Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-23

School Property During the Year-Th
University, Normal and Common Schools
Special School Codes-Recom menda
lions, ETC., Etc.
The nineteenth annual report Of The Stat.
superintendent of public instruction has
been completed and is ready for distribution
1t Is an exhaustive and withal compreh5n
sive exposition of the educational system
which obtains in this State. Containing 25s
pages, besides the superintendent's re.
port proper, ninety two pages,
it presents an elaborate history
of the inception of the several educational
plans adopted in the State, and clear state
ment of all acts and donations specially re-
lating to the system Extensive tables con-
tanning important statistics are contained in
the work. The superintendent has not con-
fined himself in his able treaties for it NAV
be so termed-slone to the public school
system, bit has Incorporated in his
report both sage reflections
and recommendations IN ertsnso upon our
whole educational plan, and its various IN
stitutions of learning, from the primary
school to and including the university, not
excluding the tuition and education of the
deaf and dumb. Together with his report,
he submits series of reports from county
superintendent. This particular feature
gives evidence of the labor imposed
up n the State superintendent, owing to the
comparative little assistance derived from
these officials. The report clearly indicates
that the superintendent has been to great
labor and research to furnish the public
with comprehensive and valuabl, report.
The report opens with the important and
timely suggestion that in the present report
of the department of public instruction to
your honorable body, it should recognize the
fact that Minnesota has existed as State
twenty years. Previously to this there was
territorial organization for about nine
years. The educational history of that
period ard of the first fifth of century in
our State life, ought to be written. At least,
the educational data of those times should
be c,iiated for some future historian, before
they become too remote and obscure to yield
any constituent meaning.
If such historical research is to be ut
tempted the sooner the better. circular
issllad to county superintendent of schools
soliciting facts respecting first school houses
and schools and early educational endeavors,
has secured almost nothing The reply
often is, no educational records of early
TINES :ieve been kept, and the memory of
the earliest inhabitant is frequently treach-
erous respecting events of which he was only
an indifferent observer.
References in the territorial council and
bouse Journals to educational legislation, are
few and often very indefinite. The reports
o. cur early superintendent are meagre and
provoking in their omissions, and every year
that lvtsses renders them more difficult of in
terpretstlon. TO neglect the collation. of
these already obscure materials for few
yeAlS longer would be to render the work an
t,ol, ,ss,Cle task.
The superintendent then partially, and
with evidence of great and laborious research,
supplies the omissions of former super,n-
tendents and their allies in giving con-
densed statement of the several codes under
which our schools have been supported, and
provided for the education of our youth.
In referring to the present plan of school
districts, the superintendent has many stric-
lures to make, but has the remedy at hand
and suggests it:
Under the ever shifting plan for oonsti-
tutiug school districts, there is constant
effort on the part of some to avoid school
taxation by securing for themselves set off
from districts in which school houses are to be
built, into others where they already exist
A certain clique wants to be by itself, and a
scheme is carried through for changing
boundaries so as to leave out certain fam
lilies. A quarrelsOme or ambitious man, de-
termined to have new organization, finds
sympathizing neighbors ready to help him,
ard lie splits the old district and becomes
gfan'' '.:anager of new one with too few
pnr;!s To: q successful school. The provis-
ion thai 10 petition can be presented with
I'd. j,,,3p tr,f tha tn
teuien;, - not sufficient safeguard. Some
supcrn:cndents lack moral courage, and
Others na"s reelection in view, and dodge
tie issue. Some boards of commits
siorers are inclined to grant any petition
sished 10y the requisite number. In many
list nices If commissioners refused to grant
a petition, its authors would refer the case
tC The Legislature, and the member from
thsir part of the State would put it through.
AS a consequence we have many districts in
the State containg not over two sections of
land. One county has twenty eight districts
averaging one section and four-ifths each;
another county has fifty-three districts aver
aging til1ee and one fifth each; and in sew
eral II the Oldest counties The townships
have on an average nine school districts.
The inhabited part of the State has been cut
up iuto 1852 districts, and still the sub
ulFl5iOu OQUluueS.
10 remedy this evil must have for
school districts some clearly defined terri
tory, and there must be power in any
man vi hoard of officers to change its
boundaries. Township lines, fixed by the
United States survey, are the best divisions
that can be selected.
In view Of the established custom of petty
districts legislation toward genuine town
ship system should be cautious. law re-
quiring this system at once all over the
State, would be unwise. 1t was secured in
Massachusetts, where, as in Minnesota, they
began wrong, by law setting forth its adj
vantages and requiring towns to vote upon
its adoption. Many of the leading towns at
once voted to adopt the plan; then it was
put in such form that unless towns voted not
to adopt it, they became the units of school
district organization. Finally when most of
the towns nad concurred in the plan, law
was passed making it universal in the State.
We might safely begin with our Oldest
counties and offer certain inducements to e
voluntary organization of their townships as
school districts under board of trustees
empowered to provide central graded schools
whel1 possible, and as many other schools in
fifferont parts of the township as might be
needed, with some efficient plan for convey
ing children to and from school in winter
and bad weather. AS long as the questions