The Portland daily press., 1899-01-06

|
much valuable information and sugges-
| tons upon q subject Of vital importance
| TO the welfare Of our sfate and the per-
| petufty OF free republican government.
| / refer especially to our common rchoois.
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 IL 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 recognised and estab-
lished factor essential to promote the
best interests of education, especially
to furnish teachers for our common
schools Mindful OF THE fact, and also
| desiring more fully to supply the call
for more teachers. the last Legislature
| authorised The governor to appoint
| committee of three persons to examine
and decide upon the desirability of es-
| tabltnhfng a normal school. or schools.
In the northern and eastern part of the
| state. and also b determine as TO the
| place o. places where these schools
should be located, In case they believed
| them necessary.
Acting under this authority I appoint
| ed a committee OF three gentlemen. the
Hon. Frederick 6. Walls. General John
| Harper and Albert r. Hawkes.. persons
OF large business experience. good tudg-
| ment and sincerely interested In the
subject Of education. Thsy accepted the
trust, have visdted the several localities.
have examined Into. and Investigated the
workings and results from poSrnal
| schools In our own and other states. and
also the desisabxlAv Of establishing
more, and their conclusions. embodied
in thetr report and also thstr recon-
mendattons. win be placed before you,
and should receive careful Vttention.
The University Of Maine. Formerly the
Maine State College Of Agriculture and
| Mechanic Arts, which, IN fact u Names
chief school OF science and technology.
during ths past two years has had
large and constantly increasing attend
| anoe and 10 detnR an excellent and much
needed work The results obtained.
have no doubt fully compensate for the
outlay and expense which DE state has
incurred In its behalf. Its faculty and
management II Of the best, and 1t FUR
nishes an opportunity to obtain a good,
practical and scientific education al
comparatively low cost.
II has recsn1y established In Bangor.
as one Of M Departments a law school.
which, II we may Judge from the num-
Der of st.sieats who attended its auspi-
| cious beginning. will, in the near future,
be a decided success.
1t has an endowment from the state,
for the next eight years. of $40, 600 per
annum This sum. added to the amount
| which IT is entitled to receive from the
United States government. under the
| act of copgress creating 1t. places at Its
| disposal. II L mistake not, q larger yearly
| sum of money than any other collegiate
Institution in our state, and is a potent
factor in enabling n to provide SO many
| educational advantages within the reach
of students Of limited means.
As a general rule. however. l doubt
| the advisability OF making grants OF
+, money to continue through q series OF
years Upon careful reflection am con-
vinced that II rs safer 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 confine its appropriations strictly
to the two years for which II has been
chosen. And I would suggest that in
| any grants of money which You may
| deem 1t necessary and proper to make
| you confine them 10 that period. unless
| there Is some very cogent reason for
extending II longer time.
| When the laws creating the high school
| system in our state, we're enacted 1t 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 a time
| this superstition appeared TO be. in a
| 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 fd1 a series OF years, and In sew
erai cases beyond what, In my Judgment
the attendance of pupils will warrant.
I am confident that on careful investi-
| cation you will find that there are some
/ of these academies where further aid
I can be discontinued without serious det-
riment to our educational interests.
/ OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND INSTI-
TUTIONS.
The several reports OF the railroad
| commissioners. insurance commissioner
| labor commissioner secretary of the
| state board Of health and others having
| In charge various penal and reformatory
! institutions. will. / think. furnish you
| all the necessary information as to their
| present workings and condition, and
| enable you to lagislate understanding
| ~ in reference to their future wants, and
| ] shall not further trespass upon your
| time with any extended remarks in ref
| erence TO them-
In building the Washington County
| railroad and In determining and settling
very many controversies. growing out
| of the location and completion of sew
| eral lines Of electric railroads in our
| state, many very important questions
| have arisen for the decision of the board
| of railroad commissioners. involving a
| large amount of labor and fnvestiga-
| ton. and feel justified In stating that
| the board has acted with such wisdom,
| fairness and enlightened judgment that
| Its decisions have very generally been
acquiesced in, and given satisfaction
| to all concerned and when appealed from
| sustained by the court.
A large section OF our state. abound
| ing IN many undeveloped resources. has
been brought into direct and much