USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lincoln > Town Report on Lincoln 1920-1924 > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29
In closing, the Committee wishes to express its sincere thanks to Miss Viets for her hearty co-operation, and for her active and ardent interest in the performance of her duties.
Respectfully submitted,
SUSAN M. LORING, Chairman of the Committee on the District Nurse.
98
LINCOLN PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Trustees on the following pages submit the report of the Treasurer and Librarian for the year ending December 31, 1921.
The Trustees ask for an appropriation of $800.00 and the Dog Tax.
C. LEE TODD, Chairman of the Trustees.
DR.
REPORT OF TREASURER OF LINCOLN LIBRARY FOR YEAR ENDING DEC. 31, 1921.
CR
RECEIPTS
Cash on hand, Jan. 1, 1921.
$251.28
From Interest on Deposit
.89
Liberty Bonds
8.50
Codman Fund
43.75
Fines and Sale of Books.
40.68
Dog Tax Return.
237.91
Town Appropriation
700.00
Trust Funds :-
George G. Tarbell Legacy. .
$130.18
George Russell Legacy
99
Julia A Bemis Legacy. .
59.02
Abbie J. Stearns Legacy.
121.96
John H. Pierce Legacy . .
54.27
366.42
EXPENDITURES
For Water Rate
$ 10.00
Telephone
26.00
Light
85.30
Clerical Work
10.00
Delivery of Books to South Lincoln.
14.25
Sundries
19.41
Repairs :-
Lawn Mower
$4.50
Rescating Chairs
19.32
Roof
41.38
65.20
Binding Books
55.00
Magazines
86.75
Books
308.56
Fuel
408.61
Librarians, Salaries and Income of Pierce Fund ...
554.27
Total of Expense
1,643.35
Balance on
hand.
6.08
$1,649.43
The Codman Fund is invested in five shares of Boston and Albany stock. The Library Trustees also hold $200 in Liberty 4 1/4 's.
JOHN F. FARRAR, Treasurer.
99
$1,649.43
.
100
STATISTICAL REPORT OF THE LINCOLN PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE YEAR ENDING JANUARY 1, 1921
Number of volumes in Library Jan. 1, 1921
11,097
Number of volumes withdrawn
26
Increase by purchase
157
Increase by gift
63
Number of volumes in Library Jan. 1, 1922
11,291
Total delivery of books for year
9,003
Largest delivery in one day
134
Smallest delivery in one day
20
Number of books delivered, fiction
3,745
Number of books delivered, non-fiction
2,545
Number of books delivered, juvenile
2,713
Number of days Library was open
104
Gifts of books, periodicals, pamphlets, etc., have been re- ceived from
Miss M. Bachelder
Miss E. Peirce
Miss A. Bartlett
Miss J. I. Peirce
Mrs. W. H. Blodgett
Miss B. Scripture
Miss A. Campbell
Hon. C. S. Smith
Mrs. Codman
Mr. J. W. Smith
Mrs. C. Hatheway
Mrs. C. H. Trask
Mr. A. Little
Mrs. C. Wilcox
Mr. A. Parker
Miss G. Weston
A very valuable gift has been The World's Great Classics in 60 volumes with index. Illustrated with numerous photo- gravures, etchings, colored plates, and page portraits of great authors.
Mrs. C. H. Trask has presented the unique and interesting gift of a Russian Icon. A sacred emblem in the Greek Church honored with worship of offerings of incense, lights, etc., enshrined both in the church and homes of the Russian people.
A collection of books (largely fiction) has been received from a private Library. After they have been examined the desirable ones will be put in circulation.
101
LINCOLN PUBLIC LIBRARY Accessions to the Library for 1921
FICTION
Atherton, Gertrude. Sisters-in-law 728.33
Bacheller, Irving. The prodigal village.
931.28
Bailey, Temple. Trumpeter swan
928.23
Beith, Ian Hay. Willing horse ..
1021.28
Bojer, Johan. The great hunger. Translated from Nor- wegian
764.23
Bradley, Mary Hastings. Innocent adventuress
728.34
Brown, Edna A. The Spanish chest
753.28
Caine, Hall. Master of man.
756.29
Canfield, Dorothy. The brimming cup
755.26
Dillon, Mary. In old Bellaire
712.32
Dillon, Mary. Miss Livingstone's companion.
712.31
Dixon, Thomas. Man in gray. Romance of North and
South
1021.30
Dodd, Lee Wilson. Book of Susan.
756.27
Dowdall, Mrs. Three loving ladies.
764.25
Farnol, Jeffrey. Martin Comsby's vengeance
1025.36
Gale, Zona. Miss Lulu Bett.
923.12
Galsworthy, John. To let.
1012.27
Gibbs, George. The vagrant Duke
728.32
Grey, Zane. Betty Zane.
1028.20
Desert gold. Romance of the border
1025.35
Heritage of the desert
1021.31
The last trail. Story of early days in Ohio valley 1018.30
-. Mysterious rider. 928.24
Haggard, H. Rider. Smith and the Pharaohs, other tales
1031.26
Hutchinson, A. S. M. If winter comes
712.36
Irwin, Wallace. Seed of the sun.
912.29
Johnson, Owen. The wasted generation 1028.25
Johnston, Sir Harry. Man who did the right thing 931.27
King, Basil. Empty sack. 1025.37
Lewis, Sinclair. Main street. Story of Carol Kennicott 728.29
102
Lincoln, Joseph C. Kent Knowles. Quahang 921.29
Galusha the magnificent. 921.30
Locke, William J. The mountebank. 912.30
Macaulay, Rose. Potterism.
928.25
McKenna, Stephen. The sixth sense.
715.30
Marshal, Edison. Snowshoe trail.
1028.23
Marshall, Archibald. The Graftons The hall and the grange.
728.31
Martin, George Madden. March on.
1021.29
Montgomery, L. M. Rilla of Ingleside
712.35
Norris, Kathleen. The beloved woman ..
712.27
Oemler, Marie Conway. Purple heights
754.26
Oppenheim, E. Phillips. Jacob's ladder
923.10
Passos, John Dos. Three soldiers
934.26
Pedler, Margaret. The splendid folly
728.30
Perry, Stella G. S. Palmetto; Romance of a Louisiana girl 923.11
Poole, Ernest. Beggars gold.
1025.38
Porter, Eleanor H. Across the years
1028.19
Sister Sue.
712.30
. Turn of the tide.
717.32
Porter, Gene Stratton. Her father's daughter
764.24
Rice, Alice Hegan. Quin.
712.34
Richards, Laura E. In blessed Cyrus
1028.24
Richmond, Grace S. The Brown study
1028.21
Strawberry Acres
717.31
Round the corner in Gay Street.
1018.29
Rinehart, Mary Roberts. Lights unseen: And the con- fession 753.27
Sabatini, Rafael. Scarmouche. Romance of French
Revolution 756.26
Scott, Leroy. Children of the whirlwind.
757.27
Spearman, Frank H. Laramie holds the range 934.25
Tarkington, Booth. Alice Adams
754.27
Train, Arthur. As it was in the beginning.
715.31
Vachell, Horace Annesley. Fourth dimension 727.28
Walpole, Hugh. Thirteen travellers. 1028.22
Widdemer, Margaret. I've married Marjorie. 755.27
BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
Asquith, Margot. An autobiography. 2 vols. 632.26
Benson, E. F. Our family affairs. 632.28
931.29
103
Bok, Edward. Americanization of Edward Bok; The autobiography of a Dutch boy fifty years after. ... 632.25 Carnegie, Andrew. Autobiography of A. Carnegie. ... 632.27 Crothers, Samuel McChord. Ralph Waldo Emerson. How to know him. 547.19
Fabre, J. H. Fabre, A. Life of Jean Henri Fabre. 626.23
Ford, W. C. Editor. A cycle of Adam's letters. 1861- 1865 626.21
Gregg, Frank M. Founding of a nation. Story of the Pilgrim fathers; their early struggles, hardships and dangers, and the beginning of American democracy Perry, Bliss. Life and letters of Major Henry Lee Hig- ginson
365.6
Robinson, Corrinne Roosevelt. My brother Theodore Roosevelt 535.22
623.12
Roosevelt, Kermit. Editor. Quentin Roosevelt. A sketch with letters 626.22
Sedgwick, Henry Dwight. Life of Marcus Aurelius. A biography told as much as may be by letters, to- gether with some account of the Stoic religion and an exposition of the Roman governments attempt to suppress Christianity during Marcus's reign 646.20
Strachey, Lytton. Queen Victoria. 636.24
TRAVEL
Franck, Harry A. Roaming through the West Indies .. 436.32
Markham, Violet R. Watching on the Rhine 444.21
O'Brien, Frederick. Mystic isles in the South Seas. . . White shadows in the South Seas 445.24
426.25
Paine, Albert Bigelow. The car that went abroad,
motoring through the golden age. 426.24
Tomlinson, H. M. Sea and jungle. 436.31
JUVENILE
Altsheler, Joseph A. Scouts of the valley: A story of Wyoming and the Chemung. 823.26
Ashmen, Margaret. Marian Frear's summer 1246.23
Barbour, Ralph Henry. Fourth down! 845.31
Beard, Dan. American boys' book of signs, signals and symbols 826.30
104
Burgess, Thornton W. Adventures of old man Coyote 1216.29
Adventures of Mr. Mocker 845.32
Adventures of Paddy the Beaver. 1216.32
Adventures of poor Mrs. Quack 1216.30
. Adventures of Prickley Porky 1216.31
Animal story book for children 1246.29
:
Boy Scouts on lost trail. 1246.26
Boy Scouts in a trapper's camp. 1246.20
Carruth, Hayden. Editor. Track's end. Being the nar- rative of Judson Pitcher's strange winter spent there as told by himself. Including an accurate account of his numerous adventures and the facts concern- ing his several surprising escapes from death. 1215.32
Chapman, Edith M. Bird stories.
1246.28
Curtis, Alice Turner. A little maid of old Maine.
1246.25
Daulton, Agnes McClelland. From Sioux to Susan.
823.25
Davis, Roy, and Getchell, Frederick G. Stories of the day's work. 1246.30
Deland, Ellen Douglas. Josephine.
833.26
Deming, Edwin Willard and Therese O. Indian child life 831.34
Driggs, Laurence LaTourette. .Adventures of Arnold Adair, American Ace.
831.23
Fabre, Jean Henry. Secret of every day things. Informal talks with children.
1246.24
Grey, Zane. Young forester 1242.29
Herford, Oliver. Herford Aesop. Fifty fables in verse 831.33
Heyliger, William. High Benton.
831.29
Lawson, Lady. Life of Gnat, and other stories
1242.31
Lothrop, Mrs. Harriet M. (Sidney, Margaret pseud) Five
little peppers in little brown house 831.32
Our Davie Pepper 831.31
Masefield, John. Jim Davis.
1246.19
Meader, Stephen W. Black Buccaneer
1238.21
Potter, Beatrix. Tale Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.
817.28
Poulsson, Emilie. Translator. What happened to
Inger-Johanne. As told by herself. Translated from Norwegian 1215.31
Quirk, Leslie W. Boy Scouts of Lakeville High. 1242.30
Rolt-Wheeler, Francis. Boy with the U. S. inventors .. 1246.21 Boy with the U. S. trappers 1246.22
Seaman, Augusta Huiell. Three sides of Paradise Green 1238.22
.
105
Shirner, Edgar Dubs. Fairy stories my children love best of all. C. S. 9
St. Nicholas for 1918-1919. Vols. 46 46
Stephens, James. Irish fairy tales 826.29
Thomson, J. Arthur. Natural history stories. An
anthology from the author's own works. 1246.27
Williamson, Margaret. John and Betty's English history visit
825.35
Irish history visit. 825.34
Scotch history visit. 825.33
MISCELLANEOUS
Baden-Powell, Sir Robert. What Scouts can do. More yarns
1327.29
Benwell, Harry A. History of the Yankee Division, with appreciation General John J. Pershing, Major Gen- eral Clarence R. Edwards and Secretary of War Newton D. Baker.
1311.14
Burroughs, John. Accepting the universe.
1326.25
Dunn, Joseph and Lennox, P. J. Glories of Ireland. . 1311.16
Gibbs, Philip. Now it can be told. 1311.17
People of destiny. Americans as I saw them at home and abroad. 1521.29
Glass of fashion some social reflections. By a gentle- man with a duster ..
1542.3
Hagedorn, Hermann. Roosevelt in the Bad Lands .... Irwin, Will. The next war. An appeal to common sense Jackson, Josephine A. and Salisbury, Helen M. Out- witting our nerves. Primer of psychotherapy.
1326.26
1326.26
Lansing, Robert. Peace negotiations. A personal nar- rative 1311.13
Mayo, Katharine. "That damn Y." A record of over- seas service 1311.18
Mirrors of Downing Street. Some political reflections. By a gentleman with a duster .. 1542.2
Mirrors of Washington. Anonymous. 1542.1
1326.28
Starrett, Helen Ekin. The charm of fine manners .. . . Taylor, Emerson Gifford. New England in France. 1917-
1311.15
1919, A history of the Twenty-sixth Division. . .. Yeomans, Edward. Shackled youth. Comments on schools, school people, and other people. ..
1326.27
1511.20
106
THE WORLD'S GREAT CLASSICS
60 Vols.
Advancement of learning 1545.10
American essayists
1544.4
American orators. Vol. I-II 1544.2
Ancient history
1545.1
Arabian literature. Vol. IV
1544.8
Armenian literature
1543.2
Babylonian and Assyrian literature.
1543.2
British essayists. Vol. I. II
1544.4
British orators. Vol. I. II
1544.1
Charles XII
1543.3
Chinese literature. Vol. IV
1544.8
Cicero's orations 1545.14
Civilization in Europe. Vol. III
1545.3
Classic drama. Vol. I. II.
1544.5
Classic memoirs. Vol. I. II. III
1543.4
Critique of pure reason.
1545.11
Decisive battles of the world.
1545.5
Democracy in America.
1545.8
Demosthene's orations
1545.13
Divine comedy
1543.5
Egyptian literature
1544.11
English literature. Vol. I. II. III
1544.7
Federalist
1543.11
French, German, Italian essays.
1544.3
French revolution. Vol. I. II.
1545.4
Froissart's Chronicles. Vol. I. II 1543.3
Goethe's Annals
1543.4
Hebrew literature
1543.1
Hindu literature. Vol. III
1544.8
History of English people. Vol. I. II. III
1545.3
History of Florence.
1543.9
History of Popes. Vol. I. II. III
1543.8
Ideal Commonwealths
1543.12
' Japanese literature. Vol. II
1544.8
Jerusalem delivered 1543.6
Malayan literature. 1544.10
Middle Ages. Vol. I. II. III
1545.2
Modern history. Vol. III. 1545.2
Moorish literature
1544.10
Nibelungenlied 1543.7
Novum organum 1545.10
107
Persian literature. Vol. II
1544.8
Philosophy of history .. 1545.12
Physics and politics. Vol. II. 1545.6
Plato's dialogues 1545.9
Political economy. Vol. II 1545.7
Politics of Aristotle. 1545.9
Republic of Plato. 1543.10
Sacred book of the East.
1544.9
Spirit of laws. Vol. I-II. 1545.6
Turkish literature
1544.12
RELIGION
Brown, Charles R. Religion of a layman
1135.19
Conwell, Russell H. Effective prayer 1136.20
DRAMA
Shaw, Bernard. Back to Methusaleh: A metabiological
Pentateuch
1435.24
USEFUL ARTS
Chapman, Frank M. What bird is that? A pocket mu- seum of the land birds of Eastern United States arranged according to season.
Martin, Gene Allen. Make your own hats. 224.21
144.26
Spaulding, Roy H. Your dog and your cat. How to care for them, A treatise on the care of the dog and cat in the home. 224.20
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
TOWN OF LINCOLN
FOR THE
SCHOOL YEAR 1921
NCOL
.A.PH
110
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
ANTHONY J. DOHERTY, Chairman, Term expires 1922
GEORGE G. TARBELL, Secretary,
Term expires 1923
EDITH B. FARRAR (MRS.) Term expires 1924
Superintendent of Schools CHARLES H. MORSS
Teachers Junior High Grades VII-VIII-IX ELIZABETH S. CAVERNO MARION D. PARKER Grammar Grades V-VI MARY D. CHACE MYRTLE C. ELLIOTT
Grammar Grade IV OLIVE G. RICH
Primary Grade III JENNIE M. WHEATON
Primary Grade II VERA B. ALLEN
Primary Grade I ELLA WESTON
Manual Training and Drawing ERNEST T. THOMPSON
School Physician DR. HENRY E. WOOD
School Nurse CAROLYN VIETS
Attendance Officer JOHN J. KELLIHER
Janitor EDWARD GRAF
111
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Winter Term, first half, begins Tuesday, January 3, 1922, ends Friday, February 17, 1922; seven weeks.
Winter Term, second half, begins Monday, February 27, 1922, ends Friday, April 14, 1922; seven weeks.
Spring Term begins Monday, April 24, 1922, ends Friday, June 16, 1922 ; eight weeks.
Fall Term begins Tuesday, September 5, 1922, ends Friday, December 22, 1922.
Winter Term begins Tuesday, January 2, 1923.
Length of school year 1922-1923, thirty-eight weeks.
112
THE REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The School Committee herewith submits its report for the year of 1921.
The Board organized at its first meeting with the choice of Anthony J. Doherty as chairman, and George G. Tarbell as secretary. Regular meetings are held on the second Monday of each month in the evening. Special meetings may be called at any time when necessary business re- quires.
During the year, several changes were made in the teach- ing staff. Some of the teachers resigned to accept more lucrative positions and others to accept positions nearer to or in their home city or town.
Among the resignations submitted, your committee very much regrets to report that of Miss Hattie B. Heath, teacher of the primary grade, to accept a position offered to teach a private class in a school now conducted in the town. Miss Heath has given a long and faithful service to the Lincoln Schools, has been a conscientious and efficient teacher and always ready and willing to co-operate and assist in every way possible in the carrying on of the school work. The committee takes this opportunity to congratulate Miss Heath for this long and faithful service and to assure her of its best wishes for a continuation of that service in her new field of work.
A reading of the Superintendent's report will show that ยท there is a crying need for additional rooms in the Centre
113
School. This has been apparent to your committee for several years, but no special effort to relieve this condi- tion, or no special recommendation was made for reasons that were also very apparent. The time has now arrived, however, when this matter of more room must be met squarely by the town, and your committee would ask that recognition of this fact be taken now, and such steps as may be necessary to carry out this recommendation, the appointment of a committee to look into the matter of providing additional school rooms should be considered, either by enlarging the present building or erecting a new building. This matter should be brought before the Town at the annual March meeting of 1922.
In any event, it seems now necessary that the South School be opened at the beginning of the fall term next September, and your committee would ask that this build- ing be made ready for occupancy at that time. When opened, both rooms will be occupied, and this will neces- sitate extensive repairs in the heating arrangement, equip- ing in full one of the rooms, and more or less general re- pairs in and about the building, and some attention given to the grounds.
The marks received by those pupils in the Concord High School who prepared in our ninth grade have been satis- factory, in fact the average has been higher than the marks of pupils who took their first year at Concord. This is a strong argument for maintaining the ninth grade at Lincoln.
Your committee wishes to call attention to the change in vacation periods for the ensuing year. This change has been made to avoid the long winter term, near the end of which the work. attention, and diligence of the pupils is below standard.
114
School Finances
In following out the policy of paying salaries that would attract good teachers and help to retain them in Lincoln, your committee has established a definite schedule of yearly advancement for the teachers, whereby grade ' teachers who remain with us receive an increase of one hundred dollars yearly, and high school teachers an in- crease of one hundred and fifty dollars yearly, these in- creases to be effective until maximums of fifteen hundred dollars and sixteen hundred and fifty dollars, respectively, are reached. This policy has been adopted with a view to enhancing in every way possible the probability of our teachers remaining with us. It is hoped that when the number of teachers graduating from normal schools be- come large enough to care for the demand for new teachers, that the effect of such an equalization of supply and de- mand will be reflected in fewer changes in our teaching force .:
With the amount received from the Commonwealth and from other sources, your committee has been able to keep practically within the appropriation granted by the town for this year. It will be noted that the greatest increase in the expenditures were for salaries and High School tuition, both of which items have increased materially.
For the year 1922, to carry on the school work, will re- quire an appropriation of $26,000, which sum is recom- mended by your committee.
Below will be found a grouped statement of expendi- tures for the present year, together with other sums, re- ceived from outside sources and credited to the school account.
Also attached hereto is the report of the Superintendent for the ensuing year. In this report are mentioned certain
115
important matters, some having been referred to by your committee. One mentioned particularly, is that of the : ! '1- ployment of a school nurse, which position is required to be filled, according to a recent law passed by the legi -!: 'ure.
Respectfully submitted.
ANTHONY J. DOHERTY, GEORGE G. TAK! . L. EDITH B FARRAK
116
SUMMARY OF EXPENSES FOR YEAR 1921
Salaries-Supt., Teachers and Janitor
$11,916.25
School Supplies
969.82
High School Tuition
3,774.37
High School Transportation
835.03
Miscellaneous
191.21
Local Transportation
4,379.15
Fuel
702.35
Physician
204.40
Incidental Repairs on Building
78.34
New Equipment
130.20
Barge Repairs
36.00
$23,217.12
RECEIPTS ON ACCOUNT OF SCHOOLS
Com. of Mass. School Fund
$ 21.77
Com. of Mass. Vocational and Industrial Schools 231.52
Com. of Mass. Tuition of Children 454.74
Com. of Mass. General School Fund
1,232.00
Com. of Mass. High School Transportation 592.10
Com. of Mass. Grammar School Fund
90.70
City of Boston Tuition of Children
544.38
Harold S. Cousins Tuition of Pupil
24.00
C. H. Morss Books Sold
6.10
$3,197.31
117
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
To the School Committee, Town of Lincoln :-
The past year has been no exception to the custom that seems to prevail in Lincoln of short tenure for teachers. Two of our regular force are beginning their second year of service and one her fourth; all the others are teaching in our schools for the first time. Few people not directly connected with school work realize the handicap to the children of this fre- quent change of teachers. During the three years the present Superintendent has been in charge, there have been twenty- four teachers employed in our nine regular positions, a suffi- cient number to cause serious breaks in the continuity of the work done by the pupils. No teacher, however faithful, zeal- ous and well trained can, in her first year in a new school sys- tem, do as much or as efficient work as she will do in her second and subsequent years. If we are to get the best re- sults in our schools we must find some means for making the teacher's position more attractive. Raising salaries 'to the level of other communities has not done it, and there is a reasonable doubt if putting them one or two hundred dollars beyond the average will do it. Teachers have often said to me that the necessity of living so far from the school, and oft times in isolation, has been their reason for seeking other posi- tions where living conditions were more agreeable, and social life more possible. These are difficulties not easily overcome, but they are not impossible of solution. In view of these present difficulties, we have found it necessary to limit our choice of teachers in most cases to such as could live at their own homes, and come by public conveyance to the school. This is not satisfactory from the school's point of view, for it is better for all concerned that parents and teachers should have that acquaintance and intimacy that can only come from living
118
in the same community and having social interests in common. As parents seldom visit the schools their knowledge of the sort of person to whom they intrust their children's educa- tion is limited to "hearsay" which is always untrustworthy and never to be relied on. If parents would make an effort to get acquainted with the teachers of their children, visit them in their school and receive them in their homes, the co-opera- tion between home and school would be established and a bet- ter understanding result.
The need for more rooms for the coming year has become imperative. The seventh and eighth grades occupy one room and the fifth and sixth another; but, with the new classes formed next September, these rooms will no longer accommo- date two grades. The small room used by the ninth, or high school class, is not large enough to receive any one of the other grades, so nothing would be gained by giving up this grade. All the grades below the fifth have rooms to themselves, and the time has come when the others require the same accommo- dation. These lower grades have a decided advantage over the higher in that the class can be divided for recitation pur- poses into two divisions according to individual ability, thus preventing the slower minds from being hurried over the work too rapidly, and the quicker and more alert from being stulti- fied by waiting for these slow ones to catch up. Where two grades are in one room such division is not advisable, as it multiplies classes to an impossible number.
The only solution of the difficulty seems to be to transfer the two lowest primary grades to the South School till such time as it seems best to the Town to build an addition to the present building. This transfer will also simplify the trans- , portation problem by relieving the South Lincoln and Depot conveyances. Seventeen children from that section, as the classes stand today, would not require transportation.
The Legislature of 1921 passed a law making compulsory
119
the employment of a school nurse in all towns having a val- uation of one million dollars or more, as follows :-
"Chapter 357, Acts of 1921. Section 1. The school com- mittee shall appoint one or more school physicians and nurses, shall assign them to the public schools within its jurisdiction, shall provide them with all proper facilities for the perform- ance of their duties and shall assign one or more physicians to the examination of children who apply for health certifi- cates . . .
In compliance with this law the nurse employed by the town under the vote of last March was assigned to duty in the schools in September. While there has been no outbreak of serious epidemic disease, there has been much good work ac- complished by the nurse in the short time we have had her services. Her watchfulness has undoubtedly prevented the spread of many of the minor ills that we always find among children, and her talks on health and her advice have been invaluable in arousing an enthusiasm for habits of personal cleanliness and care for health. The follow-up work in the home, in cases where we have to exclude children from school, results in their quicker return to their studies and prevents much loss of time. The monthly weighing and measuring also keeps before the child the need for proper eating and sleep- ing, both of which subjects are not given sufficient thought by the majority of parents. The following extract from the report of the School Nurse will be of interest :
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.