Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-01-13
GOVERNORS MESSAGE

GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
Fsl.oD Citizens Of The Ssnals azaa1as Q
and of The Hosse q Representatives
AT he commenceuent Of your regular Sc
sion 1 year ago, ! transmitted to you
obedience to the Consultation, fall exp
sition of the general condition Of the Stat
together with such, Recommendations in r,
spect TO legislation, as the public goo
1scmed TO me to require. >~' . !
Fl that conmunication / endeavored
6 VIA clear hight the industrial progress
le nsterisi resources and the. fnsnci'
6Esength sofv our great commonwealth.
seems not Inappropriate, now, before pre-
ceeding to more special statements and pal
1eiculr suggestions, to submit to you som
!, ksnerai views of our social condition, a
Effected by other elements than those t
N1ic6 I then invited your attention. -
Sesenty.one years ago what is now Obi
was unbroken wilderness Seventy year
ago the work Of American civilization with
in her limits wss just 5egnn by the eetile
men,s at Marietta. and Cincinnati Fifty
four yesrs ago she became State OF tn
American Union. Her subsequent socia
progress has been sublIme triumph. To
day powerful lcornmonweulih, numberin.
nearly two millions snd . half of people
exists upon her soil, with unsurpassed ener
gies, reseHrces, agencies OF development
end means of. happiness. From the emf
hence already reached we survey, with con
6dent. reliance upon the favor Of Divine
Providence and the inspiration of Free In
stiiutions. the loftier heights yet to be at
Prominent among the elements which
determine social condition, is the numerica
advance or decline of population. The rate
and character of this movement, in The ab
sence ofa census, must be gathered from the
humber. of marriages; Of births; of deaths;
of immigi ants; OF emgrants. and of new
babi,ssions. For ascertaiDing the number
ef these withresson bic certainly, sufficiert
means are supplied by State and Federal
Legislation. According TO the Estimates oi
the Commissioner of Statistics, the marri.
ages in Ohio during 1858 were $4,000; the
deaths 10 900; the births 80 GOO; the natural
fzations 600; the new structures 10 900.
Tie increase by births, accorJing to this
estimate, is 35 0OO annually, and the yearly
immigration rom foreign countries and
ethsf S-stes is estimated to exceed the year.
y emigration by 90 600; giving an aggre.
gate increase of 55 zoe snnuaIly, or 44O,-
600 in ight years. The new structures,
allowing six persons for each. indicate near
ly the same rate of progress. The populs-
sion OF Ohio in 1850 was 1880 329, and is
how. if.the estimate, just referred to, be
correct, 2. .420, ,339. rs.ats .4.s
: Tue fsseasost concern Of aL intelligeat
and prosperous people is Public Instruction,
The mind of every community is the motive
power ofits enhancement; and the measure
of its education is practically the measure
Of prediction and of all substantial progress
n Ohio the Constitut ion wisely requires
The General Assembly to secure thorough
and Efficient system of Common Schools
throughout the State. The honor of the
srst act, in fuiflment of the duty thus eE-
Joined, belongs tothe Legislature OF, 1923.
That. zLegisiature re~orgaDized common
school education in Ohio. Ii does not at
all detract from the honor justly due to it,
10 sav that much has been done by previous
legislation & by the Intelligent and jealous
lsbors OF the first StateS Superintendent and
Ihe State Teachers' Association. to prepare
The why f,.f the comprehensive and bene-
scient measure then adopteds under which
The Common Schools of Ohio have attained
their present state Of excellence and USE
Iuiness.
A brief comparison brtween the condi-
lion OF our Common Schools the year before
this enactment and al the present time, will
IN some degree, its happy effects.
The number Of CoVmo, Schools in 1858
was .9s4; in 1861 500; the number ii
youths over five years o. age and under
Lwenty.uf enumerated IL 1853 was $685.
7s2; in 1858, s43, $40; the youth enrolled as
attending school in 1853 were 3jS All; in
1858, 500 ,34s; the average number in daily
attendance Sin 1853 was 27bl96; in
1858. 355 $685. the number Of teachers
empioved in 1853 was la .564; in 1858, 49,
s7s; the amount paid teachers in 1858 was
$500, las 90; in 1858, 81 975 ,S32; the num-
Der of school houses in 1853 was $3.50; in
1858, 10, ,497; the value of school houses in
1853 was estim lted al So 900 600; in 1858,
1t $3,s46,420. 1r-s 8.
These figures exhibit gratifying progress;
bot they by no means furnish complete
view OF our educational condition.
There has been constent and rapid pro-
gress which figures cannot measure. The
character and condition of our school houses
and school rooms has been greatly bettered /;
the standard of qualification Tor teachers ad.
The methods Of teaching improved;
the range and scope OF instruction enlarged;
nd the results. in acquisition and capacity.
largely augmented -a-l 80 .sss.t .1-s, - :
Aspreat educational work is prosecuted,
also outside, or the Common Schools. The
COLLEGES and Female ,Seminaries in tine
State, send forth yearly numerous young
men and women to. take up and carry for
ward, in its various departments. the work
Of moral,. social and political improvement.
During the past yeur attended the Com;
mencements of as many. Of the Colleges as
was practicable, and was gratifed to OBJ
serve themurked ability and proficiency dis
played by the graduates. ,-1 "a 4-f-.
It's to be regretted thatihe requirements
for admission and the course of instruction
vary so greatly in these colleges and semi.