American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-07-19
VOLUME 2.
COMMUNICATIONS.
THE BUTLER ACADEMY.


one or two articles in your columns SOM
weeks since, that attention was directed
TO the use made of the funds and building
of the Butler Academy.
Though the people of the county have
regularly nominated and elected Trustees
for this institution, many years nave
elapsed since one dollar of its funds were
appropriated to the cause OF education
the use for which they were designed
II is time, therefore, that if they can not
be used to further the cause of education
in exactly the mode originally intended
they should be directed into some other
channel where they may substantially
accomplish tho same end.
That the academies in the various eoun-
ties of the State, to which money was ap-
propriated by the commonwealth, have,
of late years, failed to carry out the de-
sign of the institution, is we'll known.
4 slight examination of our statute books
will prove this, and show the mode adopted
in most of the counties to preserve the
funds, &C., for educational purposes.
Following this plan, ais generally adopted
by the several counties, the State Super
intendent of Common Schools prepared a
general law on this subject, which was
passed in 1862, and is as follows:
"That the trustees of an academy or
seminary in this commonwealth, which
received money or land therofrom for ed
ucational purposes, are hereby authorized
and empowered to convey, by deed Il not
less than two thirds of their number, to
be approved of by the Court OF Common
Pleas of the proper county, all the real
estate. buildings and property, and funds
of, OF belonging thereto, to the board OF
directors, and their successors in office OF
the Common Schools of the district in
which the main building thereof may be
situated, to be used and applied by said
directors for the purposes OF Common
School education therein, and for no 9TH
er purpose ProcHed, That when high
common school shall have been established
therein, by means of said property, the
citizens of the county within which SAID
district is situated, shall have the right to
have their sons and daughters admitted
into such high school, if duly qualified,
on paying to the treasurer of said district
the same rate OF tuition, for each, which
it shall annually cost said district per stu
dent to keep said high school in operation,
without adding anything thereto for the
use of the building"
This law it will be seen, contemplated
the establishment cf common high schools,
as now in successful operation in most of
the large towns of the State, and extend
cd the benefits of the appropriation there,
to, to all the people of the county.
The trustees of the Butler Academy
have refused to make the conveyance pro-
vided for in the act their ostcnsible rea-
son for refusal being their inability to see
how il could benefit the people of the
county generally,
Now it is understood a project is on
foot with the sanction of the trustees to
merge the Academy in the Witherspoon
Institute, at present controlled by the Al
lesheny Presbytery. The name of the
institution TO be changed to the " Butler
Institute" and three trustees to be elect
ed by the people and three by the Pres
bytcry.
How this would benefit the people more
generally than the transfer to the Direc-
tors does not clearly appear, its advocates
will | hope explain satisfactorily how it is
to do so. But that such transfer would
be preferable to allowing matters to re-
main as at present. freely admit-and
| do not wish to be unde! stood as oppos-
Ing this plan, but merely preferring the
other.
The several boards of School Directors
over the county are the persons specially
intrusted by law with the interests of the
cause of education. | would suggest
that they be authorized by law to decide
in some convenient method as to the prop
er use to be made of the building and
funds, and thus relieve the trustees of the
embarrassment they labor under.
A DIRECTOR.