Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-01-01
Our Public Schools.

menu OF our county anu city In rail-
road facilities, and in the development
of our agricultural resources has been
fully equalled by the increase aud i'm
provement of the public schools. This
is as it should be, for mental improve
ment and true culture should always
keep pace with material development.
Wealth becomes curse to commu-
nifty as well as to an individual when
there is not intelligence and refine
ment to appreciate and to properly use
the blessings which bountiful Prov
idence bestows.
No better use can be made of our
surplus gains than in building COM
Portable, attractive schoolhouses, sup
plying them with the best furniture
and apparatus, and placing in them
men and women, fitted by education,
physical, mental and moral, to be the
teachers and patterns of the children
who will soon be in our places, con-
| trolling the property we are now ac-
cumlating, and filling the offices we
now fill.
There are seventy-five teachers in
this county. For experience and abil-
ity they will not suffer in comparison
with the teachers of any county in the
State. There are still some old time
schoolhouses but the spirit of inn
provement is awakened and all the
houses lately built are beautiful build
lngs, generally supplied with all the
modern improvements.
Immigrants seeking homes, where,
in addition to the advantages of rich
soil, and unsurpassed climate, the adj
vantages of the best educational facil-
tiles may be enjoyed by their children,
will find all these attractions in Los
Angeles county.
The following extract from the adj
dress Of the County Superintendent,
Geore II. Peck, to the Teachers Insti-
tute will show the satisfactory condi-
ton of the schools
On July 1st, 1873, Los Angeles coun-
ty had 6,101 school children, thirty
mime districts, forty-four schoolhouses
Only three districts outside of Los An
geles had either intermediate or 1ri-
mary schools. Its State and County
school, moneys for that school year
amounted to less than $4,000. Our
school statistics on July lst, 1875, were:
School census children, 1877, an in
crease in the two years of 1856; school
districts 4S; increase 8. Teachers and
schools j: Grammar, intermediate and
primary, 72. Three schools have since
been added, making the increase to
the present time SO. Value of school
property on the lst CT July, 1872, was
$13l 900; increase $47, 900. School mon-
eys received from the State and Coun-
ty in the year 1875 for paying teachers
and contingent expenses were, to use
round numbers, $4,000, an increase
over the school year OF 1874 Of over
100000. The present school year, it is
expected, will show larger increase.
The moneys of the school department
from all sources in this school year
may not fall short of $l59,000. From
the above, it is evident that the school
interest of the whole county is ex-
panding and growing. Indeed the
rapid and continuous growth of our
schools during the seven years of my
residence in this county has been
marked and gratifying. Yet they are
very far from being perfect. Only in
telligent, continuous, energetic and
we'll directed efforts on the part of
teachers and school officers for years
to come, can approximate them to
what they should be with our facili-
ties. However, spirit in recent years
has started and is working among
and from within the people of Los An
geles County, whose outcome will be
the most elevating to its schools.
The city schools are in a prosperous
condition, meeting the demands of
the increasing population and giving
entire satisfaction to their numerous
patrons.
At the close of the school year in
May the examinations were well at
tended by parents and friends of edu-
cation during the five days of their
continuance. Unusual interest was
manifested on the occasion because
the High School, the pride of our citi-
zens, was to send forth its graduating
class. In order to setisfy its citizens
whose taxes built and sustained the
school, the teachers and the Board of
Education were specially solicitouS to
satisfy all of the thoroughness of the
work done, as well as to establish a
standard for future classes. For this
purpose, the Board of Education ap-
pointed Rev. w. HI. Hill, Rector of
the Episcopal Church and ex-City Su-
perintendent of Sacramento, DIR. A. +.
White, Pastor of the Presbyterian
Church and eX-State Superintendent
of Nevada, and Rev. Il. ID. Packard,
Pastor of the Congregational Church,
Committee to examine the SENIOR
CLASS in the Los Angeles High School,
in the principal studies of the last
year. The following report was read
by Mr.. Packard as an introduction to
the graduating exercises of the class :
/ TO the Board OF Education of the
City of Los Angeles:
| GENTLEMEN The Committee ap-
pointed to examine the Senior Glass OF
the High School under your care, take
pleasure in submitting the following
report for your consideration:
The class for the year past has been
under the immediate supervisor OF
Rev. w. II. Lucky, ID. D., Principal OF