USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > North Reading > Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers 1856 > Part 1
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RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES
OF THE
Town of North Reading,
FROM
MARCH 1, 1855, TO MARCH 1, 1856;
AND THE
REPORT
OF THE
SUPERINTENDING SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
BOSTON: J. C. FRENCH'S STEAM PRESSES, 15, WASHINGTON ST. 1856.
٠٠
RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES
OF THE
Town of North Reading,
FROM
MARCH 1, 1855, TO MARCH 1, 1856 ;
AND THE
REPORT
OF THE
SUPERINTENDING SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1
BOSTON: J. C. FRENCH'S STEAM PRESSES, 15, WASHINGTON ST. 1856:
1
NAMES, AGES AND CONDITION OF THE INMATES OF THE ALMSHOUSE.
AGES.
Daniel Burton,
64 years.
Jotham McIntire,
67
*Betsey McIntire,
79
66
Phebe Flint,
60
66
Rebecca Floyd, insane,
49
Amy Wardwell,
91
Jane McIntire,
27
66
John P. McIntire,
2
66
Mary S. McIntire,
16
Lucilla A. McIntire,
11
Frederic C. McIntire,
10
Helen M. Smith,
16
George Smith,
2
66
*Died March 19, 1855.
Whole number, 13.
Average, 66
8.
Present,
7.
INVENTORY OF PERSONAL PROPERTY.
2 Oxen,
$160 00
5 Cows,
150 00
Hay, Corn, Fodder and Straw,
237 00
Grain and Meal,
34 06
Fowls and Swine,
26 50
Wood and Lumber,
265 30
Farming Utentils,
140 41
Household Furniture, Crockery, Bedding, &c.
263 59
Provisions,
214 25
Seeds,
1 50
Engine Hose,
71 00
Manure,
50 00
$1613 71
March 1, 1856.
4
EXPENSES CONNECTED WITH THE POOR AT THE ALMSHOUSE.
Paid for West India Goods and Groceries,
$100 19
66
Flour,
36 50
66
Meat,
70 16
Fish,
3 84
Bread,
5 11
Grain and Meal,
85 90
Clothes, Bedding and Shoes,
51 54
Stock and Swine,
11 28
Farming Utensils,
23 73
66 Seeds,
1 50
60 Household Furniture, .
39 33
Coffin,
4 50
Hired Labor,
172 53
66 Blacksmith's Bill,
18 89
Sawing Lumber,
16 69
Physician's Bill,
50
School District Tax,
18 44
Miscellaneous Expenses,
13 52
Salary of Keeper,
247 80
$921 95
CREDITS AND RECEIPTS.
By Timber and Lumber sold,
$387 26
" Wood
8 50
" Produce
169 51
" Stock
165 85
" Labor done off the Farm,
212 42
" Entertainment of sundry Persons,
25 71
$969 25
Balance in favor of the Almshouse,
$47 30
SAMUEL P. BREED, Overseers LYSANDER UPTON, of the
MARCH 1, 1856. BENJAMIN EAMES, Poor.
-
5
ORDERS DRAWN BY THE SELECTMEN.
For supplies for the Almshouse,
$86 03
For expenses of the Poor out of the Almshouse.
For the family of Charles Taylor, $11 90
" Supplies for Mrs. Nancy Moore in 1854, 9 00
" 1855, 7 00
"
" Hellen Smith's child,
12 00
- $39 90
For Services of Town Officers.
Charles P. Howard, as Town Clerk, $12 00 for recording Births, Deaths, and other services, 35 44
$47 44
Samuel P. Breed, as Selectman, Assessor, and
Overseer of Poor, $57 28
Lysander Upton, as do. do. do. do. 37 50
Benjamin Eames, as do. do. do. do. 28 53
-
$123 31
Sumner S. Abbott, as Treasurer and Collector,
$45 00
Sumner S. Abbott, for extra official duty, 10.00
--
$55 00
Thomas N.Jones as Superintend'g School Committee, $21 00
Henry R. Parmenter, as do. do. do., 25 50
Frederick F. Root, as do. do. do., 18 95
-
$65 45.
Sylvester Eaton, as Constable,
$15 00
Charles Weston, as do.,
17 00
$32 00
Samuel P. Breed, for journeys out of town,
$4 85
Benjamin Eames, for do. do. do., 3 25
$8 10
Amount carried forward,
$457 23
1
6
Amount brought forward,
$457 23
Samuel P. Breed, for perambulating Town Lines,
$2 25
Lysander Upton, for do. do. do. Benjamin Eames, for do.,
3 00
1 50
$6 75
For Distribution of School Money.
Franklin School District,
$189 77
School District No. 1,
189 77
2,
189 77
3,
189 76
66
4,
189 77
- -
$948 84
For Expense of Roads.
For timber and lumber for roads and bridges,
$16 11
" Repairing do. do.
190 77
" Extra Highway work,
14 47
$221 35
For Clearing Snow from Highways.
Eliab Stone's
district,
$9 00
Isaac Flint's
4 87
George Flint, 2nd's "
8 00
David G. Eaton's
23 42
Albert H. Holt's
40 67
Timothy Dame's
13 28
Sewell Flint's
10 00
Abijah Flint'
16 25
Charles Norwood's "
29 00
John B. Campbell's "
12 80
Charles F. Flint's "
14 75
$182 04
For Miscellaneous Expenses.
For Printing Annual Report, $20 00
" Obtaining "
2 75
Amount carried forward, $1816 21
-
7
$1816 21
Amount brought forward,
or Interest on Notes,
174 00
" John Allen, for support of Mrs. Amy Ward- well and loss of horse, 65 00
" Books, Stationery and Postage, 9 63
" Survey of road and expenses in 1854, 7 00
6 48
" Expenses of sale of land at auction,
35 16
" Notes and interest,
150 00
" Liquors furnished Town Agent,
" B. F. Butler, as counsel for temperance committee,
50 00
" State tax,
421 95
" County tax,
12 00
" Board of Addison McIntire in House of Correction,
52 00
" Board of Stephen McIntire in do. do.,
$13 00
" Setting Stone Monument,
1 25
" School Books,
41
" Use of hall for Collector and Assessors,
3 00
" Gravel,
37 50
" Salary of Town Agent,
12 15
" Overtaxation of sundry persons,
49 31
" Abatement of taxes,
-
$2801 29
Total,
$4617 50
SAMUEL P. BREED, LYSANDER UPTON,
BENJAMIN EAMES,
Selectmen of North Reading.
MARCH 1, 1856.
wood
1337 67
324 03
" Use of Vestry,
17 00
8
16
TREASURER'S REPORT. CREDITS AND RECEIPTS. Rec'd of Town of Pepperell for Charles Taylor's family,
$11 90
16 Selectmen for Sale of Land at Auction, 366 12
Wood
2031 37
Overseers of Poor, 133 33
Town Agent for Sale of Liquors, 120 03
48 84
Receiv'd Taxes after being remitted,
3 00
66
Tax List committed to collect, 2904 80
Hired Money, 700 00
Paid to order of Selectmen,
4617 50
Balance in favor of the Town, $1701 89
against the Town last year in favor of Treasurer, 106 70
Actual Balance in favor of the Town, $1595 19
Outstanding Notes, $2300 00
Interest on the same,
126 40
Total Liabilities of the Town, $2426 40
SUMNER S. ABBOTT, Treas. and Coll.
March 1, 1856.»
TOWN AGENT'S ACCOUNT.
Paid for Liquors, &c., $430 23 Agent's Salary, 37 50
$467 73
Received for Liquors sold,
$400 26
Liquors &c., on hand,
62 14
$462 40
Nett loss,
$5 33
A
SAMUEL P. BREED, Selectmen LYSANDER UPTON,
of
MARCH 1, 1856. BENJAMIN EAMES, North Reading.
The undersigned, Auditing Committee, have examined the accounts of the Town and find them correct and properly vouched for. THOMAS ABBOTT, Auditing CHAS. F. FLINT, Committee.
$6319 39
Massachusetts School Fund,
REPORT
OF THE
Superintending School Committee.
To the Citizens of North Reading :
Your Committe having attended to the duties assigned them, submit to your consideration the following
REPORT:
The teachers who were elected to our Public Schools and served through the current year, are as follows :-
FRANKLIN.
Miss Emily Parsons, - - Summer and Winter Terms.
CENTRE.
Miss Eliza A. Smith, Mr. Charles H. Hersey, -
Summer Term. Winter Term.
EAST WARD.
Miss Charlotte Flint, Miss O. M. Richardson,
- Summer Term. Winter Term.
WEST WARD.
Miss Lucy A. Tucker, Miss Abby Holt, - -
Summer Term. Winter Term.
NORTH WARD.
Miss Abby Holt, Mr. R. E. Griffin, -
Summer Term. Winter Term.
STATISTICAL TABLE .- SUMMER SCHOOLS.
DISTRICTS.
FRANKLIN.
CENTRE.
1 E. WARD.
-
W. WARD.
-
N. WARD.
TOTAL.
Length of School in months, .
5 mo. 2 days.
23 mos.
4₺ mos.
4 mos.
34 mos.
Wages of Teacher per month,
$20 00
$20 00
$20 00
$24 00
$24 00
20 m. 17 d. $108 00 $447 00
Whole Number of Scholars, .
53
63
34
51
32
233
Between the ages of 5 and 15,
41
57
34
45
28
205
Under 5 years of age,
9
5
0
6
2
22
Over 15 "
3
1
0
0
2
6
Average daily attendance,
39
45
25
34
17
160
Number visits of S. S. Committee,
12
13
10
12
10
57
2
1
0
0
3
66
Citizens,
46
60
26
28
17
177
WINTER SCHOOL.
Length of School in months, .
24 mo.
2 mo. $48 00
31. mos. $24 00
2g mos.
2% mos.
13 mo. $161 00
Amount received by Teacher,
$60 00
$96 00
$84 00
$75 00
$87 50
$402 50
Whole Number of Scholars, .
55
56
41
48
30
230
Between the ages of 5 and 15,
45
52
38
48
19
202
Under 5 years of age, Over 15 "
8
0
1
0
2
11
2
4
2
0
9
17
Average daily attendance,
40
46
33
40
23
182
Number visits of S. S. Committee, .
7
15
11
10
8
51
66
P. Committee,
0
2
1
0
0
3
Citizens,
53
40
34
15
9
141
.
$102 00
$75 00
$90 00
$96 00
$84 00
Amount received by Teacher,
.
1
Wages of Teacher per month,
$24 00
$30 00
$35 00
.
Prudential Committee,
3
TEXT BOOKS USED.
Bible, Russell's Introductory and Common School Read- er, Worcester's Second and Third Reading Books, Worces- ter's Primmer, Emerson's Spelling Book, Emerson's Arith- metic, First Part, Colburn's First Lessons, Greenleaf's In- troduction and National Arithmetic, Greenleaf's Algebra, Wells' Grammar, Mitchel's Primary and large Geography, Cutter's Physiology, Abercrombie's Mental Philosophy, Comstock's Natural Philosphy, History of the United States, Worcester's and Webster's Dictionaries.
Writing, Drawing, Composition and Declamation form parts of School exercise. In addition to these exercises, your Committee recommend Vocal Music.
REMARKS.
Another year of effort to mould the intellectual and liter- ary character of the children in our public schools is past. Many suppose a work like this an easy task. But actual experience shows that it is only with much care, solicitude, and the faithful application of the talents of the best teachers, that any good and satisfactory degree of success can be the result in carrying through a term of school. No person of one or two accomplishments - as book-knowledge, and skill in governing pupils, let these be of the first order - is qual- ified to perform properly the duty of teaching the young.
Instructing in the common schools has been looked on as a very common affair, and within the range of very moder- ate capacities to successfully perform. But in reality, there is no vocation extant, which require so wide a range of versatile talents, as that of teaching the elementary sciences to children - with the indispensable moral culture which should attend such instruction. If the person standing in the place of teacher, cannot readily, properly and attractively impart his knowledge to pupils, however great that knowl-
4
edge may be, he is worthless to his profession. If he does not also cherish a spirit of commendable ambition to excel in his profession, he is equally worthless. If the pay he is to receive at the close of the term, be the chief attraction, and motive for engaging the school,-and more than one teacher has given reason to suspect this truth of them,- and he is worse than worthless ; he is a positive and lasting injury to the school, and a disgrace to his profession.
As it will be conceded by all candid and intelligent citizens, that we cannot afford, as a town, to make uncertain experiments with the education, mind, heart and development of the young, your committee would earnestly recommend that the gentlemen appointed by the different Wards for the engagement of teachers, - extraordinary circumstances ex- cepted,-should contract with none but those of good schol- arship, experience and established reputation. This recom- mendation is enforced by the well known fact seen in the yearly school-history of our town ; that the employment of such teachers has invariably resulted in good schools.
For the current school year past, we have been favored in part with such teachers. We take pleasure to make honora- ble mention of Mr. CHARLES H. HERSEY, of N. H., who taught the winter school in the Centre Ward; Miss ABBY HOLT, of Andover, teacher in the North and West Wards, and Miss EMILY PARSONS, of Lynnfield, teacher for the year in the Franklin School. Other teachers of less experience did well, but those named in this Report have made their schools almost all that we could desire. Miss Parsons, so well and favorably known among us as a highly successful teacher, has, much to our regret, been called away, and pro- moted to the boys' Grammar School in Chelsea. Mr. Hersey and Miss Holt we hope may be secured to our schools for terms to come.
For the praise of our town, it should be said, that we pay liberally for teaching; enough to secure the best talent ; and if our co-laborers, the Prudential Committees, will take
5
from us the friendly suggestion ; to begin in season to look out teachers, and choose them directly with the view of their experience, and reputation as good teachers, they will best fulfil their duties. In that way they can co-operate in a most efficient manner for the prosperity and elevation of our educational system.
Through circumstances beyond the control of the Pruden- tial Committee, a corps of indifferent teachers in part could only be obtained the past season. Several candidates who were presented, the Superintending Committee felt compelled to reject, after a long and patient examination of their qual- ifications. And in the end we were moved by the circum- stances of the case, to approbate some, much against our judgment. When the question comes up, shall we have no school, or a poor one ? it becomes extremely difficult to an- swer it to our satisfaction, and that of the inhabitants of the district who have entrusted to us the important situ- ation of guardians to the cause of education.
With the experience of the past year, however, before us, should such an undesirable state of things recur again, we would quite as soon recommend shutting up the school houses, as opening them to incompetent teachers.
The present board of Examining Committee have the repu- tation of being " particular" and " severe" on candidates ; but the experience of years compels us to recommend to those who may serve the town in future in this capacity, that a thorough and impartial examination of the candi- date's qualifications for the office of teacher be made, as the only sure way of uniformly securing the great object for which we yearly expend so much time and money, viz : the education of our youth.
And when once a good teacher is secured, and the term begun, the less of outside interference by parents and guard- ians, in the government and routine of the school the bet- ter. It should be wisely presumed, that the teacher knows better how to govern a school, arrange the studies, and in-
6
flict the necessary discipline, than any other person outside. Especially should parents be cautioned how they speak disparagingly of instructors in the presence of their children who are members of the school. Admitting that it is a " bad school," this course makes it worse, and robs the pupils of the little benefit they might otherwise obtain. So also should parents and guardians be careful not to give orders to children attending school, that conflict with the established laws of schools and the wholesome regulations of teachers. No child should ever be placed in the puz- zling dilemma of deciding which to obey, the commands of his father, or his teacher. It is a good maxim of old- en time that should be better understood in this-" in school, obey school laws ; at home, obey home laws; in going and coming from school, obey both the laws of school and of home, which should never conflict, but be in substance, - go quietly, quickly, and scholarlike from the one place to the other, offending no person, and meddling not with things forbidden."
The long-practiced custom of giving " permits" or orders for the " dismission" of scholars before the close of school, with a very few exceptions, is an unmitigated evil,-should be so regarded and discontinued.
The school day divided into two sessions of three hours each, is certainly little time enough to be engaged in study, if study is considered worth the expenditure of any time at all. So that the scholar had better go to school to remain there during the day's session, or stay at home for the day. Let it either be study, or work, for the time, if the benefit of the scholar is at all worthy of consideration.
A male teacher could, we think, be employed the next winter with good results in the East Ward school. The school would thereby be shortened, but its order and gen- eral good greatly improved.
In the schools the coming summer let us avoid if possible the troublesome experience of the past. Let candidates for
7
teachers be selected from females of a less tender age than that of sixteen. Youth is no crime in a teacher, but may result in things mortifying to her, and unprofitable to em- ployers. Especially do we hope that the town may be saved from the infliction of the last summer - an inundation by a flood of young girls as candidates for the responsible offices of teachers. Some who came before the Examining Com- mittee to be approbated as instructors should have been pupils in the second classes of district schools, studying their spelling books and grammars.
The several districts should prohibit the furnishing of soft wood for our school houses, except a small quantity for kin- dling. Hard, dry wood or nothing for the school room in winter, and a steady fire at that. Few constitutions have iron enough in them to withstand the fluctuating temperature of the school rooms we visited this and the last winter. Enough of our youth will unavoidably die of consumption, without this alternate roasting and chilling process.
As it is presumed that no sensible parent would knowing- ly and willingly fasten on his child the fatal habit of being, " Everything by turns and nothing long,"
let him see to it that when his boy begins the term, that he goes regularly to its close and be present at the final exami- nation. The registers of some of our schools, and the seats of the school room on the day of close presented a most piti- ful spectacle, the former covered with absence marks, and the latter empty to a beggarly degree. As this reprehen- sible practice is countenanced and continued, to the same degree our schools will wane and become worthless.
The best schools in town on the days of our last examina- tions, had their registers least spotted with tardy and absence marks, and the seats well filled with scholars and the area with visitors.
Respectfully submitted,
THOMAS N. JONES,
HENRY R. PARMENTER, FREDERICK F. ROOT.
Super. School Com. of N. Reading.
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