USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newburyport > City Officers and the Annual Reports to the City Council of Newburyport 1881 > Part 13
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REPORT OF THE EVENING SCHOOL FOR WOMEN.
The evening school for women began Dee. 9th, 1880, and continued its sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and occasionally three evenings in the week, until March 29, 1881. Number belonging to the school 60. Average number 40.
The first evening the attendance was small, but the number soon increased, and from the interest manifested, it was evident that those who attended the school, did so from a desire to acquire useful knowledge. Some marked in- stances of progress, (especially in the adult classes) might be mentioned. The deportment was excellent.
The school was visited during the winter by Dr. A. B. Dearborn, Messrs C. A. Currier, D. T. Woodwell, I. P. Noyes and C. L. Davis of the School Board.
Nov. 1881.
Respectfully submitted,
E. A. W. PEARSON.
Of the school for men a different story must be told. Attempts have been made to establish a school which should be for men what the present one is for women. The last one was held during the winter of 1879-80, and although it was conducted by one of our most competent Grammar school teachers and some progress was made, still the work was very dif-
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ficult; it was almost impossible to enforce order, and nothing like discipline in the ordinary sense of the term could be attempted. It has been evident that those who have attended have had no such strong de- sire for mental improvement, no such realization of its importance to them personally, as has marked the pupils of the women's school. Consequently the board did not consider it advisable to establish such a school last winter, and in the absence of any special encouragement a like course hss been followed this season.
DRAWING.
The board has been divided in its opinion of the benefit to be derived frow the teaching of drawing; some members holding that the study lies, or ought to lie, at the basis of all industrial pursuits, and is well-nigh indispensable for a thoroughly practical ed- ucation, and others believing it to be utterly useless to a great majority of students, that the time devoted to it is as good as wasted, and that as it is taught in common schools it is of no practical benefit to any one. The work done in our High school would doubt- less furnish argument in favor of both views. There is no question but the time of many stu- dents might be spent far more profitably on some- thing else, while a few show an originality in design and a carefulness in execution which indicate that the little instruction they have received has not been thrown away. While the law of the state compels such instruction everything is done to make it as pro- ductive as possible of good results; but as the feeling
1
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of the individual members of the board is undoubt- edly an indication of the divided sentiment of the community upon the subject, no provision for teach- ing which would necessitate a considerable expense to the city has been deemed desirable.
TRUANCY.
This evil which was formerly a serious trouble in our schools, has much decreased during late years, owing largely to the efforts of the truant, officer and partly to the feelings of parents in regard to it, many of them being less inclined than formerly to shield their children. The habit is confined almost entirely to the boys, there being but two or three girls in the city who have given any trouble during the year. Two boys have proved utterly incorrigible. The officer has since the first of January, arrested and taken to school twenty pupils, and warned for tar- diness, disorderly conduct in school, etc., thirty-four. The whole number of investigations made by the officer during the year is one hundred and twenty- three, against two hundred and forty-three in 1880.
TEXT BOOKS.
Only two changes were made in text books during the year. At the commencement of the last school year the committee placed Wentworth's Geometry in one division of the class beginning that study in the High school, in order to test its working beside that
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of Loomis' Geometry, the text book there for many years. The result was so decidedly in favor of the former book that this year it was adopted as the text book in this branch of mathematics, by a large ma- jority of the board.
Owing to the dissatisfaction that prevailed among nearly, if not quite all, of our Grammar school teach- ers, in regard to Quackenbos' Language Lessons, and the unsatisfactory results obtained therefrom, the committee, at the beginning of the present school year, voted to adopt Harpers' Language Series by William Swinton, for text books on Grammar, in the High and Grammar schools of this city. It is perhaps worthy of note that this series of Gram- mars has been adopted by nearly every city in Massachusetts. It can very readily be shown that these, like nearly all other changes in books made during the last few years, have not involved either the city or parents on the average, in much, if any, additional expense. 'The introduction has, in most cases, been effected gradually by placing the new books into new classes only. The exchange and in- troductory prices bring the cost of these books com- paratively low-the former to about one-half and the latter to about two-thirds the ordinary retail price; so that the total amount saved by all those who would be compelled to buy new books whether a change was made or not, would go far toward balancing the whole extra extra expense of all those obliged to make an exchange. In some cases it can be as easily shown that there has been a saving to the city there- by, due to the large number of books it furnished to poor pupils at introductory instead of retail prices.
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BOOKS USED IN THE GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
Warren's Class-Word Speller.
Franklin Third Reader, reviewed the first and second terms.
Franklin's Fifth Reader.
Guyot's Grammar School Geography, completed.
Ellsworth's Writing Books, and Single-entry Book-keeping.
Harpers' Language Series.
Colburn's Mental Arithmetic.
Greenleaf's Common School Arithmetic.
Quackenbos' History of the United States, to be employed as a reading book.
Our World, No. 2, as a reference book (on the desk of the teacher).
BOOKS USED IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
Franklin Primer, the First, Second, and Third Readers.
Warren's Class-Word Speller.
MacVicker's Elementary Arithmetic.
Guyot's Elementary Geography, completed.
Penmanship-Ellsworth's Writing Books.
Respectfully submitted,
ROBERT COUCH, (Mayor), Chairman. JAMES A. MERRILL, Vice-Chairman,
JOHN F. YOUNG, Secretary.
A. B. DEARBORN, Agent.
JOHN WINDER,
F. A. HALE,
HARRISON G. JOHNSON,
CHARLES L. DAVIS, F. A. HOWE, CHARLES A. CURRIER,
SCHOOL
COMMITTEE.
Newburyport, Dec. 1881.
25
SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND SALARIES.
HIGH SCHOOL.
LaRoy F. Griffin, A.M., Principal, $1700 (). B. Merrill, A. M., Assistant, 1200
Brown High and Female High.
Gardner Balch, A. B. 700
i Miss A. A. Senter, 600
[ Mrs. Belle P. Winslow, 66
450
KELLEY SCHOOL.
L N. A. Moulton, Principal, 1000
Miss Abbie Short, 350
Miss M. J. Bradley, 350
Miss H. C. Piper, 66
325
Miss Eva J. Smith, 66
350
Miss M. L. Bartlett, 350
Miss M. E. Jaques, 325
L Miss Alice A. Olmstead 66 325
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
Bromfield Male Grammar, Bromfield st.
Geo. W. Brown, Principal, 1000 Miss Frances J. Pearson, Ass't, 350
Jackman Male Grammar, School street.
W. P. Lunt, Principal, 1000 Miss Addie R. Hale, Assistant, 350 Miss Sarah B. Chute, Principal, - Miss E. Frothingham, Assistant, 750 350
Miss A. L, Coffin, Principal, . . 425
Miss E. M. Lander, Assissant, - 350
425
South Female Grammar, Purchase street.
Miss S. J. Shackford, Principal, - Miss Priscilla G. Craig, Assiss't, 350
425
Currier Female Grammar, Forrester st.
Miss S. D. Toppan, Principal. . Miss Agnes A. Somerby, Assiss't, 350
PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
WARD ONE.
Bromfield Primary, Bromfield street. - Miss Carrie M. Clement, Assistant, 325
Johnson Female Primary, Hancock st.
§ Miss Anna A. Currier, Principal, 350 Miss Jennie P. Haskell, Assistant, 325
WARD TWO.
Boys' Primary, Charles street. - Miss E. A. Dodge, Principal, - 300
Girls' Primary. Purchase street.
Miss Mary Estes, Assistant, 325
Jackman Male Primary, School street.
Miss B. B. Emerton, Assistant, 325
Boys' Sub Primary, School street.
Miss H. H. Page, 325
WARD THREE.
Girls' Primary, Temple street.
Mrs W. S. Gray, Principal, 350
Miss S. F. Badger, Assistant, 325
WARD FIVE.
Davenport (Girls') Primary, Congress st.
Miss Clara J. Edgerly, - Principal, 350 Miss M. E. Coggswell, Assistant, - 325 Miss Nellie M. Stanton, 1st. Div. 325 Miss C. M. Bailey, 2d Div. 300
Davenport (Boys') Primary, Congress st.
Miss Cora B. Lougee, Assistant,
275
Buck street, Sub Primary
WARD SIX.
Ash land street Mixed Primary, 1st Div.
Miss Frances J. Pettigrew, 350
Miss Flora Pettigrew, 325
Mrs. L. A. Cheever, 425
Mixed Grammar and Primary, Plains, 2d 6
Miss Sarah Whitmore, Principal, 350
Miss S. I. Adams, 300
Kent street Sub Primary,
§ Miss Rhoda Tilton, Principal, - 350
Miss Susie B. Lowell, Principal, 350
§ Miss H. M. Currier, Principal, 350
Currier Male Grammar, Forrester street.
Johnson Female Grammar, Hancock st.
Kelley School.
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SCHOOLS.
ars during the year.
Number of different schol-
the year.
Number at the beginning of
year.
Number at the close of the
ars in Winter.
ars in Summer.
Average number of schol-
Average attendance in the
Summer
school.
school.
Number of
Average Age.
seats in each
Yr. Mo
Brown High.
77
76
62
70
63
61
Female High ...
58
58
51
56
52
50
Kelley Grammar and Pri- mary (mixed ) ...
421
379
330
378
352
331
320
420
420 10. 5
Bromfield (Boys') Grammar.
75
66
63
67
61
60
56
80
80 11.11
Jackman 66
93
83
62
79
66
76
60
100
100 12. 8
Currier
66
88
74
63
72
64
67
61
59
97
97 11. 6
South
66
93
80
61
76
68
67
58
97
97 11. 9
Currier
70 93
67 69
84
73
76
61
66
78
86
8. 2
Charles St.
66
38
29
81
72
49
56
53
48
50
80
90
9.
Buck St.
66
....
100
83
82
74
74
58
61
80
80
7. 7
Temple St Davenport
66
66
65
54
64
57
55
51
52
54
54
9. 6
Jackman SubPrimary(Boys)
68
36
45
36
42
30
34
35
35
6.
Mixed School, Plains. ......
61
52
47
45
47
33
36
42
42 10.
1 div. Ashland Street-mixed 2 " 66 ..
72
57
72
54
71
37
51
54
54
6. 6
Kent St. Sub-Primary 1 div. 66
2 "
75
47
67
46
54
31
43
6.8
2205
1777 1761 1737 1498 1498 2157 2236
Number scholars during the year
2205
6
beginning of year.
1785
66 close of year
1777
Average number in Winter.
.1761
Summer.
1737
60
attendance in Winter.
1498
66
Summer
1497
60
...
88
44
76
52
64
39
52
96
120
6. 5
Johnson St. (Girls)“ Purchase St. “ 66
....
116
72
80
68
70
60
60
96
91
7.11
....
....
97
54
90
63
77
52
59
90
100
7.11
46
42
42
41
41
34
35
54
54
9. 5
67
56
56
51
50
41
42
60
63
8. 1
79
73
68
69
65
61
55
50
72
70
96
8.
Jackman
75
29 70
62
100
105
9. 2
Davenport
75
53
60
31
31
31
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..
Average attendance 68 per cent.
The number of children in the city in May last between the ages of 5 and 15 years was 2552. Ward One. . 442 | Ward Three .354 | Ward Five. .520
Ward Two .. .395 Ward Four. .407 | Ward Six. .434
Average attendance in the
58 46
90
140
140 14. 6
72 72 11. 8
Johnson (Girls')
70
57
70 11. 9
Bromfield (Boys') Primary ..
90
...
Number of desks in each
-
90 14. 4
Winter.
Average number of schol-
82
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FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
Appropriation
. $24,000 00
CREDITS.
State School Fund 239 05
One year's interest on Brown Fund to March 4, 1881. 675 00
J. F. Young, secretary, fees non-resident school children 148 00
D. T. Woodwell, 3 83
$25,065 88
Expenditures 26,848 60
Amount overdrawn transferred from incidentals to balance acc't ... 1,782 72
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NEWBURYPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 2128 00338 656 3
.... .
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