The Press., 1889-04-18
[Hartford Times.) OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

(Hartford Times)
 OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
 Connecticut has long enjoyed the honor of having as good system of common schools as any other state, or any country. Nor are there, to-day, any better public schools, in this or any other country, than good many that can be named in Con- necticut. But it has for years been grow ing more and more apparent that this sat- isfactory state of things does not by any means exist uniformly in all parts of the state. In fact there is an extremely un- equal state of things the ''rural districts" coming in for the worst part of an exhibi- tion which, as brought out in the annual | report of the State Board of Education, just presented to the legislature, is a far greater disgrace to Connecticut than any adjournments to go off on junketings, at the invitation and expense of railroad con- panies who have axes to grind. The junk etings are, in some instances-like this one which has now adjourned the legislature for the enjoyment of day at the shore to be regretted as mortifying to all right thinking citizens of the state, because the frolic is so obviously contrived for an in- terested purpose; while in some instances, no doubt, day off for picnic may be commendable, in the legislature as in the individual But the state of things in our public schools in the country towns, re- vealed in this report, is disgrace not so easily eradicated; though it can, and will, be reformed.
 There is false and mistaken economy among the Connecticut farmers, in the conduct and condition of their public schools as in great many other things. It is against the interest of every commun- ity, farming and otherwise, to neglect it's schools, and leave them to relapse into the Idiscreditable condition of things which used to prevail more than half century ago. Such neglect does more to injure the neighborhood, by rendering it undesirable as place of residence, and thus to knock down to still lower point the market val ue of every house and farm, than even the ''cheap" way of handling the roads. Farm CTS may as we'll neglect the condition of their roofs and houses, and let these fall into state of ruinous neglect as to en- ploy cheap and poor teachers, and neglect the condition of their schools. In securing teachers, as in buying razor, or basket of eggs-or anything else-the best will be found to be the cheapest.
 , The report of the board gives more space to New London county mainly because they began the present investigation there,
 
 they have been able, as yet, to do through out the state but there is no reason to doubt that thorough inquiry would re-
 veal other counties which are no better off in educational matters than New London ) county.
 The examination omitted Norwich and ,. New London, and took in the nineteen towns which make up the rest of the coun. ty. It reveals a surprising and shameful state of things in the schools. Picking
 out 2,000 children over 10 years of age,
 who have been in school for at least three years (and some for five years), we are shocked to find two -tifths who cannot write fand to find, out of 1927 pupils, no fewer ) than 787 who misspelled "which" h"-while
 there were 99 different ways of spelling l "whose. Of the ''less advanced" schools ! examined, are rated as efficient" 35 as ''useful, 78 CD as doing some good" and 39 as ..utterly ineficient!' Of the schools chased as ''more advanced" only are
 put down as being efficient; 23 as useful
 29 as being possibly of ''some" value and , 32 as ''utterly inefficient.
 These are shameful and mortifying rev. citations. A large proportion of the teach } CTS don't know how or what to teach the attendance of pupils is irregular; the schools too small ,and wretchedly equipped } as we'll as being in shameful condition. It is revelation that might better beft } the wild. turkey regions of Arkansas than , our boasted old Connecticut
 The main trouble is found to be thai : there is sao e,adeGVor to get competent 3 teachers. Too many of the district tax. , payers are satisfied if they can save shil
 ling in the tax-the schools may fall into 5 utter neglect.
 : One fact, emphasized in this report, ,may
 be to many readers more startling that il
 would be upon little reflection. It is tho
 fact that we are giving very far better
 education to the children of most of tho uneducated European immigrants among , us than we give to the average old-timl
 Connecticut family. This is because mos of the immigrants prefer to live in the citie
 and chief towns, where ths schools, larg, and perfectly equipped, are, as compared
 with the average school, as the capital a
 Washing ton compared John Cotton Smith beloved and dirty ''little red school hous, s (of 1S2O) behind the hill." The rural dis
 tricts are not pecuniarily able to maintain
 in all cases, first class schools-and are no v (most of them) disposed to spend cen n more than they can help, even if able d whether they need it or not. There ar ! too many small and poor districts and tn Q districts are too unequal-in size, in hum e bers, and in means.
 e The old farming township of Lebanon f (with a tax list of $1, ,2OO,O ,OOO) has jus t voted, in town meeting, not to accept al a offer of the historic old "war office" o :. Governor Trumbull-where Washington n came-because the one condition of tn s gift was that the town should keep the lii r tie building in repair. This would cost, i t is said, five dollars year
 That little incident in reality sheds e great deal of light upon the problem of tn T present condition of Connecticut's countr . schools.
 THE NEW DIscovERY.-You have heart your friends and neighbors talking about it Ynu may yourself ha nna of fha many xh