The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-03-01
The District System.

the child's education; and the district system
defrauds the child of the larger of this.
Strange as it may seem, opposition to this
much needed reform comes from the very
places that would be most benefited by it,
There is no sound reason why child in the
village or city should have from 80 to 40 weeks
of school per year, and the child of the farmer
from II to 20, or less in some cases. In pro-
portion to his property the farmer bears the
burden of taxation equally with the richest
man in town; and surely, in all justice and
reason, his child is entitled to as much school
ing, house as comfortable and as well equip
ped as the village school. Since living in the
country is no crime, the father should see to It
that the greatest of all gifts. good education,
is not denied his child therefor Yet it is this
very farmer who will 10y voting for the district
system, deliberately deprive his child of just
rights. 1t is wicked, unjust and incquitable.
So long as it continues small districts must be
content to bear double burdens with half benc-
fits.
10 show how utterly iniqutous the whole
system is, | will take for example one town in
Waldo county. Freedom. bv no means an cX-
treme case, but one illustrating the systems
general workings.
In the entire town there is but one house
that boasts of paint, and that the one in the
village. Not house was located originally
with the slightest thought of beauty of location;
and not one has a quarter acre in its yard. very
few having more then happened to be between
the house and the road No attempt has been
made to beautify the surroundings since the
architect got together four square walls under
one roof, and so discharged his contract. In-
deed the wood is frequently stored in the entry,
and the out-houSes, SO necessary to ,lecency.
are either gone or in Il worse condition. There
seemed to be no thought at the beginning cx-
cept to construct as chcapiy as possible room
that could hold the scholars. How could it be
otherwise, when few farmers in Il small dis
trict must bear the entire burden that properly
should fall on the ampler shoulders Of the
town.
Nor are the conditions inside better than
those outside. In the entire town there is not
an improved desk. The man who built The
house sawed them out of boards, and those
same ,ir>h> there 10 Tins day, hacked aud
hewn, Scared and cmbcili>hed by all the artists
who have attended school since first tue house
was built. Once a year Il sentiment for
change in this particular is rife in town. 1t il
when the voters, the fathers, are compelled to
sit in them long enough to chose an agent.
The floor originally of rough boards, has
grown no smoother with time. the walls no
whittier. Here and there large patches Of the
plasterins are gone and the ceiling is striped
with long marks in chalk and coal put there by
the boy who could Jump highest. Nor would
he need to jump very high, for the ceiling in
most of them can be reached with the hand
from the top Of the desk. Despite the low
ceiling. here is not the least thought Of vcnti-
lation, not even Il window that can be lowered
at the top. There is no lack of fresh air.
however. for at the sides of the windows and
through the cracks in the floor the cold and
bitter blasts of winter sweep, frecZin. the
feet Of the scholar, while his head roast> at the
one red hot stove that stands in one corner.
This is not system Of ventilation to be gencr-
ally recommended, for it has cost more than
one scholar his life. Lung diseases, 50 alarm
ingly prevalent may he too frequently traced
to these >quaid hutS, dignied with the name
of schoolhouscs. While the farmer carefully
banks his house to save his potatoes. he never
once thinks of the SchoolhouSc where his chill
,ren will be six hours per day through the in
element winter; and the result is those OH the
back seat freeze, those on the front seat roast,
the rugged tough it through, the >ickly die.
and the district system continues.
In the whole town there is not chart Il globe
or a'ctionar. not text book of any kind be-
longing to the town or district, not single arti-
Gle of school furniture, saving in a few instances
a corn broom, or in rare cases water pail. and
a ,lipper without Il handle. The eraSers are
generally donations from some charitable neigh
bor's rag bag or piece of buffalo robe nailed
on board. | do not know that the town fur
ni>hes IN eraser. The pointer is donated by
the boy handeSt W ith a jack knife, or is brought
by the teacher. There is not bell in town he
longing to the school house; and it would be
miracle if there We're; for most of the houses
are to be entered at ease by any person so dis
posed, and some are never locked. This is
hardly a necessary prccaution either, for no
reasonable being. not even Il tramp, would
spend night in one of them when there was Il
nice cheerful barn to sleep in. To be sure the
sheep might stray in and get frozen. but the
sheep as rule know where comfortable quar-
ters can be found. One teacher atfirn,s that on
extra cold days he took his school up into the
orchard to escape the wind and cold. Not a
window has curtain to keep out the blazing
sun of summer: and the few shutters that were
once there have been mostly torn off by the
wind or used for kin,lling wood. The black
board, the most necessary article in any school
house, is generally single board about 5N3 -
in one end of the house. Most schools average
about two square feet for a scholar. and the
scholars average ten to Il school. There are
nine houses in town, estimated in the school re-
ports to be worth $1,000. This is liberal
estimate. unless their value is reckoned as the
lrshman reckoned that of the horse, saying.
every horse is worth two dollars; his hide is
worth one dollar, and it is worth another dollar
to skin him." There are not ten sheep pens in
| town that can be bought for l. uch less money.
Think Of school house and all its out build
ings and appurtenances for 500. No less sum
than $500 should be thought of. But there is
one argument here in favor of the district
system. Some four years ago no house in town
was reported ill good condition; and yet,
though no repairs have been put on since
then, five are now reported in good condition.
This is result that could never have been
accomplished under the town system.
Teachers in the summer are paid an average of
2.GS per week, and their board averages $l.44.
The number of teachers is nearly equal to the
number of terms. In this way the experience
teacher gains in one term is lost, as he does not
teach Il second; and by an uEwise adjustment
| as to the time of beginning the terms, the work
of one term proves of small value in the next
There is 10 plan, no system, no head, no tail
to the schools. One teacher takes the school,
| runs it rs he thinks best or lets it run itself: /:
his successor docs the same, and the money in
this way is virtually thrown away, because
there is no supervision. The agent hires the
teachers. and, as rule, the teachers are hired
nstantaneously with the election of the agent
In one school meeting, not many years SINCE
they had elected the agent and We're giving him
| some instructions, when one man rose to make
this motion: ''T the agent has no sister, or
| cousin, on aunt that lrdnts the school, Im0re
| that he be instructed to hire a good teacher."
! The motion was made, of course, in a spirit of
f,,r, htpttt xxon .,