USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wakefield > Town annual report of the officers of Wakefield Massachusetts : including the vital statistics for the year 1875-1881 > Part 50
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preservation of their rights and liberties ; and as these de- pend upon spreading the opportunities and advantages of education in the various parts of the country, and among the different orders of the people, it shall be the duty of legis- latures and magistrates in all future periods of this Common- wealth, to cherish the interests of literature and the sciences and all seminaries of them, especially the University at Cam- bridge, public schools and grammar schools in the towns; to encourage private societies and public institutions, rewards and immunities, for the promotion of agriculture, arts, sci- ences, commerce, trades, manufactures and a natural history of the country ; to countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity and general benevolence, public and private charity, industry and frugality, honesty and punctuality in their dealings, sincerity, good humor, and all social affec- tions, and generous sentiments among the people."
And the laws now in force in relation to this subject may be found in the public statutes of the Commonwealth in these words :
Chap. 44, Sec. 1. " In every town there shall be kept for at least six months in each year at the expense of said town by a teacher or teachers of competent ability and good morals, a sufficient number of schools for the instruction of all the children who may legally attend public school there- in, in orthography, reading, writing, English grammar, geo- graphy, arithmetic, drawing, the history of the United States and good behavior. Algebra, vocal music, agriculture, sewing, physiology and hygiene, shall be taught by lectures or otherwise in all the public schools in which the School Committee deem it expedient.
Sec. 2. Every town may and every town containing five hundred families or householders, according to the latest public census taken by the authority either of the Common- wealth or of the United States shall, besides the schools de- scribed in the preceding section, maintain a high school, to be kept by a master of competent ability and good morals,
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who, in addition to the branches of learning before men- tioned, shall give instruction in general history, book-keep- ing, surveying, geometry, natural philosophy, chemistry, botany, the civil polity of this Commonwealth and of the United States and the Latin language. Such high school shall be kept for the benefit of all the inhabitants of the town ten months at least, exclusive of vacations, in each year, and at such convenient place or alternately at such places in the town as the legal voters at their annual meet- ing determine. And in every town containing four thou- sand inhabitants the teacher or teachers of the schools re- quired by this section shall, in addition to the branches of instruction before required, be competent to give instruction in Greek and French languages, astronomy, geology, rhe- toric, logic, intellectual and moral science and political econ- omy."
From these authorities it is readily learned that the pri- mary object of our public schools is to give instruction in the elements of certain branches, and that morality and char- acter as distinct from that morality and character which na- turally springs from the daily association with a teacher of " competent ability and good morals," and from a thorough knowledge of the branches taught are incidental and secon- dary, not that morality and character are secondary in fact to knowledge, only that in the curriculum of our public schools, they hold a subordinate place, which is more than overbalanced by the prominence which is given to these qualities in their appropriate spheres. The State has wisely left the formation of character as a primary work to others than the teachers in our public schools ; to parents, pastors and friends, in the home, church and social relation ; by ad- vice, direction and admonition ; by religious teaching, pasto- ral association and godly example ; by all the incitements of refined and intellectual intercourse with which they are brought in contact. In these sources is found the great character-moulding power to which training in our public
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schools can be only slightly supplementary. We, by no means however, ignore the influence of the daily association and example of a teacher who possesses the legal qualification of " good morals," and gladly encourage all that can be done by teachers and school officers in increasing the manly and womanly characteristics of scholars, in the discharge of their primary and legitimate duties ; and while legislatures and magistrates are enjoined by the Constitution to countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity, benevolence, char- ity, industry, frugality, honesty, punctualitý, sincerity, good humor and all social affections and generous sentiments among the people, and teachers are equally enjoined to in- culcate the same by precept and example, the conception and cultivation of these inestimable virtues come legitimate- ly within the sphere of home and parental duty. There, all well done, the good offices of the school become trebly profitable and effective. The better the home the better the school.
METHODS.
The annihilation of time and space in the material world by the use of steam and electricity has found its counterpart in some degree in the radical change in methods of teaching which have been wrought within a few years. The teacher of a generation ago would stand aghast at a primary school of to-day in which the " A, B, C's " are no longer taught and the " A-B, Ab's " are no longer " said," and the " B-A, Ba, K-E-R-, Ker, Baker " is no longer " spelled," but in which scholars are actually taught to read and write before they " know " their letters, paradoxical though it may seem. Now the scholar learns to read and write and know the meaning of words before he learns the letters or even the elementary sounds of which they are composed. It is claimed and it is demonstrated beyond question that a great saving of time can be effected and a child reach a given point in his school instruction at an earlier age by this method. Equally
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important if not as striking changes have been made in the schools of a higher grade. The extent to which subject and object teaching have been carried, the facilities of obtaining information through the senses of touch and sight, the at- tractive garb in which dull subjects are now arrayed, all tend to the acquisition of a given amount of information in a shorter period of time; but the thoughtful mind at once queries if solidity of learning and discipline of mind are not sacrificed to speed in the acquisition of information ; in other words, is not a mind stored with knowledge instead of a mind trained to reason and to act, made the objective point of school life ? The child is shown the picture of a man ; the word is written under the picture and the child is required to look at and write the characters which are pronounced " man." He does it, remembers it, and the next day can write it without the picture, and has thus learned to read, write and know the meaning of the word ; but the question is, has he not learned it without any sufficient exercise of his reasoning faculties ? Again, a child is shown a picture of a dog and the name of the animal written under the picture, and he is told that the characters which he sees when named are also the name of the picture before him. He is taught to pronounce and write it, and the next day is able to pronounce and write it from memory, and thus, as it is said, another word is added to his vocabulary ; but when the characters are reversed neither the brush of the painter nor the chisel of the sculptor is able to convey to the mind of the child any delineation of the form of the Great Giver of Life, and he is left without the slightest resource within him- self, or the slightest power to combine the different elements which make up the name of his Creator. The power to learn words as appplied to the names of objects familiar to the senses is of comparatively easy acquisition, and is of as comparatively small importance : to put letters and their ele- mentary sounds together and construct words, is a far more difficult thing, and the acquisition of this power will give a
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training to the mind of a child which, it seems to us, can never be attained by the processes of illustration and com- parison, and the question naturally suggests itself if the older and slower way is not the better. This cannot be correctly answered except by the most careful observations and com- parisons for a series of years by those who have the time to give to the work and the training which will qualify them for its proper performance. We are led to these reflections by complaints which come to us frequently that our scholars do not reason well, that they do not know how to study for themselves, that they expect everything to be told to them. These are serious complaints, and we fear, are only too well grounded. They are the same alluded to in the report we had the honor to submit one year ago, and in which a partial remedy was suggested, which was at once put in force, but of the results it is now too early to judge. We respectfully submit, however, to our State Board of Education and to the leading spirits in our educational system, if it is not time to call a halt and review the work of the last decade. This we do in no carping spirlt, but simply to ask that the same wisdom which governs ordinary affairs, may govern our edu- cational interests, and that errors may be corrected, doubts removed, and the unquestioned work pushed with vigor.
During the year past our schools have had more than the ordinary number of obstacles to overcome; through the early parts of the spring and summer epidemics of a conta- gious character prevailed to a considerable extent in certain portions of the town and affected seriously the attendance and rank of the schools. Later in the season, the resigna- tion of several of our trusted teachers demoralized to a cer- tain extent those under their care ; the choice in several in- stances of unsuitable persons to fill the vacancies added to the demoralization which ordinary changes would have made. All these have added to the work and anxiety which have devolved upon the Committee and have taken just so much of their time and attention from the immediate supervision
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of the actual work of the schools. We have been able, how- ever, to substantially comply with the requirements of the law in this respect. That our schools are properly super- vised, no one who has read the reports for a series of years will charge the present committee with saying or believing. The condition of things absolutely forbids it. It cannot be ex- pected that six men who come from the ordinary walks of life, without special training for the work, and with business of their own, should master the details of our school sys- tem, the improved methods of teaching, the variety of text- books to be used and the greater variety to be examined, to decide upon the qualifications of teachers, determine upon the success or failure of their work, hear and decide upon the numberless complaints of scholars, teachers and parents, to care for school houses, yards, fuel and all the details of furniture and supplies which are necessary to the harmoni- ous and profitable working of the schools. The fact is, we ' need a good supervisor, a man of scope and yet of details, one who is thoroughly acquainted with the most advanced work and thought in the educational line from the lowest primary to the highest grade of school, one who can and will devote his entire time, thought and energy to the work, and familiarize himself with the wants of every teacher and scholar in the town, can repress when repression is needed, and encourage and lift up when encouragement is needed, and who, by his innate power can create an enthusiastic love for the work in those around him. The magnitude of the work demands it. The town is wealthy enough to pay for it, and why not add to our appropriation a sum adequate to secure a man suitable for the place. The difficulty in carry- ing this suggestion into effect we know lies in obtaining the man, and if at first we make a failure we must revert to the old childhood adage " try again". Maintaining our faith in the principle, we shall, sooner or later, find a man who can and will be of untold value to our schools. This is a prac- tical question for the town to consider by its appropriation,
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and we now only re-state the fact that our schools need the entire time of a person, whose services are worth at least two thousand dollars a year, and that it is folly for the town to expect such work to be done by a half dozen or other number of business men for the sum now paid the School Committee. This is not written as an argument in favor of an increase of salary of that board, but only in the discharge of our statute duty that the "School Committee shall annual- ly make a detailed report of the condition of the several pub- lic schools, which report shall contain such statements and suggestions in relation to the school as the Committee deem necessary or proper to promote the interests thereof." The course now pursued neither adds dignity to the work nor as- sures the character of its performance.
DISCIPLINE.
With few exceptions the discipline maintained in our schools within the last year has been good. Criticism has been made, however, upon the methods ; but those who have criticised the most have failed the worst to suggest a reme- dv, and when brought to the test, the best and most they could say was, "It seems as though something different might be done." It is always a perplexing question. Cor- porál punishment is distasteful to all, and in many cases the most so to the person called upon to inflict it. Marks, checks and suspensions are frequently resorted to and occa- sionally even an expulsion ; suffice it to say, that all these methods are usually unsatisfactory to the teacher and never satisfactory to the offender. But so long as human nature remains as it is, there must be some law with some penalty attached to it, and some power to enforce the law and inflict the penalty. When some better method is discovered, the teachers will be on the alert to adopt it, and they will glad- ly welcome as the millenial day the time when the moral power at home shall be so exercised as to relieve them of the illegitimate duty of government, and relegate them to their true sphere of teaching.
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Infinitely better will it be when the subtle influence of home and parents shall control the conduct of the child abroad, and the conscientious desire for right-doing shall ani- mate us all, than now, when of necessity,
" The sovereign law, -that States collected will,- O'er thrones and globes elate, Sits Empress, crowning good, repressing ill."
WARD SCHOOLS. .
The ungraded schools in the wards suffer in comparison with those in the centre from the fact that so many classes are placed under the care of a single teacher. It is simply impossible for a teacher who has six grades to compete suc- cessfully with a teacher who has only one, but that is the condition of the North, East, Woodville and Greenwood schools, and the same is partially true in the West Ward and Franklin schools. The higher classes in each school must receive the larger share of attention, and the younger and smaller ones must be to a certain extent neglected. It has been thought that the employment of an assistant who should have charge of the lower classes would prove a ma- terial advantage, but the school buildings are not so con- structed and arranged that an assistant can be employed to advantage. A more effective, though a more expensive remedy, would be to grade the schools and establish another in each of the wards. It is true that they would be at first small, but possibly the boundary lines of the wards might be temporarily changed to the advantage of both ; but, large or small, it is a serious question for the town to consider whether it can afford to neglect any of its children. So far as it is practicable the welfare of the community demands that the children in the wards should have equal opportuni- ties with the children in the Centre District. This is another practical question for the town by its action to determine,
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EXPENSES.
We have overrun our appropriation ; we disliked to do it ; an emergency arose which required us to do so or stop the schools, and we unhesitatingly chose the former course. We have rarely had a more practical demonstration of the utility of the law which authorized it than in the present case, and we have no hesitation in invoking the approval of the good sense of the town. We made last year estimates which we thought would prove sufficient to cover the expenses of the year, and the town in a generous spirit granted all we asked. The sum appropriated, however, proved inadaquate, largely from causes which we could not foresee; in the regular school department by a necessary increase in teachers' sala- ries, and in the contingent by the building of an outhouse in the High School yard, and by making an inside fire escape from the First Grammar School room in the High School building by the order of the Inspector of Public Buildings for the State. At the last annual meeting the town made .
the following appropriations for the support of the schools :
Regular Appropriation,
$11,500 00
Contingent, · . . .
1,000 00
Painting,
. .
.
500 00
Total,
$13,000 00
From the regular appropriation we have expended :
For Teachers' Salaries,
$10,469 07
For Janitors' Salaries,
705 00
For Coal,
820 03
For Wood,
52 25
Preparing same,
15 67
Total,
$12,062 02
For incidentals (including the out-house and fire-es-
cape. which together cost $486.00), the sum of, $1,287 32 For painting, 421 03
Total expenditure,
$13,770 37
·
.
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being an excess of total expenditure over the total appropri- ation of $770.37. The amount in the Treasury of the School Committee accumulated from the Massachusetts School Fund and other sources ; which has been appropriated to the reduc- tion of this debt, was $443.51, which leaves a net expendi- ture over the amount placed at the disposal of the Commit- tee of $326.86.
HIGH SCHOOL.
At the close of the summer term Mr. Sanford, who had been principal of this school for two years, resigned his po- sition to enter upon the study of medicine. He had won the respect and love of those under his charge by the quiet earnestness of his purpose, and the thorough manliness of his character. His teaching was comprehensive and pro- gressive, and his resignation was a serious loss to the school. Mr. D. N. Putney, his successor, came with flattering rec- omendations from former fields of labor as a thorough scholar and successful teacher, and we have no doubt of his scholar- ship or his capacity to teach. He, however, soon manifest- ed a lack of ability to control his temper, and a want of certain characteristics which are deemed essential for a teacher in this school. At the end of one term's service he retired. Mr. Walter C. Hill, a native of our neighboring town of Stoneham, a graduate of Harvard College, and a teacher of twelve years' experience, was elected to the vacant place. A scholar of high rank, a teacher of varied experience, a gentleman by nature and cultivation, his success was imme- diate, and we confidently predict that his administration will be harmonious, popular and valuable. The former assist- ants, Miss Keith and Miss Greenough, still remain in the school and render effective service in their respective de- partments. During the serious interruptions which have taken place within the year they have labored zealously that the school might not suffer thereby. The prospects of the
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schools were never more promising than at this time, and if the usual percentage of scholars from the school below is promoted at the next annual examination, the school room will be crowded the ensuing year, and with the usual per- centage of successful promotions another year, additional accommodations will be required. We hope that ere long we may be able to say that our High School fits scholars for Harvard College, without conditions. This is one end to be attained, not that all scholars shall be obliged to pass through such a course of study, but that every scholar in the school shall have the opportunity if he desires.
The graduating exercises of the class of '81 which took place in the Town Hall were not arranged for show or dra- matic effect, but as a fair exhibition of the talent of the Class. The exercises gave evidence of thoughtful prepara- tion and more than the ordinary share of good common sense. The following is the order of exercises and the names of the Graduating Class.
ORDER OF EXERCISES.
1. Chorus-The German Father-land,
G. Reichardt.
2. Salutatory and Original Declamation-Some Aspects of Success, Jeremiah J. Lyons. Joaquin Miller.
3. Recitation-The Sioux Chief's Daughter, Kate F. Kirk.
4. Song-" I come, I come," Arr. from Donizetti.
5. Some Reminiscences, Read by Alfred E. Mellet.
6. Essay-A Few of the Wonderful Changes going on about us, Walter S. Moran
7. Solo and Chorus-The Image of the Rose, G. Reichardt.
8. Declamation-Pericles before the Areopagus,
9. Calisthenics.
Nathaniel S. Coffin.
10. Reading-The Schoolmaster's Conquest, Lillie A. Rollins.
Anon.
11. Round in Six Parts-Chicago Street Cries,
12. Essay-The Realm of Silence,
13. Glee-The Blue Alsatian Mountains,
14. Valedictory-Vincit, Qui se Vincit, .
P. P. Bliss. Margaret J. O'Hea.
. Arranged. Isabelle Townsend.
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15. Presentation of Diplomas,
16. Parting Hymn- Arr. by G. F. Wilson.
Another year has rolled around, The yearly tasks are now complete. With anxious thoughts we've hailed the time Whose pleasant coming now we greet. But ere we part the ties that bind Our hearts, and bid emotion swell, With love and gratitude combined, We'll say farewell, a fond farewell.
We'll not forget through many years, The heartfelt joys we here have known, How dear as classmates, true and kind, In hours of pleasant toil we've grown. Yet in our hearts we'll often say To classmates dear, farewell, farewell.
To those who've wisely guided us, And toward our faults have been so kind, Who've filled our hearts with moral truth, And with much knowledge stored the mind, We give all thanks that words convey, That grateful hearts can feel so well, And, with the hope that God will bless, To teachers dear, farewell, farewell.
17. Prayer and Benediction.
The following are the names of the Graduates :
BUSINESS COURSE.
NATHANIEL S. COFFIN, ALFRED E. MELLETT,
KATE F. KIRK, LILLIE A. ROLLINS.
ENGLISH AND CLASSICAL.
JEREMIAH J. LYONS, MARGARETJ. O'HEA,
WALTER S. MORAN, ISABELLE TOWNSEND.
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ADVANCED GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
· This school since its establishment in 1872, has occupied a prominent and honorable position inthe educational system of the Town and as the one in which many of our scholars receive their final training in the public schools. It has always been under the care of Mrs. Wentworth, which is sufficient guaranty of its character.
FIRST GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
The organization of this school requires it to recruit its ranks from the Second Grammar, North Ward, East Ward, Woodville and Greenwood schools and the difficulties of assimilation are numerous and sometimes vexatious. The work of organizing and getting into running order a school which comes from several sources and from under the care of different teachers is greater than when scholars have been in one class, and all familiar with one style of work. At the close of the annual examination it was found that nearly one hundred scholars had passed to this grade, a much larger number than ever before. The accommodations in the sch ool room were not sufficient for this number, so as many as could be accommodated were transferred to this school room , and the remainder were left in the room occupied by the Second Grammar School but are considered members of the First Grammar School, and are there fitting for the Ad- vanced Grammar. Since 1873 this school has been under the charge of Miss Perkins, the present teacher, whose work is too well known to need mention here. She has been well seconded by Miss Lizzie F. Ingram of Amherst, Mass., whose zeal and faithfulness we take pleasure in commending. An interesting feature of the school the past year has been the preparation and reading of a weekly paper, designed as an exercise in composition and writing by the pupils. We have had the opportunity of examining a num- ber of these exercises, and have frequently found those which would do credit to children of a much larger growth.
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SECOND GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
During the summer vacation Mr. Cutter, the former very popular teacher of this school, resigned to accept a position with larger salary at Natick, Mass., where he now remains. Mr. F. B. French of Woburn was elected to fill the vacancy, but resigned on account of ill health before the close of one term's service and Mr. E. W. Wright of Abington was elected his successor. Mr. Wright, by education and expe- rience is a High School Teacher, and he entered upon his duties in this school with some misgivings. Near the close of the term he resigned because his work was neither con- genial nor satisfactory to himself. Mr. Wright is a thor- oughly conscientious man, and with different surroundings we believe he would have met with the same success that has attended his work heretofore. He was immediately ap- pointed Principal of the High School in Adams, Mass. After a week's delay Mr. Philander A. Gay, a highly successful teacher for years in the Hingham and Milton Schools, was engaged to fill the vacancy, and now has charge of the school. All the indications point to a worthy administration of affairs, and a speedy return of the school to its accus- tomed rank.
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