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PLYMOUTH PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1649 00135 2662
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https://archive.org/details/annualreportofto1865unse
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE V
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
TOWN OF PLYMOUTH.
PREPARED BY THE
Superintendent of Public Schools.
1865-6.
HIK 974.48 ANA
1865-69
PUBLIC LIBRARY
PLYMOUTH ASS.
PLYMOUTH: Memorial and Rock Press. 1866.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
TOWN OF PLYMOUTH,
PREPARED BY THE
Superintendent of Public Schools.
1865-6.
PLYMOUTH: Memorial and Rock Press. 1866.
PLYMOUTH PUBLIC LIBRARY
156
108.1 - 1865-6
145
REPORT.
To the School Committee :
Gentlemen : - In reviewing the work accomplished in our schools, I feel that we have cause for unusual satisfaction in the skillful manner in which the schools have been conducted, and in the progress shown at the closing examinations. All our teachers have manifested that interest in their duties which, when united with intelligence and skill, insures success ; and I believe it would not be in my power to point out a single case of culpable negligence. They differ, of course, in capacity to teach ; but they have accomplished everything within their power.
We are fortunate in having a body of teachers so well quali- fied to perform the duties of their office as ours mnost unques- tionably are. Many of them have had a long experience in their profession ; others, though young, have those faculties which, in some measure, supercede the necessity of long expe- rience ; by their ready insight they arrive at results which oth- ers must reach through the labor of years. It has been my policy for some years past, to observe those in our schools who distinguish themselves by their scholarship and good conduct, and whenever an opportunity occurs, to secure their services for the Town in the capacity of teachers. In this way, we have obtained a class of young teachers who are able to fill almost any position that we may have to offer them.
It is to be regretted that employment cannot be given to all those graduates of our schools who offer themselves as teach- ers. The number of applicants is very large, and the number of vacancies very small ; so that those that have the supervis-
4
ion of the schools ought not to be held responsible, if many young persons, of promising abilities, should not obtain the situation which they seek. Rotation in office is not a policy which ought to be adopted in the management of our schools, however practicable in other departments of life ; a teacher should retain his position if he wishes it, so long as he is able to perform its duties.
In offering that appreciation that is so justly due to our teachers, I ought to say that I am very well aware that the ex- celleney of our schools depends almost entirely upon their la- bors ; and that it is through their efforts that we are able to take so honorable a position in educational affairs. The pro- gress which the most advanced towns have made, we may fair- ly claim for ourselves ; and in our failures, we have the conso- lation of knowing that they are the failures of the educational world at large. No one, intelligent in such matters, can have failed to observe in all schools how much time is lost in memo- rizing lessons which are not understood, in pursuing studies which are unsuited to the years of the learner, and in the dis- proportionate amount of time devoted to the study of words, when compared with that given to the study of the properties and relations of things, to science, to nature.
Most of our experienced teachers are fully aware of the im- perfections of the methods which they practice, but know not how to escape from them, because, perhaps, they find it too difficult to form new ones. All methods, to be the best, must, in all things, conform to the laws of the development of the faculties of the mind. In vain do we try to teach a child what it is not constituted to understand, or to impart a knowledge of a subject, suitable to its years, by a method which is not in ac- cordance with the natural growth of the intellect of the learner. In both cases our labor is worse than lost; a lasting injury is done to the nature of the child. Teachers, with very few ex- ceptions, are dependent upon the text-book for their order of unfolding a subject, and it is very difficult, or rather impossi- ble, for them to exclude the errors and supply the deficiencies of a poor school-book.
5
Almost all the elementary books which we are obliged to use in our schools, seem to me to be the result of an erroneous the- ory ; a theory which supposes that children begin to learn best by acquiring a knowledge of systems, whilst they naturally be- gin in a very different way; by the accumulation of isolated facts which are pleasing to their untutored minds. Afterwards, system creeps in, to co-ordinate their scattered knowledge, and to reduce it to a convenient form. Children have good mem- ories and little power of generalization, and when we impose our scientific treatises upon them, they do the best thing in their power-they commit them to memory without understand- ing them, and delude themselves, as well as some of us, into the belief that they are advancing rapidly in learning.
These school books, not being suited to the minds of chil- dren, do not, of course, supply the wants of teachers. When a scholar, commencing the study of geography, is confronted with the definitions of imaginary lines formed on the maps be- fore him, and furnished with very condensed analyses of the various governments in use among men, he is amazed, and soon learns that his only resource is his memory, and he be- takes himself to that. The teacher, finding ideas are out of the question, and unwilling to omit that which is set down in the book to be learned, accepts the memory of the child, and hopes that the good time may come, when the scholar shall have more understanding and the book less dulness; and he seldom hopes entirely in vain. The result, however, would have been reached much sooner, much more pleasantly and much more thoroughly, if the book had undertaken to give only a general conception of the earth's form, and to tell inter- esting stories about the wonderful things on its surface, until the child's mind had become able by degrees to comprehend the science of geography.
At a certain point in the course of study marked out for his school, the teacher finds that his scholars must enter upon the study of English grammar. One of the best books on the sub- ject is placed in the hands of each of the class, and the teacher
6
is required to make them understand it, if he can. He per- ceives that grammar is the systematized knowledge of the structure of language, obtained from observation, by some of the most acute minds, and that his scholars, not having any knowledge to systematize, are not in a condition to appreciate this process. He frequently hears the question, What is the use of grammar? He expostulates and expounds, but the question is still repeated ; and in nine cases out of ten, he fails to convince his scholars that grammar has any use at all. It must be admitted, however, that some important knowledge and valuable mental discipline may be derived from this study as at present conducted, but an immense cost of wearisome toil and priceless time, aggravated, perhaps, when it is too late, by the reflection that all this culture might have been ob- tained at a much cheaper rate, if the subject had been treated in a rational manner from the beginning. The proper method would be, I think, to have the child commence writing simple sentences, as a daily exercise ; increasing, by degrees, the com- plexity of the composition, and subjecting it always to severe criticism, until the scholar, by actual experience in writing his own language, feels the want of system : then he will be pre- pared to begin the study of English grammar.
But in every department of instruction, we force children away from the interesting facts which they would rapidly as- similate, and stuff them with learning which they cannot di- gest. Nations advance from the savage state to the highest civilization, by observing, first, the simplest facts ; then the more complex ones ; finally, they arrive at the highest science. So it undoubtedly holds with children. They proceed from facts to principles ; from the concrete to the abstract; from miscellaneous knowledge to the most comprehensive science ; and if we would teach them successfully, we must follow the same order.
Every year, doubtless, we improve our educational methods. The intense thought, the numerous experiments, the competi- tion of so many minds in the improvement of books and the
7
method of using them, must result in eliminating many errors, and increasing our store of truth.
Very much of the success of our schools depends upon the excellence of our school-houses. Of these, the larger number are good buildings, pleasantly situated and in good repair. There are some exceptions, however, and these, it seems to me, ought to be attended to immediately. The improvement which I have observed in some of our schools, after removing them from dingy and uncomfortable rooms to others bright and cheerful, has been so great, that I am sure the interest of the town demands that the school-houses should not only be kept in repair, but that improvements in location and building should be made whenever practicable. There are two of these houses to which I have referred before in my reports, which are so badly situated, that they are really discreditable to the town. I mean the two primary school-houses - the one in School Street, the other in Doten's Alley. I do not know that there is any- thing in these two buildings themselves, that would render sat- isfactory improvement impracticable ; but the location, in both cases, is so very objectionable, that removing the houses or erecting new ones, is the only thing to be done. The building in School St., could not, I think, be got out of the street in which it stands, so that a new building seems necessary. A proper location for it would be near the Russell Street school- house, where the Town owns sufficient land for the purpose. The cost of a house, suitable for a primary school, might be fif- teen hundred dollars.
The primary school-house in Doten's Alley is quite a good building, and might easily be moved to another situation, where the senses would not be offended by the presence of objects which are the subject of constant complaint on the part of all who are acquainted with the surroundings of the school-house. It is placed in the immediate neighborhood of two stables, one of which is peculiarly offensive. The yard is also so small that the children are obliged to go into the street to play, where they often find mud and other filth, which are insufferable. An-
8
other source of annoyance is the fact that the house stands in the back part of the lot, so that all out-houses must stand in front. All this inconvenience might be avoided by the ex- penditure of a sum of money sufficient to purchase a new lot, as the building might be removed with the proceeds from the sale of the ground on which it now stands.
In conducting the examinations at the close of the year, I made use of written questions, in accordance with the plan adopted three years ago. In the graded schools in the central part of the Town, all scholars were promoted from one school to another who answered correctly 60 per cent. of the questions submitted. The scholars were assembled in the rooms of those teachers who were about to receive them if they passed their examination successfully. All books were re- moved, and no assistance of any kind was given. The ques- tions in each study were prepared by myself, and handed to the teachers the day before the examination was to commence. No scholar was hurried in his work, all the time being allowed that could be of any use. The High School occupied a whole week ; the time of the lower schools was proportioned to their studies. I have never seen scholars work with more persist- ency and intensity. But few failed, and these have to re- main another year in the schools in which they belonged be- fore.
I prefer this mode of examination for many reasons ; it gives a well defined outline of what is required of each teacher, who may know, at any time, from the printed questions of last year about what will be required this ; it proposes something tangi- ble for the scholars to work for, which is a great advantage, and it is perfectly impartial, giving all scholars an equal chance for promotion.
Respectfully submitted,
CHARLES BURTON.
Plymouth, April 1, 1866.
9
PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.
Arithmetic.
1254
56789
4678429
6783
78943
2349002
4653
24678
3567891
3212
45789
7890087
6893
32107
3465679
From 9567
84789
6742354
Take 8356
75098
5.850405
789321
42567864
5)5432165
7)578432159
6
25
-
Numbers to be written :
25
401
360014
56700032
1026
4567891
430043201
23401
57896701
5670000304
Geography.
1. What ocean is on the north of North America ?
2. What gulf is east of British America ?
3. What strait separates Russian America from Asia ?
4. What sea is east of Central America ?
5. What river is between the United States and Mexico ?
6. Which is the largest lake in the United States ?
7. What range of mountains in the eastern part of the United States ?
8. What range of mountains in the western part of the United States ?
9. What cape is south of Greenland ?
10. What strait connects Hudson's Bay with the Atlantic ?
2
10
Spelling.
Mourner, Pasture, Presence, Reluctance, Employment, Solitude, Orchard, Benefit, Success, Occasion ..
These questions were submitted to the First class in each of the Primary Schools, and the average number of correct answers were as follows :
O Writing Numbers.
I Arithmetic.
Geography.
Reading.
Spelling.
Mrs. B. J. Austin's School,
.80
.70
.70
.70
.80
Miss E. B. Perkins,
66
.84
.75
.73
.65
.66
Katie Martin's
.84
.80
.77
.73
.51
M. R. Burgess's " ور
.92
.59
.70
.63
.46
H. G. Holmes's
66
.65
.58
.70
.65
.58
C. J. Mace's
.87
.81
.86
.70
.79
SECOND GRADE SCHOOLS.
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.
Arithmetic.
1. Reduce 27€ 15s. 6d. 2qr. to farthings.
2. Reduce 347624qr. to pence, shillings and pounds.
3. If a horse eats 22 lbs. of hay in 1 day, how many tons will he cat in 365 days ?
4. How many gallons of molasses in 24 jugs, cach containing 2 gals. 3 qts. 1 pt .?
5. Reduce 17 yds. 2 qrs. 1 na. to nails.
6. How many pounds of sugar, at 12c per pound, will pay for 12 dozen eggs at 16c per dozen ?
7. A farmer raised 150 bush. 3 pks. 4 qts. of oats, and having sold 50 bush. 2 pks., he used 27 bush. 1 pk. 4 qts .; how many. has he left ?
11
8. If 1 acre of land yield 54 bush. S pks. 6 qts. 1 pt. of corn, what will 64 acres yield ?
9. Divide 1129 gals. 1 qt. 2 pts. by 73.
10. How long will a person be iu saving 150€, if he save 2s. 6d. per week ?
Geography.
1. What island lies east of Greenland ?
2. What countries are in the northern part of South America ?
3. Between what two oceans does the islaud of Terra del Fuc- go lie ?
4. What countries are in the northern part of Europe ?
5. In what part of Sweden is Stockholm ?
6. What bay is north of Spain ?
7. In what direction is Spain from Portugal ?
8. Among what mountains does the Rhone rise ?
9. On what river is Paris situated ?
10. What range of mountains in Norway ?
Spelling.
Hymn, Peaceable, Torrents, Peasant, Twilight, Partridge, Ear- nestly, Approached, Respectable, Consequence.
These questions were submitted to the First Class in each of the Second Grade Schools, and the number of correct answers was as follows :
Arithmetic.
Geography.
Reading.
Spelling.
Miss A. L. Cushman's School,.80
.80
.79
.70
M. B. Robbins'
.77
.76
.76
.53
P. M. Robbins'
.61
.68
.67
.66
S. S. Cornish's
.74
.73
.76
.75
12
THIRD GRADE SCHOOLS.
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.
Arithmetic.
1. Add 31 52, 3, 1% of §.
2. From 5 take 6
31 5.1
53 4 92.
3.1 61
3. Multiply 5 by
4 24.
4. What are the contents of a board 112 inches long and 44 inches wide ?
5. How many pounds of sugar, at 6} cents per pound, can be bought for 960} cents ?.
6. A boy gave ¿ of an orange to one companion, and ¿ of the remainder to another ; how much did he keep for himself?
7. If A owns § of a ship, B }, C }, and D the remainder ; what part of the ship belongs to D ?
8. If 33 cwt. of sugar be taken from a hogshead containing 14 cwt. 1 qr. 62 lbs., how much will remain in the hogshead ?
9. If 4 of a yard of cloth cost $3, what is the price of a yard ? 10. Bought 5 yds. of silk, at $2} per yard ; 17} yds. of lace, at $3} per yard ; and 17 pairs of gloves at $1} per pair ; what is the cost of the whole ?
Geography.
1. How is Morocco bounded ?
2. In what part of Africa is Egypt ?
3. Where is the island of St. Helena ?
4. Between what grand divisions of the earth does the Red Sea lie ?
5. What river separates Upper from Lower Guinea ?
6. To what empire does Thibet belong ?
7. What range of mountains separates Thibet from Hindos- tan ?
13
8. What gulf south of Siam ?
9. What city is the capital of Hindostan ?
10. How is Calcutta situated ;
Spelling.
President, Opportunity, Considerable, Sincerity, Manuscript, Countenance, Assault, Desperate, Enmity, Wrestle.
These questions were submitted to the First Class in each of the Third Grade Schools, and the number of correct answers was as follows :
Arithmetic.
Geography.
Reading.
Spelling.
Miss P. J. Tenney's School,
.70
.83
.77
.88
E. Davie's
.63
.88
.76
.85
" B. Stetson's
.41
.88
.76
.81
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.
Arithmetic.
1. What is the interest of $35.40 for 2 yr. 6 m. 9d .?
2. What is the present worth of $346.50, due in 2 yr. 4 m. 12 d .?
3. What is the annual premium for insuring $6,000 for 7 years, on the life of a man 25 years of age, the rate being .97 of 1 per cent. annually.
4. Sold 6 yards of cloth for $26.88, and gained 12 per cent. on the cloth ; what was the purchase price per yard ?
5. A, B and C hire a pasture for $48. A pastures 3 horses for 8 weeks, B 5 horses for 6 weeks, and C 6 horses for 7 weeks ; what part of the rent must each one pay ?
14
6. A detachment of 2000 soldiers having } of their bread spoiled, were put upon an allowance of 12 oz. each per day for 12 weeks ; what was the whole weight of their bread, good and bad, and how much was spoiled ?
7. If a family of 6 persons spend $600 in 8 months, how many dollars will be required for a family of 10 persons in 14 months ?
8. Two vessels sail from the same port, one due east 40 miles and the other due south 9 miles ; how far apart are they ?
9. What is a mean proportional between 16 and 64 ?
10. A garden whose breadth is 5 rods, and whose length is 13 its breadth, has a wall 32 feet thick and 4 feet high, around it, outside of the line ; what was the cost of this wall at 31c per cu- bic foot ?
Algebra.
1. If three times Anna's age be added to Mary's age, the sum will be thirty-three years ; and three times Mary's age is thirty- seven years less than seven times Anna's. What are their res- pective ages ?
2. Find two such numbers, that the sum of twice the greater added to six times the less, will be thirty-six, and the sum of three times the less added to twice the greater will be twenty- four. What are the numbers ?
3. If 3 times George's books be added to Mary's, the sum will be 23 ; but if 5 times Mary's be taken from 5 times George's, the remainder will be 25. How many books has each ?
4. If the expression 8x + y be divided by 2, and the quo- tient 6x - 3y divided by 3, what will represent the result ?
5. The sum of two numbers is 13, and their difference is 7. What are the numbers ?
6. A farmer has twice as many oxen as horses; and if the number of oxen be multiplied by the number of horses, the pro- duct will be twice the sum of the oxen and horses together. How many of each has he ?
7. A man has $10; he spent a part of it, and the square of
15
what he spent was 9 times what he had left. How many dollars did he spend ?
8. A's money is the cube of B's, and if 20 times B's be taken from A's, the remainder will equal the square of B's. How many dollars has each ?
9. John bought 5 peaches and 3 pears for 21 cents. Andrew, with only § as much money, bought, at the same rate, 2 pears and 1 peach. How much did they pay for 1 of each kind of fruit ?
10. A steamboat, in pursuit of a ship, sails 3 miles while the ship sails 2; but the ship started 5 hours before the steamboat, and averages 8 miles an hour. How many miles must the steam- boat go to overtake the ship, and how many hours will it take to do it ?
Physical Geography.
1. What advantage does Europe derive from the numerous in- dentations of its coasts.
2. What force is supposed to be the cause of volcanic action ?
3. What are springs, and how are they classified ?
4. What advantages result from the winding course of most ri- vers ?
5. What is a lake, and into how many classes may lakes be di- vided ?
6. To what three general movements is the ocean subject ?
7. What causes tides ?
8. What is the Gulf Stream ?
9. Name some of the circumstances on which climate depends.
10. What effect on climate has the cutting down of the forests ?
United States History.
1. Give some account of the first voyage of Columbus across the Atlantic.
2. How was John Smith rescued from death ?
3. Describe the death of King Philip.
4. Give some account of witchcraft in New England.
-
16
5. What was the character of William Penn, and how did he deal with the Indians ?
6. Why did the people of Boston destroy the tea brought them for sale ?
7. Describe the battle of Bunker Hill.
8. Describe the escape of Gen. Putnam at Horseneck.
9. Give an account of the battle of New Orleans.
10. Who was Gen. Taylor ?
English Grammar.
1. How do you distinguish a common from a proper noun ?
2. Give the cases of the nouns in the following sentences : Friend, lend me your horse.
John will bring his book in the evening.
3. Give the mood of each verb in the following sentences: James will arrive at home.
George should study in order that he may advance.
4. Give the tenses in each verb in the following sentences : I shall have been at home two weeks to-morrow.
I should have gone, if I had been able.
5. Parse the personal pronouns in the following sentence :
You and I, indeed may rue this declaration ; we may not live to see it made good.
6. Parse the adjectives in the following sentence :
The days are calm ; the nights are tranquil; the apples drop in the stillest hours.
7. Parse the adverbs in the following sentence :
The pupil has recited remarkably well, and I am, consequently, well pleased with him.
8. Analyze this sentence : Mary must call on the injured boy.
9. Give the principal parts of the following verbs : Make, see, go.
10. Correct the errors in the following sentences : The man called on me, agreeable to promise, John asked William and I to visit him.
17
Spelling.
Scythe, Superstition, Apprenticeship, Archives, Mechanics, Achievements, Disciplinarian, Pageantry, Administrator, Super- scription.
These questions were submitted to the First Class in each of the Grammar Schools, and the number of correct answers was as follows :
Arithmetic.
Algebra. .72
Geography.
E. Grammar.
History.
Reading. .75 .72
Spelling.
Mr. Cornish's School,
.72 .86
.74
Miss Goodridge's School,
.63
.61
.78 .73
.60 .76
.66
HIGH SCHOOL.
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.
Arithmetical Examples.
1. A and B pay $2.25 for a barrel of apples, and 20 cents for the barrel ; A contributes $1.22 and B the remainder. They di- vide the apples equally, and A takes the barrel. Which owes the other ?
. 2. A farmer sold 34 bushels of oats and 26 bushels of corn for $63.10. He received for the corn 34 cents more per bushel than for the oats. What was the price of each per bushel ?
3. Divide $870 among A B and C, so that } of A's money shall be equal to 3 of B's, or 2 of C's.
4. What number is that which 3 part being subtracted from 3, the remainder will be 4 less than & the number ?
5. How far may a person ride in a coach, which goes 10 miles in an hour, so that he may be gone three hours, provided he walk back at the rate of 4 miles an hour ?
3
PLYMOUTH PUBLIC LIBRARY
.64
18
6. How many times is the greatest common divisor of 43, 6}, 77, contained in the least common multiple of the same numbers ?
7. What is the sum of .5 x .006
1'5 of 3 x (1)2 and { of 15 x (2)3
1.6 x.625
8. Bought 4 hhds. of sugar, each containing 1825 lbs., at 6}c per pound,and paid $31.975 for freight, storage and cartage. Al- lowing 5 per cent. for leakage and waste, for how much per pound must I sell it to gain 25 per cent .?
9. Bought a house for $4500, and paid $500 cash ; the balance to be paid in 8 equal annual instalments. What is the mean time for paying the whole ?
10. If the use of $250 for 1 yr. 8 mo. is worth $30, how much is the use of $425.50 for 3 yr, 7 mo. 25 d. worth ?
Average, 50 per cent.
Algebra.
1. What is the value of (a-x)3. 2a % 3 a b. 2 c
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