Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-11-19
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.
Edited and Conducted 6y
j. +. LANGENBA UGH.
MASSACH USETTS.

There Is no officer bearing the title of
State superintendent of Public Instruction
in the State of Massachusetts. The near
est to it is the Secretary of the Board of
Education. who performs some of the du
ties which in other States are done by
State Superintendents. The State Board
OF Education of this Commonwealth, con
sists of the Governor and Lieutenant Gov
eInor, and eight persons appointed by the
Governor with the advice and consent Of
the council, each to hold Office eight years
from the time of his appointment. This
Board has charge of the funds, as we'll as
the general administration of the School
laws in the Commonwealth. 1t elects It's
Secretary, who is the personal executive
Of the School-law. in the State. He per
forms the functions Of the usual State Su.
perintendents.
When the Board of Education is salts
fed that iifty teachers desire to form
Teachers institute, it calls a Getting to
organise the Institute. Three thousand
dollars year are at the disposal Of the
Governor for the use in CARRYING out the
ends of such Institutes. The Massachu-
setts School Fund is in charge of Board
OF Commissioners, consisting of the Sec
retar: vi tie Board of Education, the
Treasurer, and the Receiver-l'eneral.
The moneys are distributed in proportion
10 the number of children between and
10 years of age. 4 special Fund is pro-
vidcd for the education OF the Indians
the Marshpees, GayHesds, Herring
Ponds, Christiantowns and Cbippequid
dies.
The branches taught in the Public
Schools are e:-Orthography, reading, wri-
ting, arithmetic, English Grammar, geog-
raphy, the history OF the United States /;
besides these, agriculture, algebra, vocal
music, drawing, physiology, and hygiene
shall be taught, whenever the School
Committee deem it cxpedient. In towns
where there are 500 families, besides the
branches enumerated, the town may main
tain high school, wherein, instruction
shall be given in general history, book
keeping, surveying, geometry, natural
philosophy, chemistry. botany, the civil
poliiy of the Commonwealth and of the
LATIN language.
In each town. ten months at least must
be filled with teaching. In towns of 1000
inhabits teachers in High Schools in adj
dition, are required 10 teach Greek and
French, astronomy, geology, rhetoric,
logic, intellectual and moral science, and
political economy. Schools for pupils
over 10 years of aye, may be maintained
and regulated by any town. In every pub
lie school having an average of 90 schol
ars, the school district or town must EN-.
ploy one or more female assistants, unless
lotherwise decided Teachers are exam
ined and employed by the Town School
Committees, who give certificates, which
the teachers must file with the SclectmeD,
before opening school. The School Com
mittee requires the daily reading of some
portion of the Bible, without note or
comment in the public schools; but par
ents may interpose their conscientious
scruples against their children's reading
from any particular version.
School-books are selected by the School
! Committee for each town, and no change
can be made except by unanimous vote.
unless the Committee consists of more
than nine, When The Committee con-
sists of Is, the majority rules. When a
change is made, each pupil belonging to
the public schools, and requiring the SUBJ
stituted book, is furnished with the same
by the School Committee, at the expense
of the town. 1t is obligatory upon every
parent or guardian, having charge of a
youth between eight and fourteen years
old, TO send him or her to some public
school twelve weeks, six weeks Of which
shall be consecutive, during each year
Officers are chosen to enforce such provi
sion the penalty is a fine not exceeding
20 dollars.
No person is excluded from a public
school or account of the race, color, oil
} religious opinions. Normal Schools have
been established: at Westfeld, Framing
. ham, Salem, Bridgewater, Boston, and
Worcester. School age, from 5 to Il
: Years.
B Father, Time 10 sweeping Onward,
Scythe and hour glass in hand;
Nothing can obetruct bis pathway,
Nothing can his force Withstand.
Now he blurs the cheek of beauty
Now be renders weak the strong
And he cuts down all before him
'- As he swiftly glides along.
d The system of heating buildings BY
means of hot air, is not of modern inven
> ton. as generally supposed 1t was prac
;. ticed in Germany more than nine centu
d rics ego, as is shown by recent excava
5, tions in the. ruins of the ancient Kai
l. serhaus at Goslar, In the Hartzmouulains
where the workmen discovered an exten
, sive series Of horizontal fues LEADING
y from q large central fire vault. Tn
Kings of Franconia, from the time O
= Conrad J., in the year Oil, lived in thi
b palace.