Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-04
MAINE SCHOOLS.
The Annual Report Of State
Superintendent Stetson.
More Pupils but the School Attend
ance Is Decreasing.
Figures, Facts and Papers of Much
Interest and Value.

| ~ i'tiOIl CI w, w,
: s'tetson, State Superintendent of Pub
lie Schools, was presented to the Gov
| cfhor ana Council, at its meeting
Thursday afternoon. This report. as is
! usually the case with all issued from
. thls department, is a most interesting
state document and one in whose facts
and figures all of our people will find
, much of value. The opening article of
the volume is on improvements to
School Buildings and Grounds" ana
The "a pages which are devoted to this
subject are filled with timely sugges-
tons and interesting glimpscs of what
has been done in other states. MI
: mcrous Illustrations and plans add
much to the practical usefulness Of this
article.
| Along the fine of suggestions in this
article is the work of the School I'M
provemcnt League of Maine, and the
reports of It's officers appear later in
the volume. Since this League was or
ganized in 1898, through the efforts of
, Mr.. StctSon, there have been enrOilc;
, as members over 10000 persons. of
whom GO,GOO have been public school
pupils. At the beginning of the present
school year, 512 teachers were at the
! lead of local Leagues throughout the
State. The work done by this organi-
Zation for the Improvement CT school
buildings and grounds cannot be APP
preciatcd by those who are not familiar
with the rural schools of Maine Hun
dreds of school buildings have been
made more attractive; school grounds
have been enlarged; trees have been
ldnted, and the pupils and parents
given an interest in the school sur
roundings, and this is the actual work,
which has wrought most extensive and
beneficial results.
The second important in the volume
is AN Experiment in Child Study" in
Producing the returns received from
III teachers throughout the State, Civ
ing the detailed data as to their ex-
iFcrimentS and observations with the
tendencies, work, manners. habits and
capacity of the young pupils under their
,charge. Another important article pre-
pared by Mr.. Stetson is entitled STUDY
of Public School System, with Regard
to Scope, instruction. Organization,
Present Condition and Needs"
The last half of the report is given
over to common schools statistics
| W ilitl SiloW liidl inc NI.DIc NUMBER OF
persons of school age in Maine in 1903.
was 214,125, Il gain of 1899 over 1902.
The whole number attending the COM
mon schools during the year was 1872
415, which is a decrease of LEE over
the number attending in 1902 The
leverage registered attendance per term
and the average daily attendance per
term also show q marked decrease over
1902, a condition of things which is not
at all satisfactory, in view of the in
ceased number of persons in the State
Of school age. The number of different
teachers employed in this State during
TIC year was 1894, and of this total.
only $3.50 were continued in the same
school throughout the whole year. The
number of teachers, who are graduates
Of NsIIEai .;choJ:s. Was 1,JS..
The total amount paid for teachers
services and board, and for janitors
services in the whole State in 1903 was
$l,229,979 an increase of $574O2 over
the amount paid in 1902. The amount
expended for new buildings and re-
Fairs during the Year was S399OJ1, an
; increase of $91,23i over the previous
years.
The whole number of schools in the
state in 1903 was ASH, a gain of 81
. from the previous year. The number
or graded schools WAS $50. OF ungraded
; schools, 2,S01. OF the schools in Maine
2,7S7 are located in rural communities:
1.dt3 in villages and 1852 in cities. The
city schools in Maine for the year made
Il gain of 1854 in the number of pupils
Registered, while the village schools
) show a great decrease of 1.19S pupils
. from the number registered in 1902
In the rural schools there was q de-
: crease of 57S in the number of pupils.
The number of Maine schools having Ii
j., braries is $50. with 1882 volumes. a
gain in volumes in school libraries for
the year of 5,2f1.
| Of the 3,949 school houses in Maine.
3.2I5 are reported in good condition.
though just what is regarded as good
condition" is not evident from the re-
port, and probably varies in different
communities. During the year- there
!, were 81 school buildings built in Maine.
at Il cost of $305,11l. 1t is interesting
Vic note that c.059 Maine schoolhouses
fare supplied with flags. as the result
|of the patriotic movement which was
Ilnau%uratcd few years ago. The re-
port estimates the total value of school
property in the State at $4.f9S 800 The
total expenditure for common schools
in the State during the year was ST.
952,0S3, an increase of S1J1.51s over
l1302.
| TIE report shows that there zero
ir 1903. 237 free High schools receiving
aid from the State, an increase of IA
over 1902. There We're 1880 puniIe
registered in these high schools. with
M average attendance of 11.462. OF
those attending the free high schools
1854 were from rural communities.
I3,lIS from villages, and 3.G3S from cities
The number of graduates from those
schools in 1908 was 1925. Il decrease of
s., over the number graduating in 100,
lOf those pursuing the college prenara-
tory course, 4S3 have signifcd their in
Itcntion of entering Maine colleges. 1i1
Of entering other colleges. ana 12S of
lentering technical schools In those
matters Of school statistics. the totals
are given for each county in the state
showing in detail the conditions in
| oyerv town, city and territory