The Press., 1888-03-29

The annual report of the State Board of Education, recently issu ed, contain ex- tracts from such of the reports of the act. ing school visitors of the several towns in the state as are deemed noteworthy by the state secretary. Those he selects from Holland County are as follows:
 ArTENDANoR.--While the teachers have been faithful and diligent, the numbers in the different schools decline. As the warm weather comes on the children are wanted at home. It follows that the smaller schools are almost without scholars as the school lengthens into the summer.
 The time has fully come when the whole subject of schools should come up for discus sion, and new policy should be adopted in their management. Such measures should be adopted as would give, as near as can be, twenty five scholars to school with proba- ble average attendance of twenty pupils HOLLAND, A. L. BENTON, ACTING VISITOR.
 TEXT BOOKS, BAD USE oF.-There is tend ency on the part of parents and teachers to regard text books, themselves as the thing about which the pupil is endeavoring to secure & knowledge, rather than aids or means to assist him to understand the sub ject of which the book treats. We are sorry to note the fact that so many of our schools are conducted upon this principle: The language of the book memorized, the subject thoroughly mastered. .-SoMERs, M. F. GowDY, ACTING VISITOR.
 DISTRIBUTION OF NoNMY.-Many of our noted educators assert that the money de- rived from our school fund does more harm than good to tho cause of common school education in this state. The leading point made by them is that the people would take more interest in the schools were they obliged to pay entirely for their maintenance, as in 0&H %n%o hA kho NR1 ming our schools, per the last report, $454, over one-third of the amount, came from the school fund. That palpable injustice is done to our more sparsely populated districts in it's distribution is indisputable. The amount ap- propriated per capita should be greater in proportion. In our cities and boroughs, where the schools number from T5 to 200, o1 more, the amount drawn from the fund pro vides the best of teachers; whereas, in the case of our small districts, where schools must, or ought to be, maintained just the same, the amount received is sadly dispropor- tionate. For instance, the individual pupil in Willington ought to be benefited as much by the public money as the individual pupil in Willimantic is. It is to be hoped that the day is not far distant when there will be prop or legislation in this direction. .-WI1L1NGToN, CHAs. T. PRESTON, CHAIRMAN.
 CONsoLIDArIoN.-There is a crying need of consolidation of the schools in this town. We except the school in South Willington, which, on account of the compactness of the district and the high excellence of the school, does not need the change. Could our re- maining districts unite, 8 fine graded school with male teacher and an assistant, at 6 less cost than it now takes to run the schools in their present condition, would be the grat- flying results. Our town affords just such 8 case of needed district consolidation as the existing law provides for. -- WELLINGTON, T. PRESTON, CHAIRMAN.