The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-05-02
Report Of County Schools.
J. s. GRIMES, SUPERINTENDENT.

J. s. GRIMES, SUPERINTENDENT.
While the evidences of improve
ments in all the districts are not wha
might be desired, they are plainly dis
cernible even in the most backward
districts.
New school houses were built in the
following townships: Greenwood, one
Mt. Pleasant, one; Orange, one, and
Sugarloaf one.
A new school house in Bloomsbury
for the grammar and high school, cost.
ing about twenty thousand dollars,
is now being erected, aud will be
ready for occupancy by September 1.
Quite number of maps, charts, etc,
have been added to the schools.
Many of the small pupils suffer from
the heat of the stove near which they
sit. The stove ought to be encased in
tin jackets.
Every school house should have two
separate and distinct out buildings,
which should be entirely separate each
from the other, and the approaches to
which should likewise be separated by
substantial partition at least seven
feet in height,
Townships having two terms of
school cannot expect to secure normal
graduates as teachers who do not have
their second degree. Two years of
not less than the minimum term)of sue
cessful teaching is necessary to secure
the second or permanent diploma.
Bloomsbury, Catawisss and Centra-
liza added quite number of valuable
books to their public school libraries.
A number of teachers in other districts
started libraries from money secured
from evening entertainments.
Horace Mann said, "Had / the pow
er l would scatter libraries over the
land az sower sows the seed.'
1t is hoped that before long every
school house in Pennsylvania will, like
every school house in California, have
its school library, that the pupils will
have proper school grounds, comfort
able school houses properly supplied
with apparatus, a proper school term
and good instruction.
DAM Webster when asked what
was the greatest thought of his life
said, "My individual responsibility to
God" A great minister of education in
Prussia made this striking observation,
81 hold myself personally responsible
to Almighty God for the advancement
of the educational interest of the king.
dom" Teachers and directors, we
may very properly adopt this observa-
tion, and if we will and keep it in mind
as we ought, the responsibility will be
we'll met and the result will reflect
credit upon US.
The normal school is in very pros
porous condition. Principal Waller
is one of the most popular instructors
that I ever knew.
The entire representation, hall,
lecturers. instructors, etc., of my pre-
decessor's last institute were one hun
dred and seventy eight dollars and fifty
cents. The receipts from the evening
lectures of my first institute were sixty
dollars aud seventy.five cents. The re-
ceipts of the last institute we're ten
hundred and twenty eight dollars and
seventy cents.
Great interest has been manifested
in these educational meetings, and they
have accomplished much good, not
only in the improved methods present
ed, but in creating more interest and
enthusiasm in educational work. The
schools have improved fully as much
as the institute.
Nearly every Saturday from the first
of December until the close of the
schools in the rural district, I was en-
gagged in holding local institutes, which
were we'll attended. Hon. Henry
Houck lectured at the Orangeville and
Centrala institutes, Prof. Perinn, Of
Bucknell University, at the Catawissa
institute, and we also had number of
other distinguished lecturers and in
structors.
The following were among the leo
turers and instructors at the county in
stitute: Hon. E. e. Higbee, Profs.
Neff, Noetling, Cope, Albert, Monroe,
Frye, Miss Miller, Miss Guie, Miss Nc
Clintock, Mrs. Lockwood, Drs. Waller,
Willis and Talmage.
Bloomsbury, Berwick, Centralia and
Catawissa have a regular course of
study, and all except one send out a
number of graduates each year.
The alumni association of the Ber-
wick high school now numbers about
fifty.
The closing exercises of the schools
named were well attended and the ex'
ercises were exceedingly interesting.
The directors are, as a rule, repre-
sentative men and look carefully after
the business interests of the schools.
Thirty seven of our teachers were
educated in our public schools; fifty
SIX attended an academy; one hundred
and six, normal schools; nine, college
and fifty.slx are graduates of the nor
NAL school,
We have in this county number o
private schools, two academies and
normal school and yet competent teach
ers are in demand. A number of ou
schools were not supplied with teach
ers until January. The grade year b.
year has been raised, and in oonse
quence many have been rejected. Al
our teachers have studied the scienc
and art of teaching, and nearly all ar
regular readers of educational journals
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