The Republican journal., 1870-03-03
(For the Republican Journal J
COMMON SCHOOLS.

Within the two last decades or little more, the
number Of scholars in Maine between and 21
years has increased about per cent. for the whole
time; while within the same period the amount of
money required to be raised by cities and towns for
the support of common schools has been increased
loo per cent. And yet cur schools, generally, are
not i'll SO satisfactory a condition as they were
twenty-five years ago. There is settled convic-
ton in the public mind. that our public schools are
not up to that state of progress and efficiency that
they ought to be, cons iderng the amount of money
that is annually expended for their support Es-
pecally is this true of the schools in the rural
towns. There are. undoubtedly, various reasons
for this state of things. There is one fact that is
too apparent TO be truthfully denied and that is
That our schools have been running down ever
since the commencement of legislative experiments
TO improve them. There has been too much tnk-
ering with the school laws to serve any beneficial
purpose Some Of them are of no practical benefit
to the schools, and are worse than nothing, even if
they cost nothing.
There are many requirements of the school law
that are useless and so considered by the great
mass of the people. TO comply with some Of these
requirements subjects S. s. Committees teachers
and school agents to considerable trouble and per-
peNity without the least perceptible benefit to the
schools. The keeping of school registers for one
thing, is useless. If it benefits the schools, how
much and wherein: In most cases there is merely
a nominal compliance with the requirement of the
law in this particular. A law that is generally
considered of no public utility is not apt to be very
scrupulously regarded, and in such ase is worse
than no law. The time required to keep a correct
register by the teacher would be of much more
benefit TO the school We're it devoted to the instrc-
ton of the scholars. The requirement that school
agents shall annually return to the :. S. Com
hlttecs of towns in the month of April a certified
list of the children in their districts between four
and twenty-one years of age, is entirely useless
because the assessors on the first of April in each
all The inhabitants, and without any ci1a time Or
trouble can take the number OF scholars in each
district at the same time
It is said that " experience is Il good school mas
ter" but if we give no heed to its teachings VIC
shall not be benefited by it..
| 1t would seem that with the experience we have
had in experimenting with our school laws, ant
the results that have followed, the legislature of th
state would decline to go much further III that di
rection ut present. These experiments cost tn,
people quite large sum annually; too much, Il
least to end in failure, as they certainly have hith
erto. There has been IL State Superintendent o
common schools for Il time sufficient for his pay t.
amount to some $50 900. The present incumben
receives $3.50 Il year. being $500 more than tn
Governor Of the State ever received for Il year
till since the election of GOV. Chamberlain. Still
he says he has to beg" in some instances. Their
can be no doubt but the state superintendent la
bors hard and faithfully, and that the pay is small
enough for the labor performed. The question t.
be considered by the people i, whether the worl
/ performed is not like fancy farming" where tn
crop don't pay halt the expense of raising. SOM
4 years ago teachers conventions were held i'll til
several counties in the state; $4,000 per annuin De
ing appropriated BY the legislature to pay the eN
pen~c. Bnt thCy soon COLLAPSED and came To nangh
Now have teachers institutes established i
each county, and also County Supervisors. Tn
State pays $4,000 annually to defray the expense
Of County Institutes; but il Is proposed b
those who take the lead in this iancifu and thee
rctcal school system, To pay the sum of $500 /
each institute yearly, amounting to St 800, proyit
ing but on institute i. held in each county. TIL
Ia" OF l'69, also provides for the payment of SIC
900, yearly. to County Supervisors, making in tn
aggregate S25.l00: add to this the stationery an
printing bill, and the sum would amount, probably
to near $4,000. TO say nothing OF the expense t
the State of the two Normal schools. There oug
not tu be, and there would not be any objection t
this expenditure if our common SC hoos received
CORES sponding benefit But they do not. 1t w
be perceived that the money expended in this wa
nearly all goe, to pay the salaries of high schoc
officials not one dollar Of it ever reaches the con
mr. school yhap. al tbr,
the indirect medium Of the teacher. The whol
matter is urged upon the ground Of improving OH
common school system. and introducing into til
schools better qualified class of teachers.
If these two objects are not successfully accom-
p,hcd the whole thing will De 4 failure. It is u
slming more than the facts in the case will verify
to say that there men in the State now nor
competent to make these experiments Il success
than there were ten or fifteen years ago. Ever
body, who ever had any thing to do with the super
vision Of our common schools, knows that ther
more failures in teaching successfully, from wal
of the requisite faculties to instruct and 10 properI
govern a school, than from lack Of literary Il,
quirements,
1 There are certain natural and in hereut mped
lcnts and defects common re Il large portion q
school teachers, that can never be overcome by Il
the training and discipline that can be given i
teachers institutes and normal schools. A persG
may be ripe scholar, and at the same time cannC
successfully teach common district school, II
may fail for want Of energy and yigor; q very con
mon deficiency in teachers or lie may be too in
, petuouS and rash Natural propenstics and d
fleets will manifest themselves more less, and n
effort training in Normal schools elscwher
can fully correct them. If persons are natural
indolent and slothtul, they never can be made il
du>triou~ and active. III they are passionate an
pettlsh they will always remain so, in greater Q
less degree. Such persons can never become >u(
cessfu and popular teachers. There will not bt
probably, more than twenty-five tirst-cla>s teacher
made out of one hundred instructed in our Norm;
schools; and most of this twenty-five will be lkel
to leave the State in short time. Time will den
onsratc that such will be the practical results rea
lied from our Normal schools.
Having succeeded i'll getting those pet institution
established, it is now proposed to make innovation
upon the municipal regulations and rights of citie
and towns as they have long existed by virtue
law, and to Which the people of the State have al
justcd themselves satisfactorily and harmoniously
first, by aboshing school districts. Second, by e.
tablishng State uniformity of text books, and thrC
compulsory attendance of scholars. 1t is observ;
In