Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-04-17
SCHOOL suPRRINrENpRsT,s REPORT,
SuperIntondonps Roport-Continucd.

Tic Schools are designed a. n mission. Our, Pub
,Ss sscct.ss' Sms legislature has The pows az ~ saGS s, ,eaT;
istence, and feeling that a reins sSsns,6le Of their ex:
~ tne LEGISLATURE, the trainers VI ttS1c c st1, 1e vested
?, Article ii, In the following words 10y 10y ~ Section
49, . "The Legislature may n,s.
as Will tend to secure u general nf,nnJssue n laws
snildren In each school district upon said Pnb hms
The great irregularIty OF the attendanc. =, .,r
dren or well meaning parents Is an evil OF such m III
fiuence next TO non-attendance, which il more cn III
tenslve than Is generally considered. Children a1s
detained at home for the most trivial reasons. This
IL ofte done from thoughtlessneSs or from igno.
rance Of the evils that grow out ofrepeateG a5sencc.
A few days absence In q term generally drops the
pupil behind his class. Il may REQUIRE a vigorous
use OF all his powers and prompt attendance to com.
mand O respectable standing. Soon disgust follows
closely upon the heels Of discourngement, and there
Is no longer any attraction either for school aSso-
cIates, school teacher or school house. Mortified
ambition cannot endure daily exposure. For the
purposes OF education. children are. In q certain
sense, the property OF the State. The law demands
that property shall be taxed to support a Public
School for six months In each year. In return for
the payment Of this tax, property has o right 70 de:
themselves Of these expensive facilities for q like
term, or their equivalent at private schools. To In
sure an efficient Public School system-to secure for
i In the public estimation That position and conn
50 raised that PERSONS q an Indifferent or detective
euuCAtlOn, unIOTIuDHIc III OLncT uepHIlHlcutS VI III
dustry, would not venture, as q temporary expsli.
cnt, to aspire TO the control ofa Public School. The
feeling Is altogether too prevalent, that any person
who can read and write Is competent to Instruct o
Primary School. It'll my deliberate Judgment that
Il requires more skill, q greater amount OF tact, q
wider range Of general knowledge, and O clearer ap-
prehension Of the complcatedlaws that control DIFF
ierent children In q school OF forty or tfty little ones.
and to excite and maintain an interest among those
who have no idea OF the value OF education. than TO
awaken and maintain q like Interest among the
same number Of advanced scholars In a High School.
Many OF the wisest educators In the country have
often expressed this sentiment with great feeling
and force. i regard teaching rs the most import
ant as well as the most difficult OF all the profcs.
sIOnS-onc that demands OF Its members indivld.
ually a more comprehensive knowledge OF mental
knowledge Of childish likes and dlslikes OF the nu-
mcrous springs OF action, and how to turn them TO
awaken Interest, stimulate thought, produce aiSei.
other OF the intellectual professions. No one is re-
garded competent to practice any OF the learned pro.
fesslons who has not gone through q long course OF
professional trainlog under the immediate dlrec.
ton Of their most eminent savails, TO qualify him TO
discharge intelligently the responsible duties bis
profession may require. No one Is regarded compe-
tent 10 make a shoe or q shovel, q house or O hand
saw, u coach or a crowbar, a broom, a bit or q
bucket, without tlrst serving All apprenticeship.
The man who can make a steam engine, or who can
control It's movement AFTER IL Is made, will com-
mand moro compensation than the public Is willing
TO pay an ordinary teacher In q Public School,
though every part or the engine, from Its feed TO It's
exhaust, with It's various Individual and combined
uses, could be learned in a fortnight BY q well dIScI.
pllned and well educated teacher, whose mind has a
mechanical tendency. Persons, to be teachers,
should learn their profession By a course OF disciplne
and training, under the direction Of the most sue
cesSful aud celebrated educators In the country.
NORMAL SCHOOLS.
Shut out and far removed as our State Is from the
great educational centers ofthe country, our oppOr-
tunltles are slim indeed 10 secure first class teach
ers. The best OF the imported educators to the
Pacific Coast Will be assorted and culcd out by tho
Educational Boards OF San Francisco, Sacramento
and other parts OF California, and we have nothing
BY which 70 invite superior edueators TO our desert
pay, which cannot be eSpccted-whlch would not
be allowed
an institution to educate those OF our yonth ambi.
tIous TO be teachers and for educational honors-to
train them 10 meet the educational requirements OF
our times and for our peculiar locality; young men
all Of them, reside In our State. and who probably
win remain permanently with us. An Institution
supply for our schools Of well educated. wen drilled
and live teachers, do much TO awaken and foster
throughout the State a spirit, OF intellectual culture,
and 10 bring permanently before our people the
great value and Importance OF popular education.
An Institution OF this character should be located In
one Of the most populous towns OF the State. where
a sufficient number OF pupils could be procured for
the organization OF o training school, TO be attached
thereto; for a Normal School without this impOr.
tant adjunct would 10 ~ inefficient as q school for
the study OF practical chemistry that should ignore
the laboratory, with It's menstrlums and precipi.
tants, or OF practical astronomy. without the aid of
There is, however, q considerable number OF young
people OF respectable attachments In our midst who
have taught school more or less, and ambitious TO
obtain u respectable rank in the profession Of teach
Ing, but whose knowledge OF the theory and prac.
tIcc Of teaching Is altogether unequal to the nj.
yanced educational claims OF the present time.
Many Of these would be drawn TO an institution OF
this character TO procure the proper
and q diploma, which should be current with School
Boards IN every district, and should dlsplnce the
local Boards of School Examiners throughout the
State. The stay OF this class would be longer or
shorter according to their previous attachments and
sspipSe;S,s - 10 TO-! ss T9SlIs from a N III sI.s sshS New would ,SS s glys
In n pccuniary condition TO organize and support nm
Institution OF this character, IT would not be an
public school Interest in Nevada. But II need not
necessarily be attended with great expense. The
rent OF a small building, the cost Of furniture and
the salary OF one Professor, with triling additional
Incidental expenses, would be oil the outlay that al
present would be required. The permanent cdIfce
and various 0rnamentations could follow the growth
OF the school and the increase OF the State School
Fund. II the State would offer two thousand dol.
lars annually for the inst two years. on condition
that pti SEi - 1ShHfi ,nns c %OTiH eq tSa, t9 ,n, sum- mc Snd
could he raised. and q Normal School could be at
once put into n successful working condition.. Some
amount by the State. without seriously depressing
any person or class.
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.
There Is one subject that / would like to bring TO
/ our 0OISc v OUuT COuSlucIuklOns Il ul hDIuCNUhI
In doubt whether the present Is tho proper time or
this the proper channel, but with my ideas as re-
CARDS the comprehensive character OF our Public
~ncctlon, will be both legitimate and proper. IL Is
well known that the peculiar character Ofthe climate
tween the ROCKY and Sierra Nevada mountains, Is
but little known by our own people, and very im-
perfectly understood BY the people OF the other
States. A plan that would secure the proper re-
those parts Of the State where Public Schools would
be likely TO be maintained throughout the year,
would be u valuable contribution to science. and In
the course or u decade OF years would throw much
light In regard TO our climate. Ono teacher In each
the necessary Instruments for determining the heat
and density OF the atmosphere, tho direction and
force ofthe winds. the amount OF the fall OF rain and
vatlons-all OF which tho Smithsonian Institute
would undoubtedly chcerfully s~upply-would. with
n tritiing addition TO his salary, 10 80 directed by law,
published either weekly or monthly. would awaken.
both on the part ofthe teachers. pupils and the pub
lie generally, habits ofclose observation In regard to
NIsDIREcTIoS or THE PROCEEDS OF THE HALr MILL
TAX.
scctiOn6 OF Education. Article X Of the State Con.
s%titution, II occurs to me, was diverted by the last
Legislature, from the use intended BY those who
formed that instrument. Section 81 OF the School
Law, approved March nth, 1855. provides that: A
moneys derived from the tax herein levied (half
Mill taxi shall be paid into the State School Fund.
money IN that fund"-that Is, the interest accruing
shall be distributed TO all the counties In the State,
| according 10 the ascertained number OF persons be-
tween the ages OF six and eighteen years In said
counties, for the support OF Public Schools. The
object Of this half mill tax was designed particularly
TO create q fund for the support OF the Mining Col
lcge-thc mining branch Of the University, II was
the general opinion OF the members OF the Const!tu-
tlonal Convention that this tax would Yield the Inst
year from ten to tneen thousand dollars. with u
large annual Increase thereafter, and that at an
carly day the interest from the proceeds Of this tax.