Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1865-05-20
Ashtabuia Union schools.



10 accordance with your requirements, ]
present for your consideration my fourth
annual report. Bslieying that it is your
desire aud purpose to promote, as far as in
you lies, the educational interests of the
community, 1 ask your attention to those
those topics which are OF vital importance
TO the success of our schools: aaa
Consider, first, the duty eff providing lib.
orally for the maintenance and advance.
meDt- of our schools. Iu our every day
busness'liyes we evince natural or acquired
Shrewduess which oftentimes seems almost
entirely wanting when we are called upon
TO exert ourselves for the mental and mora
interests Of our children. If as individuals
We barter with our neighbors we are care
full TO arrange our plans, 10 such manner,
that We may secure for ourselves the best
end Of the bargain, but when as communi.
ty we join hands in an effort to obtain for
our children that which is Of infinitely more
Importance to them and TO us, than any
mere. pecuniary advantage, we are quite
certain 10 limit the worth of the prize to
bc gained by acting in accordance With
this soph!Sm, that the gain is the more as
The purchase price is the less. say we do
uot act on this principle in our every day
business relations If, for Instance, you
have watch TO be repaired, do you put il
into the hands of bungling blacksmith, be
cause he will undertake 10 do the woik fol
less money than practical jeseler, whel
you know tnat he will ruin your watch P
Ifyou need clothes will yon dress in shoddy
because you can buy it at a cheap rate,
when you are fully aware that the cheap
article is dear at any price If you desire
TO invest your unemployed capital to good
advantage do you purchase the stocks OF
the South Sea Bubble Oil Company, be
cause you can obtain very many shares for
very little money, when you cannot doubt
out that the investment will result in pecu.
mary disaster? Yetthere is no doubt bu,
that you would do better to employ the
blacksmith, where you should the jeweler
TO clothe yourselves and yonr family il
| shoddy, or make yourseelvs the victims Of
misplaced confidence by operating in bogus
oil stocks, tnan to act upon the principle
that the cheapest plan uponwbich our schoJl,
can be Conducted is the best. Many of tbe
loyal States have. of late been experiment
in this direction hoping TO lessen somewhat
the burdens Of taxation by reducing school
expenditures. This experiment in our owp
State has resulted as might have been au-
ticipated. Let me quote from the reports
of The County Auditors for the past year
Adams County" Schools not so good as
tpror TO the rebellion" CIermont County
=" Teachers salaries have been SO low
that many Of cur best teachers have quit
the business" Coshocton County" Our
schools are retrogradng, most Of the ex
perenced teachers having gone to the ar
my or some other employment more lucra
tive SO that we have now but inexperienced
teachers, young in years, aud possessing bu
little stability Of character" Darke Couu
ty-" Schools worse than ever--no progress
going Observation-Disclosures are obliged
TO employ inferior teachers compared viii
those Of former years, and schools are con
sequently going down hill" Dsleware
County y" The schools are not 10 as p os
pecops condition as may be desired. The
wages given do not afford inducements ad'
eqaate TO secure to services Of good expe
! rienced teachers" Guernsey County
f"We lack good teachers The wsges tha
are given win not demand the labors OF oul
best teachers.p Noble Couuty--". The i'm
proyement in schools Is not such as is desir
able, The most experienced teachers hay
ing enlisted in the army, or found more re-
muneratiye employment the business Is left
10 the bands OF the inexperienced who neee
to be taught rsther than to teach.p Rich
land County" Many Of our best teacher,
have gone into tbs army a. otdsers. clerks