Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Douglas, for the year ending 1915, Part 2

Author:
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 66


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$500 75


Town of Groton


133 25


Town of Athol.


55 31


City of Worcester


50 00


$739 31


The Overseers have received for their services :


Henry D. Mowry


$100 00


Paul D. Manning 25 00


Orlan F. Chase .


25 00


HENRY D. MOWRY, PAUL D. MANNING, ORLAN F. CHASE, Overseers of Poor.


30


Annual Report of WILLIE R. WALLIS, Agent


ON THE


DEVISE OF MOSES WALLIS To the Town of Douglas For the Year Ending March 1, 1915.


The agent charges himself with amounts due the town March 1, 1914, as follows :


Notes due the town


$2,325 00


Accrued interest. .


54 61


Deposited Rhode Island Hospital Trust Co. and interest 37,831 29


Cash in hands of agent. 22 90


$40,233 80


1914


March 1 Cash in hands of agent. $22 90


April 30 Interest, R. I. H. Trust Co .. . 223 70


May 29 Frank Duval. 25 50


July 9 R. I. H. Trust Co 3,000 00


August 8 Wm. H. Evans


24 00


Oct. 31 Interest, R. I. H. Trust Co .. .


730 88


Nov. 2 Town of Douglas. 3,040 00


Dec. 12 John C. F. Bates 6 00


26 Ordeal Casey .. 30 00


3I


1915


Jan. 16 David Lunn


$30 00


Feb. 17 Est. R. H. Baton .


105 76


27 Interest, R. I. H. Trust Co .. . 533 74


$7,772 48


Agent has paid out as follows :


1914


April 30 Int. Dep. R. I. H. Trust Co. .


223 70


July 9 Loaned Town of Douglas . . .. 3,000 00


Oct. 31 Int. Dep. R. I. H. Trust Co . 730 88


Nov. 2 Dep. R. I. H. Trust Co.


3,112 40


1915


Feb. 27 Agent, care Devise. .


75 00


Dep. R. I. H. Trust Co


96 76


Int. Dep. R. I. H. Trust Co. . 533 74


$7,772 48


NOTES DUE THE TOWN MARCH 1, 1915.


Maker of Note


Paid by


Principal


Interest


Salina Casey


Ordeal Casey


$500 00


$3 30


Potter M. Bates


John C. F. Bates


100 00


2 25


Frank Duval


125 00


7 50


Frank Duval


300 00


18 00


David and Amos Lunn


David Lunn


500 00


10 33


Edward M. Southwick


Wm. H. Evans


400 00


12 78


John Vallier


Agnes Govin


300 00


18 45


$2,225 00


$72 61


RECAPITULATION.


Cash in hands of agent


$22 90


Cash received during year


3,261 26


Interest received, R. I. H. Trust Co.


1,488 32


$4,772 48


Cash paid out during year :


Deposited R. I. H. Trust Co.


$3,209 16


Interest deposited R. I. H. Trust Co


1,488 32


Care of Devise


75 00


Cash in hands of agent.


0


4,772 48


32


Notes due the town $2,225 00


Accrued interest on notes . 72 61


Deposits R. I. H. Trust Co. and interest to date $39,528 77 0


Cash in hands of agent


$41,826 38


Value of Devise March 1, 1914


40,233 80


Net gain for the year


$1,592 58


Respectfully submitted,


WILLIE R. WALLIS, Agent.


The foregoing accounts have been examined and found to be correct, and the assets are fully accounted for by the notes and cash balances.


A. T. BYRNES, Auditor.


February 28, 1915.


33


Report of Tax Collector.


For 1914.


Douglas, Mass., March 1st,1915.


The Assessors of Douglas for the year 1914 com- mitted to me on the 1st day of August 1914, the Col- lector's book with warrant to collect and pay over to the Treasurer of said Town of Douglas the sum of .. $23,032 45


On Sept. 16th, Dec. 1914 and Feb. 24th, 1915, special assessments 45 17


Total $23,077 62


I have collected and paid over to the Treasurer of said town, in cash and abatements, the sum of $22,492 82


Balance $584 80


March 1st, 1915, cash on hand


446 07


Leaving balance uncollected of. $138 73


Interest collected to March 1st, 1915. 13 61


By vote of the town March, 1902, the names of all delinquent tax payers are to be printed each year in the town report, and are as follows :


34


LIST OF DELINQUENT TAX PAYERS.


Moses H. Balcom. $ 3 23


Arthur C. Snow $2 00


Fred L. Bruno.


2 00


Wm. Williamson 18 04


Heirs Peter Germain . 3 28


John Wauska 2 41


Lucien Hudgins


2 00


Adelbert Ward 3 07


Albert Hudgins 2 00


Belle Turner.


11 15


Thos. Howard 4 46


Edgar S. Hill.


38


Frank Jacino ..


2 82


Frank B. Clark


31 16


Chas. La Plant


2 00


Ernest Perigal.


. 23


Walter Paine. .


3 07


Frank Donaldson 4 92


Michael Rizzutti.


11 43


Mrs. Etta Phillips


11 48


Philip Revord ..


2 00


Joseph P. Love.


4 10


Heirs Zilpha Rawson


1 15


Heirs Willis Sherman . 10 66


John C. F. Bates 2 87


Jerry Casey . 2 00


Respectfully submitted,


E. P. HEATH, Collector.


35


TREE WARDEN'S REPORT


For the Year 1914.


I have the honor to submit to the Town of Douglas the fol- lowing as the report of work done in spraying and pruning the town trees.


PLACING SIGNS ON TREES.


W. E. Carpenter, 12 days, 3 hrs $4 50


team 1} days. 2 25


SUPPLIES.


W. R. Wallis-50 sign boards 2 00


tacks and nails. 19


$8 94


SPRAYING.


W. E. Carpenter, 17 days, 1 hr. at $2 50


team 17 days, 1 hr. at . 1 25


$64 17


L. Matt, 16 days, 1 hr. at $2 50. 40 28


F. Trinque, 16 days, 1 hr. at 1 80. 29 00


36


SUPPLIES.


W. R. Wallis, 500 lbs. lead $29 30


stopcock 40


$163 15


CONTRA.


Private work


$32 00


200 lbs. lead on hand. 11 72


$43 72


Total cost. $119 43


PRUNING.


W. E. Carpenter, 12 days $30 00


W. E. CARPENTER, Tree Warden.


37


REPORT OF


Road Commissioner.


Frank Revard, 23 loads gravel


$ 1 15


W. H. Parker, 187 loads gravel.


9 35


W. H. Parker, 972 ft. plank


24 30


Louis Matte, 16 hours


3 20


Good Roads Machinery Co., 2 sets of section for


Scraper .


16 00


Freight on same.


W. R. Wallis, 1531 ft. Chestnut


42 18


53 lbs. Spikes


1 32


4 Pick handles


80


309 ft. Chestnut timber


73


16 Sleepers


48 00


1 Bag Cement.


50


22 ft. Oak and Maple


88


1 Ash pole


1 00


2 Bush Scythes


1 50


2 Bush Snathes. 1 80


1 Sledge Handle .


15


Henry Jarvis, 1 horse, 17 hours


2 12


Harley Barton, 8 hours. .


1 60


Charles McKay, sharpening pick and bars ; repairing scraper and chain .


10 25


Frank Amadon, 5 loads gravel.


25


Alfred Parker, 178 hours .


35 60


2 horses on cart, 138 hours


41 40


2 horses on scraper, 40 hours


15 00


Robert Lunn, 245 hours .


49 00


Louis Signet, 52 loads gravel.


2 60


Nelson Place, 58 hours


11 60


1 horse, 42 hours . 5 25


38


38


B. R. Thompson, 67 hours $13 40


C. Lunn, 29 hours.


5 80


A. S. Hall, 37 loads gravel 1 85


Edgar Parker, 61 loads gravel 3 05


Henry Chase, 13 hours . 2 60


Myron Chase, 29 loads gravel


1 45


George Adam, 17 loads gravel


85


George Chandler, 40 hours


8 00


Albert Frank, 8 hours.


1 60


Charles Maynard, 64 hours 44 loads gravel


: 20


Walter Thompson, 18 loads gravel .


90


William Buxton, 6762 hours .


135 30


Palmer Converse, 202 hours


40 40


2 horses on cart, 17 hours


5 10


1 horse on cart, 182 hours ..


22 75


2 horses on scraper, 4 hours


. 50


Arthur Morse, 31 hours .


6 20


Frank Francis, 122 hours


24 40


D. Dunleavy, 145 hours


29 00


2 horses on scraper, 74 hours.


27 75


2 horses on cart, 71 hours


21 30


Stephen Copp, repairing scraper


75


D. Dudley, repairing scraper ; sharpening picks ; iron bars, .


5 75


Frank Revard, 435 hours


87 10


A. B. Simmons, 246 hours.


49 20


Charles Stevens, 215} hours


43 10


Henry Jarvis, 1035{ hours


310 65


1 horse, 239 hours


29 88


2 horses on cart, 675 hours


202 65


2 horses on scraper, 252 hours


94 50


L. Titus, 97 hours .


19 40


Mitchell Foster, 38 hours


7 60


Fred Berry, 197 hours.


39 40


Nelson Roberts, 46 hours


9 20


Joe Matte, 414 hours .


82 80


Louis Falloni, 947 hours


189 40


John Falloni, 427₺ hours


85 50


Edward Lafleur, 122 hours 2 horses on scraper, 122 hours


45 75


F. J. Kenyon, 183 hours. .


36 60


2 horses on cart, 139 hours


41 70


1 horse on cart, 44 hours 5 50 .


30 00


Roy Kenyon, 150 hours


24 40


12 80


39


Gordon Kenyon, 13 hours


$2 60


Phil Snow, 32 hours. 6 40


17 40


Fred Dupont, 24 hours 2 horses on cart, 24 hours


7 20


$2182 34


REPAIRING STONE ROAD.


Palmer Converse, 452 hours


$ 9 10


1 horse, 21 hours


2 62


Peter Casey, 35₺ hours


7 10


Albert Houghins, 272 hours


5 50


Louis Falloni, 842 hours


16 90


Henry Jarvis, 37 hours.


11 10


2 horses on cart, 94 hours.


28 20


95 loads sand


9 50


1 horse, 5 hours


62


William Buxton, 94 hours .


18 80


Nelson Roberts, 11 hours


2 20


Alfred Parker, 24 hours


4 80


2 horses on cart, 24 hours


7 20


Frank Revard, 8 hours


1 60


Robert Lunn, 8 hours .


1 60


Lyman Arnold, 7 hours


1 40


W. R. Wallis, 62 ft., 8in., tile pipe


12 40


$ 140 64


ROAD SUPPLIES.


1 Pick.


50


1 Round point pick


60


1 Mattock


50


6 Contractor's shovels


5 40


2 Iron bars


1 80


I Keg 6in. spikes


2 50


395 ft., 3in. plank


11 06


3ft., 18in. tile pipe . .


1 95


$ 24 31


HENRY JARVIS,


Road Commissioner


Mr. Stowe, 87 hours


4 80


ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE


SCHOOL COMMITTEE


and Superintendent of Schools


OF THE


TOWN OF DOUGLAS


FOR THE


Year Ending March 1, 1915


LAS


16


INCO


POR


WHITINSVILLE, MASS .: PRESS OF EAGLE PRINTING CO. 1915.


2


SCHOOL COMMITTEE.


MRS. W. E. SCHUSTER


Term expires March 1, 1915


66


1, 1915


ERWIN E. CARPENTER


WILLIE MANAHAN


66


66


66 1, 1916


CHARLES J. BATCHELLER


66


66


66 1, 1916


HENRY KENDALL.


66


66


1, 1916


FRANK E. JONES


66


66


66


1, 1917


WALTER PARKER


66


66 1, 1917


CORNELIUS F. McLAREN


66 1, 1917


SUPERINTENDING COMMITTEE


MRS. W. E. SCHUSTER C. F. McLAREN


SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS CHARLES M. PENNELL, A. M.


PURCHASING AGENT


CHARLES J. BATCHELLER


TRUANT OFFICERS


ALEX R. JOHNSON


CHARLES M. PENNELL


66


1, 1915


W. L. CHURCH


3


SCHOOL CALENDAR


1914-15


FALL TERM


All schools opened September 8, 1914, and closed December 18, 1914, 15 weeks.


WINTER TERM


High School and Douglas Center schools opened December 28. All other schools opened January 4,1915. High and Grammar schools close March 26, 1915. 13 and 12 weeks respectively. All others close March 19, 1915. 11 weeks.


SPRING TERM RECOMMENDED


All schools begin April 5, 1915. High School closes June 25, 1915, 12 weeks. Grammar schools close June 18,1915, 11 weeks. All other schools close June 11, 1915, 10 weeks.


"NO SCHOOL" SIGNAL


Three blasts of the whistle at 7. 45 A. M. indicate "no school" for the morning session.


Three blasts of the whistle at 11.45 A. M. indicate "no school" for the afternoon session.


4


FINANCIAL STATEMENT.


Total amount appropriated by Town $8.575 00 Total amount received from State 2,332 82 Received from Town of Sutton for tuition. . 49 00


Total receipts .


$10,956 82


Total amount expended from March 1, 1914 to February 28, 1915. $10,683 51


$10,683 51


Unexpended balance. .


$273 31


GENERAL EXPENSES.


School committee expenses . $34 77


Superintendent's salary 680 04


Expenses for superintendence and enforce- ment of the law


29 97


$744 78


EXPENSES OF INSTRUCTION.


*Night school teachers' salaries.


$120 00


Other expenses including supplies, text books 28 25


High School Principal's salary 915 00


High School teacher's salary. 594 33


Elementary school teachers' salaries. 4,760 17


Text books for High School 102 39


Text books for elementary schools


158 05


Stationery, supplies and miscellaneous ex- penses for High School 21 57


For elementary schools


287 58


$6,987 34


EXPENSES OF OPERATING SCHOOL PLANTS.


Wages of janitors, &c., High School $37 44


Wages of janitors, &c., elementary schools .. 722 69


Fuel, High School 46 14


Fuel, elementary schools 843 18


Miscellaneous expenses, High School. 32 22


Miscellaneous expenses, elementary schools 232 43


$1,914 40


5


MAINTENANCE


Repairs, &c., High School $2 81


Repairs, &c., elementary schools


357 08


$359 89


AUXILIARY AGENCIES.


Health .


$53 00


Transportation 578 00


$631 00


MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES.


Sundry expenses . $46 10


$46 10


*$66.00 was paid in above amount for night school teachers' salaries for night school of last year.


In asking for the following appropriations for the coming year, we have divided the different items under separate heads to con- form with the State Board of Education's forms.


General expenses, including superintendent's salary, expenses of school committee and enforcement of the law $400 00


Expenses of instruction, including teachers' salaries, text books and supplies, and night school, also miscellaneous expenses in connection with the schools . 5,050 00


Expenses of operating school plants, including janitors salaries, fuel and miscellaneous expenses in con- nection with operating school plants. 2,000 00


Maintenance, repairs, &c., of school buildings 400 00


600 00 Auxiliary agencies including health and transportation Miscellaneous expenses (sundries) 50 00


Contingent fund, asked for to meet unexpected con- tingencies that may arise during the year. 300 00


Manual training and domestic science .


$8,800 00


MRS. WALTER E. SCHUSTER, CORNELIUS F. McLAREN,


Superintending Committee.


6


REPORT OF


School Committee.


The School Committee submit the following report for the year ending March 1, 1915 :


During the summer, Miss May Murphy of Grade V resigned and Miss Edna Dillon of the Bridgewater Normal School was elected to fill the vacancy. During the fall term Miss Dillon re- signed to accept a position in Fall River and Miss Mialma Jenckes, a graduate of Wellesley College, was elected to fill the vacancy.


During the fall term Mr. Thomas, principal of the High School resigned. The Committee appointed Miss Alice M. Pierce of Mount Holyoke College to the position of principal, and Miss Almira R. Wallace, of Bates College, as assistant. In South Douglas also we had a vacancy to fill and Miss S. May Butterworth was appointed during the summer to this position.


These few changes have been all that we have had to make, and your Committee feel that the present corps of teachers are deserving of commendation, not only for their loyalty toward the Committee but for their painstaking care and work in connection with the schools.


SUMMER SCHOOL.


During the summer experiment was made of conducting sum- mer work for the school children under supervision.


Through the kindness of the Hon. W. S. Schuster land was placed at the disposal of the School Board for gardening. We obtained the services of Mr. Richard Moore, a practical gardener and offered the boys the privilege of having gardens for the sum- mer. We regret that not more of the boys went in for this work.


7


William Yongsma deserves honorable mention for his garden. If further interest is manifested and the Committee able to do so we may try this plan another season.


For the girls we secured the services of Miss Etta Johnson who taught them sewing and embroidery. This class was very successful and the girls were very much interested in the work. After school opened in the fall there was an exhibit of the work from both the classes, and awards were made for the work done in both departments.


PARENT-TEACHERS ASSOCIATION.


This is a work that deserves the support of every parent and tax payer in the town.


One great trouble with the schools of the country has been a lack of mutual understanding between the parents and the teachers and school authorities. Whether we realize it or not, the home plays a very inportant part in the education of the child. Without the sympathetic influences of home life the boy or the girl has little ambition to acquire an education and whatever occu- pation the child follows today after leaving school, the more edu- cation he has, the better fitted he is to fill the position, and earn promotion. Therefore your Committee cannot urge you too strongly to allow the child to stay in school as long as possible.


We feel that our High School which has done such good work this last year, is deserving of a larger attendance. After careful consideration the course of study has been revised to meet present day conditions. It is not a loss of time on the part of the child, for the more education, the more earning power. It is not the fact that he or she has studied Ceasar or Virgil, or Geometry that gives this added earning power but that for four years they have had to study and think and reason out things for them- selves.


In the Parent-teachers Association papers relating to matters educational and instructive are read. Subjects are brought up for discussion, both from the view point of the parent and of the teacher.


The following are the officers of the Asssociation, any one of whom will be glad to give further information regarding the work of the association.


Pres. Mrs. Walter Carpenter, Vice Pres. Mrs. Ralph E. Dud- ley, Treas. Mrs. Laura H. Pierce, Sec'y. Mrs. Ida Terrill.


8


REPAIRS, ETC.


The ceilings in the High School Building, especially on the lower floor are in very bad condition. The settling of the building and the constant walking overhead have caused the ceilings to crack and break off leaving a very untidy appearance. These breaks have been patched from time to time, and upon consulting experts we have decided to start in making a permanent repair of the ceilings. A beginning was made in Grade IV room, where a metal ceiling was put up, the room was then painted and new shades furnished. We feel now that we have made a real begin- ning, and hope to add at least one room each year, thus spread- ing the cost over several years and at at the same time making a permanent improvement.


During the summer the school building in South Douglas was papered and painted inside and supplied with much needed new shades.


At the suggestion of Mrs. Vose, an organ was provided at Douglas Center, which has proved very useful.


We hope this coming year to add electric lights in the halls, cellar and High School rooms, also a telephone. Both of these improvements are now accepted as necessities and not a luxury. We also hope to find a place in the building for an emergency or rest room, where if a child is taken ill, he can have absolute quiet until the physician can reach him and make proper disposition of his case.


In additon to the above there are several repairs, which, thanks to the efficiency of Mr. Johnston, the janitor, have been put off or temporarily fixed for several years past.


During the summer vacation, the High School building was painted which adds greatly to the appearance as well as preserving same.


Necessary repairs are really an economy. We have good school buildings and it is our duty to keep them so. Postponement of necessary repairs simply means increased cost when they are made, and if they are necessary they must come eventually.


HEALTH.


In bringing the matter of health to your notice, we feel that its importance cannot be too much impressed on your minds.


The laws of the state say all children must be either vaccinat- ed or certified as being unfit for vaccination.


9


We ask you to go a step farther, and safe-guard your neigh- bors' children as your own.


An epidemic is an awful thing to contemplate and although our school physician, Dr. Clark, and health officer Mr. Francisco Bowen, carefully follow up all reported cases, you, the parents must also contribute your share.


If your child has a sore throat, a fever or a rash, anything in fact that strikes you as important, it is your duty to see to it that the disease will not be communicated to other children.


Before allowing the child to mingle with others, know that he has no contagious disease. We safeguard the children in school to the best of our ability by requiring from them after an absence on account of sickness, a health certificate. Do your share and consult a physician before allowing them out among other children. The small cost of knowing that everything is all right amounts to nothing compared to the frightful cost of lives of an epidemic.


MANUAL TRAINING AND DOMESTIC SCIENCE


These subjects are receiving much attention today in the educational world, and many towns have already demonstrated their practical value. Should it seem wise to introduce such into our schools the coming year, the expense must come heaviest at the outset, in the way of equipment, but once introduced the running expenses will prove a smaller item.


CONCLUSION.


The cost of education is, like all other necessities, going up. Our standards are higher. We are demanding from our teachers, as well as from all other class occupations, efficiency, and efficiency costs money. The standard set by the State Board is higher and employers of labor are demanding more from our graduates, and we must supply these demands or acknowledge that we have not done our duty.


In the past our town has been willing to give to the schools whatever has been asked and undoubtedly will continue to do so in the future.


IO


It is the same in the management of the schools as in any other business enterprise, very hard to foretell at the beginning of the year exactly what expenses will be necessary the coming year. For this reason your committee have asked for an appropriation for contingencies. This contingent fund can be carried over from year to year if not needed and looks far more business-like than the word "overdrawn."


In conclusion your committee wish to express their thanks to our superintendent, teachers and janitors for their support in their different positions.


We call your attention to the reports from the superintendent, High School principal and music supervisor for further details in their respective departments.


MRS. WALTER E. SCHUSTER, CORNELIUS F. McLAREN,


Superintending Committee


II


Superintendent's Report.


To the Members of the School Committee of Douglas, Mass. :


I herewith submit my fourth annual report of the public schools of the town of Douglas.


The school year 1913-14 was, perhaps, as successful a year as our schools have ever had. The attendance was good and the interest on the part of the parents, teachers and pupils was highly satisfactory. Several of the schools reported perfect attendance day after day. Truancy has become almost a negligi- ble quantity. The sentiment of the town strongly favors regular- ity in attendance, and the pupils have assumed this attitude toward school work.


No great amount of sickness has occurred, the town being one of the most healthful in the state. The school buildings are for the most part, well lighted, ventilated and heated. The sanitary conditions in and about the buildings seem to be very nearly per- fect.


A proper amount of exercise, both in and out of school on the part of the pupils is advocated by the teachers. Advice concerning care of the teeth and eyes, a proper amount of sleep and rest, nourishing diet and such other suggestions as make for better health on the part of the pupils, is freely given and insisted upon.


The eye and ear tests have been given by the teachers as heretofore, resulting in a slight improvement over past years. Such defects as were detected were recorded and the parents notified with the advice that specialists be consulted with a view to correcting the defects.


The number of changes in the corps of teachers has been few .


12


PARENT TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.


A parent-teachers association has been formed with Mrs. L. L. Carpenter as president. Three or more meetings have been held at the High School building. The attendance has been most en- couraging and the interest manifested argues well for the ultimate success of the organization. Current matters related to various school activities and interest are discussed, papers and clippings are read and the needs and possibilities of the schools for increas- ed usefulness to the community are carefully considered.


THE MANUAL ARTS.


It has come to be recognized that something of the nature of manual work is a necessity in our schools as constituted to-day. In school systems in which the most careful thought and super- vision have been given, statistics compiled and measurements in efficiency are made, it has come to be recognized that manual work both for boys and girls is an economic necessity. Manual work in the schools is no longer a fad or an experiment. It has been so thoroughly tested that almost all the best schools have manual work in some form in its course of study.


The modern home no longer affords an opportunity for the boy or the girl to acquire the much needed training from the father or the mother as formerly. In recent years the drift from rural communities toward the village and the city has become so pro- nounced, conditions in the home have greatly changed. The vast amount of work needing to be done in and about the rural home does not exist in the village or city home with its few rooms and its scarcity of land and out buildings. The introduction of the Manual Arts into the schools is an attempt to make up in part for the loss sustained by the changed conditions in home life.


The school with its complex equipment of apparatus and courses of study should equip boys and girls for life far more effectively than ever before. The demand for efficient workers was never so strong, or so exacting as to-day. If our school does not meet this demand, there must be an infusion of something unseen, either in method or control, perhaps both.


Our own town, in which most of the people are dependent on the work of their hands, I believe, would profit greatly by the introduction of manual work in the schools. A teacher could doubtless be employed a day or two a week, who could handle successfully the manual work for the boys as well as the domestic science for the girls, together with drawing for all, both freehand and mechanical.


I3


The expense of the equipment would not be great and, I be- lieve the gain in usefulness on the part of the boys and girls ed- ucated in our schools would soon become apparent ..


I should like to have the town make an appropriation for such a course at the annual town meeting this spring. I believe the returns would fully justify the additional expense incurred in maintaining the schools.


MUSIC.


Music in the schools has been under the supervision of Mrs. A. G. Vose of Woonsocket as formerly. The pupils manifest good interest and are learning to read rapidly and accurately. They are coming to have an appreciation for good music and are making commendable progress. The musical festival given in the spring gave the people an opportunity to see and hear for themselves the nature of the work being done. Another festival will be given in the near future. All who can are advised to at- tend.




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