The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-10
BOARD OF EDUCATION.
Features of the Annual Report,

 of education and of it's secretary was to the governor Monday. . The document opens with report of the board and this opens with discuss sion of the law under which scholars may be sent to attend a high school in a town other than that in which they live, at the expense of their home town for tuition.
 A careful estimate gives the number of scholars that will avail themselves of the law as 125, and the expense to the state as $2,500 for the year 1S97-S.
 The board has not voted general ap- proval of any high school. The law requires the action of the board only in individual cases brought specifically to its notice by local school officers. The object of the approval Is not to deter mine the merits of the course of study, of the teaching or of the school In gen. eral, but to enable the applying towns to obtain from the state treasury a grant of money. This money can be paid to town whenever a resident and properly accredited scholar attends a properly accredited high school in an- other town.
 There are in the state 71 schools as- suming to be high schools. Without determining definitely what high school is or whether in a particular school higher education is sound or well given, the board has approved. the schools which have the usual high school peculiarities.
 School Libraries.
 Since the year 1884 there has been a rise in the number of libraries from 240 to 6SS, and in the number of volumes from 2S, 035 to 136,S99. It is also satis- factory to note that in addition to the $eS3o granted by the state in the year 1S96-7, there was contributed for library purposes by the districts and by indi- viduals $1S,O25.79. Since 1883 the state grants for school libraries have amounted to $77,415, and the district anG individual contributions to $174,- 8303e.
 Attendance
 Great pains have been taken by the board to promote and compel regular attendance throughout the state, but the personal opportunities and heavily burdened time of the few compelling ocers are insufficient for such an oner- ous task over a wide area The board has again to record a considerable in- crease in the number of children on the school registers of the state There is also very satisfactory improvement in the regularity of attendance. The statistical returns which are presented show that in the year ending August 31, 1S97 the increase of school population ars on the registers has increased 17 per cent, and there was rise of 4.2 per cent, in the average attendance. This increase in attendance was made in spite of withdrawals to private schools
 The average attendance has risen to ,064 For every 100 children on the registers the average attendance was 70.22, or Az per cent greater than in the former year.
 Untrained Teachers.
 It is because teachers are untrained that inferior education is given in many of our schools We cannot speak with certainty of the number that are imperfectly or inefficiently taught It is large-all too large for the children's S time and the taxpayers money and the well-being of the state. Throughout the country districts the presence of untrained and inexperienced teachers is very prevalent. In the state are $500 teachers. Nine hundred are nor nal school graduates, but of these graduates 43 per cent are punched in five cities and towns. The consequence is that while portion of our popula . tion is being properly educated there is still unhappily far too large a part that is left without adequate provi- sion for mental awakening and training in good habits.
 The present supply of trained teach CTS is inadequate. The convincing proof is that the number who annually begin to teach is 400, ard not more thar 200 of these beginners have ever given a noments time or thought to the matter of teaching. Of the 200 trained beginners the normal schools supply 150. and of these an increasing number are willing to 80 and find their way
 into the country schools of the state. Country Schools. The board notes with satisfaction ar increase in the interest in country schools as proved by the adoption ir two years, 1S96-7, by 22 towns of the better and more efficient system o town management. The country school and the city school have always had their peculiar exceilencies. There is every reason why pains shall bt l taken to prevent the former from de | clining or becoming a servile copy o1 the latter. We must recognize the fac | that in these rural schools large part of the children of the state must re. ceive their education. The board af | firms that these schools can by gooC teaching be raised to the highest level | and protests against the too prevalen tone of despair and the mischievous no | top that country schools can never b, l far removed from inefficiency. School Houses and Libraries.
 "In the report of the secretary, whicl I occupies most of the document are tn, usual tables and much discussion of in teresting matter. Speaking of school houses and libraries, Secretary Hin says:
 | "The least satisfactory subject of ou common schools is reading The readinl | is, with occasional exceptions. yer,