The Portland daily press., 1882-05-01
SCHOOL VACATIONS.
HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE
ON PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
Interesting Discussion by Leading Ply
sicians and Citizens.
The Committee Agree to Report an Ad'
ditional FOrtnight's Vacation.

The COMMITTEES on Public instruction gave
hearing to the petitioners and their oppo
nents in regard to frightening the school va
cation, at the rooms of the Common Council
Saturday evening. There was large attend
ance and much interest shown IN the discus
son The members of the school committee
were present by invitation and also large
number of the medical profession. The Com
mittee on Public Instruction, to whom the
matter was referred by the City Council. con-
sists of Aldermen Thurston and Gould
and Councilmen Trefethen, Brown and Sulli-
van, all of whom were present.
Alderman Thurston called the meeting to
order, saying that the committee had had some
conference in regard to the matter and would
be glad to hear from the friends or opponents
of the petition.
Byron d. Verrill thought it was appropriate
to call the attention of the committee to the
petitions and also to the certificates of the
physicians in support of the Same subject. He
| stated that he had more petitions that were
not regularly before the committee, referring
to those that had been circulated since the
meeting of the City Council, but they were
of the same purport. All taken together con-
tanned the names of 400 individuals most OF
l WnOm are pdf6QtS udNluS CuiluiOA Ii buO
schools. He thought that the physicians should
make their statements as to the general effect
| of the school work on the children, and called
for DIR. Foster to state from his experience and
| observation those effects.
| L. L. Chase inquired il the petition would
give an additional month, making four months
| in the year, or giving only eighty days school
| work. If SO he had grave doubts about it. He
thought that was not sufficient. II our school
rooms are what they ought to be they are bet
/ H.. c<yzdx In han ut
home. 1t was much greater tax to make a
| child get its lesson at home than in the school
| room Eighty days wasfnot enough for them
| to study. In mills children from ten to four
| teen years of age were obliged to work ten
| hours day and he did not think that the
number OF hours that school children were
| kept was tax.
Rev. Mr.. Burrage asked if any efforts had
| been made to ascertain what proportion OF the
| petitioners are parents?
Mr.. Verrill called for the circulators of the
| petition to answer that question. Aside
| from a certain number of leading citizsns who
| take adeep interest in such matters the in
| struction ia the main was to obtain only sig
natures of those who had children in the schouls
parents or guardians. His own Judgment was
| that there were $50 among them who have no
| children in tho schools. Undoubtedly very
| large proportion of these are interested how
| ever, in some way. He ventured the assertion
that the names represented over one half OF the
Mr. McGowaniasked what theIaverage attend
ance of the schools was, and the reply was that
it was 1882, with a total OF 1922.
Mayor Libby asked If those who had circulat-
ed the petition did not give the impression
| that the school year was IA weeks when there
were only 40.
Mr.. Verrill said thes petition was drawn in
| in accordance with the school committees re-
port N didn't suppose the matter was ex-
planned until it was enquired into and that it
f<,o uUb N
know it already. Those who send children to
school know just what the vacation is and how
long the school terms are.
Mayor Libby said that they had not followed
the reportsof the committee entirely but had
omitted s'with the following vacations" They
had not added the qualifying clause. He also
said that he had head it stated that leading
lawyers had expressed an opinion that the mat
ter did not rest in the power OF the school COM
mittee.
Mr.. Verrill replied that he had examined
| into the matter carefully in order that the
petition might be presented to the proper au-
thorities, and had come to the conclusion that no
| one had the power except the City Council.
The statute Of 1875, chapter 81, gives specific
powers to the committee. and goes on to say
that they have allother powers that. are vested
in experimenting school committees. These
duties are described in chapter IL of the Revis-
| ed Statutes and nowhere can anything DO
| found that gives them the power to regulate
IL
| other powers rest in the City Council. He had
| not been able to find anything to the contrary
| and therefore this was in the power OF the City
| Council.
Mayor Libby asked if chapter "a of the pri-
vate laws of 1881 does not refer such matters to
| the school committees. This section says that
in certain cases the committee can close the
schools.
Mr.. Verrill thought the language of this
section referred to special cases, as contagious
rous> ,bx,cso a1 crn
but it was evidently the intention of the dis
| trict to say how long the schools should be
| closed. He had never before known case
| that the City Council actel upon as common
| consent was given to all the acts of the school
| committee.
Mr.. G. D. Brown asked if the physicians
knew the length of the term when they sign
| ed the petition.
Mr.. Verrill replied that they did know
| and that no one took notice of the "A weeks.
They and the parents knew and signed under
standingly. He also called the Mayors atten-
| ton to the fact that the amended statutes
| gave them power to close and not to extend the
term or vacation-simply to close:
| Mayor Libby said if the committee had the
power 10 close the schools it did net matter
| about their commencement as the law would
| govern the length of the school year.
| Chairman Thurston asked If there was any
| special reason in designating the 23d of June
| as time to close when they had generally
l ClOs6u III u uiy.
Mr. verrili said there was no special reason.
| The latter part of the school term had con-
| siderable strain on the scholars and the object
| was to close before hot weather
| j. FL. Drummond said the question was no
| new thing to him. He had been teacher and
had served on the experimenting school COM
mittse six or eight years. At that time he
| knew the children were driven too hard. lie
| had had children in the schools 20 years, and
his judgment was that the scholars were over.
4 Eel oil 4 oo rrIc hn a
| not think it hurt SO much, but many of the
| girls came ont broken down. The last two
| weeks in June had been worse for his chill
| dren than any four or six weeks in the year.
| The preparation for examination and the hard
| est work of the year comes in those two weeks
| of hot weather. He found that the girls were
| coming out injured in health. His children
| studied more in school that he did in college.
| In the High school the time was taken up IN
recitations and they were obliged to study out
of school to keep up. In college they were
| given three hours for Rotations and six for
| study When he signed the petition he did
| not stop to inquire whether it was A or 40
| weeks as he knew they were oyerworked.
Mr.. S. w. Thaxter asked ii it was not the
| amount of work that was causing the trouble.
| Could not that be diminished?
| Mr.. Drummond-Yes, that is one trouble, we
| do too much school work in the year.
| Mr. Burrage asked Mr.. Drummond if his
daughter, who was fitting for college at that
| time, should be taken as a standard.
i Mr. Drummond replied that she should not.
/ His neighbours girls came out in the same way,
! and they did not fit for college, He was not
| prepared to say that this hard work must not
| be done but we must have less number OF
| days.
Mr. MCGOWAN asked if the work could be &C.
| complished in less number of days.
Mr.. Drunmond replied that it could not
| Lengthen out the course. Health is of more
| consequence than anything else.
Mayor Libby asked if he had examined into
the High School. Do all, or the majority over
| work?
Mr.. Drummond-I believe they do, especial
~ the girls.
Mr.. Burrage-Do you know how the system
| compares with other cities?
Mr.. Drummond-I do. The question is
being agitated in Boston, among the best
| teachers.
Mayor Libby-Shonld the lower grades be
| shortened?
/ Mr.. Drummond-Yes, in regard to the last
two weeks in June. But he was not prepared
TO say SO much in regard to the lower grades
+ Mayor Libby asked him to consider the fact
that many of our scholars do not go through
the grammar and High Schools. Would
it not be detrimental to shorten all the schools
Here the question was raised as to what pro
potion of these who enter the High Schoo
graduate. The answer was. about fifty pei
cent.