USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newburyport > City Officers and the Annual Reports to the City Council of Newburyport 1878 > Part 8
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In Ward five there are three school houses for five schools, all primary, and all on the Kent street com- mon very near each other. The Buck street boys' Primary is a small one-story wooden building on the corner of the common by Buck and Congress streets. The Congress street, or Davenport school house, is built of brick, and occupied by a girls' Primary school on the second floor and a boys' Primary school on the first floor. The Kent street school is a wooden building of two rooms on the same floor, and is situated on the common at the corner of Kent and Congress streets. In one room is a mixed primary and in the other a girls' Primary school.
Ward six has three school houses occupied by five schools. The brick school house on Forrester street accommodates the girls' Grammar school on the second floor and a boys' Grammar school on the first. The Ashland street school house is an old wooden building not specially well fitted for the purposes for which it is used, and for the accommodation of the large number of children who attend the schools there. In both rooms are mixed Primary schools.
The school house at the Plains is a one-story brick building, with one school room for all grades from the youngest pupils up to those who enter the High schools, and of both sexes.
Besides these occupied school houses, are two on State street (the old Turnpike), one formerly used for the Brown High school, and the other a small brick building formerly used for a Primary school. At the east end of the Mall is also a two-story brick school house, many years ago used for the High school, and latterly for the evening and adult draw- ing schools. These are all in Ward three. There is also in Ward six a one-story, wooden building on Monroe street, formerly used as a school house, then as a fire engine house, and latterly for the storage of useless articles belonging to the city.
CHANGES OF TEACHERS.
Just before the close of the school year, Miss E. A. Appleton, principal of the Purchase street girls' Grammar school, sent in her resignation, much to the regret of the committee, of the pupils, and of their parents. Miss Appleton has taught the school more than twenty years, and her zeal and tact have been conspicuous, and her school one of the best. To serve as an assistant with her was a better preparation for the teacher's profession than a course at the Normal School. Two excellent principals of girls' Grammar schools served an apprenticeship as her assistants, Miss Anne L. Coffin, principal of the Hancock street Grammar school, and Miss Sarah J.
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Shackford, who on the resignation of Miss Appleton was promoted to succeed her. Miss Helen M. Cur- rier, the successful principal of the boys' Primary school on School street, was also for some years as- sistant with Miss Appleton. To the position of as- sistant made vacant by the promotion of Miss Shack- ford, Miss Priscilla G. Craig, principal of the Pur- chase street girls' Primary school, was appointed. Miss Shackford and Miss Craig have succeded in keeping the school up to its former standard of excel- lence.
In the annual election of teachers Mr. George W. Brown, who had been master of the Plains school, was elected principal of the Bromfield street boys' Grammar school in the place of Mr. Philip D. Adams. Just before the opening of the autumn term of the schools, a very numerously signed petition was pre- sented to the Board asking that Mr. Adams should be reinstated. This was a request which it was not in the power of the Board to grant, even if it had been so disposed, and accordingly the petition was received and placed on file. Mr. Brown took charge of the school at the beginning of the term, and at once won the good will and respect of the pupils and the approbation of the committee and parents, so that we hear no further desire from the petitioners to car- ry out their request. The place of Mr. Brown at the Plains school was filled by the appointment of Mrs. Belle P. Winslow to its charge, and Mrs. Winslow is managing a difficult school successfully.
In the Primary schools above State street the only changes were the election of Miss M. Agnes Pearson as assistant to Miss Toppan in the Ashland street
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Grammar school, and the promotion of Miss Somerby as principal of the Kent street boys' Primary to suc- ceed Miss Pearson, and the election of Miss Nellie M. Stanton as assistant in the same Primary school.
Several changes of teachers have been made neces- sary in the Primary schools below State street by resignations. Miss Ella Morrison, principal of the Hancock street girls' Primary school, was obliged to resign on account of her health. Her place was filled by the promotion of her assistant, Miss A A. Cur- rier, to fill the vacancy, and the appointment was made of Miss Jennie P. Haskell as assistant teacher. In place of Miss Priscilla G. Craig, promoted to the Grammar school, Miss Susie B. Lowell was chosen principal of the Purchase street girls' Primary school, and her place as assistant in the Bromfield street boys' Primary school was filled by the appoint- ment of Miss Carrie M. Clement. Miss Lucy A. Per- kins, principal of the Charles street boys' Primary school, resigned at the close of the year, and the school was put in the charge of Miss Anne S. Wheeler, who after a little difficulty has gained the good will of her pupils and good discipline, so that now the school is in excellent condition. The new teachers are Mrs. Winslow, Miss Wheeler, Miss Haskell, Miss Stanton and Miss Clement; the other changes are by promotion from one grade or school to another. The teachers who have gone out are Miss Appleton, Miss Perkins and Miss Morrison, all by resignation, and Mr. Adams.
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PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
More than half the children of our public schools are in those ranked as primary. The number of children of school age is reported as somewhat less than it has been for some years. Thus it has come about that the attendance at the Charles street boys' Primary and at Miss Page's school are not so large as when the latter was established as a temporary school. Still these schools are too large for consoli- dation, and there is not room for the distribution of either in the other Primary schools. These are gen- erally filled to their capacity for seating pupils throughout the city.
The condition of the Primary schools is good, and we have a very satisfactory corps of teachers. An improvement has been made in the course of study in requiring more reading and a shorter course in Colburn's Mental Arithmetic, a book which formerly was reserved for the High school course where it is more appropriate. Successive school boards put it lower and still lower in the course of study until the poor little things were obliged to substitute memory for the reasoning faculty, and children who could hardly spell out the questions were supposed to per- form feats in mental calculation which would be diffi- cult for most grown people. The industry of the teacher and the perseverance of the children enabled the little ones to get through creditably with exam- ples in the book, but they could not apply the same principles to new questions. We have shortened the course so that now the Primary school children have
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but little more of mental arithmetic than they can di- gest and assimilate.
During the year complaint was made of harsh treat- ment of a pupil by one of the Primary school teach- ers. The case was thoroughly heard first by the ap- priate sub-committee and afterwards by the full board, every person interested being allowed a hear- ing, but nothing was proved requiring censure of the teacher, and the case was dismissed. With the ex- ception of this ripple the Primary schools have been subjected to no complaint, and they can be reported in a satisfactory condition.
THE PLAINS SCHOOL.
This school is one of the most difficult to provide for satisfactorily. It is a mixed school and not grad- ed, making it harder to manage than others, and moreover the committee have not always been fortu- nate in its selection of teachers for the school. Dur- ing the past year we have been eminently successful in securing Mr. Brown, and when he was transferred, in Mrs. Belle Winslow. They have made a decided improvement in the school, although ordinarily every change of teacher is made at a loss to the efficiency of teaching and the benefit of the pupils. There were no applicants from this school for admission to the High schools at the examination in the summer.
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
Last year, by a vote of the school board, the stand- ard for admission to the High schools was fixed at
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seventy-five credits on a scale of one hundred, and it was known that the announced result of the examina- tion would be adhered to. This has a good effect in stimulating the pupils of the Grammar schools to ex- ertion, and few present themselves who have comple- ted the Grammar school course who are not found qualified to enter the High schools, and fewer still of those who bring a certificate from their teachers of the Grammar schools.
During the past year there have been changes in the teachers of the Purchase street girls' Grammar school, and of the Bromfield boys' Grammar school. In the Purchase street school it is hardly a change, as both Miss Shackford and Miss Craig go up with a class they had been teaching, and to a class which they had formerly taught. Thus the change by the loss of Miss Appleton could hardly have been more quietly made. In the Bromfield street school no change was made in the assistant's room, and that by which Mr. Brown was made principal is now very generally conceded to be an improvement beneficial to the school in teaching and discipline and satisfac- tory to all interested in it.
Last year a change was made in the Grammar used in the Grammar schools, Quackenbos's Language Lessons having been substituted for Green's Gram- mar. The change has rendered necessary some change in the method of teaching to correspond with the quite different method of the book from that of Green's Grammar. With a part of the teachers there was a little friction on the introduction of a book which was not only new but upon a new system, but
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as they learn its worth and use, this passes away, and the change is found to be an improvement.
A majority of the School Board, for more than four years, have favored a change of geographies, and for two years have been desirous of introducing Har- per's Geographies in place of Guyot's. To do this, however, requires the votes of nine members of the committee, and always when the question has been tried there has been one vote lacking.
The examination of candidates for admission to the High and Putnam schools was held on July 12th at the school house. The number admitted from each Grammar school is given in the following
STATEMENT
of the number of pupils that entered the High and Putnam schools from the Grammar schools of this city, 1878:
From Bromfield. 4
Brown High
School street. 14
66 Kelley. 11
66 Currier 5 34
From Johnson 6
Female High
Purchase street. 6
Kelley S
66 Currier 1 21
-
- From Jackman, male 1
Putnam
66 Bromfield, male 2
66 Kelley, female. S
Johnson, female 1 12
Whole number from Grammar schools
67
From private schools-Female High 1, Putnam 3. 4
Aggregate. 71
The questions for the examination were considered by teachers and applicants as rather more difficult than had usually been proposed. Reading, writing and punctuation were left for the High school teach- ers to examine without printed directions. On other subjects, the following were the
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ORDER AND QUESTIONS.
For each correct answer in arithmetic three credits were given. One credit for each correct answer in geography and grammar. In spelling and defining, each one-half credit. Reading and writing were marked on a scale of five each. In arithmetic two credits were given for correct method of perform- ance and one for correct answer on each question.
ARITHMETIC.
1. Divide .015625 by 25.
2. How many yards of carpeting, 1 1-2 yards wide, will cover a floor 18 feet square ?
3. Find the amount of $416 for three years, 16 days, at 7 per cent.
4. What is the bank discount of a note for 193, dated July 1, payable in 60 days, with interest at 5 per cent, discounted 15 days after date, at 6 per cent ?
5. What is the value of 7 cords 3 cord feet of wood, at the rate of $18 for 2 cords 5 cord feet ?
6. If a barrel of flour will feed 8 persons for 13 days how many barrels will feed three times as many persons for 365 days ?
7. By selling coal at $8.05 per ton I gain 15 per cent. What was the cost per ton ?
8. An agent received $5,822 with which to purchase goods, after deduct- ing his own commission of 4 per cent. How much was his commission, and what was the sum to be invested ?
9. Square root of 6250.4836 ?
10. What are the dimensions of a cube that shall have the capacity of a chest 2 feet 8 inches long, 2 feet $ inches wide, and 1 foot 4 inches thick ?
GEOGRAPHY.
1. What two motions has the earth which affect its relations to the sun ?
2. What are the poles of the earth, and how far distant from each other?
3. What is the equator and how far distant from the poles ?
4. What is latitude, and how many degrees of latitude are there ?
5. Name the tropics, and which of the two is the northen ?
6. How many continents are there, and which are the northern and which the southern ?
7. Name the two great oceans.
8. What is a strait, and name the one connecting the Mediterranean sea with the Atlantic ocean ?
9. What is a river, and which is the largest river in the United States ?
10. Where is the torrid zone situated ?
11. In what zone do the three northern continents mainly lie ? and in what zone do the three southern continents mainly lie ?
12. What are the two principal forms of government among civilized peo- ple ?
13. Name the three principal political divisions of North America in the order of their location, beginning with the most northerly.
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14. Which of the United States border on the Gulf of Mexico.
15. What are the largest three cities on the Atlantic coast ? and in wha states are they situated ?
16. What large empire in South America ? and what is its capital ?
17. Name five of the most important countries in Europe, and their capi tals.
18. What sea north of Africa ? and what is its most northern cape ?
19. Where is the Chinese Empire ? and what is the name of its principal port of foreign trade ?
20. What important English possessions in Asia ? and what are the names of its three great centres of foreign trade ?
GRAMMAR.
1. Define Grammar.
2. Define a word.
3. Define a sentence.
4. What are the parts of speech ? and define them.
5. What are the properties of nouns ?
6. Give the different kinds of pronouns.
7. What is the conjugation of a verb ?
8. What is a participial noun ?
9. What is the subject and what the predicate of a sentence :
10. What is the subject and what the grammatical predicate of the two lines of poetry given below ? Parse the words numbered : 11
12 13 14 15
"Dust thou art ; to dust returnest," 16 17 18 19 20 Was not spoken of the soul.
SPELLING.
Amiable-Benefited-Conceit-Deem-Estuary-Fortitude-Glean-Hasti- ly-Ire-Jolly-Lily-Chargeable-Artificial-Erase-Roam-Gracious-Sur- cingle-Elapse-Despair.
KELLEY SCHOOL.
There has been no change in the corps of teachers of this school during the past year. The plan of ag- gregating so many children in one school house is objected to by many. The bringing together of the different sexes in schools is looked upon unfavorably by others, but notwithstanding objections, the Kelley school is a popular school with the people and
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children. The children like it because there are so many companions there, and there are real advan- tages in having one class to each room. There was an improvement in the appearance of the school when visited by the committee during the present over the previous year.
IHIGH SCHOOL.
The teachers in the High school remain the same as last year. The school holds a deservedly high place not only in the estimation of those of our own people who have visited and become acquainted with it, but it is still more highly appreciated by educators abroad. A town of as many inhabitants as Newbury- port is required by law to maintain a High school where Latin, Greek, and the sciences are taught; and what is worth doing at all is worth doing well, and ' now as in the past the people have willingly support- ed a first-class High school.
The instruction in the classics and modern lan- guages is thorough and accurate so far as the course in these is pursued, and in mathematics and the sci- ences the school is deserving of like praise. It has been subject to one criticism, which has been answer- ed in the school reports and elsewhere, but has been as often renewed, which is that our High school is not a high school at all, but only an upper grade grammar school. This is partially true. The pre- paratory class is properly a Grammar school class. This has been a necessity. Half our pupils are in the Primary schools; of those who enter the Gram- mar schools the larger part drop out in the course,
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and fewer than remain apply for admission to the High school. It is cheaper to teach these few in one preparatory class in the High school than to occupy half the time of eight teachers in teaching five or six boys or girls cach. Thus, although our High school is thorough and takes the pupils who go through the course well on the way of learning, yet the prepara- tory class is just what its name implies.
The graduating exercises of the class of the year were held on July 11th, at City Hall, and were of more than average merit, indicating good training and comprehension of the pupils. The following was the class by schools :
GRADUATING CLASS.
FEMALE HIGH SCHOOL. M. II. Bartlet, E. F. Colby, Sadie E. Cumerford, Annie L. Currier, Abbie L. Frost, Mary A. Greene, Kate H. Greenleaf, Mary R. Haynes, M. Lizzie Jackman, Jessie E. Junkins, Lizzie E. Moylan, Mary E. Moynihan, Vida O. Nutter, Mary I. Rogers, Georgia K. Teel, Hallie M. Valentine, Fannie L. Woods, Millie S. Young.
PUTNAM FREE SCHOOL. Sadie S. Chase, Kensington, N. H .; Georgia S. Cook, Etta R. Cutter, Cora B. Lougee, Georgiana Emery, Harriot W. Colman, Newburyport; Hattie D. Burgess, Hampton Falls; Lillian S. Hilton, New. bury; Helen E. Tilton, Alice L. Williams, Newburyport; Ella E. Welch, Frank S. Welch, Topsfield ; Francis V. Pike, Newburyport; John D. Hardy, Groveland.
BROWN HIGH SCHOOL. Eben Bradbury, jr., George S. Danforth, Henry S. Hale, Jere II. Ireland, Charles A. Morse.
EVENING SCHOOLS.
These were inaugurated by private charity and for a long time they were beneficial and wrought noth- ing but benefit. After a while they were taken out of the hands of the charitable supporters and were conducted as a portion of our school system, main- tained from the school fund, and under the manage-
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ment of the School Committee. Since this change there has come some change over the evening schools. That for women continues to be of use and is continued, but the evening school for men became rather an evening school for boys, who should have been in the day schools, and as they kept away the class of young men for whom the evening school was designed, it was thought best not to open the men's school in the winter of 1877. It seemed rather to encourage disrespect for law than to serve any good purpose, so no evening school for men was opened, and there was none is proposed for the year 1878. The report of the teacher of the last school held, and the observation of those members of the Board who had watched the school, concurred in producing the con- viction that its usefulness had ceased.
THE EVENING SCHOOL FOR WOMEN.
This school has been very different in character and results from the evening school for men. The success of the school for women has been uniform from its establishment, every year to the present. We have not only had good attendance and good or- ·der, but good results that could be seen and appre- ciated from year to year. The school was taught by one of our most competent and experienced lady teachers, who gives the following report of the school for the year 1877-78.
REPORT OF THE EVENING SCHOOL FOR WOMEN, 1877-78.
This school opened November 13th, 1877, and closed April 2nd, 1878. The sessions were held on Tuesday and Friday evenings of each week. Number
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belonging to the school 97. A large part of the pupils were adults, and all the instruction that most of them receive is in connection with this school- On the whole a great degree of interest was manifested and much progress was made. One pupil, unable at first to form a letter, by spending her time in pen - manship accomplished a legible epistle to her brother before the term closed. There were others who made great progress in writing. Some of he fifty were more anxious to gain a knowledge of mathematics, and with a pleasing perse- verance carried out their determination to understand as well as to perform the examples set them in arithmetic. The deportment was excellent, though of a class of girls under fifteen, some had never attended a day school and none had been regular pupils. This fact suggests the question of sewing as a branch of instruction, and whether it might not be possible to draw more young girls from the streets in the evening, to their gain and the well being of the city. The school was visited several times by IIon. R. Plumer, who manifested a deep interest in the work we were trying to do.
Respectfully submitted,
October 4th, 1878.
ABBY SHORT.
THE EVENING DRAWING SCHOOL.
The attendance at this school was larger and more constant than in any previous season, and the ad- vance made by those who availed themselves of it was more conspicuous. There is a penalty by the State laws for cities of the population of ours which neglect to furnish instruction in drawing to such me- chanics and others as may desire it. Many are of opinion that it is not for the tax payer to furnish his neighbor with technical instruction free, but thus far the city has complied with the law and escaped the penalty of its infraction. The teachers, Luther Dame for mechanical drawing and Julia P. Cleave- land for free hand drawing, had taught the previous year, and are competent witnesses of the progress of their pupils. The following is Mr. Dame's report of the school for last year :
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REPORT OF THE EVENING DRAWING SCHOOL.
The drawing school for the winter of 1877-78 commenced on the 19th of November and closed on the 1st of April. It was taught by Luther Dame, assisted by Miss Julia P. Cleaveland as instructor of free land. The whole number, of pupils for the course was sixty-four, thirty-three in mechanical and thirty-one in free hand. The attendance throughout the term was bet- ter than in any previous year of the school, and I am pleased to say that the progress was more rapid and complete. The methods used in this school are a counterpart of the system pursued in the High school, and those who wit- nessed the exhibtion of drawings in this institution last May could but be convinced of the very commendable proficiency that has been made in this department within three or four years by a large number of the young people of this city. Scores of specimens seen upon the walls of this school at the May exhibition were not only executed with care and neatness, but possessed a large degree of elegance and original design, and such as could be adopted with advantage in many kinds of decorative art. As an indication of the in- terest in this branch of education it is gratifying to observe that many of those who are pupils of the day school are also pupils of the evening school. The small expenditure that is made by the city for instruction and inaterial in this department is well spent, giving that education to our young men and women that not only prepares them to meet the requirments of the school committee when becoming teachers, but fitting them to better discharge their duties in many other positions in life.
LUTHER DAME.
EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR TEACHERS.
On Tuesday, October 1st, an examination was held at the School Committee rooms of applicants for cer- tificates of fitness as teachers in the Newburyport public schools. Seven persons presented themselves for examination, all of them women, of whom four passed the examination and were granted certificates. The names of the successful candidates in the ex- amination and who were voted certificates by the board were as follows:
Misses Belle B. Emerton, L. Mabel Allen, Susan L. Brown, and Alice H. Whitmore.
The questions used at this examination are given as follows:
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GENERAL QUESTIONS.
1. What is your full name ?
2. What is your age ?
3. Where were you born, and where do you now reside ?
4. Have you ever had any instruction in any foreign language? If you have, what ?
5. What is your experience in teaching ?
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