St. Paul daily globe., 1891-05-05
The Incorporated School
Board Puts It's House in
Order and Quits.
Supt. Gilbert Sizes Up the
School Situation as a
Valedictory.
Ramsey Commissioners Ap-
prove County Bonds and
Rush Out Routine.
The Courts Begin Their May
Work With a Grand Jury
EXordium.

The board of education held its fare
well meeting last evening. Supt. Gil
bert presented his report for April as
follows:
The total number of pupils admitted
all the schools during the school year
TO date IS 1898, an increase over last
month of 79S, and over April of last
year of 1880. In accordance with the
rules of the board, a meeting of all the
teachers of the city was held in the as
SeInbly hall of the high school on the
morning OF Saturday, April Is, at which
time general business was transacted
and an address delivered by the super
intendent.
AS this is the last report that shall
nave the honor of making to the present
board of education, | desire 10 very
briefly review the progress of the public
schools during my incumbency as super
lntendent of schools under this board.
IN April, 1889, after the death of my
late lamented predecessor, S. S. TAYLOR,
yon did ne the honor of electing me
superintendent of schools of the city Of
ot. Paul. L entered upon nv duties
little realizing the magnitude of the
work before me. The total humber of
pupils enrolled in all the schools at that
time was II, 7O5; for the present year,up
to date, we have enrolled A, ,793. The
number of teachers then in the employ
OF the board was 34S; the NUMBER en-
ployeQ at the present time is 449.
1here were then thirty-six school
buildings belonging to the board. since
winch time the following named build
lngs nave benn erected and occupied:
hawthorne. Harrison, Fisher AmeG, S.
s. Taylor, Tilden, Sheridan. Ericsson
and Maxfield, besides the w. T. Sher-
man school, which was a dwelling
house bought by the board of education
and fitted up for school purposes. and
some rented houses at the corner of Ed
mund ana Victoria streets, now used as
public school. This is brief survey
OF the work of your honorable body for
two years.
Certain important changes have been
made In the internal workings of the
SCHOOLS. Five branch high schools were
established, two of which have since
been discontinued. Manual training
has been given home and placed upon
a substantial basis. Sewing has been
introduced and continued until recently.
10 the great benefit of many. The
course OF study of the schools has been
largely remodeled to adapt it more
nearly to modern ideas of public educa-
tlon; The results of these changes cam
not be fully seen. until the publication
OF the manual at the close of the present
school year.
Civil Service in Schools.
The most pleasing change has been in
the teaching corps itself. Political in
huence in the matter of appointment
mas Deen reduced to minimum and the
principles of civil service reform. bas-
ing promotion upon examination and
successful experience, have been intro
uucea -lnto the management of the
schools. The result has been
OF study, desire for culture
ana an esprit de corps such as is rarely
FOUND among bodies of teachers in this
country. When to these shall have been
added the effect of the new law making
appointments permanent, and thus re-
moving the distressing element of un-
certainty which is always so prominent
Ill the teaching profession, the external
conditions OF the st. Paul teachers will
be most favorable to good work. | be-
Heve that we have now corps of teach
erS equal to that in any city of the
United States, and that this is improy
l
Will not burden you with longer re
port, but deem it but fair. to say that
TINS board has generally supported the
administration of its schools and fos-
tered what was good, and that
their present efficiency and pro-
greSslveneSS is largely due to the
board OF education. Personally, also. [
desire to thank the board, both as indi-
Vlduals and as body, for their friendly
interest ard personal support during
my lncumbency. In your retirement |
1eei tnat L am losing personal friends,
ana IN the retirement of the board, as
such, feel that 1 am losing body of
men with whom work has been a pleas
ure, and who have had close to their
nearts the interests of the public schools.
trust that after the dissolution of this
Dody the friendly relations with YOU as
men and members of the community
will continue.
The report shows the attendance in
the schools on a dai ly acreage to have
been ll,5lo; total number of pupils en-
rolled, Ia, 4O2; total number admitted,
1865.
More Retrenchment
A communication was read from the
city comptroller, stating as the reason
for the return to the board of bill of
S125 allowed the committee on retrench-
ment for expenses incurred on the re-
cent trip to Milwaukee and inspection
of the schools there, that there was no
such committee as the committee on re-
trenchment. The matter was referred
to the mmittee on retrenchment, and
passed later on a resolution authorizing
the drawing of a warrant for the
amount in favor of the committee.
A communication from George Dotts.
| janitor of the Lincoln school, stating a
| list OF grievances against Miss Walker,
| the principal, and rendering his resig-
| nation, was read, and the latter was ac-
cepted. F. j. BjOrkland was appointed
| to succeed DottS. A communication
was read from B. Converse, on be-
half of the G. A. r., calling at
tention to the fact that Decora-
ton day should be observed as a
day of SorroWing rather than one of rec
reation. and that teachers in the schools
should be instructed to train the children
| to regard it as such. The communica-
| ton set forth that the decoration of the
soldiers graves was a tribute to the
| honor and bravery of the men who gave
| these children free America, and should
| be properly observed. The matter was
| referred to the committee on schools
! The fuel and janitorS' committee recon-
mended dispensing with the services of
| the assistant engineers at the Franklin
and Jefferson schools and the high
school. Also that $5 per month
be allowed the weigher of coal
| during his time of service, for car
| fare expended in the line of his duty
The report of the committee was
adopted. The committee on real estate
/ presented report OF the necessary
| monthly repairs at the various schools
| Chairman Rodger of the committee on
| fuel, reported that, despite the widely
| circulated stories of collusion with coal
companies, the committee was able to
report a saving of no less than $1,000 in
the amount of coal used under the eX-
| penditure of the previous year. The
meeting then adjourned.
| COUNTY LEGISLATURE.