Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1894-01-04
SCHOOL LEGISLATION.
BRIEF REVIEW OF WHAT MAINE
HAS DONE FOR SCHOOLS.
INTERESTING sKETcH OF THE RISE AND
PROGRESS OF EDUCATION IN THE FINE
TREE srATE-A WORTHY RECORD.

/ nc the germs OF our present public school
/ system were springiug out of the aspira
tons of the people for a higher civilizA
ton Born Of the religious zeal Of the
I people il was stamped with a vitality and
rugged force that put to shame the al
most stoical indifference of the nineteenth
century.
/ II was an age of Stern realities when
great sacrifices were required to lay the
essential foundations of a great empire
and though simple, rude and chaotic in its
( beginning our school legislation was mark
/ ed by a yigor of tone and breadth of con
/ ception, Characteristic OF the leading
spirits Of those trying times.
More thau two hundred and fifty year,
ago the General Court of the Colony and
Province of Massachusetts BAY" embrac-
ing the present State of Maine, passed q
law compelling parents to educate their
children to certain extent, TO reSd the
English tongue and to 8 knowledge OF the
capital laws, "a protection against bar
! barlsm. Strange to say that at this early
age Of darkness and chaos, when life was
/ but grim war for the survival Of the
httest, when our government wa> but the
uncrystallized aspirations for larger liberty
and freedom of conscience, two of the
latest phase, Of our public school system
we're recognized, viz. the idea Of com
/ pulsory education aud the teaching Of
/ ciyic>
I 1t involved two OF the most natural
principles of self government, namely :
Laws 10 be Of value must be enforced. and
laws to be obcyed must be known.
fu>T school LAW
! Five years later. in lG47. the Arst law
WAS enacted by which our public schools
were established. 1t appears that educa
ton by families had been In measure
neglected, though enforced by penal law
aud the colou-ts feared that learning
would be buried in the graves of their
forefather>, 10 church and commonwealth,
that knowledge of the scriptures IN its
oTlsina! sense would perish from the earth,
and the church become withered tree :"
50 they passed a law, simple and brief in
details, yet comprehensive in scope or
dotiDg that every township within this
jurisdiction, after the Lord hath increased
them to the number of fifty household
ers, shall then forthwith appoint one with
in their towns to teach all such children
a. shall resort 10 him, to read and write.
"a b.n -,
parents or the inhabitants in general. a.
The fathers Of the town shall appoint" 1t
was furthered ordered THAT when auy
town shah increase to the number of one
hundred families they shall set up gram
mar school, the master thereof being able
10 instruct youth so far as they may be
fitted for the universitv."
This provision for higher grade of ed
ucation was more sweeping and binding
than anything 70 be found in our common
school system to-day. If the purpose and
spirit of this enactment were carried out
to-day, the larger portion of the towns in
Maine would sustain high grade Of high
school.
Some twenty-four years later he gener-
al court added a little to the school laws
providing for the moral character of the
instructors of youth. and doubling the
penalty for towns that neglected to main
tain grammar school, a fitting school for
the university
INTERESTING RECORDS.
York was incorporated in 1862, it being
the second town 10 the State In 100
among lis records may be found this vote
The town hath Empowered you select
men to settle a school master in this
town" Nathaniel Freeman was engaged
TO teach the youth Of that town for the
year l10l, at salary of "eight pounds In
or as money, and three pence per week for
teaching to read and four pence per week
for writing and STEERING and no moor
lie was engaged the following year at an
increased salary Of two pounds per annum.
In 1909 We find this record: Voted our
select men for the time being are hereby
Empowered and desired to hier school |
master for the full term of seven years to /
keep school; = and Nathaniel Freeman was
engaged Tor that period.
Ia III it was, Voted that this town |
VIII have grammar school master for one
year to teach our children in the larned
things and to read write and cypher."
The first school-house In York was built
by vote of the town and at the public ex.
pense in 1924; this was also the first
school-hpuse built 10 the State
At this time there was no system of ex-
sm'nation of teachers, or supervision of
schools, or division into districts. There
was an arrangement for the teachers 10
teach certain number of months in diff
ferent parts of the town, so as to extend
the benefits Of public instruction to all the
youth.
Reading and writing were first taught,
then arithmetic was added and finally
grammar.
NO BACKWARD STEPS.
1t is significant fact that the ancient
worthless who laid the foundation of our
public school system, never took a step
backward. They repealed no laws, they
mbibed no erroneous theories, they en-
grated no perncious features upon their
system of education. But slowly and
with singular harmony. as by Divine in.
,piration, they evolved in their rude state,
many of the essential elements of an ideal
system of public education.
For nearly hundred years, up to 1896,
The town system had been in vogue The
determined the amount of
money to be assessed upon the inhabitants
Tor school purposes, hired the teacher, and
discharged him, for aught we know, when
ever bis services were not acceptable.
During this year the town of York was
divided into seven school districts and in
1877 a school committee was chosen to
into the condition of the schools.
Other towns in the State followed later
IN In about the same line of progress.
Until 1889 the district system had been
gradually spreading with the growth of
he population, as matter of necessity. !