Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1864-01-13
3l109l1l0lAAa

We are indebted to S. P Bates, Esq for
a report of the superintendent of Common
Schools of Pennsylvania, for the year end
ing June 4, 1868 From the report Of
Azariah Smith, E.q late Superintendent
of this county, we make the following ex
tracts
HouSes-Only one house, and that
very plain, though a commodious one, has
been bnilt the past year. There are some
ten school houses in the county, too un-
comfortable and inconveEient to be tolera.
ted longer. Some of them are ventilated
not wisely but too we'll ; Jew are badly
located on a pinnacle, in a den, or by
marsh and others are, apparently, as we'll
devised as possible to thwart "a teachers
norman management, and provoke pupils to
idleness and misbehavior. In some instan-
ces directors cannot procure suitable grounds
owing to the selfshneSs which prompts
some men to refuse TO sell lot for school
purposes. The Legislature could easily
remedy this difficulty, and should do SO
immedi teIy.
Furniture.-Nearly third of the school
houses are improperly furnished some
having benches which pupils cannot occu
py for any considerable time without tor
ture, having backs too nearly perpendicular,
or too low; others with desks iuconvenient
and unsuitable for writing, being OF i'm
proper height or inclination, or bearing
too many specimens of jack knife sculp
ture, practiced through several school gen
erations. But in most of the houses re
Gently built, the furniture is comfortable,
and corresponds fairly with the general
style Of the buildings.
apparatus OF the 81 school houses OF
the county, 81 are sufficiently supplied with
black board surface, % have nearly enough,
and the remaining p have an amount al
together inadequate to the warts of the
school. Of the 81 schools, SO are furn-
ished with outline maps; 10 have outline
maps Of the United States In a very few
schools there are globes numcral frames.
and other articles of apparatus. In most Of
the schools the black board is used largely,
the extent and successfuness Of its use in
creasing yearly; and the maps are, by many
teachers, used with much skill Ia all
schools, blest with teachers who know how
to instruct by means Of black board and
map, these articles are productive OF intel
ligent interest among the pupils
Schook Graded, Uagraded and Uaclas
sitied-Sixteen schools were graded more
nicely than ever before; in M'Veytown and
Newton Ham ton, by the principals. in
Lewistown, by the county superintendent,
at the request of the directors The schools
were graded according to their attainments,
after examination, when necessary; but the
gradation was imperfect in Lews'own, in
consequence of the fact that the schools
are in several buildings, located in differ
ent parts of the town. To render per
feet gradation approachable, all the schools
of the town should be in one building,
which the directors ought to construct
forthwith Then regular course of study
should be adopted, AID each teacher have
specified portion of their course 10 in
struct scholars in. In spite Of existing
disadvantages. the schonlS were better than
any previous yelr. Nearly every country
school was well classified ,ome very skill
fully, few quite clumsily, aud bur on or
two so badly as to merit special d spra Sc.
Very satisfactory improvement, in this res
pect has heen made within few years.
Teachers OF the 90 teachers whose
sctou- | vlsit' d, Ii holding professional,
aud II provisional certificates, gave good