Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-02-21

=
been asked for. and placing the acad
emies on a permanent basis SO that
the trustees. teachers and students of
the schools may know what to expect.
We also had the recommendations of
our Governor when he said in his in
augural address:
Tho special appropriations made for
the academies ana seminaries lapse
with the present year: and if these
appropriat tons are to be contin-
ped | am inclined to the opinion that
they should be made permanent unde"
certain definite restrictions. Under eX-
listing circumstances a school having
Jealous and skillful advocate in The
Legislature may be able to secure
liberal appropriation III excess OF It's
actual requirements: while another,
equally worthy but less fortunate. must
be content with comparatively small
amount. The grade of the school MAIN
tanned and the number of pupils re-
Chewing instruction should always be
considered. and | doubt the wisdom
of assisting in maintaining an atad-
envy in 4 section Of the state where
High schools of a high grade are pro
vided. 1t is an injustice to the state
the amount appropriated IN increasing
their endowment instead OF proNldlh%
more and better instruction TO the 'u-
pills who attend them; and under no
circumstances should the sum appro-
priated for such institutions he taken
from the fund provided for the N"m-
mon schools.
The measure was considered in .eN-
ecutive session of the committee not
hastily. but very carefully and dclib-
erately. Section by section was gone
over. thoroughly discussed. Each point
| in the bill was taken up. carefully con-
sidered and passed upon. We fully
recognized the fact that this was
very important measure which should
| not be hastily considered. 1t was there
| fore. several days that we We're WreSt-
| ling with the matter When we finally
voted to report the bill there Wer"
present every member of the commit
| tee save one. and he 4 member of the
| Senate who had been detained At home
| for several weeks by sickness. II was
unanimously reported in the SENATE
and passed that body without the
| slightest opposition. Now. gentlemen.
! the full public hearing which was held.
| The careful consideration of the sub
| iect given by the committee the unan-
| nous report made and the passage Of
| the bill in the Senate without oppoSi-
| ton should give the measure some
| prestige here.
! Let us now consider for a moment
| the parts Of the bill which the gentle
| man from Patten desires to amend.
| The bill provides that the State shall
! pay 10 the legal representatives of an
academy the sum of $500 if said aCld-
envy maintains an English course Of
study as prescribed by the education
! al department of our State; has an
average attendance during the year
preceding of over 50 students AMI an
attendance during the year in which
| payment is made of at least ten stu
dents from outside the municipality or
| jurisdiction in which said school is 10
| Gated and contributes towards the sup
| port and maintenance OF said school
| q sum equal to the amount received
| from the State and certain other tea-
lures which you will sec by reading
the bill. If the State is to pay to an
academy $500 annually. is it unreaSon-
able for the State TO make these re-
| Quirements2 1t seems to me that the
requirements are reasonably low rath-
| er than unreasona bly, high. If there are
not over 30 students of High school
standard in an academy it would indi
| cate that the standing of the school
| in the community is either very low
| or that school is serving a Very limit
| ed section of country in which there is
q small number of students. The next
part Of the bin which he attacks is
that which provides that the state
will pay $3.50 provided the academy in
addition to an English course has a
college preparatory course in which
there are II Students-haS an average
attendance of over 90 students. and
that at least 20 students shall be from
outside the municipality or Jurisdiction
in which said school is located. ana the
other requirements if the $500 class.
Can any gentleman for Il minute think
that these restrictions are unreasOna-
bly, high. prohibitive in their effect?
think not. | believe they are reason
ably low. If there is an academy that
will receive $500 under this bill and said
academy wants To receive $3.50 more
but cannot on account of the small at
tendance. there is something for the
teachers. trustees. graduates. in fact
all friends of the school. to do that the
attendance may meet the requirements
Of the $50 class. This bill makes the
school more efficient to the entire sec
ton of country in which it is located
a result which is truly commentaries.
There is but one other class provided
| by the bill, viz: the $1,000 class In This
| class there shall be in addition TO the
| English course and college preparatory
| course. 4 normal training course for
teachers. The foreign attendance in the
| class must be at least 10 students The
state is now paying for the average
cost of educating the students in the
| normal schools 4 little more than $50
yearly. The average cost to the State
| in our common schools in 1890 was 81 90
| While the average cost in the acadp-
| mics is about SIS. The State paying an
| proXimately $4,000 to academies ana
| the number Of students in said acad-
emieS being about $500. Under this dill
the total amount will probably be
about the same. | have been looking
| over the returns made to the superin-
tendent of public schools by the acade-
my which the gentleman from Patten
represents. | find that in the school
year 1900 Patten Academy had availa-
Die for school purposes and the sources
from which the came, the following
sums: