USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Chelmsford > Town annual report of Chelmsford 1897 > Part 3
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ARTICLE 3. To determine the manner of collecting the taxes.
ARTICLE 4. To determine the manner of repairing the highways, townways and bridges.
ARTICLE 5. To choose all necessary Town Officers.
ARTICLE 6. To act in relation to the list of jurors prepared by the Selectmen.
ARTICLE 7. To raise and appropriate such sums of money as may be required to defray Town charges for the current year.
ARTICLE 8. To see if the Town will authorize the Treasurer to borrow such sums of money as may be required for the demands upon him, in anticipation of the taxes of the current year, and payable therefrom.
ARTICLE 9. To see if the Town will vote to grant licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquors for the current year.
ARTICLE 10. To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to act as its agent in any suit or suits which may arise during the current year; also in such other matters which may arise, requiring, in their judg- ment, the action of such agent, and to employ counsel therefor.
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ARTICLE 11. At the request of Geo. H. Wilson and others, to see if the Town will vote to purchase a chemical engine to be placed at Chelmsford Center, and raise and appropriate money therefor, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 12. At the request of A. F. Whidden and others, to see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of two hundred dollars for the purpose of digging a well, erecting a wind mill, and laying the neces- sary pipes for the conveyance of the water to the West Chelmsford Cemetery, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 13. To see if the Town will vote to accept the gift of fifty dollars, in trust, from Ernest H. Hosmer, adminis- trator of the estate of Maria Heald Kittredge, the income of the same to be expended in forever keeping in repair the burial lot of Geo. P. and Maria H. Kittredge in Chelmsford Center Come- tery.
ARTICLE 14. To see if the Town will accept the deed of land for- merly of Eliza W. Fisk, deceased, including a part of the Town House lot and certain land adjacent thereto, from Benjamin M. Fisk and others, dated November 13th, 1896, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 15. To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen in its name and behalf to release or convey to the Lowell & Framingham Railroad Company, or such other railroad or railroads as own or operate the railroad passing through said Chelmsford, formerly owned by the Framingham & Lowell Railroad Company, such portion or portions of the land described or conveyed in said Fisk deed, as to the Selectmen seem unnecessary or undesirable as a part of the Town House lot.
ARTICLE 16. To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to begin and prosecute such actions and proceedings- in law or equity, if any, as they may be advised are necessary or expedient to establish or obtain for the Town a good and clear title to the land, or any part thereof, conveyed or described in said Fisk deed named in Article 14, or act in relation to the same.
ARTICLE 17. To see if the Town will vote to change the day of holding the annual Town Meeting from the third Monday in March to the fourth Monday in March, or act in relation thereto.
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ARTICLE 18. To see if the Town will vote to construct a road, as ordered by the County Commissioners, from a point near the north-we-terly corner of the Truant School grounds in North Chelmsford to the junc- tion of the Groton, Dunstable and Tyngsboro roads, as per plan in the hands of the Town Clerk, raise and appropriate a sum of money therefor, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 19. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate a sum of money for the purpose of decorating the graves of our soldiers in the several cemeteries on the 30th day of May next, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 20. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of one thousand dollars for the purpose of lighting the streets in the several villages of the Town, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 21. At the request of H. II. Emerson ard 11 others, to see if the Town will vote to discontinue and cease to use as and for a public highway the Town road leading westerly from the Acton road, so called, across the track of the Lowell & Framingham Railroad Company, and thence along the margin of a pond known as Hart's or Baptist pond to the Littleton road, so called, from and after the fif- teenth day of March, 1897, or do any other act relative thereto.
ARTICLE 22. At the request of Stewart Mackay and others, to see if the Town will raise and appropriate a sum of money to provide new furniture for the Grammar department of Schoolhouse No. 8. situated in North Chelmsford, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 23. At the request of Stewart Mackay and others, to see if the Town will raise and appropriate a sum of money for the purpose of providing suitable sani- tary accommodations for Schoolhouse No. 8, situ- ated iu North Chelmsford, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 24. At the request of the School Committee, to see if the Town will vote to appoint a Committee to look into the needs of greater school facilities in the North Village, and report at the next annual meeting.
ARTICLE 25. To see if the Town will make an appropriation to the North Chelmsford Library Association, on condi- tions that the books of said Library shall be free to all inhabitants of the Town, or act in relation thereto.
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ARTICLE 26. At the request of the School Committee, to see if the Town will vote to reduce the number of the School Committee by legal methods until it consists of three members, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 27. At the request of Joseph E. Warren and others, to see if the Town will vote to discontinue and cease to use as and for a public highway the Town road leading from near the house of E. L. Russell, south-westerly to the Boston road, near the house of Sampson Stevens, or act in relation thereto.
And you are directed to serve this Warrant, by posting up at- tested copies thereof at the post-offices in the Centre of the Town, South Chelmsford, North Chelmsford. West Chelmsford, and at the Schoolhouse at East Chelmsford, ten days at least before the time appointed for holding said meeting.
Hereof fail not, and make return of this Warrant with your doings thereon, to the Town Clerk, at the time and place of holding the meeting aforesaid.
Given under our hands this fifth day of March in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and ninety-seven.
JOSEPH E. WARREN, ARTHUR H. SHELDON, JOSEPH A. PARKHURST, NEWELL E. PARKER, WILLIAM H. SHEDD, Selectmen of Chelmsford.
I have served the foregoing Warrant, by posting up true and attested copies of the same at the places above mentioned, ten days before the day of holding said meeting.
J. P. EMERSON,
Constable of Chelmsford.
Chelmsford, March 5, 1897.
ANNUAL REPORT
-OF THE-
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
-AND-
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
-OF THE-
TOWN OF CHELMSFORD
-FOR THE-
YEAR 1896=7.
LOWELL, MASS. COURIER-CITIZEN COMPANY, PRINTERS.
1897.
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
Your committee organized for the year 1896-97, March 16, 1896, with the following officers: Samuel C. Hagerman Chairman, R. W. E. Milliken Secretary, Stewart Mackay Book Agent. John H. Nichols ( Center ), W. J. Quigley ( North ), Charles Andrews (West), and D. P. Byam (South Chelms- ford), were appointed truant officers.
During the year we have held monthly meetings for transactionof school business, and have endeavored in every way to place our schools on as high a plane of excellence as possible. As to how far our efforts have been successful, that we must leave to those who have visited the schools and to the Superintendent, whose detailed report on school work appears on the follow- ing pages. We, however, feel justified in saying that our school system has undergone a steady improve- ment during the past year. Among the various changes for the better we note the action of the Town at its last town meeting in accepting the provisions of Chapter 431 of the Acts of 1888, relating to the employment of a Superintendent of Schools. In accordance with this vote your committee instructed its Secretary (June 26) "to make arrangements with committees of Dunstable and Carlisle for a joint meet- ing to organize a district and choose a District Superintendent of Schools." This meeting resulted in the choice of Mr. G. H. Knowlton who, since August I, has filled the position of Superintendent in a highly satisfactory manner.
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Our teachers, as usual, have shown themselves persevering and efficient in their work, and your committee earnestly commend their faithful services.
The steady growth of school attendance during the past few years has at length made it necessary to enlarge our school accommodations and increase the number of our teachers. Accordingly during the year, besides the addition to the Center school building, and the erection of a new school house at Golden Cove, three new members have already been added to the corps of teachers, with the possibility that further additions may be necessary in the near future.
It remains for us to say a word-unnecessary, we hope-on the matter of finance. New teachers and additional school room have brought increased expenses in the way of salaries, heating, care of build- ings, etc. We hope and trust that the Town, realizing this, will liberally increase its school appropriations for the coming year. The need, in our estimation, is an imperative one, and we feel that the parents and voters of Chelmsford will not or cannot neglect the matter of education.
SAMUEL C. HAGERMAN, ORRIN PIERCE, CHAS. F. RANDLETT, GEO. A. BYAM,
J. A. PARKHURST, STEWART MACKAY, D. P. BYAM, R. W. E. MILLIKEN, H. R. HODSON,
School Committee.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
To the School Committee of Chelmsford:
I herewith present my annual report of the public schools of this town.
As I have had charge of your schools for the fall and winter germs only my report, in general, must be gathered from the observations of that period.
The statistics, taken from the registers, cover the year begin- ning March 30th, 1896, and ending with the close of the winter term of 1897.
Average Membership ยท 513.02
Average Daily Attendance 475.30
Per Cent. of Attendance 92.6
Number of Tardinesses. .
1,339
Tardinesses per pupil 2.82
Dismissals
853
Dismissals per pupil. 1.79
My first visits revealed the fact that there were excellent teachers at work in this town, that good ideas from the modern teaching had been introduced, and that some very good work was being done; but that nearly all the schools were suffering from a lack of proper books and materials, and some from over-crowded and improper school rooms.
Make the best of what is ready at hand, is a good precept, and the one that was followed in this case. New books. or books in fair condition, were found in some schools upon the top shelves of the book-cases, while in other schools pupils were using books of the same kind that were ragged and filthy beyond description, because no more were to be had.
The material gathered from the school houses and taken to the town hall would furnish much food for the antiquarian and moralist who does not fear contamination as a result of investi- gation. Schools are for the purpose of building up manhood and
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womanhood, clean, self-respecting, public-loving, grateful, intelli- gent citizens ; but it is hard to see how it can be done upon such stuff as is sometimes found in school rooms.
By holding each teacher down to the lowest possible limit, retairing the surplus at the town hall, and returning there any set of books as soon as a teacher should be through with them, we have managed with economy, sometimes expensive economy, to supply most of the calls for books, and place in the hands of each pupil books that are fairly respectable.
Many new geographies and arithmetics have been added to the few new ones that were introduced last year, but the supply is still inadequate. As an instance of costly economy I would state that some geographies have been doing double duty all the year, one class using them in the forenoon, and another in the afternoon ; or one class one day, and another the next. Under such management books that were so recently new will soon be soiled and torn and need to be replaced. Besides, the teacher is unable to place the responsibility for their care upon any one pupil. These are points that can be seen, but they do not take into account the loss of time, power and teaching force of the teacher.
Hence, I wish to make the matter of books one of the first to which to call your attention.
Reading .- A wonderful improvement has been made in the reading of the lower grades in the last few years, both as to methods of teaching, and subject matter taught. Words are no longer drawled out in spelling before they are pronounced, but children pronounce crisply and at sight, not words only, but actually read sentences from the time of their first beginning. And we know now, that while a child may be delighted with the fact that he is able to read "I go up, see me go up," he is not delighted, nor in- terested by any thought that comes from such reading.
Stories have always been, and always will be, a power with children. Parents, tell your children stories, read stories to them. Lead them to have a strong desire to read long before they begin to learn to read; then the child will wish to read because of the thought, or the stories, that he knows can be obtained by reading.
When he reads the thoughts should give expression to the reading from the first.
But we need good stories. Why should we go back to ignor- ant and superstitious ages, and drag along the Jack and the Beanstalks, the Blue Beards, and the Little Red Riding-Hoods,
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when multitudes of stories can be made from the songs of birds to their mates, the faces of upturned daisies, the voices of running brooks, the dreams of sleeping stones, the plays of children in other lands, and the beams of light from the far distant stars ?
We admit the power of Red Riding-Hood, but can we not find a story that shall have equally good power and make for love rather than fear ? We want something to draw our pupils to the woods and to animals, not to make them shun them. We use these old stories simply because they were given us, and literature and recollections of the twilight hour in our childhood's home have been made rich by them. But in life we have literature for our quiet hours, while we have nature for our constant companion. The recollections of the stories of childhood will be just as sweet to future generations if they be made from the leaves of the forest, as they will if made from the leaves of books containing matter that is dim, dusty, and musty, and warped by the cruelty and selfishness of its time
We are very short of readers for the first and second grades ; many of those now in use must soon be laid aside. There are now many excellent books for children. We need some of them.
Older pupils, too, need to learn how to read, and to love the best books found in our libraries; in order to do this they should have books in school that are more like those found in libraries. To love good reading is to be found in good company.
Each child above the fourth grade should be provided with a dictionary, and be taught how to use it.
We need them.
After a few years pupils should read to learn, and not spend all their school days in learning to read.
The farmer desires a good plow simply because it is a helpful tool in securing a good harvest. Let our school training lead to the rich harvest that can be obtained from the reading of good books.
A list of books that may be found in our town libraries, suitable for the various grades, has been placed in the schools, and teachers report a great deal of good solid reading done by the pupils, and a constantly increasing tendency in this direction.
Writing .- Writing, like reading, may well be taught in the first few years. In fact it is so taught. Some of our schools show very good work done in the first year at school. while excellent writing comes in the second year. What need, then, of dragging
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the pupil through some six or eight numbers, or half numbers, of copy-books after he has learned to write, and does write each day many times as much elsewhere as he does in the copy-book, and very likely in an entirely different hand from the one used there? Which kind of writing will the pupil retain through life, the copy-book hand, upon which he spends fifteen minutes per day, or the other, upon which he probably spends forty-five minutes ?
Good writing is not to be despised, and legible writing should be insisted upon, but it should be secured by individual work on the part of the teacher, and incidentally in connection with written work done upon some other branch of study. No paper should be accepted unless the pupil has made a conscious effort to make it neat and easy for others to read.
We must have time for some of the new work, it is excellent ; but the only way to secure it is to do the old regular work in a shorter way, retain the essentials, and still save time.
The writing in our schools is carried on in accordance with the above ideas. The results naturally vary as does the ability of the pupil and the efforts of the teacher .. In some cases the every- day papers-the real test of the writing-are excellent; and as a whole the work is as good as could be expected.
I believe that there is something more than a lad in the vertical writing, and that it has come to stay. While it is not to be sup- posed that all are going to change the slant that they now use to the vertical, and it cannot be said of slant writing that it is poor simply because it is not vertical, yet it is highly desirable to have the younger pupils write vertically. To this end they have been supplied with two of the lower numbers of a vertical series of copy- books.
Spelling .- Spelling should be a part of every written lesson, and may be of many oral ones ; but it should never seriously inter- fere with the main object of those lessons. It often proves true that a pupil may make very good recitations in a spelling lesson that he has studied, and still be a poor speller judged by the standard that is always used in after-school life, viz., the unstudied spelling used in writing a paper or letter. Here again the teacher can do much by making the pupil conscious of his weakness, and by urging him to make special efforts to overcome it. The teach- ing of spelling thus incidentally means the use of much paper and pen, and a certain amount of individual teaching in which the teacher puts the grease where the squeak is, as one author puts it.
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But we are not yet ready to drop the spelling book, nor to discon- tinue oral spelling. Much can be said of it. Our present books are badly worn, and as they can be exchanged for another kind for less than they can be replaced, I think it would be well to exchange them.
Arithmetic .- The results in arithmetic are not all that could be desired as yet, but in some of our schools I find a training of the reasoning faculties that I consider to be of the greatest value, as well as some rapid reckoning that is almost wonderful.
A little reflection on the part of most of us will make it quite clear that in our school-boy days there was an immense dif- ference between performing a problem from a certain page of our books, under a certain case and certain rule. and doing a similar one from life that was not thus classified, and consequently not stamped with the information that it was similar to one all worked out.
The difference came largely from the fact that the power to judge and classify had not been developed. Then again there was the answer to the problem in the book, so that if the first trial did not bring the desired result, another process was immediately substituted with little thought of whether or not such a process was a reasonable one ; so there were perhaps many trials and com- parisons rather than one trial backed up by judgment.
Modern arithmetics are more like the problems of the world, no answers, few rules and definitions, but much attention given to the gradual unfolding of the reasoning powers. It will be easily seen that pupils would naturally come to True Discount and Cube Root at a later period by the reasoning method than by the memory method, but the same would not be true concerning the every-day problems of life.
Very much of our training in mathematics is not for practice, but for power. Is it memory that we wish to train? Certainly not by the use of figures, so long as history and literature exist. We use figures for comparatively few things, but we should use rational ideas with reference to many things.
We have some new books, and the outlook for arithmetic in this town is not a discouraging, but an encouraging one.
Geography and History -Perhaps in nothing above the primary grades does modern teaching show to better advantage in the common schools than in geography and history. Here the real teacher makes the greatest departure from the school-keeper.
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Maps-wall maps, blackboard maps, and a hand map for each pupil-are essential. The latter I have cyclostyled and furnished thus far, so that the only expense to the town has been the brown paper on which they were printed.
An abundance of maps in black and white (or brown) of the town of Chelmsford and its surrounding towns have been placed in the hands of pupils of Grade IV and under, and we have made quite a point of home geography. The object of this is not so much to get information as to see what to study in any place, the order in which to take it up, and to acquire the power to tell what is known in a straightforward manner, with few or no questions from the teacher. This is in part necessary because the new Frye's geographies are as difficult as they are valuable, unless the pupils and teachers are properly trained for them.
It is difficult for pupils to stand on their feet, hold the topics of recitation in mind and tell the story in a logical order ; but it is just that kind of training that is needed, and we have plenty of evidence to show that the proper training will produce the desired result. We have in general too little of the unaided, concentrated efforts of pupils. What is learned in this manner costs something, means something, and will stay some time. The pupil does not memorize the text of the book, but learns from that text the im- portant things which naturally come into the recitation, and have a logical dependence upon one another.
Concentration is the order in history. Read much, recite little of what is read, but recite that little independently and well, and according to some plan. This makes it necessary to know how to use a book, that is, to extract from it the particular information that is desired. If the teacher can bring pupils to love history, and consequently to read history to some purpose, she will have done for them vastly more than can be done by the memorizing of hundreds of facts that may properly have a place on the pages of even a school history.
More historical reading, and additional copies of the regular history of the school should be obtained, as many of the old ones are too much worn to use. Books of several kinds can well be used at the same time with a method of study as above outlined. It gives a broader view, shows the value of different authorities, and breaks up any tendency to memorize the words of the text. W'e need them.
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Language .- It will be seen that the above studies carried out according to the plan given, means much talking and writing on the part of the pupil. Written recitations, written tests, and writ- ing on the board, as well as oral work, furnish the teacher with proper opportunities for teaching language in all grades, and par- ticularly in the lower ones. The writing of letters, telegrams, notes, receipts, bills, etc., requires special work; so also in the higher grades does the study of technical grammar ; but we should learn to use language before learning the classification and rela- tionship of the parts of it. Study the whole and then its parts.
The written papers of the pupils will bear inspection, and in many instances deserve commendation. I have taken many of them from school to school, and indeed have exchanged them with schools in the other towns in the district, Dunstable and Carlisle. Great improvement has been made since last fall.
It has been the aim to have all the paper used in the schools made up into books and saved, even the arithmetic papers. This has been found economical, a great saving of time in the distribu- tion of papers, a preventive of overtaxing the waste-basket, and disorderly desks, an excellent means of judging the growth or re- trogression of the pupil, and above all a promoter of general care and neatness in the arrangement of work and the use of good lan- guage.
Nature Study, Drawing, Music and Physiology in schools below the High. - No uniform and systematic work has been at- tempted in these branches, although brief, suggestive outlines and methods of work upon all the branches excepting music have been placed in each school, and some fine work from individual teachers can be shown.
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