The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-03-14
one fat beyond IA. Every prti,s,an as.,s

gone fat beyond us. Every Pru.siar. evarS
German boy and girl comes ont OF achooi able
to speak With pencil as clearly as bs pen. IL
France, 10 Switzerland, ID EGG land (recentiy)
attention is gwen to providing this beeipui1e
and foundation OF almost all practical use Of
Knowledge, as this Connects with ali the me-
chanical arts. AS resnlt We pay duties Don
imported" articles, coming chiefly from
ed among the products of our home indu tries;
and we employ at our cen1ers OF manufacture
foreign workmen, at high salaries to give us
designs for work which we can execute but
clnnot originate
A, we reflect upon the emigration which
annually reiaces the number OF our young
men, and as We consider the wonderful ana
bilities of our State for the manufactures which
depend upon the cheapness and abundance of
water-power, we may well give thought to the
claims upon our serious attention Of the cues
ton, Will not this teaching OF freehapG and
Industrial drawing help somewhat in develop
ing higher appreciation of mechanical pur
suits among us, and so help toward the Keep
ing OF our young men at home?
AS to the cost of this instt uction, we adopt
system-in use already in more than fifty OF
the cities of the country-wLich teaches the
teachers to instruct in drawing. Aher The
comparatively trifiiug expense which must at
tend the istroducioE Of the study, our own
teachers will carry on the work, unless they
/ prove to be less intelligent and ready than
teachers elsewhere; and the cost will be less Tor
his drawing materials than tor almost aus one
of the books he must buy.
1t mag be regarded as safe for us to follow
| the lead OF Massachusetts and Connecticut in
| this matter. The former State has made draw
| ing "a required study in all towns of five
| thousand inhabitants and over and the system
Boston, CharIestown, Cambridge, Roxoury,
| Salem, Worcester, Lynn, Lawrence, and else
where. Connecticut has already introduced
the study of drawing in all its principal cities
| and towns; and we see, by the STATE report,
that the smaller towns are everywhere adopt
| ing it.
The Committee bespeab the public favor and
| co-operation in its efforts to give Pc tland
children equal advantages with the children of
our sister cities.
step has been recently taken by the commit
| tee which IS regarded as an important one. An
| order has been issued to the effect that every
teacher shall keep record of every instance o.
the administration OF corporal punishment, the
name AID age OF the sufferer, with the time of
the punishment aud its kind of degree. Un-
willingly 1t IS admitted that corporal punish
| DeDt IS sometimes necessity in school gov
ernmeuts, "a necessary ev,P' but it is proposed
to place some restraint upon the exei else OF the
| power which we feel compelled to delegate to
our teachers. 1t undoubtedly often occurs. that
punishment of this kind is resorted to hastily,
With more or less OF temper and undue severi
ty. II is believed that il every teacher is con-
| must be recorded Tor inspection and report, the
attempt will be made to use other means to the
fullest extent, before using this de1'nier resort
In connection with the discipline of our
schools may well be mentioned the startling
fact that hntyJfUe per cent Of the children, OF
our city. 5e,aoeen the age of flee and eighteen
are n0n-0tte7ddntS upon our schools. 4 ne
s-it on Of this fact means great deal !! MOI e
thau one third Of our chdreo aud you'll al Q
glowing up without any education. Pare mis-
M IN Iva ntraO. ,llrv
among those most ignorant of the impor nee,
the necessity OF education. and it is among he
children of this class chiefly, that we count our
list of nou-attendaDts. The public good re-
CURES that these Migrants he compelled to at
lend school; and there is law winch aims at
the securing OF the general attendance OF all at
the schools provided; bnt the law is lot word
ed with sufficient care, and besides, its en-
force ment has not been carried out with sufi
cieUt stIictp-ss. The consequence is that
scores, even hundreds of boys, glad in auy way
to escape the confinement of school are grow
ing up ia idlen-ss and ignorance among u.s.
The evil is a very serious one, We are not yet
seeing its worst fleets, but, if it be suffered
| to cODtDut, The tine ia not tar dis,ant when
we shall be obliged to double our police force
for the suppressed Oh OF violence aud CRIME
1t IS within the province of this committee
to'care, as wisely as possible for the children
placed under its charge; more than this it NE d
not do; but, as being in eres ed with all Others
in the public welfare, it feels bound TO call at
tent'on to the alarming fact that 30 large u
proportion of our future cit zeps is growing up
not oLly uneducated in our pubic schools. but
| educated rapidly in the schools of id eness and
vice. 1t is suggested that careful 1egistra-
tiou be made Of the children or youth Of the
CITY, between the age offve and eighteen, ana
that all who are not engaged some occup iton
during working working hours, be registered
within their districts. and be regarded as be-
longing to the schools, and compelled t, at
| tend To effeci this most desirable reform
more than one trnant officer would be needed !;
but If half dozen more employed, or all the
police force of The city engaged, too much ef-
fort and expenditure Nonid not be devoted.