Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-18
LAST DAY BUSIEST.
Continued frcl1 page ~


gua4ee which he speaks.
second, such knowledge Of the his
cory OF his country. her institutions. hel
ueVelopment; her possibilities. as shall
MAKE MAKE MN love his country. and b,
ready TO promote her honor and power
elner on the battlefield or on the harder
life. pi'N"''
:, Third such knowledge of the scienc,
OF mathematics as enters into the worl
VI oTdlLary. every day. practical life
anu as hts the pupil to enter upon tn,
study OF many of the practical arts O
Fourth. such knowledge of the eartl
as the nome of man, its vegetable ant
amman life, its natural forms, races o.
men. occupations, modes of travel line.
OF OF communication methods of transpor
tatlon. aggregations of populations il
towns, cities. countries. it's motions ant
place IN the system OF planets, as pre-
pares the recipient to make the most OF
his relations to the earth.
f'lfth. such training of the eye and
nand as will enable the scholar to begir
with advantage the acquisition of any
handicraft.
cnce to authority, self control. industry
truth. honor. magnanimity, temperance
purity. as will make him Il good citizen
q unit of strength not an element 81
weakness in the body polite,
Seventh, knowledge Of nature: of hes
chemical and physical forces: of her veg.
stable life :, and laws of her animal king.
uom ana us marvellous changes; of thu
minerals: ana the boundless resources
Tor mans comfort and pleasure. whici
the great mother so lavishly offers hin
II he will enter into her storehousc al
good and partake of the feast
Are the schools meeting this obligation
are they doing this work Yes and no
In tne centres of population, the cities
and sami, Larger VILLAGES; they are tending
reached the fun measure OF what ough,
70 be. In some places the demand foi
progress is not made. In others the de
mand Is not intelligently made Those
VINO ask change do not recognize the
cinculties in the way of Improvement
ana SO hinder progress by unreasonable
conditions.
appears. These schools are IA very i'm
portant part of the educational system
OF this State. Fully one-half of the pu-
pills OF the State receive all the school ed
schools. The intelligence of this large
portion of the children of the State is
conditioned by these schools. Whatever
Of OF Inspiration to higher knowledge.
broader culture, shall touch the intel
lects, arouse the desires, and inflame the
Wits OF these pupils, must be found in
these schools. II, then. some we'll
qualified to Judge have said. forty
worth .ess, and another forty-five per
cent. Indifferent" the condition calls for
.ateIui study ana prompt action to cure
the evil.
8. What are the causes Of this unsatis-
number of pupils? The decreasing age
at which the pupils leave school? The
cheaper, teachers. consequently the less
age and experience of the teachers. less
preparation for teaching. and less knowl-
edge OF subjects to be taught? This lack
easy to be explained and is in one word,
lack OF money. The terms are short. the
scholars few. the appliances poor. The
prevailing public opinion is that any
low prices are offered and cheap teach
ers secured. The village and city graded
,'ht pay higher wages and all the
best teachers seek such positions;
school in the State to conduct success
fully. The village, city or high school is
thoroughly organized and classified by a
board of education, or skilled superin-
tendent; the course of study carefully ar
ranged, the place of every pupil in that
course exactly fixed. The teacher of
each grade has scholars of nearly sim
liar attachments and capacities: she has
but few subjects to teach. and ample
time for recitation of each class. The ru-
raj teacher finds no organization. no
She must teach all possible subjects from
the u. b. c. to higher English and even
Latin, and all ages of scholars from five
to eighteen. 1t therefore requires more
wider range of knowledge, more teach
ing ability, more governing power. more
tact. and more genius, to teach success
fully rural school of thirty or more pu-
pills. than is required to manage or teach
any graded school in the State. To pay
for all these superior qualities, the rural
school offers the princely sum of five to
seven dollars per week for sixteen weeks
in the year, while the teacher in the city.
with vastly less requirements. and en-
joying also the advantages of village So
cial life, received from seven to ten
dollars a week, for forty weeks in the
year.
The rural school must have better
teachers in order to lift them from the
ers more money must be paid offer from
ten to fifteen dollars a week for forty
weeks in the year. for the teacher com
petent to conduct successfully rural
ing. But this will take more money and
means increased taxation. 1t is said that
taxation is a crushing burden in the ru-
raj communities even now, and to pay
more is impossible Then the money
must be sought in some other way.
Relief must come by concentration.
Five districts having ten pupils each. can
be united in one, and where five teachers
at five dollars were paid. one teacher at
fifteen dollars can be had and ten dol
lars per week saved for the transporter
ton of scholars. The saving on the cost
of wood. school houses. etc, will pay for
needed appliances and for good super
vision, a means of advance which must
be supplied before the rural schools can
attain a satisfactory condition.
Z This subject of rural schools has spec
al interest for this body. since a larger
number of the children of farmers are in
these schools than of any other class.
Your committee would therefore earn
estly urge some action by this body,
looking to proper investigation of this
great question and decisive action
thereon.
In the absence of Chairman Chas.
D. Woods. the report on the Maine
State college was made by b. F. Briggs
who told briefly of the condition and
work of this institution, it's recent re-
markable growth and its needs before
the coming Legislature.
]. M. Dearborn, chairman of the
committee on good of the order read
the. following report which was
adopted.
Report on Good Of the Order.
Worthy Master: Brothers and Sisters of
Maine State Grange:
Your committee on the good of the
order submit the following:
The order of Patrons of Husbandry
was instituted to supply a long-felt want.
Its origfnators pioneers of advancing
thought and grand artificers of progress,
h,lilded far better than they knew. I'M