Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-02

| the common schools and hence thsv no
come part of the common schools voted
for setting apart $50, 200 of the common
| school fund for the normal scbools bec,usa
| it was recommended by the State s,perin
tendent. l supposed he knew more about
| it than l did.
| Mr.. Dickey said this was not an appro-
| priation-we only set apart from tie
common school fund certain amount for
the normal schools. The trustees have
| empowered Mr. Luce, late superintendent
of schools, to manage the training school
at Fit. Kent, as they have not been able TO
go there but once or twice. 1t is over 400
miles from here.
We commenced in an economical way
in regard to our school We got the
magnificent sum of $500 and had hard
work to build a schoolhouse at first. We
were thankful for that and we built a
small schoolhouse OF one story in height,
one little recitation room and a small
school room. We outgrew it at once.
We then got $4,000 appropriated and built
a schoolhouse, and we think we have the
best school room there is in the State We
not only built 1t for the SS000 but we
moved the old schoolhouse back and put
| in two recitation rooms there and library,
and also a room not finished for a model
school. That is not finished or furnished,
and we need it much. | acknowledge that
that school Is sort OF pet you may call
it, of mine. / visit it two or three times
every week when | am at home. The
scholars and teachers contributed and
bought me chair to sit there, and / go
there and sit in it. | am interested in
that school. And we built a dormitory
or school boarding house, splendid build
ing, heated by furnace, and it is a
chance for our poor scholars to board
themselves and cook for themselves, and
we have now 80 that are cooking their
own yictuais and living in that school
boarding house. Their sleeping rooms
are provided with good iron bedsteads
free, and mattresses. They furnish the
rest Then the teachers board there ard
take care of them, see to them, and live
in the house. 1t is about two rods from
the school building. We built our school
house with the $4,000; and built and fur
nished this building, and added to the lot
and paid $500 for that. All that came
out of the $4,000. Now we only have two
teachers We have no man to take care of
the property. Professor Cyr is up every
morning at 5 O'Clock, builds all these
fires, attends to the whole business, and
at O'Clock he is tired out and untitled to
90 into the school. Just so with the as
sstant teacher, Miss knOwlton. We call
her one of the best teachers in the State.
have no doubt of it, She has been
offered $500 to go to other places She
does not now get $500. They will Ger
tainly leave the school unless they get
larger price. They both have but $500
and take care of themselves. Two thirds
of our scholars are French, and it requires
more drill to teach French scholars than
English. We have got to have larger
expense there. We shall have 100 scholars
by next fall, at the very least and the
boarding house will be full. Besides that,
the State should provide somebody to take
care of the property The teacher cannot
stay there every day of next summer and
look after it. There is no insurance. The
Council came there last year. and thought
we were making n speculation; but they
got there and said we had done more for
$1,000 than they had done anywhere else
for $4,000. Some of them thought | was
making fortune out of it. l can say
never saw the first cent and Inever want
to. | spend my time there and assist
them what / can, and it is a pleasure to
me. 1t is the monument that ! shall
have when pass away. | have asked fer
nothing more
Now if all of $50, 900 is not expended, if
they don't expend but $4,000, the other
$1,000 will go back into the common
schools again. In regard to the $1,000 for
our school, | want to say it is not enough.
There are about four acres Of land around
that school building which should be pur-
chased to prevent people from building in
front of the school building and destroy
ing the pleasant aspect of the building
forever. We asked for $4,000. My idea
was that | should move to reinstate the
$4,000 as the resolve called for at first, but
have not, and should be satisfied that
it pass with $4,000, and leave the others
just as the superintendent of these nor
NAL schools has asked US to do.
Mr.. Hooper of Castine said that it might
not be policy for him to say anything
about this $50, 600 for normal schools, for
l I've in Castinc, where we have IL normal
school, but l am going to say what |
think, let it hit where it will. There has
been some s25, coo a year appropriated for
teach ers and other expenses of the normal
schools, and they don't come up here and
say with statement of facts that they
want more teachers, but they want more
pay / am well acquainted with the
principal of the Castine Normal school.
He said they wanted 5000 to repair build
ing and Professor Richardson showd me
what they wanted it for. He didn't say
they wanted any more pay, l think the
normal school teachers have good pay. /
think they have as much as any other
teachers in the State. We take this from
the common school fund and it is the
common schools that have to suffer. l
think that S27, 600 is enough.
Mr. Gilbert of Canton said that his
friend from Castine struck nearly what he
wanted to say. am looking out for my
own county little and l think that the
gentlemen of this House should look out
for their own counties in regard to their
common schools. If you will look back
through the records of the House. you
will find there has been thousands of dol
lars appropriated out Of the common
school fund this year, and if you add
$f400 more to it, it is going to lessen the
amount you will receive for your own
county and your own common schools.
Mr.. Plummer of Dexter said that 50 far
as the $1,000 asked for by the gentleman