Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-01-07

! not 6ttend any school at all, while OF
| those who do not absent themselves al
together, a very large proportion attend
| so i~rrezularly or for such brief periods
that they derive little I'eneit from 1t.
Next to this absenteeism, the most SCI
| rious hindranes to the prosperity of the
! Common Schools il the want ola suff-
| Gent number eff well qualified teachers.
Not q few indeed of our teachers possess
eminent qualifications for their response
| BILE Office. To such We owe not only ma
nv excellent district schools, but also the
| High Schools which adorn many of our
| cities and towns, and which afford oppor-
~lunities for education which would hive
been sought in vain a few years ago in
| most of our Academies and Colleges
Much the larger number. however, are
extremely deficient both in nowlsase
and IN that ability to teach which mere
knowledge can never give asa z
The correction of these evils. SO far az
may be practicable, is your duty. and
viii be. l trust, Your pleasure and yoaE
honorable distinction. 4.ss-.zs 80 sa8l
The best means, in my Judgment. of
securing IN adequate, number of good
teachers, are the establishment OF Normal
schools aud the encouragement of Tea
cheers Institutes / venturel to suggest
last year the organization of a Normal
Department in one or both of our Stats
Universities. More immedisiy and per-
haps mere valuable results would preba.
bly, be obtained from the establishment
| OF three or four Normal Schools in diff
erent districts of the State. giving the
preference to the city or which
- - L. - L-.llf- -. A..
purpose without cost to the State. Pro-
vision kas already been made. by law for
the encouragement efFeachers' Institutes
but it is uncertain and i~naeqaate.a i
recommend the direct appropriation of
an adequate sum, to be paid. on coanpli-
ance With proper conditions, upon the
certificate OF the State Comm iksioner.
The indispensable necessity of securing
general, regular aad ebntinHedi attendance
in school III universally acknowledged
, Without this the great object of com
z mon Schools, namely, n good education
for every child in the State, fails of ac-
: complishmeut. Tho Federal Census ot
> 1850 exhibited the fact that over thirty
. five thuusand persons in Ohio, twenty
years eldzani upwards, were unable TO
: read or write.eHTiis aaInber was about
! one in seventeen Of all the people of the
Y same 2 Ii we reflect that besides
: these totally hliterate PERSONS. there Is q
large number whose education hardly raj
} sea iheni topa higher level, we shall at
D tain some ust coneeptionao of the lsnper-
9 lance of adequate provision for univers-
al attendance. We must not be satisfied
while one perseu capable OF instruction
remaius u~utaught. orc i'll taught. No
means seem better adapted TO secure at
tendance, awaken interest and quicken
effort in the attainment of knowledge
than frequent visits, addresses and con-
versations by properly qualified officers
9 Of the State. The law recognizes the
value ofthis agency IN requiring the State
Commissions to devote a portion of his
8 time to such duties. dfBut it is obvious
that the thorough discharge of his other
duties lissd aite Incompatible with efficient
labors of this kidd Issuggest, therefore,
d that he be suthorizedsto employ one or
more competent agents tie visit every
o township, and urge upon parents, teach
ers and children, the duties essential to
y the highest efficiency of our schools
THIS plan has bcea adopted elsewhere,
with the happiest effects. If adopted
10 here, we need not fear the disclosures OF
+ any future census, or d oubt that our sys-
N tenn of Com mon Schools already regar-
t. dad as . model for imitation by 9TH
'e er States, will sintlicate, by perfect sue
cess, its claims to admiration and honor.
L. While we may reasonable hope that
N the illiterate, as a class. will soon disap-
pear from our society no such pleasing
Is expectation can be indulged in respect to
that large portion of the community
n whom defect md disease in mel TIL OF
re physical organization render proper OBJ
se iects of public care, and whose number
Z aud relation tosociety constitute another
he element of cur social condition, which
- must engage your notice.
= The be~nevoIence of the State has al
3 ready provided three Asylums for the In
4 sane, which have cost for grounds and
IS construction about S474, 600, and are
sustained at an animal expense of 800
N 600, excluding charges properly belong.
of ing to the account of construction and
interest. The cost of the Northern and
8 Central Asylums has been abont S153,-
5, 900 each; that of the Southern about
$l68. 0o0. The actual value of the Cen
trail Asylum is now probably more than
. double that of either of the others.
n In these Asylunls there were at the
beginning of the last year.. sos inmates,
Id and there were received during the yea
e. Ala, making the whole number of par,
ur ticipats in their benefits 9S2; there wer,
as discharged 412; there died 43, and ther,
remained at the commencement of the
he current year $40. OF those discharged
&c 240 had been restored to sanity, and 8;
I'd decidedly improved. The average ex
;, pense of each inmate was about $159.
The Central Asylum will accommo
n dato $50 inmates, the Northern $50, am
Is. the Southern l60. Each has been fllet
IN to the extent of it's capacity. Anothe
Asylum is in progress of construction il
ry Hamilton County. for the reception o
the Insane of that County only, Afte
its completion and opening, that Coun
IT. ty will constitute the South. western Asy
ny lum District
as The number of Insane in Ohio aecor
ty ding 10 the census of 1870 was 1,3o3.-
u This number was doubtless understated
I am satisfied that the present number
le- not less than two thousand. The Su
oil perintsndant of the Central Asylum
thinks it does not fall short of thfe
g. thousand. She arguments which estab
by lish the duty of some provision for som
III of the Insane, require doubtless ade9uat
to provision for all. Several plans fo
ia such provision nave been suggested
to One ~contemplates the enlargement c
on one or more ofthe existing Asylum; al
III other proposes to provide for the sup
port anil treatment of'the Insane in tn
IaS ' o,,1 a. 6 -o r1n- .-Itlo a flIr.t ~