USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1879 > Part 6
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A. I. Sears
47.6
46.2
97.0
3
20
N. W. Proctor
57.1
55.1
96.5
9
20
66
C. T. Brown
47.9
45 8
95.6
8
56
Edgerly
A. A. Cowles
49.3
45.5
92.3
29
85
.6
H. N. Sands .
51.1
47.5
92.9
66
48
L. V. Bell
Robert Bickford .
39.4
37.4
94 9
6
15
C. A. Battles
46 6
45 1
96.8
3
19
66
L. L. Gordon
44.8
42.2
94.2
10
32
66
E. M. Gooding
45.1
43.3
96.0
14
29
66
A. C. Hunt
42.0
39.1
92.1
33
56
.
F. A. Wilder
40.4
37.2
92 8
11
19
66
A. M. Snow
53.0
50.0
94.3
27
30
66
L. J. Page
53.2
49.4
92.8
23
40
*
66
M. E. Berry
42.9
40.4
93.9
3
6
Prospect Hill
A. A. Roberts
53.0
50.2
94.1
24
65
66
Maria Miller
42.8
41.0
95.8
55
42
Ellen Ledyard
50.8
47.4
93.2
29
53
Brastow
S. E. Pennock
42 5
40.7
95.7
39
8
Bennett
Helen Tincker
53 9
50.4
93.5
29
9
Jackson
L. W. Shelton .
48.8
45.8
93.8
65
17
Webster
A. L. Sanborn .
47 0
45 0
95.7
26
10
Morse
C. C. Hunkins
23.4
22.9
98.3
5
22
66
N. P. Nichols
40.1
38 9
97.0
27
34
66
P. S. Downes
47.3
46.2
97.6
5
17
66
H. H. Weld
48.9
45 8
93.7
46
32
66
A. E. Sawyer
47.0
44.4
94.4
41
40
Beech Street .
M. A. Haley
38.7
36.3
93 8
36
33
Franklin
J. E. Clark
34.8
32.7
93 9
41
34
66
35.8
33.2
92.8
38
28
Lincoln
G. E. Nichols
31.8
30.4
95.6
4
37
66
Jennie Colburn
44.1
41.7
94.8
53
56
66
Georgiana Cutter
39.0
36.3
93.1
62
47
66
L. J. Conwell
45.9
43 4
94.5
39
37
A. F. Hills
45.6
43.8
96.0
14
14
Cedar Street .
Alice Simpson
38.8
35 1
90.5
87
44
2155.5
2045.8
94.8
1,110
1,397
.
.
A. C. Damon
49 6
44.8
93.3
26
50
60
.
C. S. Plimpton
42.2
412
97.6
19
14
.
.
.
Clara Taylor
50.1
48.3
96 4
14
18
V. E. Hapgood
48.6
47.4
97.5
1
14
.
.
*
* Organized in September.
112
HIGH SCHOOL.
The High School continues to merit the favor with which it has ever been regarded by our citizens.
Whole number of different pupils during the year
338
Average whole number for the year .
· 226.8
Average attendance
219.9
Per cent of attendance
96.9
Largest number at one time
246
Number admitted during the year
101
Number graduated .
34
The number graduated is forty-two per cent of the number of pupils forming the class on entering the school.
Number who have left the school during the year, exclusive of the graduates 68
Whole number at the present time .
236
Number over fifteen years of age
204
Number in course preparatory to college
64
In the first class
9
66 second class .
15
third class .
19
fourth class . 24
Number pursuing the regular course
119
Number pursuing the English course
49
Number of pupils in the first class on entering the school . .
86
Number at the present time
27
Number in the second class on entering the school,
83
Number at the present time .
47
Number in the third class on entering the school
95
Number at the present time
66
Number in the fourth class on entering the school 100
Number at the present time
96
At the beginning of the school year the fourth class contained eighty-five pupils who were graduated at the Grammar Schools in June last; three who were members of the fourth class of last year; two who entered the school last year but remained only a brief period ; ten who were received from schools outside of the city.
Fifteen of the thirty-four pupils who were graduated in July
113
last had pursued the course preparatory to college. Of this number, fourteen were examined for admission to college, and all were admitted. Two of the graduates entered the Institute of Technology, and one the Harvard Medical School.
The increase in the number of young ladies in the course prepar- atory to college is a noticeable feature of the school. Frequently they constitute half the class. Their rank in scholarship in the High School, and the honors secured by them in the several col- leges which they enter, are equal to those of the young gentlemen with whom they are associated. Of the young ladies who have graduated in this department, there are at the present time stu- dents in Boston University, Smith College, Colby University, Vassar College, and in the course under the professors of Har- vard College.
The three departments of the school - English, Regular, and Preparatory to College - present a wide range of studies, and furnish ample facilities for preparation for any contemplated pur- suit, or for a more advanced course of study. Although the course of study in each department is definitely prescribed, yet those who wish to enter any scientific or professional school can, by joining regular classes in those departments, gain the requisite preparation as quickly as their capacity will allow.
It is cause for congratulation that the number of persons in our city who avail themselves of the advantages afforded by the High School is greater proportionately than the average number in attendance in the neighboring cities. We would encourage its increase. Ordinarily, men whose qualifications are most ample achieve the greatest success in their various vocations. Qualifica- tions that insure eminence in any calling are the result of special training ; but special training is most valuable when it has for its basis a liberal education and broad general culture. We would therefore counsel the young, whatever may be their contemplated work in life, to pursue their general education as long and as far as their circumstances will permit, before they turn aside to enter upon special training for their chosen calling.
We would urge upon our pupils the importance of forming, early in their course, a definite aim and purpose. It is very noticeable that those who study for a specific object secure a higher rank in scholarship than others with equal ability but whose work is aimless.
8
114
The school is in need of some additional apparatus. A micro- scope of much greater magnifying power than the one now in use, a telescope, and a theodolite would greatly increase the interest in the studies requiring their use.
TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF THE SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, TUESDAY, JULY 1, 1879.
-
. ORDER OF EXERCISES.
Buck. SINGING. - Chorus : Festival Hymn.
1. SALUTATORY IN LATIN.
WILLIAM D. SULLIVAN.
2. READING. - The Convict Ship.
NELLIE A. HAMBLIN.
NELLIE A. WOODS.
3. ESSAYS. - The Mission of Boys. Experience, Labor, and Hope. WALTER F. CHAPIN.
4. READING. - Nellie Latine's Wedding. Baker.
MINNIE L. CRANE.
SINGING. - Trio. (Piano Accompaniment.) Campana. Chorus : Spinning Wheel. (Female Voices ) Wagner.
5. From "School for Scandal " (Original Translation into Greck. ) JAMES H. EASTON, MARY A. CHAPIN.
6. DECLAMATION. - The Baron's Last Banquet. CHARLES L HOLT.
7. ESSAYS - Labor Lost. MINNIE S. CRANE.
Trimmings. ALICE L. CRANE.
8. ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS. ANNIE J. BARBER.
Recess.
MUSIC. - March : A Midsummer Night's Dream. Mendelssohn. ORCHESTRA .*
SINGING - Alto Solo and Semi-chorus : The Nixic. Rubinstein.
9. " Le Songe d'une Nuit d'Été." (Arranged from Shakespeare. )
WALTER S. BARNES, JR., CHARLES A. DODGE, JOHN D. PENNOCK, EDWARD E. SABEN, GIORGE L. TAFT.
10. POEM. FRANK H. OLIVER.
* Iladley's Orchestra.
115
11. READING. - Harras. (German. ) Koerner.
ELIZA L. SCHIUH.
12. ESSAY. - The Old Dining Table. CHARLES E. ROBINSON.
Schumann. SINGING. - Semi-chorus : Paradise and Peri. Chorus : " United, etc." Buck.
13. READING. - The Ride of Collins Graves. O' Reilly.
FLORENCE M. MORTON.
14. READING. - The Sad Lot of Mr. Knott. Lowell.
CHIARLES W. HOPKINS.
15. READING. - Nisus et Euryalus. LIZZIE F. COTTON.
16. PROPHECIES.
KATHARINE W. WOOD.
SINGING. - Trio and Chorus : Prayer, " Moses in Egypt. Rossini.
Unison Solo : Les Rameaux. Faure.
(Instrumentation by S. Henry Hadley.)
17. VALEDICTORY. ALICE W. HAYWARD.
18. PRESENTATION OF DIPLOMAS by MAYOR GEO. A. BRUCE.
19. PARTING HYMN.
MEMBERS OF THE GRADUATING CLASS.
Celia Sophia Bagster, Ella Frances Colby,
Alice Louise Crane,
Minnie Louise Crane,
Minnie Saben Crane,
Clara Blanche Ellis,
Nellie Augusta Hamblin,
Alice White Hayward, Florence May Morton,
Fanny Brown Sanger,
Eliza Lorette Schuh, Carrie Mabel Smith, Katharine Walker Wood, Nellie Adams Woods, William Grubb Bradshaw, Lawrence Francis Brine,
Charles Albert Dodge, Ellsworth Fiske, Charles Watson Hopkins.
OF THE COURSE PREPARATORY TO COLLEGE.
Annie Leland Barber, Mary Antoinette Chapin, Lizzie Frances Cotton, Hattie Elizabeth Moulton, Walter Saunders Barnes, Jr., Walter Freeman Chapin, James Hamlet Easton, Charles Lewis Holt,
Hugh Bernard Kelly, Joel Edward Lawrence, Frank Howard Oliver, John Downer Pennock, Charles Enoch Robinson, Edward Emerson Saben, William Dunning Sullivan.
116
PUPILS. - It appears from the census taken by the truant offi- cer, that there were 4,500 persons in the city between five and fif- teen years of age, on the first day of May last.
In Ward One .
1,342
Two.
1,557
66 Three
782
66 Four
819
Increase for the year
76
Whole number of pupils in attendance in May .
4,324
Number over fifteen years of age .
371
Whole number in attendance in December
4 521
In the High School
235
" Grammar Schools
2,260
66 Primary Schools .
2,026
Number over fifteen years of age
253
Whole number of pupils registered during the year .
5,162
Taking the average whole number as a basis, the High School has contained 5 44 per cent, the Grammar Schools 51.72 per cent, and the Primary Schools 42.84 per cent of the pupils during the year. Average number of pupils to a teacher in the High School, 37 ; in the Grammar Schools, 45 ; in the Primary Schools, 51.
TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF PUPILS IN EACH OF THE THIRTEEN CLASSES, IN DECEMBER.
SCHOOLS.
CLASSES.
BOYS.
GIRLS.
TOTAL.
AVERAGE AGE.
High
First
5
22
27
18 years 5 months.
66
'Third
25
40
65
16
6
6
Fourth
43
53
96
15
66
8
Grammar
First
77
70
147
14
7
66
66
Second
103
120
213
13
66
10
66
Third
148
183
331
13
3
66
66
Fourth
223
223
446
12
66
4
66
Fifth
267
250
517
11
2
66
60
Sixth
302
304
606
10
66
2
66
Primary
First
272
260
532
8
66
10
66
. .
Second
307
305
612
7
9
66
66
Third
475
407
882
6
5
66
Total
2,262
2,259
4,521
Second
15
32
47
17
6.
7
117
MUSIC. - In relation to this interesting branch of instruction, it has been well said that "singing should constitute a part of every regular course of instruction in school. It should be prac- tised daily in every department, for the immediate pleasure it gives, . for the æsthetic culture which it affords, and for its beneficial results in school discipline."
Under the direction of our skilful and enthusiastic leader, who ·receives the cordial co-operation of all the teachers, our schools are making gratifying progress, not only in the art, but also in the science of music. Pupils in the upper classes of the Grammar Schools read ordinary music at sight, with great facility, and pupils in the several classes of the High School, music of high order.
EXPENDITURES FROM JAN. 1, 1879, TO JAN. 1, 1880.
BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
Repairs and permanent improvements, $7,980 97
Insurance .
60 00
Rent of school-rooms
701 67
Fuel .
3,040 71
$11,783 35
BY THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
Teachers' salaries
$63,833 44
Superintendent's salary
1,800 00
Janitors' salaries
3,281 12
Truant officer's salary
775 00
Water
365 74
Gas .
311 76
Printing
277 45
Books
718 25
Writing books
219 23
Stationery and other school supplies
699 17
Miscellaneous
963 48
73,244 64
Total expenditures
$85,027 99
RECEIPTS.
Tuition of non-resident pupils
$112 00
Rent of school halls
392 25
Sundries
103 00
607 25
Net expenditures
$84,420 74
118
METHODS OF TEACHING. - Mr. Webster, in opening his memorable speech in reply to Hayne, said, " When the mariner has been tossed for many days, in thick weather and on an unknown sea, he naturally avails himself of the first pause in the storm, the earliest glance of the sun, to take his latitude, and ascertain how far the elements have driven him from his true course." At no previous period has the subject of education received such general attention from all classes as is manifest at. the present time, nor has there ever existed such a diversity of opinions in regard to systems of education and methods of instruc- tion as are now entertained and zealously advocated by eminent and leading educators. It is important, therefore, that our obser- vations and comparisons should be critical and frequent, in order that we may ascertain the drift of true progress, and may secure to our schools the continuance of the high relative standing which they have hitherto maintained.
This diversity of views, emanating from such respectable sources, may be confusing to those who are seeking guidance and are anxious to adopt and apply the best methods of teaching, and may suggest the inquiry, Who shall decide when leaders of distinction disagree ? but it is not to be deprecated. Truth is many-sided, and is best revealed when viewed in all its phases by many observers. " In the multitude of counsellors there is safety." Nature presents no duplicates ; but
" All nature's difference keeps all nature's peace."
An eminent writer says, " As discords have their place in har- mony, and abound the most in the music of the greatest masters, so must we expect diversities of views among thinkers ; and the more vigorous and original the style and trains of thought, the more will differences present themselves. The intellect of the race will not flow in channels marked out for it by authority, as molten iron follows the grooves and fills the moulds which the workman has prepared. Strong thinkers claim the right to choose their own methods of investigation, their own points of view, and their own paths in the pursuit of truth ; and we must not be ready to declare war against everything that 'follows not with us,' so long as it does not lay violent hands on that which is fundamental."
Doubtless, many theories of teaching, now in popular favor, are destined to a place among the numerous discarded methods with which the path of education is thickly strown ; but their considera-
119
tion and general discussion evolve important principles that con- tain elements of perpetuity and intrinsic value. Teachers who are ever devising new and better metho'ls of instruction indicate thereby their dissatisfaction with present. attainments, and that their ideal is in advance of their achievements. It has been wisely said, " Whoever is satisfied with what he does, has reached his culminating point : he will progress no more."
Various methods of teaching possess excellences which may be adopted with profit ; but no mode of instruction yet devised is so pre-eminent that it may be regarded as the method which all should pursue. Enterprising teachers study all methods and acquaint themselves with the practice of the most eminent of their profes- sion ; they profit by many suggestions and gather instruction from ' all sources ; but the specific methods which they apply in their daily practice should be of their own arranging, and they should be permitted to exercise great freedom in modifying or changing their modes of instruction to adapt them to the varying necessities of their pupils ; otherwise, they are fettered in their work, their individuality is suppressed, and as a consequence, their efficiency is impaired. As Herbert Spencer says, " Proofs are abundant that human nature is difficult to manipulate. Methods apparently the most rational disappoint expectation, and the best results frequently arise from courses which common-sense thinks impractical." Hence versatility of ingenuity in devising and varying modes of instruction is essential to eminent success, and teachers should not be restricted in its exercise.
In their general features all well-regulated schools are essentially similar. Great uniformity exists in the courses of study pursued · in all the cities and important towns in the Commonwealth, and the order of their arrangement is substantially the same. Consequently when scholars of ability and good standing in their respective classes are transferred from the schools of any city to classes of similar grade in any other city, they find themselves among their peers in attainment and mental development, however diverse the special methods of teaching pursued in those schools may be. Careful observation and a familiar acquaintance with different schools, under the direction of competent and enthusiastic teacher , but teachers who entertain theories in regard to education dia- metrically opposed to each other, will prove that in their practical working, these schools are substantially similar and secure results equally advantageous and meritorious. The routes pursued may
120
differ in many particulars, but they all converge to the same terminus.
.
This uniformity in courses of study, and similarity in the general management and results of all meritorious schools, arise from the fact that prevailing systems of education are all based upon certain general principles concerning which leading educators are in accord, - principles that are fundamental and admit of no controversy. It is an interesting and encouraging fact that many of the questions on educational topics, which elicit so much discussion at the present time and attract such a degree of public attention, are not, after all, vital questions, and do not pertain to leading principles of edu- cation nor affect materially the desired results, but relate rather to the different modes of applying general principles and to the more minute details of school work.
The more intimate is our acquaintance with men of various types of belief, the stronger will our convictions become that the real sentiments of all well-meaning, right-minded men, upon all ques- tions of vital importance, are nearly identical. Their differences, in this regard, are more in expression than belief.
We will briefly consider some of the topics in education concern- ing which leading educators are in harmony.
Scope of Education. - Great unanimity of sentiment prevails in regard to the ends to be secured in education. Any system of education is considered defective that does not aim to secure the harmonious development of the powers and faculties of our entire being, - physical, intellectual, and moral. In efforts, therefore, for the promotion of intellectual culture, which is more especially the work of the public schools, great care is exercised to avoid whatever tends to impair physical health or to dwarf the affections and moral susceptibilities. The apportionment of studies, the time and labor demanded for school duties. the construction of school buildings, methods of heating and ventilating school-rooms, - in- deed, all educational appliances, - are made to conform as far as pos- sible to hygienic laws. Teachers are selected with special reference to their fitness to meet the requirements of the General Statutes in regard to moral culture, and to the formation of character.
Courses of Study. - Allusion has been made already to the great uniformity that prevails in all important places in regard to courses of study. This agreement is the result of the general concurrence of all, in respect to the kinds of studies most promotive of general culture and the kinds of knowledge most helpful in the performance of the duties of life.
121
Order in Mental Growth. - The great similarity in the order of arrangement of various courses of study is evidence of a general agreement in regard to the natural order of development of the mental faculties, and of the desire and effort of all educators to adapt studies to the capacity of the young at different stages of intellectual growth.
This is a vital matter in education, and the general concurrence of sentiment in regard to it is cause for congratulation. Any one who remembers the order of his own mental growth, or with careful scrutiny measures the capabilities of children with whom he comes in close contact, realizes that no part of a teacher's work requires more thoughtful attention and the exercise of sounder judgment than the proper adaptation of instruction to the capacity of his pupils at different periods of advancement. " To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose." Any attempt to teach children prematurely those things which will come to them, as by intuition, at the proper age, is an inexcusable waste of time and vital force. As our observation cannot extend beyond the sensible horizon, so should our teaching be limited to the range of the child's mental vision.
A distinguished writer upon educational subjects says in relation to this point, " It often happens that you try a pupil with a peculiar subject at a certain age, and entirely fail ; wait a year or two, and you succeed, and that without seemingly having done anything expressly to lead up to the point, although there will inevitably be, in the mean time, some sort of experience that helps to pave the way."
Oral Teaching and Orul Objective Methods of Instruction. - These are terms of comparatively recent application to time- honored practices.
Oral teaching includes lectures, conversations, verbal explana- tions, and illustrations. Very little instruction is imparted in the schools that is not oral. When the teacher, in his endeavor to awaken interest, secure attention, and reach the understanding of his pupils, accompanies his oral teaching with the presentation of the real object of study, he furnishes an example of oral objec- tive teaching.
Oral teaching, when intelligently and effectively applied, leads pupils by an easy gradation from the known and familiar to the unknown ; from the concrete to the abstract; from the simple to the complex ; from a familiar acquaintance with processes and
122
facts to definitions, rules, and general principles. It has regard to the following order of precedency : "Ideas before words ; objects before names ; thoughts before sentences ; knowledge before defini- tions, rules, and general principles." It recognizes the fact that " knowledge is easy to him that understandeth." It reverses the mere rote system, now passing into disuse, which requires the verbatim memorizing of the words of the text-book, the recital of definitions, rules, and general principles prior to a knowledge of the processes upon which they are based.
Great prominence was given to the oral objective method by the eminent Swiss educator. It is said that Pestalozzi, at Stanz, undertook the instruction of one hundred homeless and ill-clad boys. His school-room, which was in an old deserted convent, was destitute of everything except rude benches. He had neither books nor apparatus, and consequently was compelled to re-ort to oral teaching. He had, however, ingenuity, enthusiasm, an unfal- tering purpose, and the true instincts of a teacher. Out of his necessities were evolved methods of teaching which have been constantly increasing in popular favor, and have secured to their originator a world-wide renown.
All teachers of experience and skill are in accord in regard to the importance of oral instruction when it is wisely applied. Dis- cussions in relation to it pertain to the extent of its use rather than to its value.
The enthusiastic teacher who adopts this method needs to guard against the tendency of teaching too much. There is the danger that he will perform, not only his own legitimate work, but that also which properly belongs to his pupils. Mr. Dickinson, Sec- retary of the Board of Education, in his very able report of last year, says : "The oral teacher should remember that he has per- formed his duty when he has presented proper occasions for ideas and thoughts, and has taught the language by which they are to be expressed. The observing and the reflecting must be done by the pupil himself." He further says, "It should not be forgotten by the teacher that the mind acquires facility in producing any of its states by the exercise of producing them ; and in performing any act designed to affect external things, by practice in performing that act."
It should be remembered that labor is the standard of value in the department of intellect as well as in trade and the mechanic arts. There is a general law in accordance with which success is
123
proportioned to the labor expended. Mental. activity is the law of mental growth. The more our pupils can be induced to accomplish for themselves, the more rapidly will they develop intellectual power. The Great Teacher has said, " He that doeth truth cometh to the light."
The opinion, entertained by some, that oral teaching supersedes the necessity for the use of text-books, we regard as fallacious. Oral teaching, wisely employed, supplements the written text, stimulates the mental activities of pupils, and excites a desire to search for the knowledge which the text-books contain.
Upon this point, Alexander Bain says, " There can be no teach- ing except on a definite plan and sequence ; and good, instead of harm, arises from putting the plan in print. The grammar teacher, e. g., working without books, either tacitly uses some actual gram- mar, or else works upon a crude, untested, irresponsible grammar of his own shaping. . . What is printed is only what is proper to be said by word of mouth ; and if the teacher can express himself more clearly than the best existing book, his words should be written down and take the place of the book. No matter what may be the peculiar felicity of the teacher's method, it may be given in print to be imitated by others, and so introduce a better class of books ; the reform that proposes to do away with books entirely thus ending in the preparation of another book."
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