The morning journal-courier., 1907-12-17
Dr. Hart Deplores Conditions in the Country Dis
 tricts.
STATE IS STANDING STILL
Progress Which Put Connecticut on a Par With Europe
 Stopped.


 In his lecture pr. Hart deplored the fact that the country schools of Con- necticut have falleu from the position which the schools of the state once held. He said that at one time the schools of Connecticut were better than any in the United States and wore on par with those of Northern Europe. Now, he said, the schools of Connecti- cut are equal to those of any state in the union, but fall short os thoso of northern Europe.
 One of the reasons for this, said Dr. Hart, is the self-saisfaction of the peo- pie of the state over their schools and i the fact that they did not try to pro- gress beyond a certain point.
 Another Is the fact that the state is | divided into too large a number of dis tricts. This was more so the case in l former times, when there were 1923 dis tricts in the state A while ago the state passed laws so that the towns could consolidate the school districts and this has been gradually done, with very good results. No longer is it 50 easy, said Dr, Hart, to fill public school position with the niece of com mitteemans wife, when the niece has not even had high school education. He spok in favor of further consoli- dation of the districts.
 After the address was finished Henry G. Newton said that 1t would be a good tling if copy was given to all tho I legislators before the next general as- sembly. He said that if the matter was delayed until after the opening of the general assembly. none of the rep resentatives or senators would read it.
 Chief Justice Simeon F. Baldwin stated In regard to the trust funds of the schools given the state after the Jefferson administration and which were devoted to educational purposes, that as soon as these funds were gone , the country school districts were given up,
 . Further speakers brought forward the fact that the country towns often do not srnrrove the schools with the state appropriations, but hire the same teachers and use the money for other purposes.
 Dr. Lambert, former superintendent of the Westville schools, spoke briefly on the ways which the teachers of the state were trying to remedy existing conditions.
 4 brief summary Of Dr, Hart's ad- dress is The early settlers of both Hartford and New Haven colonies full
 ly realized the importance both to the
 individual and state education of the
 children and schools were started shortly after the settlements of each
 colony Scholars were to read and
 write that they study the Word of God and read the statutes. An early code r required all settlements Of fifty house. nolds to maintain a school and a little
 later settlements of one hundred house. t holds were to maintain a grammar |, school. A second code of 1872 required each county to malntain grammar 9 school. At that time the colonies were four in number Hartford, New Haven,
 New London, Fairfield. The school 5 year was nine months, though in some r of the smaller towns six months was 4 a school year. In 1890 the school hours :. were from 6 to ii a, m. and to , P. nj. Taxes were 40 shillings to the 1000 . pounds, equal to two mills on the dol y lar. In TOP the law for schools sub
 stituted parish boundary instead of
 a town boundary. In 1T75 there were F in the state 73 towns, but 190 parishes
 having schools. The first school fund sgwas derived from the sale of western lands, not lands In the far west, but
 the sale of lands in the northwest part
 of the state, now Litchheld county.
 The income was divided among the 5S
 towns of that time. A further fund
 was created by selling the surplus
 land in highways, many of whom were
 laid out 100 feet wide. Later further
 and larger source of the school fund
 was the selling in i795 to the Con-
 necticut Land company, an organiza-
 ton formed of 55 people to purchase
 the lands in Ohio, commonly known as
 the Western Reserve, for the sum of
 $1, 100000 by 1910 this fund has in-
 creased by sl99,000. An office was cre-
 ated known as commissioner of the
 school fund, and James Hillhousc of
 New Haven resigned his seat in the
 United States senate to become the
 first holder of the office
 He brought great executive ability
 to the office and systematized the col
 lection and distribution of it's income.
 After fifteen years, in 1925, Seth P.
 Beers became commissioner. The fund
 now amounted to $2.050,000, and the
 income was apportoned to the towns
 according to the number of children
 in each town from four to sixteen
 years of age. In 1850 the amount dl-
 vided was $1.50 per head, ip 1875 it
 was $1.10 per head, in 1894 75 cents
 Mention was also made of the town - deposit school fund derived from the
 distribution in 1887 among the state :. of the surplus of the United States l government of $35,000 900. Mention 1 was made of the Lancasterian systenr 1 also the growth of the system of acad- ! emies In 1889 school districts were 1 appointed corporate bodies with power 1 to lay and collect taxes; but by dS6G it was found that for effective work I ing there were too large a number oi 1 these independent republics, known as school districts At that date Daniel c. Gilman, later president of Hopkins university, reported that 162 towns oi 1 the state had 1923 school districts
 In New Haven city these districts werC ! consolidated into one district, though I Westville, in the town of New Haven | maintained separate school district I At the close of the address a vote oi 1 thanks was given the speaker for hi; 1 valuable contribution to the history O