The Somerset reporter., 1899-01-05
Governor Powers Message.
Continued from First Page.

Governor Powers Message.
Continued from First Page.
ana treated III tie lnsaTe hospital II
| Augusta as it MIS- prudent or desirable
to have in one place. These unfortunate
people are peculiarly the wards of The
state. Every humane consideration
urges and demands that they should
not only receive the best possible care.
nursing and medical treatment but that
their every surrounding should be made
pleasant and comfortable They should
not be too closely crowded together.
The number of patients now IN the in
sane hospital at Augusta Is 30. an in
crease of some 20 within the last year
certainly all and perhaps more than can
be suitably and properly cared for, as
j this number is $50 in excess of what the
j buildings We're intended to furnish prop
err accommodations for.
/ | believe that this humanitarian en-
terprise. the building of a new insane
/ hospital at Bangor, which shall contain
all the best known modern improve
ments. and sanitary methods in its con-
struction and equipment. should not be
abandoned or any longer neglected.
There We're by the last Legislature many
thousands of dollars appropriated in
somewhat small sums. for objects and
| purposes. very proper, no doubt, bur
/ not nearly as urgent and deserving as
this one. These expenditures this year
may well be called upon To Wait and
permit the money to be applied to this
philanthropic work. so urgently needed
by the state I desire. therefore, TO i'm
press upon you the truth that this iaas.
/ ern Maine insane hospital is a state
necessity and institution for which there
/ Is a pressing need. and that 1t should re-
ceiVe at your hands such aid as ehall Mt
II TO receive patients at an early day
/ Its management could be under the
/ board Of trustees of the insane hospital
/ a Augusta, II you should deem II best TO
| place 1t there.
SCHOOLS.
The reports Of the superintendent of
public schools will furnish you with
much valuable Information and sugges-
! tons upon a subject of vital Importance
/ to the welfare of our state, and the per-
| petuty of free republican government
! | refer especially to our common schools
: They were never In a more prosperous
/ condition than at the present time. We
are obtaining better results with each
! recurring year and more competent
teachers Especially is this true In the
rural districts. The state, cities and
/ towns expend very large sums of money
to maintain and advance our educational
| interests The object and necessity fully
! justify all the outlay.
The number OF teachers which our
| present normal schools can graduate,
| even If they all remained in Maine. and
| followed the vocation Of teaching, are In
/ deed very Inadequate to the demand
! Normal schools have ceased to be an
experiment In this and other states. They
| have become a recognized and estab-
! lished factor essential to promote the
best interests of education especially
! to furnish teachers for our common
! schools. Mindful of this fact, and also
! desiring more fully to supply the call
/ for more teachers. the last legisla ture
| authorized the governor to appoint
| committee of three persons to examine
! and decide upon the desirability Of es-
tabllshing a normal school. or schools
! in the northern and eastern part of the
state. and also to determine as to the
place or places where these schools
| should be located in case they believed
/ them necessary
/ Acting under this authority | appoint
! ed a committee of three gentlemen, the
| Hon Frederick S. Walls General John
! Harper and Albert X. Hawkes.. persons
! of large business experience. good judg-
ment and sincerely interested in the
subject of education. They accepted the
trust. have visited the several localities.
| have examined into and investiga ed the
workings and results from normal
! schools in our own and other states, and
! also the desira bilitY of establishing
| more and their conclusions embodied
! In their report, and also their recon-
mendations. will be placed before you,
/ and should receive careful attention.
The University Of Maine. formerly the
! Maine State College of Agriculture and
Mechanic Arts, which, In fact. Is Names
/ ohiet school of science and technology
40
large and constantly increasing attend
! ance and is doing an excellent and much
| needed work The results obtained. !
| have no doubt fully compensate for tho
outlay and expense which the state has
| incurred in its behalf. Its faculty and
management is of the best. and 1t fur
nishes an opportunity to obtain good,
/ practical and scientific education at
/ comparatively low cost.
1t has recently established in Bangor,
as one of its departments n law school.
which, IL we may judge from the num-
! Der of students who attended its ausp-
eious beginning, Will. in the near future,
be decided success.
/ 1t has an endowment from the state,
for the next eight years. of 100000 per
annum. This sum- added to the amount
which il is entitled to receive from The
| United States government, under the
disposal il / mistake not, a larger yearly
sum of money than any other collegiate
institution in our state. and Is potent
| factor In enabling II to provide so many
| educational advantages within the reach
of students of limited means.
As a general rule, however I doubt
| the ACCESSIBILITY of making grants OF
| money to continue through a series of
years. Upon careful reflection am CON
WINGED that it is safter legislation, and
more in keeping with the spirit of our
| constitution. to leave to each successive
! legislature the right and the duty to
! provide for and decide how much the
state will aid or appropriate for any in
| stitution, or contribute for any purpose.
and to contine its appropriations strictly
/ to the two years for which 1t has been
chosen. And | would suggest. that In
| any grants Of money which you may
! deem it necessary and proper to make
| you contine them to that period, unless
/ there is some very cogent reason for
extending it a longer time.
| When the laws creating the high school
! system in our state. were enacted, it was
! very generally supposed and believed
| that these schools would take the place
Of and furnish the means of, instruc-
! ton that had been obtained largely in
| the several academies and for time
! this superstition appeared to be. in Il
| great measure, realized. More recently
| however nearly all the academies in our
! state have been coming here and OBJ
! tanning quite large financial aid some
! times for a series OF years, and in sew
eral cases beyond what in my judgment.
the attendance of pupils will warrant
! ] am confident that on careful investi-
CATION you will find that there are some
: ~ uth f1Tfh ri "A