Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-03-01
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT REPORT.
superIntendenrs Renort-ConIInn.d.

superintendent Report-CoutInued.
society are plnndercd Of an undeveloped power and
~ st.engtn essential TO their high mission. Our Pub.
fll evils. Tho Legislature has the power 10 prevent
these TO a worry great c1isn'. Sensible OF their eX.
in the Legislature, tho Trainers OF Tho stats coSs,i
auuou yes ~ IN II ,h auSen1nty IN that body In Section
- . "Thc Legislature may pass such Inv.
as will tend 10 secure q general Attendance OF Tho
children in each school district upon said Public
The great lrrcgularhy OF the attendance OF chill.
dren Of well meaning parents Is an evil OF such mag.
nitude as to require u remedy II Is IN It's balcful In
tcnsIvc than Is generally considered. Children are
detained al home for the most trivial reasons. This
Is often done from thoughtlessness or from igno-
A few days absence In q term generally drops the
| pupil behind his class. II may require . vigorous
Use Of all his powers and prompt attendance 70 Son.
| closely upon the heels Of disbursement. and there
| Is no longer any attraction either for school asso,
ciates, school teacher, or school. house. sos.1sa
| purposes Of education. children are, In q certain
sense, the property OF the State. The law demands
that property shall be taxed 10 support a PUBIC
School for six months In each year. In return ior
| the payment OF this tax, property, has a right 70 de,
mand that children between certain ages shall nvaiI
themselves OF these expensive facilities for q Ike
sure an efficient Public School ~systen-to secure LOT
IL In the public estimation that position and conn.,
l CHC llhI III bIHlSlI IVhiu iAAtAAh' go
| ard OF scholarship OH the part ofteachers should DO
so raised that persons OF nn Indifferent or detectiSc
education. unfortunate In other departments OF IN
| dustry, would not venture, az q temporary expedl.
ent, TO aspire TO the control OF q Public school. Inc
| feeling Is altogether too prevalent, that any person
SsO can S READ and !, w Z 9Y Is d SUmpGtSn,I p 1E : Iasrru tlist
1t requires more skill, q greater amount Of tact,a
wider range Of general knowledge, and q clearer aR-
| prehenSion OF the complicated laws that control dill.
| iercnt children in q school OF forty or hfty 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 O like Interest among. the
samc number Of advanced scholars In u High SchooI.
| Many OF the wIscSt educators In the country have
often expressed this sentiment with great feeling
and force. l regard teaching as the most Import
ant rs well as the most dificu!t OF all the profess
sions-one that demands or its members. indlvid;
| ually a more comprehensive knowledge OF mental
and moral philosophy, a quicker perception and
knowledge Of childish likes and disnkes OF the nl'
mcrous springs OF action. and how to turn them 10
awaken Interest, stimulate thought, produce discl.
| plinc and cheerful obedience, than those Of any
other Of the intellectual professions: No one IS re-
garded competent TO practice any or the learned pro,
| professional training under the immediate dircc-
ton OF their most eminent savans, 10 9uaiily MN 70
discharge intcillgently the responsible duties ms
tent TO make u shoe or a shovel, n house or q hand
saw, q coach or n crowbar, u broom. a BIT or a
bucket, without first serving an apprenticeship.
The man who can make a steam engine, or who can
control Its movement after II IL made, will cont
mand more compensation than the public Is Wiling
i w ~ III OIullAhl kNhNilNl III ~ 4 ubit SNatNO
though every part OF the engine, from ITS feed TO It's
exhaust. with It's various Individual and combined
S piIn:S sS Sna well BE Ies s5Ssa, - = ,t iSrinlsa Sh by % SS,i Siss,,
should learn their profession By Sconrse Of discipiine
and training. under the direction or the most sue
ccss(ul and celebrated educators In the country.
NORMAL SCHOOLS.
Shut out and far removed as our State Ii from the
great educational enters ofthe country. our oppor-
tunitics are slim Indeed TO secure first class teach
ers. The best OF the imported educators TO the
Pacific Coast Will be assorted and culled ont by the
and other parts OF California, and We have nothing
by which to invite superior educators TO our desert
homes, unless our School Boards offer extravaganza
pay, which cannot DO expectcd-which would not
Our great educational want Is a Normal School
an Institution TO educate those OF our youth ambi-
tlous TO be teachers and for educational honors-to
train them TO meet the educational requirements Of
our times and for our peculiar locality: young men
and women whose parents, relatives or friends, or
all OF them, reside In our State. and who probably
will remain permanently with US. An Institution
Of this character, would, In addition TO us regular
and live teachers. do much 10 awaken and foster
throughout the State II spirit OF intellectual culture,
and to 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 a training school, to be attached
thereto; for u Normal School without this lmpor-
tant adjunct would be rs l%nenicient as q school for
the study OF practical chemistry that should ignore
the laboratory, with It's menstruums and precipl.
tants, or Of practical astronomy, without the aid OF
There Is, however. a considerable number Of young
people OF respectable attachments In our midst who
have taught school more or less, and ambitious 70
ing, but whose knowledge Of the theory and prnc.
lice OF teaching Is altogether unequal TO the I'D.
vanced educational claims Of the present time.
MANY OF these would be drawn to an institution OF
this character 10 procure the proper Information
and q diploma, which should be current with School
local Boards OF School Examiners throughout the
State. The stay OF this class would be longer or
shorter according TO thelI previous attachments and
forth It's lrst fruits from this class. Were the State
In Il p~ecuniary condition 10 organize and support an
Institution Of this character. IL would not be an
easy matter TO over estimate It's value upon the
public school interest In Nevada. But II need not
rent OF a small building, the cost OF furniture and
the salary Of one Professor, with tritiinS additional
Incidental expenses. would be all the outlay that At
present would be required. The permanent cdihce
and various ornAmentatlons could follow the growth,
Of the school and the Increase or the State School
lars annually for the first two years, on condition
that private donations would equal that sum. and
to be added TO II. ] feel confident that that amount
could be raised. and q Normal School could be at
once put into n successful working condition: Some
source Of revenue could be created to raise this
amount By the State. without seriously depressing
any person or class.
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.
There IL one subject that I would like TO bring TO
YOUR notice for your consideration. ! am somewhat
n doubt ,nS n whether rh ,ss PRESENT as Is s, nGe P5Sp ;des s'a az or or
CARDS the comprehensive character oil our puDnc
School system. the proposed suggestions In this con-
~ncctIon, Will he both Legitimate and proper. II Is
well known that the peculiar character fthc climate
Of the vast ranges Of these elevated table-lands be-
tween the Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountains, Is
perfectly understood By the people OF the other
States. A plan that would secure the proper IT,
cording OF accurate meteorological observations In
those parts Of Tie State where Public Schools would
be likely TO BE- maintained throughout the year,
would be u valuable contribution to science. ana IN
the course OF a decade OF years would throw mucn
llybt I'm regard TO our climate. One teacher 10 each
] ofthc principal towns In the State, ffnrnished win
the necessary Instruments for determining the heat
and density Of the atmosphere. the direction and
force OF the winds, the amount Of the fall OF rain aud
snow, and u book for recording the necessary onser-
yatIons-sll q which the e.; Sn .r=nnInnr o nhsu wI,S
a trining addition 10 his salary. u so directed oy Jaw,
accurately perform the task. These o1rrvauons,
both on tho part ofthc teachers, pupils and tho pub
tic generally, habits OF close observation In regard TO
SIsplREcTIoS or THE PRocLEps or THE HALr MILL
TAX.
The proceeds Of the half mill tax, provided for In
sections OF Education, Article x OF the State Con.
%StitutIon, II occurs 10 me. was diverted BY the last
Legislature, from the use intended by those who
formed that instrument. Section 81 Of the School
moneys derived from the tax hereln, levied (half
mill taxi shall be paid into the State School Fund,
Il and be aDpOrtlOneu IN inc baule UAnncT ~ OlEct
money IN that fund"-that Ia, tho interest ~accruing
/ shall be distributed to all the counties In the State,
according TO the ascertalned number OF persons be.
| counties, for the support OF Public Schools. The
| object ofthis half mill tax was designed particularly
to create q fund for the support OF the Mining Col.
| lege-the mining branch Of the University. II was
| the general opinion OF the menbe OF the ConStitu.
tionAl Convention that this tax would yield the flrst
year from .ten to nteen thousand dollars. with q
large annual increase thereafter. and that At an
early day the interest from the proceeds OF this tax.
| and from other sources OF revenue, would enable
the Board OF Regents to establish this branch OF the
University and TO put II Into successful operation In
q very short time. The section (6) referred to above
Of the Constitution, Is In the following language, TO
witt. - II {.
"Thc Legislature shall provide a speciaitax OF one
half OF one mill on the dollar OF all taxable property
Of the State. In addition 10 the other means pro-
vlded for the support and maintenance Of said Uni
versity and common schooll." .
The last three words. and common schools.r
above, were coupled with the word University 10
was Q part OF the Public School system. The inten:
| ton Of tho Convention, IN regard to the disposal Of
the proceeds OF this half mill tax, will more clearly
appear by reference 10 section =, Of the Educational
Article Of the Constitution. which reads a. folloWs'
to wit:
"The Board Of Regents shall. from the interest,"
accruing from the frst funds Qrom the naI mLiMsl
which como under their control. lmmediateiy o,s1nrI
lie and maintain the said Mining Department SoI
the University In such, manner as 10 m"Ne
most effective and useful" A
From the foregoing II appears 10 ny nIlIa ~,
| conclusive anu bindlngo on the BosIu o. ANN n nnst