Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-01-13
THEY ARE IN A FLOURISH
ING CONDITION.
Good Showing For the Public
Schools.


Schools.
HARRISBURG, January Super.
intendent Higbee. of the Department
of Public Instruction, today made
public his report for the last scho oil
year. He says: The general advance
of the schools during the past year
has been very satisfactory. Fifteen
new school districts have been form
ed, making the prese Mt number 2, 2sl
The increase in number of schools
was 379, making the total number at
present l2,O62. The increase in the
Dumber of graded schools has been
357, making the present number 8,
444 Four Superintendents have
been added to the work of supervls-
ion, making the present number 1l5
The increase in the number of teach
ers has been SIG. male teachers $40.
and female teachers l79. making the
present total %. 1922 There has been
d slight increase in the average
monthly salary of male teachers aud a
small decrease in the average mouth
ly salary of female teachers. The
average monthly salary OF male teach
ers is $3S So, and of female teachers
$2986.
The length of the school term Is
steadily advancing. The average
term is now I Is. an increase of .62.
The increase in the number of pnpils,
excluding Philadelphia, has been 9,
235. Many new and excellent school
buildings have been erected through.
out the Commonwealth. We regard
this matter of school architecture as
very important and are more and more
convinced that some legislation is
needed, auch as New York and other
States have already takon before the
improvement of buildings and grounds
can he successfully advanced. The
increased appropriation of $500, O0O
to our public schools ought to give
great encouragement to our educati'
onal work, removing the necessity OF
too severe local taxstion in our cen
ters of advanced culture. 1t is true,
schools will be vigorously carried for
ward at any cost.
Here .he public sentiment is such
as to enforce proper attention to the
young, but in many sections OF the
Commonw wealth, where the benefits Of
intellectual discipline are not 30 fully
recognized, schools will not advance
if made to depend too largely upon
local taxation. Here the absence OF
culture shows itself in the want of in
terest in the same In urjudgment,
therefore, the increased appropriation
will greatly aid the department in
bringing the schools, especially of
such sections, up to higher standard
of efficiency. There must be care on
every hand that the increased fund be
rightly applied 1t is for the good of
the schools. 1t must not be used by
the townships or school districts iu
such q way as to lessen their own
vigorous support ofthe schools.
The purpose of all State cppropri-
stions to the schools is to help the
children of the Commonwealth, that
they all may have every opportunity
of securing that culture without
which the possibilities of their per-
sonal being cannot be realized. Any
movement, therefore, upon the part
of directors to weaken the autonomy
of their districts BY making them de-
pendant upon the state appropriation
or to lesson in any their sense of the
necessity of vigorous self-supporting
work, violates the very spirit and in-
tent of the act of appropriation. Let
the increased fund be used in grant
ing better salaries to teachers now
underpaid. in securing better teachers
by an advance of salaries, 10 length
ening the school term. and in increas-
ing apparatus and libraries
We are grati6ed that at last the
minimum school term has been extend.
ed to six months. 1t must not be
supposed for a moment that the Leg
islature in fixing the minimum term
now at six months intended to favor
80 short q term or to establish it as a
proper standard. The aim of the la W
is lengthen short terms; aud it is an
encouraging fact that our average
school term is quite beyond what has
been fixed as the minimum term and
is steadily advancing. The benefits
of this law must be apparent to any
one. 1t will give during the coming
year one additional mor th of school
discipline to over 225. 900 children in
Pennsylvania We mist guard
against weakening the benefits of this
law to teachers as we'll as to children.
Directors should not make the
teachers bear the burden of this effort
to advance by lowering their month
ly salaries 80 as to make the cost the
same as before Any conduct of this
kind will rapidly show its evil effects.
Good teachers will be driven to other
and more advanced districts, and la.
1y indifference soon characterizes the
district in which it is placed. We are
satiied. however that only in rare
cases will any such course be pursu-
ed. On the contrary, we feel convin-
ced that it will not be long before a
school of only six months will he re.
garded as an anomaly.
The act prohibiting the employ.
ment of children under IL years Of
age to work in or about mills, manu-
factories or mines should insure in
many localities largely increased
school attendance of children under
the age named To be made proper
ly effective this law should be supple
mented by legislation requiring a
careful school census under direction
of the authorities of each school dis.
trict in the Commonwealth and
providing for the appointing
of inspectors whose duty il
shall he to see that it's provisions
are not violated by employers. Thus
fortified and the law properly enforc-
ed, it would prove boon to the chill
dren and result in great good to the
State.
The payment of teachers at insti
tutes is highly commended. Having
attended institutes is highly com.
mended in various other States. says
Superintendent Higbee, we are more
n nI ~ ora oon u;noal <h.+ D.n,ouIu