The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-12-19
IRREGULAR ATTENDANCE.

II ReroTt TedG ogore me beyVTu ..oHhI ieHchHs'~
association BY J. W. Dieksrson Jane q, 1862.
Mr.. PsEsrpENT: s,5s .fl a .gs1 1a
:" la the report vhich your cou.nit:ee has ask
cd me to make on ITegu,r Attendance, It's Evils.
lis Causes, and Its Remedies, shall tQllowthc or
der suggested by The words OF my theme, aad speak
l. Of III Evils OF Irregular Attendppcs 2, Of its
Causcs, aud 3, suggest some Remedies
l, Tho evils of Irregular Ati.ni,nce are Of q
thrtefnIi nature. Tho iijary to the absent pupil,
the puy 10 the school, and tae i'jiry to the pub
lie at lirg,, .gt,. s. 81
The i,iary 10 The alsent pupil is always sic,t AMI
sometimes irreparahe. The high apiIi I'd. anti "us
stud Mt enters sclol and begins hs sludi;s with in
ferest aud energy IIvsa IS with bis class and de-
tclmides TO leep pace with them, As ho advances
day after lay, he ndderst inds Clearly every stp Of
bis pro gress an loves his work, because ho uudv'-
stands h. Every lesson is m,s.cred and every dly
adds 10 his enthusiasm, Every difficulty Is met mlu
fully, and he looks forward with bright bopps aud
hsL asph ops 10 tir time when lie Shall e scholar.
Just al ;his point in his career few days absence
may do great ham may chih.e forever the spirit
of his dean. Under the most r,yoialla circum-
stauccs he. on his rttlri, fis his class N advance
cf him. and feels that lie Is not, lie " is before
master of the position, Perlaps hn has, By his ab
sanca, omitted imp ,rtant essons1on which futu'e
ones depend, aud thus. without knowing ey'cty
why, finds himself utterly u7able to master Ids tasks
as lle did before, however m ,ufuly he may try.
What, before, was only difficult gnaugh Grouse
that thirst for intellectual Conquest which is found
in every mind is now a sealed book; and be no lon
ser holds the Key by which its secrtti may hc un,
locked. Ho may try, probably hewitt; but h, tries
i,rain. Conscious of having done lis best, Il is not
rtrang, that he becomes discourage, rel Xcs is eff
iotts, flls still further brh'n !, ami, finty, losipg
all hope of keeping his place. is transferred, broken
SPIRITED, to n lowr class, or dsgusttd With books
and school, ahaheons BOTH never ag lin to rcsunle
th, with his ola interest and never tu realsl lis
bright hopes of the future. 1t may be said that this
picture Is overfrawn; that tue discontagcment, If
any, will be only temporary; that nothing 50 serious
will resnlt from so small thiag as few days b.
ssnco from school We admit that the injury may
he unnlporiant aud temporary; but We are fully
convinced TINT |: may be, and is quite as likely TO
Ire. important and permanent; and that the worst
results OF irregslar attendance on the indvidna!
character of the pupil that we have suggested,
daily being realized in every district, aaI We lird
almost said every sanool in the state. But admit
ting the effect pupils who arc irregular in their
attendance, to be less serious genefiirula still
they must be greatly retarded. Thes lose the
nectou Of the sui ct, aud with this must lose much
OF their interest in it, They lose the incentive of
daily recita'ion and the assistauce of tho teacher
and they do not form those ties, nor enlist those
tympathies which cniear the scioUf to them aud
them its the school, "a
g. Tho iiea is very generally en.ertained that if
some pupils are absent from school, the othets
m4y derive greiter benefit; and especially is this
supposed to be so, il the school is large. However
plausible this may at first seem, it is in reality en-
trey erroneous. Wp think every teacher viii agree
with us, that each pnpi will derive the greatest ad
vantage when all are present the whole time. 1t is
assumed that each school can accommodate COM
fortably, all the pupils enrolled Ours school system
eontemplates nothing less. Bat oven ~ seho lis
where there is not room for an nor tim. to teach
them, II is fT better 10 have full attendance taan
10 have the lsses broken up and disotg injzed hy
ahsencfs; Cor if accuracy is aimed at in The cast
h:ation Irregular attehdance will ln9ke the transfer
Of pupils fiom higher to liver q sscs continually
necessary. Pupils who are daily il thr seats Should
s3taace- mast advstce il The tcacieris doing his
duty--wlile atsentccs DO fotontS not advance, but
,is general iule rttrhgradc. 1hus il the cltssif-
cation was riet at tiist, il must in the nature of
tiie ease, tcon become wfb'g Pm lis who couid
otherwise naihtain themselves creditahly are thus
constantly filling tthhd thcir chss.s, and being
transferred to lower ones; until the higher classes
rrc much reduced and the lower ones much over
crowded 1t is true that some changes must take
rIacs u.dcr any circun stances; bur it is presuicl
hat if the attendance were regular many pupils
would be transferred from lower 10 higher classes,
as from higher to lower; thus keeping all of con-
veuieut and, for the most part. permanent size. In-
tcrfcrence with the classification is not, however,
the only injury Chat the school suffers from rregu
lar a'endance Glasses must often he retarded that
shsrn'ecs may rccoycr fftat lpst g. oiihd. Empty
seats h"c tendency to 'l'mp5n The alddr of both