Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-01-12


1t W Il not escape your observation that, VIII le
the actual progress a I'd condition of our Com
mon SchnJls may well CRAFTY a I'd leo rage the
fisnds of popular education. there yet rema ms
4 work Ia be acco uplishei which i'm poses grave
responsibilities nd must needs excite earnest
solicitude. The VIII lie number Of yoIth of the
school age, a. has been already stated isS IS $40
WIKI the pumber enrolled is 609 3I3. making
the number not enrolled 234 497. The dsj a-i-
tv between the whole number nd tht number,
355 663 in da ly aiielda zee is more str XII g
The difference Is 4Sj,977. Making every allow
ance fo- the number taught In private or de-
nominational schuols. there must still remain a
considerable number who do not attend anv
school al all. while of thtrse who do not absent
the uselyes altogether. very large proportion
attend so irreg,4la ly or for such brief periods
that they derive little benefit from it.
Next to this absentee sn the most serious hin
drance to the pros city of the Common Sch, oil.
is the walt of saffic e,t number of well quail
fed teachers Not few indeed of our teachers
possess emiuent qual!fic ations for their re-
sronsihle Office. To such we owe not many ex-
cellent district schools. but also the High Schools
which adorn many of our cities and towns. I'd
affa.d opportunities for education which wOnld
have been sought in vain a few years go in most
of our Academies and Colleges. Much the lar
both in knowledge and in that ability TO teach
which mere knowledge can never give.
The correction of these evils. so far as may be
practicable. is your duty. and will be. l trust
your pleasure and your honorable distinction.
The best means. in my judgment, of securing
al adequate number of good achers. are the
establishment of Normal Schools. and the en-
couragement of Teachers Institutes. / ventar-
ed TO suggest last year the organization of n or
NAL Del a-tment IN one or both our State Uni
versities. More immediate and perhaps NOR
valIable results would probably be obtained
from the establishment of three or fonr Normal
Schools in different districts ofthe STATE Civ ng
the preference within each district TO the city or
town which would provide the best bu ldirgs foF
the purpose without cost 10 the State. Provis-
ion has al ea1y been mad bv law for the en-
courasement of Teachers Institutes but it is nh
certain and inadequate. l recommend the d.
rect appropriation of an iequate snm, to be
paid. on complia nee with proper conditions. up
on the certificate of the State Commissioner.
The indisFensa5le essity of securing gen
eral, reg, la and continued attenda ace school
IS universally acknowledged. Without this the
great object Of the co nmon schools namely, a
good edIcat on for every child in the State "A l.
nf accom- li>hment. The Federal Census ofiS50
exhibited the fact that over thirty five thousa I'd
persons in Ohi1. twenty years old a I'd upwa -dS
were unable TO pa or write. This number Wa
about one in seventeen of all the reII le of the
same are If We reflect that besides these total
" illitesaie VcrSols, there is Il large number
whose educa'i II hardly Ses them TO a h,rhe!
,e7el we shall attain some Just conception of the
n,ortalce of adequate provi-ion for universal
attendance. We must not be satisfied while O lC
pers m ca able of IStrUct on remains untaught
III tan. bf Nh ,S c,ar, n, ada, tod IA
serurr ate idarce. awaken II re 4 I'd quicken
effort IN the atiai Ime t OF ,owledge thai fire.
quent visits. addr,sSes I'd conversatIo Is by p
perls o. alIfed officers of the State. The law
recncn zes the value of Ills agency in requir-
my the State Commissioner to dew t. i porto
of h time To such labors But 1t is obviot s that
the tho ough discharge of the other dt ties mpuS-
ed oa hi n Is quile incomI al ble with efficient
labo-s of this Kind. | suggest, therefore. that
he be a tho-ized To employ one or more conf e.
tent age Is TO visit every township and urge N o.
eats TEACHERS and children. the d tics essen.
ial to the highest eff, islcy of our sehoolS. Thi.
Ia has been aloi ted q 'ewhere with the la .
p est effects. Ifalo. ted here, we need not fta:
fhe disclosures of a ~ future censrs s or do bi
that our system uf Common Schools already re-
ga ded model for in itation by other States
will viadicate, by Ief, Ct succeS, Its claims Il
a lli a; ion n id honor.
Whils-wc may rca ably koye that the Hit.
e:ai,, a class viii sooa diappcar f.om our so
ciety. no such leasing ex, eetaiiOn can be in.
d"lgd in res eet to that ias,e lo.t.o ufthe con-
muniiy whom defyci AID disease in IIental oi
physical ga lizai on render pralet objects al
public ca-e. 4 ID whnsc number I'd relation tt
SOC iety consi.tt IL .oiher element of our scc.a
coalition, which must eng age yoar notice.
The benevoleace of the State has al eady Iro.
vided three Asylums fo. tbs i.lsaIc, winch have
cost for grounds and co .structioh about Sl74..
0J0 I'd are sustained at al alaual expeIse o.
S 800. excluding cha.ges Properly belonging
10 the agcoui,t of Co.istructio ID isteresl. The
cost of the Ao.thern a I'd Cent al Asyluins Ia.
has besn about Sl53GJ each: that ofihe So tn
ern abOat Sloo.JJ0 The actual value of the
Cent al As. lum is now probably NOR. thai
double that of either Of the others
In these Asylums there were al the beginning
of the last year. 500 inmates. and there were re-
ceived during the year II 4, max ng the whule
number of a-ticira lis IA their benefits 9S9
there were discharged 4l2; there died 43. I'd
there remained Us the commencement of the cur
reat year. $40. Of those discharged $40 had
been restored 10 sanity, and 30 decidedly inn
proveI. The average expense of each inmate
was about Sl57.
The Ce Itral Asylum will accommodate PSI
inmates. the Northern $50, and the Southern
lG0. Each has been filed TO the extent of it:
cai aeity. Another ASYLUM is IN progress oi
construction in Hamilton County, for the recep-
tion of the Insane of that County Only. Aftei
its completion and opening, that County will
constitute the South-western Asylum District
The number of Insale in Ohio according ia
the census of 1850 was 1903 This number was
doubtless unde-stafed. | an satisfied that the
Il.
The Superintendent of the Cent al Asvlnm
thinks ii does not fall short of three thousand.
The arguments VIII ch establish the duty of some
provision for some of the Insa re, require doubt
less adequate provision for all Several plans
for such prov on have been suggested. Une
contemplates the enlargement of one or more OF
the existing Asylums; another proposes to pro-
vide for the support aud treatment Of the Insane
in the County lntirIna-ies; while third. not nec-
essa-ily excluding the others, suggests the en-
a-tnent of IA v for the establishment and reg
ulatiol of private Asylans. in which large
portion of the insane would be provided fOc by
their friends with IN charge to the State. j
have no hesitation in recommending the legisla-
ton co item lated by this latter suggestion. Thl
iIfo1aatin necessary 10 a well grounded choice
bstween the other plans is not vet accessible
NY i'm PRESTON is that the first viii prove most
economical 4 I'd most beneicent; If indeed. after
the CO npl .tioa of the South western Asylum
I'd the enactment of judicious Ia = for Privats
Asylums, either shall be found Necessary.
The coadition of the Idiotic, equally with that
OF the lnsal ne, must engage the atteation of the
phila lthraPist ald statesman. 4 few years ago
this hapless class seemed beyond reach of eifec-
tual rel ef Recently, however. attempts to res
cue them fro n iheif ap 'areatly hopeless condi-
tiol have been ctowned by results which inspire
hops I'd encourage perseverance,. The Judi
cious humalit OF the last General Assembly
naugu-afed asyste:naic pla 4 fo- their instruc-
tisn andi Improvement. which has been so far ex-
ecuted under your auspices. that Ultimate sue
cess is no 10 ger doubtful. 1t is MT. indeed, tc
bcexpected that the Idiotic cal be elevated Ia
aly h gh degrees Of capacity; but very maay OF
them can be quaiieel TO earn their own subsist-
ence, and nearly all can be trained to habits Of
ncatness and proprety. The whole number oi