The Portland daily press., 1876-01-24
The State Capital.
What Has Been Done-8ridgton Normal
school-Free High SchooIs-Hearings
Next Week, etc.
AUGUSTA, Jan. %, 1876.

though both branches and their committees
have been more than ordinarily industrious
the work is not sufficiently advanced to war
rant those sanguine gentlemen who declared
the first day that five weeks would be the limit
of the session to continue such predictions.
The Legislature cannot do its work we'll in less
than fifty days. Wednesday is the last day for
petitions for private legislation, but to oblige
the members who lives long way off, quite
number of new matters will be introduced after
that date if this body is like its predecessors.
Some of the Leading committees have their
work we'll along. The Joint Special Commit
tee on Constitutional amendments has laid out
its work in part, but there has been no meeting
since the first. The Committee on Education
has quite number of important matters be-
fore it, The Financial Committee has COM
pleted the examination of the affairs of the
treasury which are found to be all right. The
destructive members of that committee have
burned million and half dollars of bonds
work in which they evidently took delight
which goes to show that they do not hold to
the theory that printed promises to pay have
any intrinsic value. The school mill tax and
the work in the State Treasurers office as well
as that of the Financial Committee to examine
the vouchers.
BR1DGToN NORMAL SCHOOL.
Next Wednesday the friends of the Bridgton
Normal School will present the merits of their
case to the Education Committee. Petitions
have already been presented from the school
officers of nearly all the towns within a radius
of twenty-five miles, including Portland, for
the establishment of normal school at North
Bridgton. These towns and cities embrace
about a quarter of the population of the state
and more than that part of the entire valua-
ton. The proposition is liberal one and
should not be passed by if the policy of the
state is to advance or even keep up the rank of
our common schools. To-day our schools suf-
fer more from inexperienced and incompetent
teachers than from any other cause. There is
great deal of school keeping in Maine and
too little real school teaching. The school
funds derived from the mill and bank taxes are
large and reports show that many towns do not
make agood use of them. Whatever tends to i'm
prove the quality of our common school teach.
ers will surely advance their rank. Why, then,
is it not wise to devote portion of the school
fund to the education of teachers by making
appropriations therefrom to the normal
schools and devote a portion to establish third
school and in few years fourth in another
portion of the state?
THE FREE HIGH SCHOOLS.
Quite breeze was started week ago
against the free high school law. The opposi-
ton has not been so openly active of late. 1t
comes from those towns which desire more
money from the state school funds than they
contribute and from the cities which pay large.
ly in excess of the amount they receive The
old academy system of the state is nearly de-
funct For years it furnished the state with
its teachers, and in them the greater part Of
the men who are active and influential in the
state to day, obtained such instruction as they
could not receive in the district schools. First
and last these academies cost the state large
amount of money in the way of land grants
and other appropriations The most of them
have expended their funds and before the days
of city and village high schools, large num-
Der were closed. The free high school system
has finished the greater part of them and more
than supply their place in our educational sys-
tenn. Should the free high schools be abolish
ed, the chief source from which fairly instruct
ed teachers can be obtained, would be cut off.
1t does seem that no more fatal blow could be
struck at our district school system than the
repeal Of the free high school law under which
over one hundred advanced schools have been
maintained for three years.
BUSINESS THIS WEEK.
rof
take place during the fourth week. There will
he hearing upon Examiner Boster's savings
bank bill Thursday, by the Banking Commit
tee. The general sentiment of the Legislature
seems to be adverse to any tinkering of the
laws relating to those institutions. Then the
Committee on Towns are TO hear the parties in
terested in the Montvlle division case. As
first class means of a perpetual feud for gem
GRAFTON, nothing is equal TO these contests about
town boundaries. The Educational Committee
will hear the claims of the Agricultural College
on Thursday afternoon. The Br.dgton Normal
School matter will come before the same COM
mittee the same day. A further hearing of the
committee appointed by the Temperance Con-
vention will take place Thursday evening.
1t is understood that during the week, Mr..
Pike will speak on his interest bill, which now
lies on the table accompanied By the unani-
nous report of the Financial Committee that
sit ought not to pass" There is some specu-
lation as to the line of Mr.. Pixies remarks,
some predicting that he will devote himself to
the financial question generally and our bank
ing system in particular Whatever Mr.. Pike
may say upon this subject will receive the at
tention of the House, since he always talks
well. 1t is said that Gen. Anderson and Gen,
Shepherd will speak against Mr. Pixies bill If
the discussion becomes general. There isn't
the slightest chance for the measure to become
law. S,
Maine Business Notes.
The prospects for an average season in ship