherlhan
hurry up a superficial smallering OF every
thing. 1t is only in the towns that the upper
grade schools have been established, and in
these, composition, eloculion, astronomy,
natural philosophy, algebra, geometry, and
music have been introduced. Perhaps the
best judgment can be formed OF the success
OF The schools from the fact that last winter,
while they were in operation, there were only
two private subscription schools in the coun-
ty, and one of these was primary school ;
so that The poor mans high school superse-
ded every selec: seminary of learning but
one.
There is more uniformity of books than
last year; but no school was found in which
there were as many grades of readers as COM
pose the series of many Of our reading books
lately published, which is, in most series,
FIVE. | found no case in which all the read
ing scholars could not have been arranged in
.hree classes, so that no mind, in either class,
would have been beyond the reach OF all
others. And in country schools where many
branches must be taught, TO sub.dvide them
further than this not only embarasses the
teacher and checks his usefulness, but en-.
tails an expense for books upon parents,
which forms a subject of complaint against
the common school system-uureasonabIe, it
is true, but yet 10 be avoided; Tor while it is
Objectionable 10 have too many kinds of text
books on the same subject, it is nearly as far
wrong 10 form too many classes by having
too many grades of books. The trouble
seems TO grow out of little 10 much eager
ness 10 make and sell books. And while
every system OF education is liable 10 such
accidental errors--and they are by no means
necessarily incident TO our common school
system-yet, considering the sensitive state
OF the public mind on this subject, a great
deal of forbearance and moderation is ne
cessary on The part of those who leach and
superin,end, and grea, deal of caution and
circumspection in avoiding error. and even
10 dealing with prejudices
In every school, SO far as inquiry was
made, corporal punishment was or would have
been resorled 10 when other means failed
to preserve discipline but no cases have
presented where any punishment has been
used with unwarantable Severity.
The general rule is TO have school open
from nine 10 twelve O'Clock in the forenoon,
with fifteen minutes intermission; and again,
from one 10 four, or from half-past one 10
half past four o'clock in the afternoon, with
a Ike intermisson. In some cases there is
no intermission for all The school at once.
Teachers.-DuriDg The past year | issued
thirty-two permanent certificates and rine'y-
eight Temporary ones. Nine applicants were
refused certificates. Of the teachers, one
was under seventeen years OF age, thirty.
eight between the ages of seventeen and
twenty.one, fify-four between the ages OF
twenly.one and twenty-five, twenty between
the ages of twenty five and thirty, seven be.
tween the ages of thirty and forty, seven
between The ages of forty and fifty, and three
over fifty years of age. Only three have
graduated at college, and none at any State
Norma! School. Only eight were born ont
of Pennsylvania.
Since an examination has become requi-
site. the poorest of the old teachers have
sought other employments, and some of our
youngest teachers are our best. A new class
r colioI IL. T., tho hae III