Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-07-17
Common School Report Of Centre
County for the year ending
juno /, 1870.

pant oil SLOW growth. Reviewing the
| history Of the most favored race we are
I surptiscd that 80 little has been accom-.
( plished morally and intellectually, and
| 1T IS only by comparing century with
/ century that we can appreciate any
striking difference. If, then, our
/ schools OF the present day be compared
| with those Of fifteen or twenty Year,
| ago there Is found abundant cause to
I rejoice at the great improvement in our
| system. And IT msy be confidently
| predicted that many Of the evils now
/ complained OF will not oh-t!uct the
I way Of educators thirty years hence. II
I II probable, also, that many OF our fine.
/ spun theories Of to-day will be brushed
away as 20 many cubw cbs IN the cduca.
tional temple Of the future.
But few houses were built during the
/ past year. An excellent building WAS
/ put up by the board oi Spring district
and furnished with patent seats aud
/ desks. The board made "A great mis-.
/ take, however, in not purchasing FuNi.
cient space for play ground. The
| house is situated within few feet Of
the Beilefonte and Milesburg pike and
the pupils have no place for excfci-e
and play except this pike. This subject
Of too limited school grounds is becDm.
ing mouotonous, but directors must
have their attention called to it until
the evil is rcmcdicd. Like Darius Of
old, who had detailed an officer to cry
out to him with a loud voice every
night: Sir, remember the AtAenianz.
50 II seems necessary that some one
shrek into the ears Of our directors AT
least annually TO remind them Of Ger.
tain of their dutic. In Miles district
five oi the nine schools have not "a
square rod Of play ground, yet the dis.
tEct j. one OF the wcalthsczt IN the
county aud abuudautiy able 10 pur.
chase ali that j. required. The boards
OF several other districts are coming
short Of their duty ia thl. respect.
Good fences should los put round the
.ois--a matter too much neglected by
directors. School grounds should be
planted with trees work tEat enter
prl.ng citizens Iu each sub-dIsii.ct
could perform. The lot of the primary
school al Rehcr- burg was planted with
some twenty trees last sIT.ng by several
OF the patrons, and u s hoped their
good example will hc followed by other.
In looking over the reports for form.
cr year. 1t !. found that there has been
= gradual increase in tho average per
rtr'saa Of attendance. In lsGj the
average per cent. IN this county was
co; in 1879 IL was =. having increased
regularly during the Intervening years.
But these figures do not convey a cor
rect idea OF actual attendance; there
are many children OF school age who do
not get to school at all others may at.
tend regularly for but a fraction Of the
term and yet receive credit on the
books for 100 per cent. 1t Is seldom
one sees many large scholars IN our
schools at present: they leave school,
with a Jew exceptions, at the age Of IF.
teen or sixteen years. In this respect
there seems To have been retrogrcss ION.
for IN former years a large number or
proportion OF grown scholars were
found IN our schools. There are differ.
cut causes for the non attendance oi
the larger toys and girls some OF the
brighter pupils are sent 10 higher insti-
tutIons, come are obliged TO work, and
q j. 10 Ice feared a large number OF ab.
sentees pass their time loaiinc. ] am
convinced that much OF the time pupils
devote TO the study OF grammer -
wasted. A. already stated the majority
OF our boys and gifls leave school at
about the age Of fifteen or sixteen. and
at that time they have committed a
number Of definitions and rules oi
grammar but have not learned to ap-
ply them. IL teachers would give Ian.
guage lessons IN place Of having pupils
study technical grammar and would in.
slst on constant practice in writing
sentences and short composition,
believe pupils would derive greater ben
eft. 1T bookkeeping were substituted
for abstruse grammar II would be OF
more practical use 10 a majority Of our
pupils. | would, Of course, not be in
favor of abolishing grammar-if pupils
are far enough advanced to take up
this study and the probability is that
they will stay at school long enough TO
acquire a practical knowledge of the
subject, let them study boy ell means.
IL may be proper in this connection 10
allude 10 the study OF mental arithmetic.
Certain of our teachers have assumed
the authority Of discarding this branch.
This, ] think, il n mistake; ii is taking
us back quarter OF century-when
both pupils and teachers, though able
to do their sums mechanically and
transcrIbe them artisticaliy into blank
book prepared for that purpose, knew
very little Of the principles involved in
the solution Of a problem. That some
teachers devote too much time to this
branch is admitted, but TO drop il en-.
urely from our course Of study would
be productive Of still greater evil.
For several years there has been a
growing sentiment in favor Of county
uniformity Of text books. Friends OF
the measure claim the following as the
leading advantages
Books could be procured at much
lower rates than under the present sys.
TEN.
AT present nearly every district has a
series of books different from those Of
all the other districts, and family
moving across the line of township or
borough necessitates the expense of a