The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-12


may read.
To accept the state Of things revealed
in this report is to accept disgrace. 10
lish our completely with ignorance to all
the world. Among many hits at the
East l heard last summer IN the West
the best was story Of an Eastarn man
who went out to Colorado, and hnding
himself somewhat affected by the lati-
tude went to physician for relief. The
physician asked him the nature OF has
complaint. and was told that he was
the doctor, "Yo on are suffering from in
somnia. You can't sleep O. nightsr
is ~ not quite SO bad as that
yet. / sleep perfectly at night, but
can't sleep in the day time" Ii the peo-
pie Of Maine allow our educational sys-
tenn to remain in the wretched plight in
which it now Is, all the world Will be
Justified in the belief that however wide
awake our manufacturers and statesmen
and merchants may be, the people who
ought to be interested in education sleep
soundly both night and day.
What is the cause of this sad state of
affairs? IL is not primarily lack OF mon
ey. Maine Is by no means stingy in its
appropriation for education. In addition
to the amount raised by the towns the
State appropriates from its school fund
and mill tax over half million dollars
in aid of the common schools. The leg
islature is generally willing to appropri-
ate money for reasonable educational
purposes; and not infrequently has given
generously to Quotations al agencies OF
less general and fundamental imp0r-
tance than . the common schools. The
trouble is, not that the money given for
education is inadequate; but that large
part of what is given is wasted and
thrown away. The one question OF SUI
preme importance before the legislature
Of 1897 will be, not how much shall we
give to this institution or that; not how
much shall we raise for education by
taxation; but this: Shall we get our
moneys worth out Of the half million
dollars we regularly give to the common
schools: OF shall We continue to let it be
frittered away in favoritism; misapplied
by incompetence; squandsred by stupid
ity; misapplied through ignorance?
In the interest Of this fundamental
practical reform the legislature will be
asked to enact three measures:
First, to require all teachers who teach
in the State after August, 1899, to hold
certificate from State board of exainin
ers, as a condition of granting State
money to the town employing them.
Second, to permit and encourage by
State contribution toward the salary of a
superintendent, the grouping of towns
having less than thirty schools for the
purpose.of employing an expert superin-
tendent, who shall give his eutire time
to the supervision of the schools in the
grouped towns.
Third, to hold training schools for
teachers during the summer vacation,
where for at loast four weeks teachers
shall be trained both in methods of
teaching and in the SUBJECTS they are
called upon to teach.
These three measures are simply three
steps toward the one end that the money
which the State gives for education shall
not be thrown away. The expense IN
volved in these plans is small. The re-
suits in improved efficiency would be
great.
The only objection that can be urged
against these measures is the charge OF
Capitalization. Opponents of these
measures will try to present the issue as
between local self government and CEN
tralization. We shall be told that these
measures take power from the town and
give it to the state. Let us not be de-
oeiyed by such q cry. We have centrali-
cation already. The State fixes the min
imu NJ which each town shall raise for
school purposes; and adds to the sum
raised by the town a generous contri-
button of har own. No one objects to the
Capitalization involved in the school fund
and the mill tax. And the proposed
measures simply aim to make effective
the money we already raise. 1t is a
question between inefficient or efficient
ways of spending the money which the
State in either case contributes or pre-
soribes If the State has right to say
how much money town shall raise; II
A. H., En- vi To Ho
to that town; it also has
the right to prescribe such Just and fair
conditions as will prevent the money
SO raised and so given from being wasted
or misapplied.
The last important act of the legisla-
ture In the interests of education, that
establishing free high schools, was
passed in 1873 Since that time the his
tory of educational legislation in Maine
presents an absolute blank, broken only
By appropriations to special institutions
In response to the personal solicitation
of their friends, and a single act of long
deferred reform, the abolition of the dis
trict system in response to the urgent
request of the Council of the Pedagogical
Society, in 1893. For period of more
than twenty years, with this Fsiugle ex
ception, nothing whatever has been done
to bring these common schools up to
modern educational standards. To stand
still is impossible Not to improve ia to
decline. These schools, as shown by the
Report of the superintendent, have in
many Important respects dereriorated
during these twenty years of stagnation
and neglect. To put stop to this dete-
to set a reasonable standard
of excellence before them; to permit and
encourage competent supervision, and to
require and enforce proper qualifications
in teachers; these are the measures which
all friends of education may Iightfully
demand of the legislature of 1897.
No bank would allow half million
dollars to be invested by men inexpert
in finance. No corporation would spend
half a million dollars a year in factories
managed by inexpe1t superintendents,
and operated ny unskilied hands. The
of schools and the teaching
of children is just as difficult. just as
technical, just as important. just as crit
ical business as buying bonds or weaving
cloth.
If it Is right for the State to spend this
money for this purpose; and We all agree
that it Is; then 1t is also right and rea-
sonable for the State to do all within its
power tic provide that this money shall
be spent under the direction of-competent
and expert superintendents. and for the