Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-23

VI $OUV Is Il PrIlCCl hotSSs AA1S 80 U.s.
there is to It, (Applause).
1hope that you will consider this mat
ter and take time and let each one Of
these academies stand upon its merits
and not make general appropriation.
this morning. and push these bills
through here. throwing away thousands
of dollars. ] have always been inter-
ested in educational matters from the
day I could carry scent primer In
my hand to the present time, ana
have had more scholars under my In
structions, probably, than any man on
this floor, and ! know when money is
spent foolishly and when it is spent
well in a school. There are academies
in this State that have hard work 20
get quorum together in the morning,
and they come here. year after year,
and II this thing goes on $1OO.0OO IN ~
years won't meet the appropriations to
these academies. l believe in the COM
mon school, 1 believe in the High
school. tApplause). l believe in such
a school as we have at Waterville. the
Coburn Classical Institute, where boy
goes through that school and gets
standing. What does it amount to to
run through these little academies?
We have got three academies in our
county. eight or 10 miles apart. The
town of Hollis supports High school,
and the Lord knows we need money,
for our bridges have been swept away
on the big Saco river and carried t.
the ocean, and we support High
school and we pay for that and our
taxes are the highest, with the excep-
ton of one or two, in the county of
York: and l am not willing to give $500
or $500 to one of these academies and
then give them $3.50 more to support a
High school and put the two together
making $3.50. when they are not en-
titled to any more than l am in my
town. l am not willing to pay any
more than my share of the taxes.
don't want to Indefinitely postpone this
matter. l hope the gentleman will
withdraw his motion, and then we can
table these matters and give them
fair consideration and let each acad-
envy stand on it's own foundation, and
not shove them along in this way.
MIR. McFADDEN of Dresden: l hold
in my hand an editorial which appear
ed, last week, in the Maine Farmer,
bers here have read it. 1t makes very
serious charges against some acade-
mics but it does not locate them. l,
says that one of the academies receiv-
ing State aid. and an applicant for an
increase today. is located in a small
village within a quarter of a mile OF
the best High school in this State.
Now l say if we can have a postpone
ment of the consideration of these
matters of one week. l will be prepar-
ed. next Wednesday. to locate that al
legation. if there is anything to it.
don't know as there is. Perhaps it is
all a false allegation. If l cannot To-
cate it l will come here, next Wednes-
day morning, and say that / have ut
terly failed to locate it: but if l can To-
cate it l will come and tell you where
it is. And | therefore move, and /
think that that motion will take prece-
dence, that the matter be laid on the
table for one week.
Mr.. JORDAN of Lisbon: l asked for
the indefinite postponement of this re-
solve on account of general principles.
| believe that this academy appropria-
ton is altogether wrong. The town of
North Arson has a small academy and
receives $3.50 year They have an
academy fund of something like $4,000.
The town of Monmouth receives $780,
and they have an endowment fund of
several thousand dollars. Deering has
Westbrook Seminary with an endow
ment of $4,000. real estate valued at
100000, and it comes here and asks for
$4,000 In order to use its entire sum
in, aSt fay hnd m
pend $4,000 for repairs. They have in
the city of Portland one of the best
High schools in the State: also what
was the city of Deering has one of the
best schools. and the students it sends
to Bowdoin and other colleges rank
among the best. l. for one, think that
it is time that the members on the
floor of this House opened their eyes
to the educational matters of the State
of Maine. We have in this State 100000
students between the ages of four and
u. Only $4,000 attend school, but be-
tween the ages of four and q there are
$4,000 more that don't attend school
than do: and | think, for one, that this
money that is appropriated for the
academies should be used for the edu-
cation of the smaller children. There
is no use in talking. the State of Maine
is going back in the matter of educa-
ton rather than forward, and it is
time that something was done. All
but three of these academies receive
$3.50 year as Il High school. They
turn round and say. We are a High
school, we are doing a High schools
work. and they ask for the Free High
school fund. Two years ago. $21, 900
was appropriated for the academies of
the State: s4100 was appropriated for
these same academies as Free High
schools. Gentlemen. it is altogether
wrong. 1t is not right that a town like
Monmouth with $775,000 valuation. re-
ceiving their State aid and other
moneys. should. with 800 students in
the town of Monmouth. educate their
children on any town system together
with their academy, at $500 a year.
while town like Durham, with $780,
900 valuation, it costs them over $1,000
to educate. The town that / represent
has between 1000 and 5000 inhabitants
We expend somewhere about $4,000 a
year for our schools. We have two sepa-
rate villages. We have to maintain a
High school in each village. We don't
come here and ask the State of Maine
to carry on our schools. We pay our