The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-12-01
Report OF tho Trustees Of City



Last Saturday night the Trustees Of our
ty Schools presented their quarterly re-
TT of the condition of the schools TO the
S,uncil This report has been published
length in the Journal.
In table embodied in the Report are
me interesting statistics. It will be seen
at the whole number of pupils registered
1859, and that out of this number only
- are in the list as having been " not alb
mt" during the quarter just ended. 1t is
matter of regret to all who take az inter-
{ in the welfare of the rising generation,
at not fifth of all the pupils registered
our Public Schools should have been en-
rely regular in their attendance for only
rec months 1t is evident that there has
zen great deal of sickness amongst pu-
Is, that parents need great deal of help
home, that they allow their children to
uay from school for slight considerations,
= that children and youth are in the habit
Systematically of playing truant, with or
ithout the knowledge of their parents and
lardians.
It is certainly right and proper that teach
3 and trustees should know the reason
by scholars fail to attend school regularly.
o reasonable person can dispute this. Yet
appears from the report of the trustees,
lst parents and guardians, in some in
ances, decline to give written excuses or
i've those that are insulting to the teachers
nd trustees, and violative of the rules made
,r the good government Of the schools
seems strange, indeed, that such should
the case, but we have the statement of
ne trustees that it is so. What are they to
O? We say the rule on this subject is q
lst one, and should be lived up to. The
justices ought to require excuses in all cases
absence, and if such reasons are not Civ
n, the rule should be enforced. Public
pinion will uphold the trustees in this kind
{ action. In such vast amount of non
tendance, those who contribute to support
he schools lose much of the good these
chools are designed to accomplish. The
ost for school buildings, apparatus teach
RS, fuel, &c, is the same for one hundred
for one thousand pupils. Hence the i'm
.,ortance of a constant full attendance.
The Trustees in their report allude to the
esignation of Mr. Wheeler as Superintend-
mt of Public Schools, and ask the Council to
i'll the vacancy as soon as practicable, as
90 much labor is now deyolved upon the
emaining trustees, particularly on Mr..
Iornbrook. We concur in the opinion of
be remaining trustees that the city in its
chool Interests has suffered a severe loss
n the withdrawal al Mr. Wheeler from the
management OF the schools. 1t will be a
natter Of great difficulty, if not inpossibiIi-
y, for the Council to fill Mr. Wheeler s
laee. Few men have his peculiar and hap
y t,cnlty-scholarsh combined with a
borough practical business knowledge
md enthusiasm in the cause Of Education
hat SO we'll qualities him for au efficient
school Superintendent. There was a gen.
raj feeling of regret amongst the friends of
,ur Free Schools when he resigned. Mr..
Iornbrook has devoted much time to the
schools since Mr.. " s withdrawal, for which
ne has the thanks of the community, and
deserves adequate Compensation.
The suggestion in the last paragraph OF
.he report, in regard to the transfer of pu-
ills from adjoining townships to this for
school purposes, deserves TO be maturely
considered. The city already pays for
school tax into the State treasury thousands
OF dollars more than she draws for her own
benefit. 1t is manifestly unjust to require
her to contribute further for the benefit of
others. #
We recommend to the friends Of the
schools a careful reading of this report, and
hope that parents and guardians may see
the necessity of requiring a punctuaI at
tendance of their children and wards, and
the propriety of the rule requiring written
excuses for non attendance.