The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-03-15
OUR SCHOOLS.
An Abstract OF The Report OF tl.e High
School.


School.
To the High School Conanaittee:--I herewith
furnish an abstract of work done by the sever
al classes in the Hi III School during the term
ending Feb. q, 1871, also some sus gestions in
regard to the school and its needs.
LIST Class The Classical Division, (boys pre-
parlng tor coileee) has read the 4th book of
X-nophan's Anabasis, and reviewed tine first
lour books, inclusive; read aud reviewed the
1st and 2ud books OF the Had; read the 18th
book of C@ ar, the 4lh, 9Th, aud 9Th books of
Virgips Aueid, and reviewed the first fur
books inclusive; and read four OF Cicero's Ora
lions, viz: those Tor Marcellus, Ligarius, Deiot-
arus and Milo. 10 connection with he
above there have been REGULAR exercises in An
cient Geogr ,phy, the La in the Greek
Grammars aud in L-tin Prose Composition.
In Mathematics the class has reviewed Creep
leafs Common School Ari 'bnatc aud the
first three books Of GreenIeat's Geometry. A
portion OF this Division preparing for Har-
ward college, has in addition 10 the above, read
the 9th, 9Th and h books of the Anabasis
tue 3 book of be Had; the Jugurtuine War
of SausI; and has learned "a pages of Arnold's
Greek Prose Composition, 80 pages in Sm'tb's
History of Greece, aud chapters in Pieree's
Geometry.
All The Latin and Greek required for adms
sion to college, has been read; and the work OF
the class IN these branches for the next term
will be wholly reviewing.
The other Division OF the class, including all
except the Calese Division above, has learned
les Astronomy aud the priucpal portions
of Quackenbts SIS Rhetoric. Tue boys have
learned d ayie's Trieonouetry and Surveying,
and have studied the Constitution OF the Unit
ed States about four weeks. The girls and
three boys have pursued The study OF French
| during tae term reciting five times week 10
| the Gramm. and in trauslatlog from Mog'li's
| French Reader, aud twice week (snce Oc-
tober) to Mr.. A!orazair, in PRONUNCIATION and
| Conversation They bave read d variety of Sc
| lectiunS in the reader aud have learned and re-
viewed la considerable POI ton of the Gram
| mar
TIE Latin Division OF girls, has read the De-
| Amariiia OF Cicero; aud all the girls have had
| Sc mi weekly drill exercises 10 El0cution and
| Vocal Gs mnastics.
| I'd Class The College division of this class
has learned Hark ness Fir.t Greek Book, from
| the verb through, including the selections,
first six chap of The titsa book of the Anab
asis, also CR ar, book 2, chap. 15-bouk T. in
elusive, aud Salust.
Tue other portion of thu class has studied
the Alb and h books of G eeuleafs Geume-
try aud in QuackeubOss' Ma ural Philosophy,
the subjects Ply ouumics, Optics, Acoustics,
Eec ric,iy. GaIvanism and aenetism and
S'ee'e's Chemistry to Haloid Salts. page So
The girls OF the classical division have read The
Fl st four books OF Virgins Eaeid; aud the E.-
glish DIVISION, girls and bows, las learned Ell
wards Outline of e aelish History, aud r ablu-
sons Artbmetcal Problems, pages As to S8 n-
elusive.
Lectures 10 Physiology bave been delivered
before the whole class twice week for Xteen
| weeks, The pupils being required to read upon
| the topic OF each lecture beforehand, and tree
| discussion and questioning being allowed our
| ing The lecture.
Third Class The class has studied in the
| q ted ota'es History, III" Colonial Period (iD
part). thR Revolutionary Wtf. the m.,f.n m
| OF the Constitution and Government; the adj
mini'tra,ions OF Washington, Adams, Jeff-r-
| 500 aud Madison, includ ng the war of 1872.
| Three divisions of the class have learned Hits
| Geometry, and one the 1T book Of Gre-DI-at's
| Geometry. The girls OF the Latin division
| nave read Period h of Roma His DRY in the
| Latin Reader, and books LIST and 2i, and tea
CD ipter> il book 3 Of V,ri Ron8 The bows
| of tuis division have read the same 10 the Latin
READER aud 80 chapters of book 1st of e sar.
| The EDgl,ih division, boys and girls, has
| learned Edwards Outline of English History.
| The whole class has reve Greenieaf's Com
| mon School Arithmetic.
4th C2dss.-The class has learned Greenleaf's
| Eient ntary Algebra to equations of two un-
| known quantities, page ~; Warren's Physi-
| cal G geography to age Ga il GLIDING in Pant I,
| the Physical Features OF the Land; in Part
| II. OF the Water AID Ocean Currents; and in
| Part ILL.,. tue subjects of the Atmosphere,
| Temperature. Winds, Rain, Snow. CLOUDS, &c
The La,iu Division. nearly all the Glass, has
| learned the leading Principles OF he Lain
| Grammar, including the D, fioitIons, the In
flections, and the General PRINCIPLES of syn.
| tax; and has read IN the Latin Reader selec-
| tous from the exercises Illustrating tae Gram
| mar and the Fables to section 105, page AZ. TIE
| English DIVISION has gone through the En-
| elish Grammar, and has had regular exercises,
| in Parsing and Analysis. The whole class has
had an exercise in Reading and Spelling twice
| week.
| Members of the 1st, % and Sd classes have
s,rl n
| aud in Composition Thy the buys and girI,)
| once in two weeks. AT these exercises all
| compositions have been read by the writers
| before tbeil class, or section.
| Public exercises have been held fortue btly
| during the M st of the term, at which all tue
pupils have been assembled in The girls sch DOL
| room. These exercises usually consist of Mu-
sc, Declarations, Select Reading and the
School PapeTs. Many of the parents Of the
pupils, and other people of the city are in the
la bit of attending ,bese exercises.
The general statistics OF the school for the
term aIe given below:
5oas. Girls. Total.
Az. No. be onging for tie term. 10! z1s ~
Az. ait nianee 80. 1870. l57 20 Se7 a.
No. not absent Ior the te.m.... 81 66 127
AZ. rank IL scholar hip. .,...... 500 81 3737
No. OF school days in feIm.... 13S
The average age of the school at the close of
the Term was 16 years, 10 months and two days,
being more than eight months greater than
the average one year ago There is an i'm
preston in the community that the average
age of the popils iu the school is f, ON year to-.
wear growing less. Tie statistics OF the
school, keot with a good degree OF care and
accuracy, do not warrant such conclusion;
but show, On the contrary, that the change is
in an opposite direction.
Ihe Lumber OF new pupils admitted during
the term vas 139 being 4 less than The last
wear; and the average age OF those pupils was
IA years. 8 mon,hs and 18 d y. These pupils
ca me D From the Park stree School, 25; Sec
ond Grammar School, -; Bracket street
School, 30; Centre Grammar School, 20; North
School, "a; West Gramm mar School, 6; Private
Schools, 6; and new residents of the city,, 6
I be amount of work done by the several
classes during the term will com pare iavoraby
with that OF previous, corresponding terms.
La some classes it has been greater than usual.
More md vdual instruction has ben given in
Composition, and u G subject of Rhetoric has
been made more practical than here tofore.
Free gymDaStic exercises were introduced
into the gill department the latter part of the
term. ,hink 1T would improve fhe health |
AID vivacity ofthe pupils to devote few min
ues caiiy 10 such exercises in both depart |
meDts. The instl uciinn in Eog'isb History |
ctud be made more profitable by the use OF a |
larger textbook than the Outlines now used; |
and the substliutioa of mare English Gram !
mar and Rhetoric tor reviews, aud matht mat
les, would, L ,h,Dk, be advantageous. Those |
who pursue the English course heed more OF |
such studies IN language, to correspond to the |
advantages received by those who take the |
Latin course.
Reading and Evolutionary drill need more
attention; but We have not among our teachers |
sufficient number competent to give first
class instruction IN those branches. Music re-
ceiVes, at present, but 'te attention in the
school, being confia to the opening exercises
in The morning, TO public exercises, and co
such miscellaneous performance. Is the pupils |
incline 10 engage in at the recess An eX.r-
c'se in musical instruction once or twice
week, under the direction of competent |
teacher, would develop large amount OF mus.
lcal talent in the school. aud would profitably
supplement- INSTRUCTION 10 other branches
The department of tue school dur,po the
term has been usually good, much bette.
1bns, than it Was two or three years since.
There has MT been, within my kno " ledge.
his term. more than one two cases Of DISC
hed'ence or INSTRUMENTATION which required
the NH ction OF corporal punishment, strictly
so called.
l am happy to bear cheerful testimony to
the zeal and cooperation of the Assistant |
teachers, who have laDored with me faithfully
duripg the term.
In the way OF further suggestion 7 woplH
respectfully call attention to the TACT ,hs + Iha |
Laboratory of the sciool is not in a cundition |
10 be an efficient aid to instruction in the sol; |
,uces. Ii has few OF the conveniences usnaIlv
ound in such Iooins by which experiments | ,
IAN De made aud principles illustrated WITH | ,