The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-09

tuntty for State Architect to
Prove of Great Benefit.
George B. Alton, inspector of high
schools, presented his annual report at
a meeting of the state high school board
held yesterday. The document possesses
considerable interest to educators, and
shows a marked improvement in public
educational institutions during the year
past. A high average increase in enroll
ment is noted, as we'll as q considerable
increase in the number of students grad
uated. The board initiated a movement
to abolish the examination formerly re-
| quired from high school graduates for
entrance to the state university, and ap-
pointed President Cyrus Northrup, of the
state university, and State Superintend-
ent Lewis, to devise some method where
by the dreaded ''eXams" may be dispens-
ed with. President Northrup agreed to
| ask the university faculty 20 admit such
students from high schools as were able
to show certificate of having completed
the full four years course required. The
board reserved the right to require exam
nations in any high schools at any time,
upon a given subject. assn.
| Inspector Atoms report shows that the
100 high schools of the state had a to-
tai enrolment at the close of the past
school year of 11,742 pupils. This is a
! gain of 365 over the figures of the pre-
vious year. The average increase in en-
rollment the past four years mas been $50
! The number of high school graduates
was 1,429, an increase of fifty-nine over
the year before. In the same time the
high school instructors increased from 424
to 442. There was expended for high
school equipment the sum of $22,59O, di-
vided among library, science and grade
| reading in sets. This is slightly less than
the average OF the past four years.
BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS
Excellent progress has been made dur
ing the year. All the high schools of the
! state, with the exception of those of
| Minneapolis, are now on the list of state
| high schools. A number of the smaller
! schools of the state have added notably
to their building equipment, among which
are Marshall, Hastings, Wells Glenwood.
Hutchinson and Dodge Center, while St.
James, Fairmont, Chatfield and Waseca
have either built new structures or are
preparing to do so this year
the new structures are all OF brick with
! a notable Improvement in plans over the
oId-style school buildings. The report
suggests that there is opportunity for a
state architect, at the service of the
school board, to be of immense benefit
in consulting and advising with school
| boards regarding plans. Such a function
airy, MI Alton insists, would save his
salary several times over to the state.
In the absence of such a person, the sug-
gestlon IS made that the present practice
OF inviting architects TO submit plans in
competition be discontinued and that a
competent architect be employed when
needed to draw the plans
Under the head of enrolment by sub
| Jects the report deals with an interesting
phase of the educational problem-the
! trend of the time in the selection of stud
! les There is shown a falling off during
! the past year in the number of students
! taxing Greek, due largely to its discon-
/ tiruance in the Minneapolis schools.
Ihough now taught in only about one
NAN OF the high schools of the state Ger
man has an increased enrolment, while
french just about holds its own in the
large cities. English is getting stronger
hold than ever. Nearly every student in
the hlgh schools Is now giving serious at
tentlon to the task of acquiring an ability
to use his own language and gaining a
fair acquaintance with English MASTER
pieces.
| This is result that Mr. Alton has been
! working for early and late and the re-
suits are peculiarly gratifying to him.
| Political economy and ciyfcs still hava
q small enrolment being subjects that
usually come into competition with the
foreign languages. The volume of work
In history, both American and English. 10
increasing rapidly
FEW COLLEGE GRADUATES.
The report calls attention TO the faot
that the records of several of the larger
schools of the state, particularly those
or Minneapolis, st. Paul and Duluth sho1,,
an astonishing Indifference to the adon-
ton of a college education as the mini
mum requirement of high school instruc
| tors In these schools barely one-half the
| teachers are college graduates. which is
an average quite below that of the state
| at large. Regarding state examinations
MI Alton suggests that too much stress
| Is put upon them. He says:
Il very much wish that all our state
high schools might be accredited bv +he
state university. 1 am confident that the
Sh'aH schools would hold up their ends
| surprisingly well. If all schools were ac-
| credited and the use of state examine
| lions We're left to local authorities and
| by the superintendent left largely TO the
| optlon or the students, l am confident
| mat local good sense, while it might os-
cIIlaIe, would make good use of the state
| examinations. By complete local option.
dread would be averted and We should
nave the benefit without the worry.
The Increase Of state aid from $500 IN
$oOO comes at very opportune time. and
has already encouraged boards of educa
ton very noticeably. Coming at a time
when state examinations for county GER
tlflcates are certain to send many young
| people into the high schools of their re-
spect1Ve counties. the additional aid is
| all the more timely. / am sure the result
viii justify the liberality of the legtsla
| ture."
A new feature of Mr.. Atoms report This
year is comparative statement of the as
sessed valuation and school tax of each
community having high school. The LIST
would furnish interesting reading to the
| taX-paying public of the Twin Cities. who
groan under burdens of 3.5 and mills
! school tax. Thirty-seven , Of the one
| hundred towns and cities represented nav
school tax of 20 mills or better and in
few instances it aggregates 30. mills or
| more Slayton leads all the rest with
S2.S mills. Zumbrota alone, of all the
minor cities ranks with the Twin Cities
| TO the amount of its school tax. II Maid