Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-10-27
INSTRUCTORS MEET.
First Steps Taken, Yesterday,
at the Capitol
Toward Forming Association Of Co..
'eges and Preparatory Schools.
Address BY Pres. Hyde and Recep,ior Takes
Up the Evening.

over haif hundred PRINCIPALS O,
Hisn schools and academies. as well a.
presidents and professors of Maine col.
| reyes, We're present in the House cham
Der at the State House. last evening
Wnen the nrst steps were taken to form
the Maine Association Of Colleges and
| Preparatory Schools and hear an able
instructive and interesting address by
| president William Dewitt Hyde OF
bowdoin College. who gave interesting
tacts or present conditions of the
scnooi system and made suggestions
Tor lettering the conditions.
The meeting was called to order at
y o'clock by Principal w. E. Sargent
of Hebron Academy. Prof. j. w. Black
of Colby College, was made permanent
! secretary. and later in the evening the
chair announced his choice of names
of those to serve on committee TO per-
feet permanent organization
President Hyde in beginning his adj
dress. referred to the cordial reception
he received, and then passed on to say
| that what is needed at the meetings is
criticism. as he believed that much
good could thus be accomplished He
then went on to say in speaking Of the
present use of school money:
''Thirtysix academies are receiving
! from the State from the High school
fund. $3.50, and by special appropria-
| ton, $4,000, in all s24 1893. or an average
of s672. In about half of these SO acad-
emies the money is spent in providing
secondary education of good quality;
though in some of these cases the towns
in which the academies are located, or
the funds which the academies hold,
or both together, are abundantly able
to provide such education without aid
from the State. The money appropTi
ated to the other half Of these &c acad
emes is as gross perversion of public
funds as can be found in the whole
history of Legislative logrolling. In
several cases they do not spend all their
money for education but allow the bal
nnce to accumulate in the treasury.
The une&pended balance To- the wear
$50 il Il aided schools Wa SJ1s2-
Among the academies which are re
ceiviug money under false pretenSeS l
will cite a few OF the more Siarlng
cases. I will not give names. as the
blame lies more with the state. which
allows such abuse Of public funds
than with the towns and institutions
which take advantage of IL. The facts,
however. may be verified by consult
ing pages IL of Appendix TO the re-
bort Of the State superintendent for
1898.
He then >went on to state instances
If which the first was as follows:
.One academy receives $500 from the
invest Cd funds
while the town, which sends on an av-
erage ~ pupils to the school raises lot
III support only $40 The academy
spends $40 for the salaries Of its four
instructors; 800 for all other expenses
and has a balance OF 500 lett IN us
treasury at the end Of the year.
After giving other examples he con-
timed bv SAYING: "Now there Is
good deal to be said in favor 81 lew
iudiciously selected academies winch
give a high grade secondary education
and are located so as to be accessible
to small towns having no good HlSh
schools OF their own. To grant Sooc
apiere to 10 or a dozen such schools as
combine a high grade of work with
large rural constituency Is no more
than Justice to the inhabitants OF small
towns in their vicinity which do not
get the benefit of provisions Whlch
gives a sum not exceeding $3.50 a year
aniere to 220 Free High schools. TO
oiyA such aid to merely local schools,
schools which do not pay Suflcleht
salaries to secure teachers competent
to impart sound secondary education
schools which have no other use Tor
considerable portion of the funds than
10 accumulate il in their treasures
that is robbery of the tax payers. de-
moralizing alike 10 the Legislature
that grants and the community that
receives and an injury TO the cause OF
education and scandal TO the State.
He then continued by saying that the
end al which this legislation AIMED
was A worthy one and went on to
speak of the methods adopted and IS
now in use in Massachusetts ana con-
Eecticuts.,t-s., .,-.I ;; $3.50. -
l. alyxal