Year: 1870

EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS IN THE


COUNTY.


Thirteen townships and four Dor
oughs compose the districts of the
county,-seventeen in all. Milford
increased its number of schools by
the organization Of new sub-district


Four new school houses were erect.
ed and occupied during the year one
respectively in Walker, Milford Tus.
carora and Beale. They are all four
good substantial buildings and suita
bly, furnished. Three are well located.
The one in Beale is too near public
roads, it is also too small to accommo.
date, conveniently, the wants of the
district The one in Walker is an
elegant brick structure, twenty eight
by thirty-six feet, with twelve feet
ceiling. The one in Milford is of
frame,-the same size as the above
with eleven feet ceiling.


1t is gratifying 10 notice quite a
commeLdab.e spirit for improvement
in the location of school houses. OF
the four erected during the year there
is 70 exception to the location but
the one. More care has been exer-
cised in furnishing school houses than
formerly.


1t is to be regretted that no i'm
provement has taken place during the
year in school grounds. l do most
sincerely hope that the teachers of the
county will also take an interest in
this much needed Improvement, and
urge it on the attention of boards Of
directors. A little prompting, l think,
is all that is necessary to put the en-
terprise on foot. When once COM
menced others will take example from
the good work already begun.


The school board of Tuscarora dis
trict increased their school term from
four to five months, but to some ex-
tent offset this by decrease in their
teachers salaries from $50 to $33 per
month. TLey also did away with the
District SUPPLEMENTARY, which was
another step backward in the line of
progress.


But four of the actual teachers of
the county have attended a State
Normal School Four now are in at
tendance. Twentv-nine of the teach
ers who were engaged in teaching last
winter attended the County Normal
School, at Thompsontowr, in charge
of Mr.. Augustus Baum and County
Superintendent. 1t is quite a HIM
drance to our progress that more Of
our teachers do not attend State Nor
NAL Schools; but we think the signs
are now favorable for this desiIable
improvement. Twice the number are
in attendance the present year than in
any former one since my connection
with the schools of the county. About
81 per cent of all the teachers en-
gagged last term had received Normal
instruction previous to taking charge
of their schools, and 80 per cent of
the whole have read educational works.
This is pleasing feature in our pro-
gress, and we hope the day is not far
distant when no candidate for the
teachers Office will think of applying
at public examination for certifi-
cate, or to board of directors for
school without being able, in addition
TO actual scholarship, to give at least
some evidence of ability to teach.


There has been evidence during the
last year of an increasing disposition
on the part of many of our directors
to more fully carry into effect both
the spirit and letter of the school law
by refusing utterly to employ teach
ers, or to let them take charge Of
schools at all until they were legally
qualified to do SO. This we think
will have the efec: Of lessening the
number Of laggards who formerly
kept aloof from the regular examina-
tions, fully aware of their incompe-
tency, but trusting that the scarcity
of teachers would enable them to get