USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1868-1871 > Part 32
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The pupil who is looking forward to a Bank or Count- ing-room for employment, and who has only a brief period to attend school, should devote much of his time
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to gaining a knowledge of Accounts, and in acquiring elegant and rapid Penmanship. Another, having a pref- erence for the Mechanic Arts, will need a practiced eye and hand, and a thorough knowledge of the particular department of his choice. Hence, the study of Mechan- ics, and practise in Mechanical Drawing should absorb much of his attention. Still another, who is looking to the ocean for employment, and designs to become a ship- master, will need to be a merchant, as well as navigator. He, therefore, should devote his energies to securing a knowledge of Accounts, of Geometry, Logarithms, Trigo- nometry, and Astronomy.
In a regular classical course, the studies of the first year or two, are mainly preliminary and preparatory to those which are to follow. When pupils with the inten- tions specified, have but a brief period to attend school, it may be regarded a hardship if they are compelled to devote a large portion of that limited time to studies which are only preparatory to those they will never pur- sue. All this is obviated by our present arrangement.
We cannot refrain from stating in this connection, however, that it is with caution, and a degree of reluct- ance we make any innovation upon the regular and uni- form course of study hitherto pursued in the school.
Such is our appreciation of a thorough and systematic course of training, and the incalculable benefits accruing from a careful study. of the Ancient Classics, we cannot disguise our regrets that the necessity for the introduc- tion of an English Course seems imperative.
We do not undervalue the Mathematics, the Natural Sciences, and English Literature. These all have their appropriate places, and are invaluable. But there is a grand defect in the education of those, who, from neces- sity or choice, have failed to enrich their minds from the fountain of classic learning. Therefore we would say to
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the young, omit no opportunity to secure a thorough knowledge of those ancient languages from which our own is so largely derived. The mental discipline conse- quent upon this acquisition is above price. A large class of faculties is improved thereby. It strengthens the mem- ory, comparison, and judgment, quickens the perceptions, refines the taste, imparts a delicate appreciation of our own language, and secures a command of it obtained by no other means.
A valuable Microscope has been added to the Appara- tus of the school, the gift of Edward Everett Edgerly.
Mr. Edgerly graduated with the class of 1863, was the second President of the High School Association, and ever manifested a deep interest in whatever was condu- cive to the prosperity of the school. He was highly es- teemed in the community, and his early death, which oc- curred on the 6th day of May last, was much lamented.
The High School Association, as in former years, is sustaining a course of interesting Free Public Lectures.
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
These schools are all under the direction of experienced teachers in whom we have great confidence. The work accomplished in them cannot fail to be satisfactory to all who are in any way interested in their welfare. The Annual Exhibitions in July last, were occasions of more than ordinary interest. Many of the exercises would have been creditable to pupils in the High School. The usual Annual Examination of the first class from each of the five Grammar Schools, at the close of the summer term, gave satisfactory evidence of thorough and accurate instruction.
We cannot over-estimate the importance of any de-
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partment of the schools. But the Grammar Schools mus ever hold a prominent place in our regard. They reac. and affect the masses ; and are emphatically the school of the people.
SUB-GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
With few exceptions, the Annual Examinations o these schools realized our expectations, and gratified ou wishes concerning them.
There is, however, a marked difference in the advance ment of the several schools of this grade ; for which there must exist some adequate cause.
We are not inclined to attribute this difference to any disparity in the capabilities of the pupils, or to any wan of effort on the part of either teachers or scholars. Pos sibly, some teachers discriminate, more wisely than oth . ers, between what should be thoroughly learned by the pupils, and what requires only cursory consideration All schools, doubtless, are open to the criticism, that much needless work is done in them. Other things being the same, the best results, with the least labor, will always be secured by those teachers who most wisely select, from the voluminous text-books in the schools, what is really valuable and important to be studied.
Mental Arithmetic holds an important place among the studies of the Sub-Grammar Schools. We are not quite certain that it is always taught in the best manner. There was a time, within our recollection, when no ex- planations were required in the schools. Perhaps we are verging towards the other extreme, and are exacting too fine analyses from our pupils.
The tendency of the times, in this particular, is well illustrated in a paragraph of that admirable book, “In the School-room," by John S. Hart, for several years, Prin- cipal of the New Jersey State Normal School.
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"A primary teacher asks her class this question : 'If I can buy 6 marbles with one penny, how many marbles can I buy with 5 pennies?' A bright boy who should promptly answer '30,' would be sharply rebuked. Little eight-year old Solon on the next bench has been better trained than that. With stately and solemn enunciation ne delivers himself of a performance somewhat of this sort. 'If I can buy 6 marbles with one penny, how many marbles can I buy with 5 pennies ?' Answer, 'I can buy 5 times as many marbles with 5 pennies as I can buy with one penny. If, therefore, I can buy 6 mar- oles with one penny, I can buy 5 times as many marbles with 5 pennies ; and five times 6 marbles are 30 marbles. Therefore, if I can buy 6 marbles with one penny, I can
buy 30 marbles with 5 pennies.'"
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Every teacher in a Sub-Grammar school, who has tried the experiment knows, that to secure such an analysis requires weeks of wearisome effort. This question pre- sents itself: Is it not profitless labor; and a waste of valuable time ?
The minds of children in these schools act quickly to the extent of their comprehension. Plain facts and sim- ple processes are learned with great facility. We must patiently wait for the natural development of their rea- soning faculties. Then they will learn analysis with com- paratively little study or effort.
In practice we drop at once the analytical and adopt the direct method, and aim to arrive at correct results in the shortest way possible. It may be well to acquire the habit in early childhood.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
These schools constitute one of the most interesting departments in the school system, and are delightful
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places for labor, to those who have a natural fondne; for children and an aptness to instruct and manage ther We receive a favorable report of their condition from the Committee whose duty it was to examine ther Many of them are taught by teachers of long experience and may justly be regarded as model schools.
The one at Prospect Hill containing 100 pupils unde the direction of Miss Irene E. Locke, is used as a trainin school.
Miss Locke's long experience and admirable tact in th management of children, render her peculiarly adapte to such a position.
Several young ladies who have assisted her, and er joyed the benefit of her experience, are teaching wit. marked success.
DRAWING.
The Legislature at its last session, amended the firs section of the Thirty-eighth Chapter of the Revised Stat utes, so as to include Drawing among the branches 0 learning which are, by said section, required to be taugh in the public schools.
It was also enacted -" That any city or town may and every city and town having more than ten thousand inhabitants shall annually make provision for giving free instruction in Industrial or Mechanical Drawing to per- sons over fifteen years of age, either in day or evening schools, under the direction of the School Committee.
The conditions of the first section have been complied with, and Drawing is taught in all the schools. Instruc- tion will be furnished in accordance with the second sec- tion, whenever it is desired.
In the future, an ability to impart instruction in Draw- ing, will be required of all applicants for situations as teachers. Teachers already in the schools will doubtless
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vail themselves of every opportunity to become profi- ient in this important art.
PENMANSHIP.
To give increased interest to this useful art ; to secure hore uniform and systematic instruction ; to aid pupils, ow in the schools, to form correct habits of writing, and hrough the teachers, those pupils also who are to follow hem, we have employed a special teacher to give a se- ies of lessons in Penmanship in the High, Grammar, and Sub-Grammar Schools. By this arrangement, teachers re furnished with an opportunity to see writing taught y one who makes instruction in that art a speciality ; who has a thorough system, and rare ability to commu- licate a knowledge of it to others.
With the co-operation of the teachers, we anticipate great benefit to the schools from this effort.
MUSIC.
A new impulse has been given to music in the schools by the introduction of Mason's Charts. It is being stud- ed more as a science. Pupils are acquiring a knowledge of its first principles, and are beginning to read it with a good degree of facility.
SCHOOL REGULATIONS.
We would respectfully call the attention of teachers to the Rules of the Committee for the regulation of the schools. These Rules were printed in the Report for 1868, and a copy of them is in each school-room.
With slight modifications, they have been adopted by successive Committees for many years. Guided by them the schools have enjoyed great harmony and success. Their strict and habitual observance is essential to con- tinued prosperity ; indispensable to that mutual respect
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which must ever characterize the intercourse of those who would labor together harmoniously in a work in- volving such vital interests ; and needful to secure the continuance of existing relations.
TRUANCY.
The following By-laws, concerning truant children, and absentees from schools, were adopted by the Town, April 28th, 1870.
SEC. 1. The Town of Somerville hereby adopts the provisions of the forty-second chapter of the General Statutes of this Commonwealth, so far as applicable to Truant Children and Absentees from School ; and all the provisions of the two hundred and seventh chapter of the acts of 1862, entitled, " An Act concerning truant children and absentees from school; and the several acts in addition to or in amendment thereof.
SEC. 2. Any minor, between the ages of seven and sixteen years, convicted of being an habitual truant, or any child between the ages aforesaid, convicted of wandering about in the streets or public places of the Town of Somerville, having no lawful occupation or busi- ness, not attending school and growing up in ignorance, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding twenty dollars ; or instead of such fine, may, at the discretion of the Court or Justice having jurisdiction of the case, be com- mitted to any such institution, house of reformation, lock- up, or suitable situation provided for the purpose, as such Justice or Court may determine.
SEC. 3. Any Judge or Justice of any Police Court in the County of Middlesex, and any Trial Justice in said county, shall have jurisdiction of the offences described in Section 2.
SEC. 4. Three or more Truant Officers shall be annu- ally chosen by the Town, at its annual meeting in March
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or April, whose duty it shall be to make complaint of all persons who have violated any of the provisions of these By-Laws.
SEC. 5. The Selectmen of the Town shall fix the amount of compensation of said Truant Officers for their services, as they shall think just; and the sum shall be paid from the Treasury of the Town.
SEC. 6. It shall be the duty of the School Committee and of the teachers of the public schools to report the names of all persons violating the provisions of these By- Laws to the Truant Officers of the Town, that they may be complained of therefor.
DUTIES OF TRUANT OFFICERS.
1st. To look after habitual Truants and children be- tween the ages of five and sixteen years, not attending school, or without any regular and lawful occupation, or growing up in ignorance.
2d. Upon request of either of the teachers, or of either member of the School Board, to look after Truants and bring them into school.
3d. To make complaint of children violating the By- Laws of the Town concerning Truants, and to carry into execution judgments thereon.
4th. To exercise a general superintendence and care of the school buildings, especially when the schools are not in session.
The Selectmen very cordially and promptly co-ope- rated with the School Board to secure the objects con- templated in these By-Laws.
The following named gentlemen were appointed Tru- ant Officers.
Jairus Mann, R. R. Perry,
C. C. Cavanagh,
J. H. Hanley,
Granville Leland, F. D. Snow,
M. C. Parkhurst.
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To the members of the Board, I would express my gratitude for their uniform courtesy and kindness, and for the constant aid afforded me in the performance of my duties.
To the teachers, for their sympathy and cheerful co- operation, and to the pupils, whose respectful and kind greetings I am constantly receiving, I extend my warm- est thanks.
J. H. DAVIS, Superintendent of Public Schools.
DEDICATION OF THE MORSE GRAMMAR SCHOOL HOUSE.
This edifice was formally dedicated to the cause of ed- ucation on the evening of Monday, Feb. 28, 1870.
The exercises were commenced with prayer, by Rev. Henry H. Barber.
Remarks of Rev. GEORGE W. DURELL, of the Building Com- mittee, and delivery of the keys.
It is a just cause for pride and self-congratulation that we behold on every hand, evidences of our material prosperity as a town. None know these proofs of our advancement better, none, perhaps, among all of our citizens who love to contemplate their goodly heri- tage understand the nature and extent of these evidences of rapid growth so well as you, yourself, sir.
To show how peaceful and happy the people should one day be- come, it was said by the Prophet that "The city should be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof." Each year brings to us its increasing number of boys and girls. To educate and train these for usefulness and honor, our people give with a liberal hand. Building after building devoted to this use rises in every quarter of the town, and sometimes it almost seems that the old law is reversed, and the supply increases the demand. When we prepare and fill some large,
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new room, to relieve another, presently, it is found that both are more crowded than the old one was.
Here the demand for ample accommodation had become urgent, and at the annual meeting of the town, in April last, the sum of $27,000 was appropriated to build a substantial house of brick, suited to our needs. As one living in this vicinity, and on behalf of my neighbors, I thank you, fellow citizens, for this liberal appropriation.
Immediately after that meeting, the following were appointed by the School Board as a Building Committee. Messrs. Enoch R. Morse, George W. Durell, Leonard Arnold, and Samuel A. Carlton. I de- sire to state briefly to you, sir, the Chairman of the Board, and through you to our people, the manner in which we have discharged the duty intrusted to us. A large tract of land that will rapidly increase in value, containing 32,320 feet, was purchased for 72 cents per foot. It is on the corner of two streets, one of which must be a great, leading thoroughfare of our future city. The cost of this lot was $2,500. The design for the structure, with the working plans, was obtained from the accomplished and judicious architect, Mr. Thayer, of Boston.
A contract to complete the building according to the designs was made with Messrs. Barnard & Lancaster, of Boston, and they have faithfully and honorably fulfilled the terms of their contract.
Mr. Thayer has had the general oversight of the work, and Mr. Ar- nold, of our Board, has rendered most important service in superin- tending the mode in which the details of the several plans were car- ried out.
The building consists really of four stories. In the basement, which is above the surface of the ground, convenient rooms are provided for, and already occupied by the Janitor. Here is also a large, partly finished room that can be used for school purposes whenever it shall be needed.
In each of the two stories above this, there are two school rooms, 30×35 feet, and more than 12 feet in height, three of these are fur- nished, and will be occupied to-morrow by their happy and busy young laborers. Convenient dressing-rooms are attached to these main school-rooms, and the entrances and stairways are remarkable for their beauty, and the substantial richness of their finish.
The Exhibition Hall, in the upper story, is 34 by 56 feet, and 18 feet in height.
Water and gas are carried through the several apartments, and the entire building is warmed by two of Chilson's large furnaces.
With the exception of the grading, fencing, outhouses, gas and water fixtures, the cost has not exceeded the sum appropriated hy
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The beautiful clock that ornaments the Hall, is the gift of E. R. MORSE, EsQ., of the School Board.
This house, beautiful for situation and hardly less beautiful in its proportions and in its tasteful ornamentation, is worthy of the liberal spirit, intelligence and growth of our people. It is now complete, thoroughly furnished, and ready for its high and almost sacred uses. To your hands I now surrender it, hoping for your approbation of the mode in which we have discharged our duties. Accept these keys as the token of the surrender of our office and its cares.
Remarks of OREN S. KNAPP, Esq., Chairman of the School Committee.
In behalf of the School Board I have the honor to represent, allow me to extend to you their thanks for your services in the erection of this beautiful edifice.
We have watched its progress day by day, we have seen its walls in their construction, we saw the heavy beams that stretched their length from side to side, we looked upon the strong timbers that braced and held the different parts. Still later we saw the lathing, plastering, the finish, the paint and final completion of the work, and are gratified to know that beauty is united with strength, convenience and durability. You have sought to erect a building that shall be an ornament to the neighborhood, and that shall bespeak the liberality and public spirit of its citizens, that shall in all its appointments teach the lessons of order, arrangement and method. The site you have selected is one of the most commanding in the vicinity. The view from either window is one of the most interesting, instructive and fas- cinating that can possibly be conceived.
The long hillside sloping southward till it reaches the busy street, the hundreds of church spires pointing heavenward and towering above the tall shade-trees, the glitter of the water of the armlets of the sea, as seen in the distance, and still farther on, the wide hill-sides capped with their mantle of snow, and shutting in a further view, all conspire to make a scene that for beauty and sublimity is not sur- passed for miles around. Truly we may say with the King in the play of Macbeth :
" This castle has a pleasant seat ; the air Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle senses."
Pupils looking from the window of this building will gather mental · Amer from the reflections that must come welling up, suggested from
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the beautiful landscape spread out before them. Along in the valley at the south sits old Harvard with its ancient walls, its grand old trees ; an institution rich with the lore of more than two centuries, famous in the long line of eminent men that have graduated there, the pride and glory of our state. To the west, on one of the seven hills of Somerville, stands in the full vigor of its youth, a most worthy son of Harvard, Tufts' College. Each of these institutions of learning are within full view of the pupils attending this school. What youth can sit here and look upon these classic institutions, and not catch an inspiration that shall fire his soul, that shall awaken his ambition !
It has long been customary in towns and cities in this vicinity to name school-houses in honor of some prominent citizen, especi- ally for one who has identified himself in behalf of public schools. Dr. Bell, Charles Forster, Col. Brastow, Charles S. Lincoln and Clark Bennett, have each interested themselves largely in behalf of our schools, and there are school-houses in town bearing their names. We often hesitate to bestow honors of this class upon individuals until they are removed from the reach of envy by their removal to another world. But be it said to our credit that the people of Somer- ville have shown themselves superior to the suggestions of envy, and have bestowed these honors upon persons meriting them, and who may live to know and feel while yet on this mundane sphere that their services were appreciated. We have one among us who by his personal industry, by his steady march in the straight and narrow way, has obtained a name of good report, who is respected and loved for his generous hospitality, for his urbanity of manner, and for his many Christian virtues, who has contributed so often, and with such happy success on many public occasions, to the entertainment and instruction of the people in pleasing strains of poetry, that he is known as the bard of Spring Hill. He has interested himself largely in this school, and in the erection of this building, and we have thought it best to perpetuate his name, and to suggest to the youth of this neigh- borhood our approval of his industrious and honorable course of life, by calling this school the Morse School. We dedicate this beautiful struc- ture, the Morse Grammar School, to the cause of popular education. We dedicate it to the use and improvement of the youth of this district. We place it here as a pledge of our abiding faith in the usefulness of common school instruction. We offer it to the rising generation as a token of our interest in their behalf. May it be a power for good. May it stand forth a bright and shining light in the world of letters. Hav- ing accepted the keys at the hands of the Building Committee, and having examined the building, and finding it complete in all its parts, and admirably adapted to the purposes for which it is designed it
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becomes my privilege to present them to the teacher under whose more immediate charge the building and school are to be placed. Mr. Allen, though an important trust has been committed to us, yet a far more important and serious trust is put into your keeping. It has been our duty to cause the erection of a structure composed of mate- rials that time will efface, that will crumble and wear away, but the houses you build never fade ; the structures you erect stand forever ; they outlive all the changes of time. We place under your care and guidance our dearest interests, our fondest hopes. You will give di- rection to the thoughts, the aspirations, the character for all coming time of the youth seeking these walls. See to it that you are equal to the heavy responsibility that the presentation of these keys imposes upon you. Our business were but poorly done, and our work would pass for nothing, did we not select with great care for the instruction of the children who may assemble here, teachers whose literary quali- fications are ample, and who can properly communicate their knowl- edge. A teacher's literary qualifications, important as they are, become engines for mischief, unless he is controlled and directed by sound moral and religious principles, and fortified by habits of speech and habits of manner worthy of imitation. It is but a feeble satisfaction to parents to know that their children are mental giants, but moral dwarfs.
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Our schools should improve the mind, establish correct moral and religious principles, cultivate good habits of conversation, and easy and graceful manners. We speak strongly in this direction, because we have the fullest assurance that we have elected a principal for this school who will meet our expectations. May the paths of learn- ing here, be strewn with flowers. May the course of instruction here both by precept and example, be such that it shall send forth gradu- ates strong in mental and moral power, and may God in his goodness bless and prosper this educational enterprise.
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