St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-08
22,I52 PUBLIC PUPILS
The Total Enrolment of
School Children Is a Pleas
ant Surprise.
Supt. Gilbert Submits His An
nual Report to the School
Board.
Some Interesting Recon-
mendations in Education
al Matters.
Several New Appointments
and General School Board
Business.

dllG SUI pIlSC W GllOoO WIN hoN PAoNSNN
the figures less. Prof. Gilbert gave the
statement in his annual report submit
ted to the board Of education last night,
namely:
PUPILS ENROLLED.
Day schools ..y...... Ii. QUO
Night schools ...............,.... -. 1859
Total .................. 16,442
Catholic schools ..... .............. 1850
German Lutheran S2o
Public schools ................. :. 16,442
Grand total. 80. .........-..... 2Z,I5Z
The superintendent report was a
voluminous report, and was adopted
without reading and ordered printed.
He portrayed the need of additional
school edifices, explaining that many OF
the schools are cramped, and that the
rooms omitted are wholly unadapted
to their uses as to light, ventilation and
convenienceS. He urged that the en-
ditional buildings, because a large per
cent of the children do not now attend
school, owing often to the fact that they
must go long distances. Again, many
children are obliged to choose between
partial or no schools at all.
The report argued that good salaries
are essential to good teaching and moth
ing can be more disastrous to the SyS-
tenn than reducing salaries. However,
the superintendent did not believe in
extravaganza.
The tenure of Office is political point
touched upon. The report maintains
that the best interests demand that
changes be made as infreQuently as pos
sible, and that employees should feel
reasonably secure in their positions.
Mr.. Gilbert devises a scheme of pen
sioning teachers who have been worn
out III the service. The police, he said,
are provided for in such emergencies,
and he felt it fully as legitimate that the
teachers be provided for, so that they
may give way for younger and fresher
energies. This is according to the syS-
TEN in vogue in New York. Some of
the teachers here have taught for thirty
years, but few, however, over twenty
years. PenSiOnlng is cheaper than re-
tanning on the salary list.
The evening schools have only been
partially successful, from surprising
disposition of the pupils toward rowdy-
ism rather than thirst for literacy.
| The bad element is being expelled, and
the next session gives promise of better.
results. 1t was recommended that:
teachers in the night schools who have
no certificates be required to pass reg.
ufar examination.
There are now five branches to the
high school, with 165 students, which,
with the Gel in the central high school,
gives S3 over the total of the previous
year. These branches are great bene-
fit to the outside districts. The branch
in the Jefferson school had been wisely
discontinued because of its nearness to
the central school.
In speaking of the training school the
report said that 125 of the public school
teachers are graduates. an increase of
forty over the previous year, and the
results have been most happy. One of
| the most serious obstacles arose from
the large number of applicants. A sys-
tenn had to be speedily adopted for MAX
ing selections, and a radical revision
will be made.
In the manual training school science
has suffered for the want of appliances.
The mechanical progress has a deal
more than kept pace with free-hand
work. A difficulty had been met with
in securing competent teachers, but the
corps is now quite efficient. The report
recommended that room be set aside
for manual training in every school.
Under the present method pupils are
taught to sing at sight ordinarily diff
| cult music, leaving them free to study
higher methods the balance of the
course. Prof. Congdon. conductor, has
| insisted upon soft singing and carrying
up light voices to the higher notes. The
number of teachers engaged is:
| Principals, male ..........,. ..............13
| Principals, female ................ :. -. ..28
Total Al