The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-05-13
The New School Law.

act passed by the late Legislature, providing a
uniform system of Free Public Schools. AT the
time of ITS sdoption, the Senate, as is customary,
ordered 5000 copies to be printed for the use OF
Senator'S With singular and culpable negli-
gence, the House of Delegates failed to order a
single copy for the use Of its members Had they
done their duty, the Law by this time would
have been generally circulated, and the minds oil
the people awakened on this important subject.
The limits of a Newspaper article do not admit a
full illustration of the Law but we give below
some of its prominent features.
The General Supervision of the schools is as
signed to u State Superintendent who, together
with the Governor, Lieut.. Governor, and Speak
er of the House of Delegates, constitute the State
Board Of Education. os'. %.
Each county shall have such a number OF
School Commissioners as may be necessary TO
give each one the special charge OF, at least, fiji
teen schools (Ths will give Baltimore county
about six Commissioners.) Their salary will be
fixed by the State Board. All school property,
donations and funds of every kind within the
county, shall be conveyed to and vested in them.
One of their number shall be chosen for Presi-
dent, who shall have general supervision OF
the schools of the county, and shall examine all
applicants for schools, and give them a certi-
fcate, showing their qualifications. The COM
missioners shall be appointed by the State Board,
on the first Mondayn June, for four years, and
shall hold their first meeting on the Second
Tuesday in July. They shall establish the bonn
daries Of School Districts, shall employ Teachers
and shall have the general management and care
of the schools within their district. 9lRl >,
Free schools accessible to all white children
between the ages of six and eighteen years, shall
be kept open at least six months in the year
Parents must provide their children with books
or pay for the use of them. Whenever the schol-
airs attending school is.over one hundred itmay
be graded. Commissioners are required to visit
the Schools, and public examinations are to be
held each term The months of July and Au-
gust OF each year shall be vacation.
To promote the efficiency of the schools, the
voters of each school district are required to
meet at their school House on the first Monday
in May of each year, to discuss questions relating
to school matters. fs3-A ie.tt ~ ~
New school Houses are to be built on a uni
form plan, and proper regard is to be had to sit
uation, light, ventilation, furniture, adornment
&c. A penalty is inflicted for any injury or de-
facement of any Public School property, and also
for disturbing any district School or School
meeting.
Text Books shall be uniform throughout the
State. 1uirng
Each county shall have at least one High
School for free instruction in the higher branch
es. The annual appropriations now paid
by the State to.different Academies and schools,
together with other funds and donations to go
to thesupport of the Public High Schools.
Male Teachers must be at least twenty years of
age; Females at least eighteen. Teachers asso-
Citations are to be organized throughout the
County, and an Institute is to be held each year,
to continue at least six days, which must be att
tended by every Teacher, under penalty of
from five to twenty-five dollars. eoo . gEe4 3
A State Normal School is to be established for
the education of Teachers. .lsf7 apa +
District Libraries are to be encouraged
Schools are to be established for colorcd children.
To support the system, State tax of Is cents
on each hundred dollars of taxable property, is
levied, which shall be distributed among the sew
eral counties according to the population between
the ages of five and twenty years.
Such is an imperfect synopsis Of the Law
Though not SO enlarged and complete as the sys-
tenn first reported by Mr.. Van Bokkelen, it has
many excellent provisions, and if faithfully car
ried out will prove lasting benefit to the State.
Two important ideas seem to be embodied in it,
First, that education should have reference to
citizenship second, that Public Instruction is
not limited to the teaching of a set course of
school books, Both ideas are beautifully and
forcibly expressed in Sec of the Fifth Chapter
of the Act, as follows. astUs s 60
Tt shall be the duty Of all Teachers, in Schools
of every grade, to impress upon the minds of
youth committed to their instruction, the princi-
Piles ofpiety and justice, loyalty and sacred re-
gard for truth, love of their country, humanity
and benevolence, sobriety, industry and chastity,
and those virtues which are the basis upon which
q Republican Constitution is founded and it
shall be the dnty of such instructors to lead their
pupils into clear understanding of the tenden-
cy Of these virtues, to preserve the blessings OF
liberty promote temporal happiness and advance
the greatness of the American Nation. 5'.j bn
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