USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Milford, Massachusetts 1881-1890 > Part 18
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REPORT OF SECRETARY.
The statement herewith submitted includes all bills contracted during the year ending Feb. 1, 1887, or left over from previous years, so far as known. Under the head of evening schools I have included only the salaries of teachers and janitors, and a bill for oil furnished for lights, which includes all the oil fur- nished for that purpose since the autumn of 1884. A large por- tion of this latter expense should have been paid and placed in previous reports, where most of it properly belongs. For a more correct statement of the actual running expenses of the school, see the Superintendent's report.
Milford's proportion of the State School Fund was made upon the basis of returns to the State Board of Education for May 1, 1885, and forwarded April 30, 1886, and therefore Hopedale as a town does not appear, and Milford has received what the whole territory embraced in the two towns was entitled to. The School Committee of Hopedale have made a request to us to pay over to them their proportional part of the amount, which would be about one tenth of this sum; the Milford Board declined to take any action in the matter, preferring to let them make their claim to the commissioners who are to be appointed to settle all disputes and differences, and make adjustments between the two towns. Should an allowance be made them out of our money. received from the state, it would make a slight increase in the amount we have exceeded our appropriations.
The repair account for the year has been very small, as noth- ing but general and needed repairs, resulting from the ordinary wear and tear of the buildings, have been made.
-
We have received quite a substantial sum in the form of tui- tions from scholars residing in other towns attending the High School, a large part of it being paid by the town of Hopedale for the courtesy extended in allowing her scholars to attend the school during the spring term of '86. As the Committee have.
6
considered it advisable to diminish the number of teachers and lessen the expense of the school, we have refused all applications from out of town scholars, and therefore we shall not have this sum to depend on for the coming year.
It will be observed that there is a difference of $3.83 between the Town Treasurer's report of money paid the School Depart- ment and the amount which I credit the schools with having received from him. This difference arises from the fact that the sum of $3.83 was drawn after the Town Treasurer had closed his books for the year, and being needed to clean up bills that were due Feb. 1, I have placed it on the present account, while the Town Treasurer has carried it into the next year.
APPROPRIATIONS.
Amount voted by town at April meeting,
$20,000 00
Tuition from out of town scholars, 281 80
Received from books sold at office, etc.,
94 79
Dog tax, one-half, 318 89
State school fund,
114 61
$20,810 09
EXPENSES.
Salaries of Teachers,
$14,880 26
Salary of Superintendent, .
1499 98
Salaries of Janitors, 929 05
EVENING SCHOOL.
Salaries of Teachers and Janitors,
$227 90.
M. P. Callanan, oil, 20 94
$248 84
FUEL.
Field Bros., coal,
$149 26
L. A. Cook, coal,
617 05
II. A. Barney, wood, 53 50
$819 81
TEXT-BOOKS AND SUPPLIES.
Text-books and supplies, $1266 49
7
REPAIRS.
Weed Bros. & Lent, general repairs, including fence in rear of Claflin school,
$126 39
T. E. Morse, painting, etc.,
84 42
Chas. Bryant, repairing slate on roof,
11 95
Bartlett & Ellis, plumbing at High School, etc.,
29 31
A. S. Crofoot, repairing roof,
2 00
C. A. Ambler, labor and material,
5 75
Martin J. Kelly, painting fence,
4 00
John Taft, mason work,
31 50
Henry Willard, repairing steam apparatus, etc.,
9 60
$304 92
INCIDENTALS.
John Gleason, use of well, Hoboken, $ 3 00
W. T. Leonard, expenses, freight, etc., 98 96
G. H. Whittemore, cleaning clocks,
3 25
Ann Fitzmaurice, use of well, Silver Hill,
2 00
J. L. Buxton, fitting keys, etc.,
6 23
Milford Savings Bank, rent,
20 83
Bartlett & Ellis, keys, locks, etc.,
4 25
J. W. Harris, cleaning stoves, brooms, brushes, etc., Richmond Stone, use of well two years at Purchase,
6 00
Cook & Sons, printing,
83 50
Ward P. Roberts, services as truant officer,
100 00
Milford Water Co., water rent,
107 00
Milford Gas Light Co., gas,
7 53
L. E. Fales, services as Secretary and expenses,
56 43
W. H. Hooker, repairing book-case,
25 87
Ide & Boyce, pokers, etc.,
3 00
G. M. Billings, printing,
44 50
Heliotype Printing Co., diplomas,
17 00
R. A. Conner, labor on Park yard,
1 50
W. T. Leonard, cleaning schoolhouses,
80 00
A. S. Tuttle & Co., dusters, brushes, etc.,
19 15
E. Whitney & Co., sup. carb. lime,
7 20
T. F. Davoren, services as truant officer,
66 66
R. C. Eldridge, cleaning clocks,
5 50
Times Pub. Co., advertising,
2 00
C. A. Ambler & Co., hardware, etc.,
2 55
F. H. French, repairing clock,
75
78 41
S
Hopedale Machine Co., setting glass, $ 40
Dutcher Temple Co., repair of pencil sharpeners, etc., 4 41
G. D. Wellington, use of well, Fountain St., 5 00
H. W. Lull, programs for graduation,
12 00
G. A. Sherborne, moving piano for graduation, 6 00
H. C. Kendall, filling diplomas,
8 50
G. T. Fales & Co., ribbon for graduation, 3 00
C. F. Wight, tuning piano, 2 00
Michael J. Casey, use of well at Plains, 5 00
O. B. Parkhurst, 66 Old Town House, 5 00
4 29
M. P. Callanan, soap for cleaning,
E. Shields, use of well at Deerbrook, 6 00
G. Drew, 66 " Fountain St., 5 00
Town of Milford, Highway Dept., carting gravel, 38 00
John Madden, use of well, West St., 5 00
$962 67
RECAPITULATION.
RECEIPTS.
Received from Town Treasurer, $20,445 04
66 tuitions, 281 80
66 66 books sold, etc., 94 79
Cash on hand at beginning of school year, 89 39
Whole amount expended, $20,911 02
Total appropriations, 20,810 09
Exceeded total appropriations,
$100 93 L. E. FALES, Secretary.
MILFORD, Feb. 17, 1887.
At a meeting of the School Committee, held this evening, it was voted to adopt the report of the Superintendent as a part of the report of the School Committee.
L. E. FALES, Secretary.
REPORT
OF THE
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.
TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE OF MILFORD.
Gentlemen :- In compliance with the requirement of your regulations, I respectfully submit my second annual report of the public schools under your charge. It is the tenth of this depart- ment and covers the time from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1886.
It affords a subject for congratulation that the same cordial re- lations that marked the previous year still continue. Not only is there the harmony which arises from absolute confidence and trust between pupil and teacher in the several schools, but the same good feeling is manifest in their relation to the Super- intendent and the Committee. No startling changes have marked the course of the year, rather the steady progress, we trust, which characterizes true advancement.
The division of the town in the early part of the year cut off four schools, though High School pupils from Hopedale were al lowed to continue till the close of the summer term, upon pay ment of the regular tuition. This somewhat affects the genera statistics, which are given below :-
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SUMMARY OF STATISTICS.
I. POPULATION.
Population of Milford, census of 1880, 9,310
66
estimated, 1886, 9,300
Number of children between the ages of 5 and 15, residing in Milford, May, 1886, 1,550
Decrease from report of 1885,
I57
II. SCHOOLHOUSES.
Number of buildings occupied,
17
not occupied,
1
rooms occupied, 66 not occupied,
36
4
of sittings :- High school, 171
Grammar schools, Grades I .- IV., 713
Primary schools, Grades V .- VIII., 1,100
Ungraded schools, 214
Total, 2,198
III.
SCHOOLS.
High school,
1
Grammar schools,
11
Primary schools,
15
Ungraded schools,
5
Evening school,
1
Total, 33
IV. TEACHERS.
High school, male teacher,
High school, female teachers,
2
Grammar school teachers,
11
Primary school 66
15
Ungraded school
5
Drawing teacher,
1
Substitutes, paid for actual service,
2
Evening school, male teacher,
1
Total number of different teachers employed, Number of teachers employed who are graduates of the Milford High school,
1
3
38
29
11
Number of teachers employed who are graduates of a Normal School or College, 10
Number of teachers employed who have attended College, Normal or Training school,
22
Number of cases of tardiness on part of teachers, 49
Number of half-days' absence of teachers, 51
V. PUPILS.
Number of children between 5 and 14, May, 1886,
1550
Decrease,
157
Whole number of pupils registered in public day schools, 1636
Decrease,
91
Number of pupils registered between 5 and 8 years of age,
421
8 and 14
928
14 and 15 66 66
126
15 and 16 66 66
79
Over 16 66
82
Total, 1,636
Average number of pupils belonging to day-schools,
1,263
Average daily attendance at day schools,
1,160
Average per cent of attendance to number belonging,
91
Number of half days' absence,
32,083
Number of cases of tardiness,
2,538
Number of cases of dismissal,
1652
Number of cases of truancy,
101
Total enrollment evening school,
35
Average number belonging,
30.2
Average nightly attendance,
24.8
Per cent of attendance, 82.3
VI. FINANCIAL.
Ordinary expenses of the schools,
$19,599 61
Repairs of schoolhouses and general improvements,
304 92
Expenditures for books, supplies, etc., 266 49
Total expenditures for the year, $21,171 02
Value of new books, etc., on hand Feb. 1, 1886,
$600 42
Value of new books, etc., on hand Feb. 1, 1887, 639 80
Received for books, etc., sold at office, 78 29
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Net cost of books and supplies to the town, 1,148 82
Net cost of the schools to the town, 20,413 55
Average cost per pupil, based on whole enrollment, and including ordinary expense, text-books, supplies and repairs, 12 47
Average cost per pupil, based on average number be-
longing, including the same items of expense, 16 16
Average cost per pupil, based on average daily attendance, 17 59
Cost of Evening school, 320 81
Average cost per pupil, based on average number belonging, 10 62
Average cost per pupil, based on average nightly at- tendance, 12 92
EXPENDITURES.
It will be seen from the above that the total expenditures for the year were $21.171.02. The difference between these figures and those given by the Secretary arises from the fact that a part of the coal for the school year of 1885-6, contracted and paid for before the first of February, owing to the limited capacity of the bins and for convenience, was not delivered until after that date. This coal is charged to the account of the several schools for the past year and from this the difference arises. If, from the total ex- penditures, the value of books and supplies on hand, the cost of books sold and the difference between the value of books on hand Feb. 1, 1886 and Feb. 1. 1887 be deducted, there will remain $20,413.55, the net cost of the schools to the town. The expense per pupil, based on the whole enrollment, is $12.47; based on the average number belonging, $16.16; last year these items were $14.19 and $18.50 respectively, and the year before, $15.62 and $19.54 ; and this in spite of the merited increase in the teachers' salaries. An itemized report of the cost of each school will be found in the Appendix.
The position in which the town is placed demands the most rigid economy in all departments. This should be understood in its truest sense. and does not mean or imply the withholding of anything which is needed to maintain the high standard of our schools. The Committee have kept this constantly in view, and while there has been a merited increase in the salary of the teachers of the lower grades, no waste or extravagance has been allowed. A liberal policy in school appropriations is wise, and is sanctioned by business prudence as well as far reaching sagacity.
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We believe there is a consensus of opinion in this respect among all the citizens of the town and that money for educational pur- poses is most freely given. Among the advantages of our beau- tiful town, the schools are mentioned with pride, and are a potent factor in the choice of a location for business or a perma- nent residence. We bespeak, then, that generous support which will enable the town, not only to hold its own in the march of progress, but to keep step with the most advanced thought of our times.
Plainly the main purpose of the schools is to prepare the pupil for the great struggle of life. While not wholly ignoring the physical and the moral, their main work is a careful and patient training of the mind. To this they bend all their energies; the courses of study are arranged with reference to this, and those books selected which will best facilitate the purpose ; each subject is so treated as to be a preparation for something higher, and nothing is brought in that does not harmonize with what pre- cedes and follows. Our system of graded schools takes a pupil from the lowest Primary through the High School with no break, while the admission to College by certificate seems to point to the time when there shall be realized here Prof. Huxley's aspiration for Great Britain, that the state shall provide a ladder reaching from the gutter to the University, along which every child shall have the chance of climbing so far as he is fit to go. This is as it should be, if the common schools are to reach their maximum. For the colleges are not pushed up by the lower schools, but the excellence and high standard of the Universities elevate the character of all the system below. This connection of popular with higher instruction is much closer in Europe than with us or in England, and to it Matthew Arnold attributes the superiority of the German schools. We have builded well so far as we have gone, and our system of schools is justly commended ; but our aim should ever be higher, lest we fall into, mediocrity. Indeed, in this lies our greatest peril, for as the same eminent author re- marks, "the common and average thing is our danger; it is com- paratively easy of attainment, but no true friend of education will be satisfied so long as this is attained and nothing more."
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS.
The advance in Arithmetic has been in the direction of prac- tical application. Large numbers of concrete problems have been
14
given in all grades, but especially has this been prominent in the Primary schools. In the lower Primary rooms the pupils deal with the real things, and ideas of number and their relations are acquired by use of blocks or sticks which are daily handled. From these the children make up examples or stories, and the constant repetitions necessary partake of the nature of real bus- iness, and what was formerly dull routine is now instinct with life and mental energy. The Grammar grades work in the same direction, but while accuracy was chiefly sought in the Primary, rapidity as well as accuracy is demanded here. Ease and rapid- ity require a large number of examples and if facility only is sought, abstract examples are good, while the power of logical analysis and mathematical skill require concrete examples, and those that involve difficulties. Absolute accuracy should be insisted on in every case, and the analysis should be repeated until it is clear to every mind.
In Geography the change is no less radical, though less plainly marked. A change in purpose naturally involves a change in methods and produces different results. Still, whether the pur- pose be mental discipline, a more vivid imagination, a basis for business, political life, historical study or literary recreation, es- sentially the same general method is used. Memorizing descrip- tive Geography is a thing of the past, and it would be considered a sign of weakness and incapacity for a teacher to conduct a recitation in that way. Rather the physical features of the country, the condition of the soil, the vicinage of river or ocean, the peculiarity of the climate, with their dependence upon and relation to each other, are made the basis for determining the chief productions of a country, the leading occupations and social conditions of the inhabitants. Cause and effect, the working of natural laws, business principles, the characteristics of the time, even its fashions and follies, all assist in forming an intelligent opinion. History, literature, fiction, travel and story, magazines and illustrated papers, the current news of the day, contribute their share to the common fund. Isolated facts and dry details are perceived to possess a relation never before suspected, and a fascination formerly quite unknown. This study, which was pur- sued for information merely, is now recognized as a means of culture second to none in our common schools.
In Writing the conditions are much the same as in the last re- port. A pupil begins to write on his entrance to the school, at
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first with slate and pencil, soon with paper, while the third year finds him using pen and ink with formal copy-books. From the first his attention has been directed to those principles which un- derlie true success in penmanship, and his efforts in the Primary grades are truly commendable. In the other grades, while the work in the writing-books is fair, the general work as shown by exercises, compositions and written examinations is far from praise- worthy. A good penman writes rapidly as well as legibly, and for this much practice is necessary. Yet the increased amount required in these grades is made the excuse for less satisfactory results. It is true that rapid writing easily degenerates into illegibility, but careful effort and unremitting attention on the part of both teacher and pupil will produce results creditable alike to all.
The crowded curriculum and the demands upon the time of teacher and pupil have wellnigh crowded out the oral instruction. Yet with a teacher well informed and enthusiastic, no time is bet- ter spent, or yields more valuable results, not more from the knowledge actually acquired, than from the method employed and the habit of careful investigation and scientific inquiry. By this means the elements of science may be taught so as to prove of great value in the pursuit of the study in the High School or College, while those who leave school may obtain a knowledge of common things useful in the practical concerns of life. To be of most worth this will begin in the lowest Primary, with lessons to develop the idea of color, form, and the qualities of objects; con- versations on familiar plants and animals, lessons on the human body ; and observations of nature and common things. Year by year these lessons go deeper and broader, till at the end of the course the pupil has no mean knowledge of familiar things, and has habits of scientific thought which are invaluable.
The change in Grammar is significantly marked by the changed name-Language Lessons. The correct use of the English tongue, whether in writing or speaking, is the great purpose of the study today. The uses of words and sentences are developed by repeated exercises. Every lesson is made an exercise in oral composition. Pupils are carefully trained to express their thoughts clearly, and thus with little technical grammar the cor- rect relation between practice and theory is sought.
The use of many books under the head of Supplementary Read- ing is a prominent feature of many schools. No doubt a reform
16
was much needed, indeed, nothing could be drier and more mon- otonous than the reading in many schools. Now there is much to attract the attention and stimulate the imagination and the love for reading. Children naturally long for that which is fresh and sparkling, and that this should be supplied is consistent with the best educational growth. This reading may be ennobling and may appeal directly to the best elements of our nature; it may foster a love of country, a spirit of truth and justice, and all the moral virtues; if properly guided, it may lead to good habits in read- ing and the choice of that which is best in history, biography and fiction. That these results may be realized, much care must be exercised. An undue cultivation of the imagination leads to false views of life and the formation of incorrect ideals, while on the other hand the selections and the training may be such as will best prepare for the real work of the future. "Life is real, life is ear- est," and in this real, earnest life, hard work, persistent toil, holds the first place. No greater lesson than this can be learned. "Of all work," said the Bishop of Exeter, "that produces results, nine tenths must be drudgery. There is no work, from the highest to the lowest, which can be done well by any man who is unwilling to make that sacrifice." Success in school-life depends upon this principle. Let the underlying principles of a new truth be fully explained and clearly understood ; but when it comes to the ap- plication of those principles, the pupil must work.
AVERAGE AGE.
Yrs. mos.
Average age of pupils, First class, High School,
17 3
Second.
16
2
Third
15
7
Fourth 66
14
11
First Class, Grammar school, 14
1
Second 66 13
1
Third 66
12
6
Fourth 66
66
11 6
This table gives the average age of the pupils in the High and the Grammar schools. Comparisons with other towns and cities are always instructive if properly used, and when drawn from a wide section of country enable us to judge accurately of our standing. A comparison of the ages of High School pupils in cities taken from Maine to Nebraska shows that the age here compares favorably with that of pupils elsewhere. The courses
17
of study are adapted to the wants of those who are prepar- ing for further study, as well as for business and the practical affairs of life. It is essentially the same as in other first-class High Schools. The above table also shows that the scholars are mature enough to understand and properly appreciate the branches of study there taught. The real reason, then, of any failure to maintain a proper position in the class lies in the individual and his special circumstances, rather than in the school. A careful inquiry into any particular case will undoubtedly lead to the same conclusion.
Akin to this is the question of over-pressure in the schools. It may be proper to state in this connection the fact that the school authorities have their attention called by parents to twenty cases where advancement is desired to one where complaint is made of over-study. In the four years of Primary school life the pupils are not required or encouraged to study at all out of school. In the Grammar grades it is more satisfactory if a little Arithmetic be performed out of school by the lower half of the class. In the upper classes and in the High School scholars are expected to prepare one lesson out of school, though probably one half of the pupils do not find this a necessity. An experience of more than twenty years in the school-room convinces me that the cases of injury to a healthy pupil from required study are very rare, if not wholly unknown. In this connection I quote from the report of Dr. Moran, special instructor in Hygiene in the Boston schools, whose opportunities for forming an intelligent opinion on this subject are unsurpassed : "As one interested in school-work, and for the past ten years in very close relation with school studies and management, knowing something from my own experience and observations as a pupil in the various grades of our city schools; as one observing the effects of study on my own children and those of my neighbors; and, as a physician, frequently con- sulted as to the health of school-children, I am free to say I have not yet seen sufficient evidence to convince me that the amount of study required in the schools of Boston is detrimental to the good physical condition of children otherwise healthy. I assume that the schools are established for healthy, and not for sickly, pupils, and should be judged accordingly. I do not believe that the amount of mental application now imposed is greater than will be found to have been required from school-children at any time in the whole history of education, since schools were first established,
18
ages ago. And, further, I do not believe that the human race has so degenerated that the mind of a child of these times, born with an average healthy constitution, and properly fed, clothed, and trained at home, and surrounded by good sanitary conditions in school, is not able to bear as much work as the mind of the average child who might have lived one hundred or five hundred years ago.' The influences of food, clothing, sanitation, etc., alluded to, would apply, if anywhere, to the children of the humbler classes; but we hear little or no complaint from them about overwork in schools."
While the above applies to children "otherwise healthy," it is only too true that there is an increasingly.large class of which it cannot be fully asserted. The prevalence of nervous diseases is one of the peculiarities of our time. The mortality of early infancy has been reduced. Through a wide range of scientific knowledge and the dissemination of correct physiological princi- ples among the mass of the people, many feeble children now survive and come into the schools with weak bodies and still weaker nerves. They attempt the same courses, and parents and teachers strive together to keep them up to the same standard as the rest. To this class belong those liable to be injured by con- tinued study. The difficulty requires patience and moderation from both parents and teachers.
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