Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-04-14

School could earn their way" materialixeo
In any sppreciAble dsgresf Not up to
datei Has economy been practised or en-
forced in any wayf Well, yes. One
teacher has been refused . map OF
the United States, and another
has been unable to obtain
enough paper for the pupils to
write on, and, 30 far 90 known, ne new
spelling books have been bought or used.
But miDeralogy has been studied, about a
ton and a half of paving and other stones
have been iugged into the school rooms
and some OF them have been drawn In
outline, with moro or less appropriate
poetical quotations accompanying, and
one teacher at least has been requested to
give TWO exercises day In deciphering
the mysteries and vagsries of the weather
charts received daily from Washington.
Whether the children will eventually be
required to manipulate the hsg-signais
on the Miller Block, and report publicly
upon the vital question of whether tale Is
opaque or sub-translucent In its dia-
phaneity remains TO be seen. The next
subject for investigation, In this great and
glorious and Essential scheme OF nature
study" 10 beansi Yes, beansi They are
to be examined dry, then soaked, mot in
the pawn. shop sense, but literaliy,) then
planted; after three or four days they are
to be dug mp, admired, drawn, and
planted again; after Q short res pite, they
are to be resurrected a second time, once
more drawn,-what else is not yet known.
Possibly the COMMITTEES will enjoy bean
supper with hxins. II is confidently an
ticipated that after this experience, the
Bostonese maiden with her eye glasses,
her Sunday brownbread and her baked
beans, won't "be In II" with the pupils In
Pawtucket's "advanced" schools. Further
more there has been paid since that meet
ing on March13th, when the needlessness
OF grammar room assistants was admitted,
and the "plan to utilize the Training
School pupils" was broached, ,-t192!00 to
those same four grammar assistants, not
one of whom has uone one hour OF sub
stitute work; 10000 to seven young
women In the Training School, in addi-
tion to giving them their education free,
and as an inducement for them to accept
this free gift, not one Of whom has done
one hour OF substitute or otner produc-
tive work; and s154.25 to outride teachers
who have been hired to do the substitute
work which 1t was admitted that these
grammar assistants and these Training
School pupils could have done without
any extra cost at all to the city. There
is proyerb which tells about keeping
the Yord OF promise to the ear and break
Ing Il to the heart, and there is . COM
msndmsnt which ssys "Thou shalt not
lie". Possibly proverb and command
msnt both apply to those who have sngf-
nssred tho above beautiful and touching
example Of "soonomixing"-with other
peoples money.
Let us look into this matter little more.
The writer, when . boy" studied arith-
mstic" In the old fashioned way, and
tried TO learn his tables In addition, su b.
traction, ETC., although he never had the
inestipnabis advantage (f) of being taught
"and. stories" and "less- stories" and
the other similar rot now advocated as
desirable for concerted and unified ef-
FORT" We were told by the committee
when they made up their estimate In No
vember last OF what they would need,
that they had "bslsnce on hand OF $780,
s2". We were not told however that there
were 8 pay rolls, those for the weeks end
ing November 10th, 18th and 24th, due
and payable from the appropriation for
'93, and that should have been charged to
that appropriation, but that could not
be so charged, nor paid, because the Com
mittee had spent all the money for other
purposes. We were not told that there
was 1, ,657. 90 dollars worth of miscella-
nsous bills, due and payable. properly
chargeabls to the appropriation for '83,
but not paid for the same reason. These
pay rolls amounting to more than Vs..
10000, and these miscellaneous
bills amounting to s1,e67.0 more,
oyer 100000 In all, and belong
L.. sxt og q ka
money specifically appropriated for cur
rent expenses Of '94, but the Committee
and the Superintendent have as yet failed
to inform the taxpayers of that some
what interesting fact. II is just barely
possible that this may account for a small
part Of the "appallipgness" of the sItua.
tion, put how does it happen tast an al.
legged insufficiency of money to pay
teachers wages, granting that 1t exists,
(but IL does not exIst,) will or can make
1t impossible to buy any books or other
suppliesf What has sthe appropriation
for wages to do with the appropriation
for suppliesf Hae the latter been
"hocussed" and juggled with like the
formerf Again-the weekly payroll OF
all the teachers above seventh grade, (the
Superintendent says the sixth, but the
seventh 10 low enough for illustrations
sake,) including also all those specified
above In the awful picture OF what Is GO
ing to happen, IL $685. This for twelve
weeks, from the opening In September
next till the close Of the fiscal year In No
vember '94, would amount to f7,959.00. II
this sum and the e5, 400 90 above alluded
to are taken from e79,0oo.0o, whish the
Committeo In their original estimate said
they should need for teachers wages In
1894 mot '95 AND 'o4, but In '94,) there
will remain, according to old fashioned
subtraction ss studied by the writer,
about eos 900 90 only, but the Council ap-
propriated something over s70,000.00,-
e5s 600 90 together with State money, poll
taxes ana dog licenses. How does the
painter of the aforesaid fearful and cap
pslling" prospect account for the odd
$,000.00f How 10 II that at q grade meet
ing held less than a week before the Board
meeting OF the 10th inst, theiSuperinten-
dent assured the teachers that they "need
have no fears at all of any reduction I'm
wages, as none was contemplated by the
Board, or intended by the Council, and
none would be necessary" aud how did II
happen that this statement was immedi.
atsly and "with great pleasure, endorsed
by the chairman OF the finance commit
tee of the Board who chanced to be pres.
entf Somehow or other, to the lay mind,