Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-11-19

Mr.. WHITCHER suggested organizing
a chain gang with Mr.. BARLEY for over
seer.
The committee on Education pre-
sented the report of the county supern-
tendent, as follows;
LANCASTER, Wis, Nov. u, 1885.
TO The Honorable Board Of County Super
uisorS Of Grant County:
GENTLEMEN: | have the honor to pre-
sent my annual report Of the condition
of the schools and educational work in
the county during the year ending June
80, 1885, and also ask leave to present
with the statistical tables few sugges-
tions and remarks:
No of School districts in the county. 212
No. of teachers required TO teach the
schools ........ ....a............ 2Gi
No of male teachers employed &c
No. of female teachers mployed 303
No. of male persons OF school age -. t.2lS
No. of female persons Of school age. $50
Total number of persons OF school age l409s
No who have attended school ........ Il. i0S
No. days school has been taught ... 3 569
Average number days school has been
maintained in each district ......... 149
No. OF schools OF two or more depart
menls-..-,. .....----.+ ....-.......... 10
90
Average wages female teachers per mo. 81. 50
No. of persons between and Is years 1910
No. of persons between and IS years
who have attended school -. 80. 6,3i2
Der Of children in county -. les
Per cent OF attendance on No. between
7and Is u. ...... &. s. s.......... 90
No. districts having libraries :. ... rs
No. volumes in libraries ...... ...... al
Value of school libraries .. SlA9
Value of all the school houses in the Co 1863 "
Value of all the school house Sites 49, f5
Vaue OF all school apparatus, etc 5s2
No. of districts which have adopted
list of text books -. ................ o.
No. of districts which use only those
No. Of districts which purchase text
books and sell them TO pnpils... A.
No. of private schools reported $50. 8
No. OF pupils registered in them not
registered in public schools ........ 81
Amount of money on hand June 30. 81 ST.. as @
Amount raised for teachers wages. 5S,54a34
Received from income of School Fund
and all other souxces. 35. 3t3 II
Received for all purposes. ............ 1Dl g S6
Spent for building and repairing ....... 9ST93
Spent for wages of male teachers. 80. 1s0L07
| Spent for wages of female teachers S90s.74
| Spent for apparatus. furniture. fuel &c l69go5
| Total amounted expended ..,.......... 84.As 81
| Amount on hand June 30. 1sS5....... 1851
While there are many other item al
ready collected that may be easily add.
ed to the table above, those presented
are deemed sufficient. Eight new scaool
| buildings in country districts, costing
S3, 500, an average of $475 each, ave
been built, and good deal of new fur
niture and some apparatus have also
been purchased. The average length
of term in each district has been seven
and one-half months, certainly credit
able showing, and the number of chill
dren registered in schools, both public
and private, is 7431 per cent, 4 per
cent. excelled by only eleven coun'es in
the state, while the percentage OF chill
dren between and Is enrolled II both
public and private schools is 94lS3. a
percentage excelled by but two counties
OF the state and by them but slightly
Ii we could rest assured that each pupil
enrolled had attended the full tine re-
CURED by the compulsory education law
we might well pride ourselves on this
showing. The regularity of the attend
ance during the winter months was,
however. severely broken up bg the in
tenselY cold weather aud discharged
by the deplorable condition of MANY of
the school houses. 1t Is withou5 doubt
very poor economy that allows such
a great waste of teaching force, time,
fuel, etc, in trying to conduct veil reg
ulated schools in buildings, or more
properly ''shells, = that under any other
than the most favorable circumstances
cannot be made comfortable for either
teacher or pupils, to say nothing of the
danger of i'll health and disease engen-
dered by exposure. Imagine comfort,
If you can. in sch0ol-room With a red
hot stove roasting the pupil4nearest it,
while water freezes in the bucket in the
corner of the room. There Is, however.
glenn of comfort and hope in know
ing that the number of houses of this
class is gradually but surely becoming
less. Parents, teachers and pupils will
hail with pleasure the dav when such
buildings exist only in memory. To the
officers of districts unfortunately hay-
ing uncomfortable school houses,
would earnestly suggest that the win
dOws and doors be made reasonably
close by lacking on strips Of cloth or
wood, and that the foundation be SCI
curely banked about with earth or the
openings well filed with mortar This
ought 10 be done at once, before the
freezing weather closes in. The floors
of buildings on foundations that are
open will ALWAYS be cold in srite of
every effort TO warm them, and the re-
suit is cold feet and chilbiains, the first
absolutely dangerous 10 health and the
latter extremely annpYing aud destruc-
tive of all success ia attempts 10 study.
Attention to this matter will pay well
The cry comes NJ from the teachers
on every hand thai the best wo. K can
not be done on account of the great va
riety of text books This evil-for it is
an evil-should quickly be remedied
Ii the legislature last winter had made
it obligatory on school boards to adopt
some regular series of textbooks for
the district, the calse Of free education
would have beer advanced to a far
greater extent than it was or will be bv
voting thousands of dollars to build
"seienee halls, nathough no fault need
be found with tieir action ia that mat
ter. The one act of legislation would
affect the mass II children directly; the
other can affect them but very indirect
ly. District purchase and sales of school
books will efied saving of from one
third to one-ha of the present expense
Of furnishing books, the number Of
classes in the 9eaool would be much re-
dueed aud go5 work for both pupil and
teacher madI possible. State uniform
ity is not desj i4ble and the bill looking
toward it, laj winter. was justly voted
down. but bn enacting district uni
formIfy shojd, as soon as possible re-
ceiyr the bel Try support Of every legis-
lator. Thef sehools and teachers of the
entire stat4 demand it, There is a
steady denl I'D for good male teachers.
The satisfy show that but sc male
teachers vi in the work in this county
during I'D yeal. while there were At
diff rent ass 303 female teachers EN-
Moved. Mgneteen of the gentlemen