The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-01-14
COL. DEM. -. VOL. XXXIII..NO. AZ.

sions. And then every one who shall
have performed his whole duty to sus-
tain the true interests of the State and
to maintain the high dignity of her
character, may return unpolluted and
with clear conscience to his constitu.
ents, who will receive him with open
arms, and with the joyful exclamation
of "well done good and faithful SER
want"
Liberal appropriations are made an.
nually to our penitentiaries, lunatic
asylums, and other charitable and bene-
fetal institutions, without requiring
from those who receive and disburse
the money any satisfactory evidence
that it has been faithfully applied to the
objects intended. This is wrong, and
should be corrected without delay. All
officers of the State who receive public
moneys, not excepting the Governor,
are required by law and usage to settle
their accounts, on proper vouchers, in
the Auditor Generals Office. This is
right; and there is no good reason why
the same accountability should not be
enforced against all those who receive
annually such large sums of money
| from the bounty of the Commonwealth.
| l, therefore, recommend that law be
passed requiring all persons who receive
and disburse State appropriations, to
take proper vouchers for all moneys so
expended by them, and to make quar-.
terly settlements of the same in the
Auditor Generals office. This is inn
portant, not only to protect the interests
of the State, but also the good name of
those who receive and disburse the
money, and of the members of the Leg
islature through whose influence the
appropriations are represented to be
procured. For many years the general
appropriation bills have been signed on
the day of the adjournment of the Leg.
islature, and / here repeat my stgges.
tions of last year on this subject. "The
Governor has been forced either to sign
the bills without proper investigation,
Notwithstanding amy objections he may
have; suspend the means to defray the
operations of the government for the
ensuing year; or call an extra session
of the Legislature. 1t is therefore earn.
estly desired that the appropriation bill
be taken up, discussed and passed ut 9
sufficiently early period during the seq
sion to enable the Governor TO give II
that thorough examination its imI ort
ance demands"
COMMON SCHOOLS.
The peculiar interest which is always
manifested by the people in the subject
of education, is an inducement to lay
before you, more at length than woulC
tics of the system drawn from the re
port of the Superintendent of Common
. Schools.
, There are within the State | ,971 schoo
! districts; 1896 schools; 2,445 graded
= schools 12,900 school directors rs su
> perintendents II, l42 teachers, and Sl5,
: 1853 pupils. The average cost of tuitioi
/, for each pupil is ninety-seven cents pc
, month. The whole cost of tuition TO
Y the year is S3,500,70i 26. Total cost in
e cluding expenditures of all kinds dur
: ing the year, So, 1856, liS 80. Estimate,
: value of school property Sl4,045, ,632.
e Notwithstanding the fact that GU
school law was made general in tn
4 year 1S4S, it is remarkable that ther
/, still remain five districts within tn
y State which have not yet conforme
J. thereto. Hopes are entertained tn;
p ditions of the law, and the remainir
J. one, known as the Harmony Distric
under the control of the "EcOnomites,
having good school of its own, wi
probably not adopt the public schoC
system SO long as the present organic,
8 ton of that society exists. 1t is there
fore, a subject worthy of hearty cor
. graduation that our school system h;
70 been so universally adopted by the vo
70 untary consent and general acquiescenC
% of the people.
o AS important auxiliaries to our con
0 mon schools, the Normal schools al
0 entitled to assume the front rank. Thei
0 flourishing condition may be understoo
o from the following statistics: The whol
% number of students that have attendc
% the four Normal schools is 10,237, (
- whom 32l have graduated. During th
10 past year there were In these institt
q lions 76 teachers and 4,l7S student
/. Since my last annual communication,
IL State Normal school has been fully e.
o tablished and recognized at Bloomsbur
:; Columbia county. Its buildings are
O the most finished and substantial cha
If acter and it commences its career undo
q the most auspiciOus circumstance
" Another is now in state of prepar,
# tion at California, Washington count,
and will probably be completed durin
/. the current year.
g Your attention is again invited to tn
o fact that there are about seventy-fiy
!. thousand children in the State that d
:. not attend schools of any description
!. and who are permitted to grow up
o ignorance and without employmen
J. and, in many instances, from lack of il
4 dustrial and educational training b.
d come not only the votaries of vice, bl
d aprolilic source from which the inmate
g of our prisons and penitentiarics a
Il supplied.
!. The number Of children tbroughol
j. the State attending private schools,
n estimated at eighty-tive thousand.
e The aggregate of the educational co
|. dition of the children of the Common
!, wealth may be thus stated:
Is Attending the public schools. ..Sl5,7
e Attending private schOOls........... So o.
If Not attending schools of any kind 1910
y Whole number of children. .975, n
n The subject of non-attendance by
o large portion of children is special
l. and most earnestly commended to yol
y consideration. 1t is true economy {
!, the part of the State, if possible, to say
~ these children from ignorance, vagra
oi cy and crime. To neglect them wou
"a be inexcusable, If not criminal. Douh
" less in your assembled wisdom you wi
he be abe to devise some effectual mot
Il by which this evil can be remedied,
Many OF the recommendations co
y tained in the report OF the Supefinte
s., dent are of the utmost importance, al
ol eminently deserving of serious atte
u. tion and legislative action. The fac
NJ above set forth illustrate most forcib
u the practical value of our most admin
a BILE common school system, and be
,s, testimony that cannot be misund,
IN stood, To the wisdom and liberallty
TX which it has been conceived and so 81
Ut cessfully carried into effect.
be SOLDIERS ORPHANS SCHOOLS.
re Attention is invited TO the report
n the Superintendent of the Soldiers {
ct phans' Schools, for the year endi
Id May 81, 1869, in which is exhibit
We their condition, circumst ances and ,
ho penditures.
n The whole number of children adm
he ted into these schools from their ori:
as to the 3lst day of May, 1869, is +,
ch thousand five hundred and nine
| A