Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1859-01-12

further necessity for Board of Canal Com
missioners, or Canal Department. L, there
fore, recommend the abolition OF the boaro,
and that provision be made for the transfer oil
the records to the office of the Auditor General.
In view of the foregoing exhibit OF our re-
seafces and financial condition, it is apparent
that most interesting era has been reacheu
in-the history OF the Commonwealth. Reliev-
ed from the eatanging endorsements of an
extensive system of internal Improvements,
th4means of the. State are now ample for all
legitimate purposes, and her public debt is
gradually but certainly disappearing. From
these and other causes, governmental action
has become greatly simplifed, and the nature
of thes subjects of its operation has changed
in a degree no less remarkable.
The almost entire disposal of the lands
which belonged TO the State, has already dis
pensed with one of the Departments created
for their care, and will, ultimately, render
the other unnecessary, except for preserving
the evidences OF their transfer.
The sale of the public works has relieved
the Executive branch of the Government OF
many OF its most responsible and perplexing
duties, and in effect, dispensed with one of
its most formidable and difficult departments.
In the same proportion, the action of the
Legislature will, if the representatives, of the
people be true to the interests reposed, and
sternly refuse to entangle the public with those
numerous projects and enterprises which are
continually seeking its alliance, be simplihed
and economized, purified and strengthened.
And it is remarkable as it is propitious,
that an which has thus relieved the State
authorities of burthcnS that consisted. either
of mere material interests, or the care of local
adminstration,-comm the one to the
local sovereignty of the people, and the other
to private associated enterpriZe,-should
also present for consideration and promotion
intellectual and moral claims OF peculiar i'm
portance.
1t is at this period in our history that the
system of public education challenges the at
tention of the most unobservant. And L shall
be much mistaken in the cautioRs but stead
| fast character of the people of Pennsylvania,
| if their Representatives do not make 1t the
! first object of their solicitude.
The annual report of the Superintendent OF
| Common Schools will lay before you the pres
| ent condition of the Common School System,
and of its operations during the past year
Your close and scrutinizing attention is invited
Sto the details of that document.
Including the city of Philadelphia, it will
be observed, that there were in the public
schools OF the State, during the year which
terminated on the first Monday of last June,
92S, POI pupils these were instructed during
| an average term of a little over five months,
| in IL 2S1 schools by Is $50 teachers, al total
cost of 81 ,427 ,632 Al.
Here is a public interest, which ch,-whether
| we regard its ramifcations into every portion
of our social fabric, its large cost, the lrnpor-
| tant powers over the present which 1t wields.
or its incalculable influence upon the future,
undoubtedly transcends all others commit
| ted to the care of the secular authorities.
| This being the case. have no hesitation in
| asserting that the time has arrived when its
| full importance should be recognized, and that
| its due administration should be made the
| duty of fully organized and effective, as we'll
| in he
| But the mere care and promotion of our
| system of Common Schools-important and
extensive as it obviously iS,-Should not be
the sole object of such Department. If 1t Is
true that the power to punish crime includes
| also the right to prevent il, by providing foi
| the proper intellectual and moral training ol
the people, it would seem TO follow that the
department charged with the latter moment
| Gus duty, should also be in possession of all
| the sources and subjects Of information, cal
culated to shed light upon the object of ITS
action. Hence the collection, arrangement,
and practical deductions from population and
| industrial statistics; from natural defects,
such deafness and dEmbness, blindness and
| lunacy from crime in its various forms and
developments together with such control
over all the literary and scientific institutions
in the State. as shall bring their full condition
into view, should also belong to the same De-
partment.
Therefore, most respectfully, but earnest
| ly, urge upon your favorable consideration. at
| the present propitious moment, the organlza-
| tion of such a Department, in the room OF
| those for the care of mere matter whose agen-
/ cy has been or soon will be discontinued by
the onward and upward progress OF the Com
monwealth.
A AsuitableDepartment of Public Instruction,
will not, however, of itself, effect all that is
needed in this direction. The general results
| of the Common School system, already cited,
show the Importance of its nature, and tn Q
| magnitude of Its operations. If we look, al
| SO, into its special statistics, the conclusion
| will be equally clear that certain improve
ments in its working machinery are equally
| Indispensable.
! 1t is needless to attempt to prove the truisrn
| that the properly qualified teacher is the life
and success of the school. But the facts are
startling, that of the y ,S2S teachers of our
| public schools, exclusive of those in Phi!adel-
| phia, only 5,087 reported ssqualified''
| Tor their important trust; while 5,3ST are re-
turned as ssmedium,' - or such as are only tol.
Grated till better can be obtained ; and that
/ 2.314 stated TO be ssunfit.'' In other words
of the 500 $50 children attending the schools
out of Philadelphia, only about 230, 900 (ess
| than one half) are under proper instruction
and training while about 240, 900 are receiv-
| ing insufficient instruction from inferior teach
ers; 100000 are actually in charge of persons
wholly unfit for the task.
| This presents the subject in a light that can
not be shut ont and, though the great ana
! commendable efforts .recently made by the
teachers of Pennsylvania. for their own I'M
provement, are fully recognized, 1t cannot be
! concealed that there is W ork yet 10 oe oone'
| in this relation, which would seem to be be-
| vond their unaided power to accomplish.
when, however,we look further into the spe-
ciaI statistics of this branch of the system. the
material for Improvement is found TO BE- of the
most promising kind. OF the II, ,S2S teacher,
of our common schools, l0.SS9 are under thr-