USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Arlington > Town of Arlington annual report 1912 > 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 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38
CHARLES F. DONAHUE, Sealer of Weights and Measures.
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE ROBBINS LIBRARY.
To the Town of Arlington:
The Trustees of the Robbins Library submit their annual report. The "surprising increase" which we noted in last year's report was due to the error of one figure (a two for a one where the mistake originated) by which we. credited ourselves with a circulation of 59,053 for 1911 instead of 49,053. Even then we had a gain of 4,874 over the preceding year. The gain for 1912 has been slight, 87 with a total of 49,140.
The Children's Room shows a loss of 1,352-12,259 for 1912 as against 13,611 for 1911. The average daily attendance in the Children's Room has dropped from 26 to 25, and that of the Reading Room has also fallen from 63 in 1911 to 61 in 1912.
The Stack Room is as popular as ever, with 35,004 books taken in 1912 as against 33,488 for 1911 - a gain of 1,516.
The use of periodicals shows a loss of 2,663 in 1912 as against 2,786 in 1911. We would draw attention to the steady increase of reference work which is done in the Library largely under the intelligent direction of Miss Baston.
We sent 77 less books by basket to Arlington' Heights, but many more volumes than formerly are now delivered from the stock in hand at the Branch Library. We are still using a room in the Locke School for this purpose, but this is only a temporary accommodation through the courtesy of the School Committee. The generous gift of $25,000 by Mr. Winfield Robbins, which we announced last year, has been received and invested and will soon yield us revenue for our Art Department, but will not lessen the need of other funds for the support of the Library.
We have adopted the "Postal Reserve System," whereby a book will be reserved for a person if he pays the cost of a postal card, which will be mailed to him when the book is ready for his use. The book will be reserved until 9 P.M., the following day. In case of more than one request for the same book, the applica- tions will be taken in the order in which they are made.
We have long felt the need of a telephone, which has now been installed, because the introduction of the Postal Reserve System puts all applicants on an equal footing, giving users of the tele- phone no advantage over others.
115
116
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
The most memorable event of the year was the completion on January 1, 1913, of forty years of service by Miss Elizabeth J. Newton as Librarian -- a record of service marked from first to last by a conscientiousness and fidelity of which the Town of Arlington may well be proud. The Library has been enriched by gifts of books from Mr. George A. Kimball, Miss Bert! a Vickery, Mrs. Elizabeth C. Brown and others. Mrs. James A. Bailey, Jr., presented a handsome Sèvres urn with pedestal (f Mexican onyx marble, a beautiful ornament for the Reading Room. On the fifteenth of April, the bust of Mr. Winfield Robbins was placed in the Rotunda. It is made of white Carrara marble, pedestal of carved Protto green marble, by O. Spalmach, sculptor, Rome.
The editors of the Advocate have continued to send us a file of that paper. Exhibitions of photographs, etc., have been given in addition to those reported hitherto.
January. No. 134. Mythology.
February. No. 135. Food and game fishes of New York.
February and March. No. 136. Mythological pictures.
March and April. No. 137. Etchings by William Unger. No. 3
May. No. 138. Rulers of Italy, with some historical com- parisons.
June and July. No. 139. Group of Dates: 1452, 1483 and 1564.
September. No. 140. Copies of Whistler's works.
September and October. No. 141. Alpine Views.
October and November. No. 142. Mount Shasta and Lake Tahoe.
November and December. No. 143. Animals' Picnic and Animals' Pleasure Excursion.
December. No. 144. Art for the Nursery by Walter Crane. No. 2.
Respectfully submitted, SAMUEL C. BUSHNELL .. E. NELSON BLAKE, CYRUS E. DALLIN, CHARLES A. KEEGAN,
JAMES P. PARMENTER,
ARTHUR J. WELLINGTON.
Trustees.
TRUSTEES ROBBINS LIBRARY 117
LIBRARIAN'S STATEMENT.
LIBRARY HOURS.
Open daily, except Sunday, 10 A.M. to 9 P.M. Children's Room, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.
Sundays for readers only, 2.30 to 5.30 P.M.
AUGUST HOURS.
WEDNESDAY and SATURDAY as usual.
Open on other days, except Sunday, from 2.30 to 5.30 P.M. Closed on holidays.
LIBRARY HOURS, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS READING ROOM.
TUESDAY and SATURDAY .- 1.30 to 6, 7 to 9 P.M.
THURSDAY .- 3 to 6, 7.to 9 P.M.
AUGUST .- Open on Saturdays only.
Closed on holidays.
Books left at the Reading Room on Tuesday and Saturday between the hours of 1.30 and 3.30 P.M., will be exchanged, and books will be ready for delivery from 7 to 9 P.M. of the same day.
A limited number of books are now kept at the Heights Reading Room and may be circulated from there.
STATISTICS.
Volumes in the Library, January 1, 1912
25,380
Added to Central Library by purchase
630
Added by gifts
40
Public documents, bound volumes ·
29
Books replaced
27
Added to Arlington Heights Reading Room by pur-
chase 108
Added by gifts
19
853
26,233
Volumes withdrawn
16
Volumes missing
25
Volumes destroyed on account of contagious disease
3
44
Volumes in the Library, December 31, 1912 26,189
1
118
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT .
Periodicals subscribed for
78
Periodicals given
13
Newspapers subscribed for
6
Newspaper given
1
Delivery of books and periodicals to adults for home use 35,004
Delivered from Children's Room 12,259
Total, including delivery to Arlington Heights
49,140
Single numbers of periodicals delivered
2,663
Largest delivery in one day, March 23
391
Average daily use of the Reading Room
61
Average daily use of the Children's Room
25
Average Sunday use of the Reading Room
39
Average Sunday use of the Children's Room
35
New names registered during the year
648
Volumes in Arlington Heights Reading Room, Decem- ber 31, 1912 1,176
Periodicals subscribed for
24
Periodical given
1
Newspapers subscribed for
2
Newspaper given
1
Books and periodicals received by basket from Central Library in 1912 1,877
Periodicals delivered, belonging to Heights Reading Room
1,389
Books delivered from Heights Reading Room
1,618
Average daily use of Heights Reading Room
33
Fines paid to the Town Collector in 1912
$269.95
Amount paid to the Town Collector for the sale of catalogues $3.55
LIST OF PERIODICALS AND NEWSPAPERS.
A. L. A. Booklist .*
Atlantic Monthly.
American Boy.
Bird Lore.
American Carpenter and Builder .* Book Buyer .*
American Forestry .*
Book Review Digest.
American Review of Reviews.
Bookman.
Architectural Record.
Boston Cooking School Maga-
Arlington High School Clarion.
zine.
*Donated.
119
TRUSTEES ROBBINS LIBRARY
Cassell's Little Folks.
Century.
Chautauquan.
Child Lore.
Christian Endeavor World.
Massachusetts Magazine.
Congressional Record .*
Mayflower Descendant.
Cook's American Traveller's Gazette .*
Modern Electrics.
Cosmopolitan.
Munsey's Magazine.
Craftsman.
Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin .*
Current Literature.
Musical Courier.
Delineator.
Nation.
Education.
National Geographic Maga- zine .*
Educational Review. Electrician and Mechanic.
Etude.
Forum.
Garden Magazine .*
General Federation Bulletin.
Good Housekeeping. ..
Good Roads Magazine.
Harper's Bazar. Harper's Monthly.
Our Dumb Animals .*
Outing.
Outlook.
Photo Era.
Popular Electricity Magazine.
Popular Science Monthly.
Practical Engineer.
Public Libraries.
Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.
International Journal of Ethics. St. Nicholas.
Keramic Studio. Ladies' Home Journal.
Library Journal.
Life. Lippincott's Magazine. *Donated.
School Review.
Scientific American.
Scientific American Supple- ment. Scribner's Magazine.
Harper's Weekly.
Harvard Theological Review.
Harvard University Gazette .* Hibbert Journal.
Home Needlework Magazine.
House Beautiful.
Illustrated London News.
Independent. Indian's Friend.
New England Historical and Genealogical Register.
New England Homestead.
New England Magazine.
Nineteenth Century and After.
North American Review.
Official Gazette, U. S. Patent Office .*
· Literary Digest. Little Folks. Living Age. McClure's Magazine.
Medford Historical Register.
120
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
Spectator. Studio. Suburban Life.
Survey.
Technology Review :* World's Work. Young Idea. Youth's Companion.
NEWSPAPERS.
Arlington Advocate. Boston Daily Advertiser.
Boston Evening Transcript.
Current Events. New York Times Book Review.
Springfield Weekly Republican.
Christian Science Monitor .* *Donated.
We have received reports or bulletins, or both, from the public libraries of the following places: Andover (Memorial Hall Library); Baltimore, Md. (Enoch Pratt Free Library); Belmont; Boston; Brookline; Cambridge; Canton; Chelsea (Fitz Public Library); Clinton (Bigelow Free Public Library); Concord; Erie, Pa .; Everett (Shute Memorial Library); Fairhaven (Millicent Library); Fitchburg; Hartford, Conn .; Helena, Mont .; Lancaster; Lexington (Cary Memorial Library); Malden; Manchester, N. H .; Marblehead (Abbot Public Library); Massachusetts (Free Public Library Commission) ; Massachusetts State Library ; Milton; Monmouth, Ill. (Warren County Library); Natick (Morse Institute Library); New York; Newton; Northampton (Forbes Library); Providence, R. I .; Salem; Somerville; Stoneham; Taunton; Wakefield (Beebe Town Library); Watertown; Wilkes- Barré, Pa. (Osterhout Free Library); Winchester; Worcester. Respectfully submitted, ELIZABETH J. NEWTON, Librarian,
ARLINGTON, December 31, 1912.
1
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE FOR 1912.
To the inhabitants of the Town of Arlington:
The annual report of the School Committee to the citizens of the Town must of necessity deal with many of the questions and problems touched upon in the more recent reports and, to a certain extent, may seem to be but a repetition and reiteration of the statements, suggestions and recommendations contained in those reports. That this is unavoidable is due to the fact that the needs and requirements of the several schools and school districts must be determined not by the necessities of a single year, but by a careful and painstaking consideration of future needs as well as present requirements, to the end that an economical and efficient administration of the schools may be maintained.
Wherever, therefore, the information herein contained may seem but mere confirmation of previous reports, the above explanation is offered as justification.
It is unquestionably true that the quality and character of the schools of a town is always a matter of just concern and anxiety to its thoughtful citizens, and it is no idle assertion to maintain that the higher the standard and efficiency of the schools of a municipality, the higher the type of its citizenship. Efficient schools attract efficient people, and other things being equal, the seekers after new homes will select that community which promises best for the education of their children.
Arlington is and for the past few years has been a rapidly growing community, with a school population increasing relatively much faster than the growth in general population. The standard of its schools is high but not unreasonably or extravagantly so, and we are far from believing that any respectable proportion of our citizens would for a moment tolerate in any degree the lower- ing of the present standard.
The problem, therefore, which is ever before your Committee is how to maintain the highest possible standard of efficiency in the schools, without imposing upon the citizenship of the Town
121
122
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
an excessive and burdensome taxation. The difficulty of solving this problem, at best a serious one, is immeasurably increased because of the rapid growth of the school population, to which reference has already been made.
In order that a clearer comprehension of the difficulties which beset us may be obtained, it is the purpose of this report to present, at the risk of tediousness, certain facts and figures showing con- ditions as they at present exist.
GROWTH IN SCHOOL POPULATION.
The following table shows the growth in school population in the several schools from 1905 to 1912 inclusive; the Russell containing Grades I to IX and the Parmenter I to V, being grouped together.
AVERAGE MEMBERSHIP YEAR ENDING JUNE.
Year
Russell and Parment'r
Crosby
Cutter
Locke
Total Grammar
High Building
High School alone
1905
563.9
260.1
270.1
315.1
1,409.2
252.8
153.0
1906
562.6
255.5
293.6
353.6
1,456.3
253.9
163.0
1907
579.8
267.3
324.4
313.2
1,484.7
293.7
170.0
1908
615.5
283.1
320.3
346.5
1,568.4
318.0
196.0
1909
606.2
319.8
322.8
344.1
1,592.9
360.6
240.0
1910
613.4
342.0
270.3
456.6
1,682.3
367.3
292.0
1911
622.6
390.7
301.1
496.0
1,810.4
372.0
328.0
1912
595.2
446.4
290.1
489.7
1,821.4 =
400.0
400.0=
mem.
Dec.
30%
161%
1912
610.0
481.0
307.0
547.0
1,945.0
467
467
From the above statistics it will be seen that the total of the average membership in all the schools has increased in round numbers during the period covered, from 1662 in 1905 to 2221.4 in 1912, a gain of 30% in the grades and 161% in the High School alone.
It will be further noted that practically the entire increase in the grades is confined to the Locke and Crosby Schools; the Russell, Parmenter and Cutter showing only slight gains in membership. This increase is readily accounted for by the fact that the sections comprising the Locke and Crosby districts have, in the past few years, shown greater activity in building operations than in other parts of the town. Happily the recent additions to the Locke and Crosby school-houses have anticipated the growth in those sections, and will provide the necessary
.
123
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
accommodations there for several years, while a change in the lines of the Russell and Parmenter districts has effected such a change in the distribution of pupils that the danger of any im- mediate congestion in those schools is eliminated.
SCHOOL ACCOMMODATIONS. Grade Schools.
The several school properties owned by the Town include the Locke, Cutter, Russell, Crosby, Parmenter and High School buildings. Of these the Locke and Crosby are sixteen room buildings, each with a capacity capable of properly accommodating an enrollment of seven hundred pupils, while the Russell, Cutter and Parmenter will each provide for 520, 360 and 170 pupils respectively. By reference to the above table, showing the average membership for December 1912 in each of these schools, it will be seen that there is ample room for a considerable expan- sion beyond the present membership.
High School.
Although the needs of the grade schools have been satisfactorily met and mastered, it is useless to contend that the Town has shown untiring vigor and solicitude in providing the accommo- dations which the requirements of the High School demand. Seasonable warning was sounded that unless the Town actively bestirred itself to provide adequate facilities for the housing of the High School pupils, the unfair and unsatisfactory conditions which now exist would be experienced.
In the report of the School Committee for the year 1910, com- menting upon this subject, we find the following:
"So pressing is this matter that the Town at its coming annual meeting should arrange for the preliminary steps leading to an enlargement of our High School building to be ready for occupancy not later than September 1912."
And in the report of the following year the need for additional accommodations was further emphasized. Yet notwithstanding these admonitions, the record of accomplishment shows that we are today as far from a realization of the relief demanded as when the subject was first presented.
To appreciate in a measure the unfavorable conditions under
124
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
which the work in this school is conducted, and the difficulties encountered in the effort to accord to each pupil the full measure of High School education to which the pupil is entitled, your attention is respectfully called to the following:
STATISTICS OF HIGH SCHOOL.
Whole number belonging January 1, 1913
467
Number of boys
184
40%
Number of girls .
283
60%
I
Post Grad.
IV
III
II
(Fresh- man)
Boys.
2
30
34
52
66
Number in each class.
.. 3
Girls. .
4
41
48
96
94
6
71
82
148
160
Number of Special Students
0
Number Post Graduates .
6
Number College Course.
163
35%
Number Commercial Course
187
40%
Number Technical Course.
60
13%
Number General Course.
51
12%
Total .
467
Bearing in mind that the School Committee is at all times bound to provide reasonable accommodations for the maximum membership of the school, and remembering that the present High School building was designed to provide a seating capacity for not over 382 pupils, it can readily be perceived that the Com- mittee, foreseeing that the growth in the school membership was bound to outstrip the capacity of the building, was long since compelled to devise ways and means to provide for this increase.
To accomplish this a room in the building, never designed as a class-room and deficient in ventilation and heating facilities was during the year 1911 fitted up for that purpose at an expense of nearly $500. The addition of this room and the increase in the number of seats in several rooms afforded a seating capacity of about 426 pupils, but this being inadequate to provide for the full enrollment last year, it was necessary to turn to the Locke
125
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
School building at the Heights, and house two sections of the Freshman class, a total of 54 pupils, in that building.
The disadvantages of this arrangement are obvious. The Locke School is a Grammar school, pure and simple, and the control and management of the building is entirely under the Grammar school principal. The High School pupils thus com- pelled to attend there are, as a practical matter, not a part of the High School. They remain in spirit Grammar school pupils. The atmosphere of self-reliance in work and discipline which characterizes the High School proper is lost to them, and because of lack of accommodations they are denied courses in manual training and science, the benefits of which other sections of the same class are enabled to obtain. Furthermore, because of the impracticability of supplying the regular teachers from the High School for each subject taught, the teaching force is limited to one teacher for each of these sections, and a situation is thus forced where each teacher is compelled to furnish instruction in a variety of subjects in all of which she is not a specialist.
That this condition is unfair and unjust towards these pupils is not even debatable, and this unfortunate predicament in which our High School is placed will be further aggravated next year when we will be compelled, by the natural increase in school membership, to open a room n the Crosby School building for High School purposes.
What the Town needs and needs speedily, is either the erection of a new High School building in close proximity to the present building, to be used for a classical and English, or commercial and technical High School, or the erection of a new building elsewhere sufficiently large to provide adequate accommodations for some years for our growing High School population, and ample to permit the introduction of such additional courses as the de- mands of modern High School education require.
COST OF SCHOOLS.
A consideration of the present day requirements, demands, and necessities which are indispensable to the maintenance of an efficient school system cannot lead us to look forward with any degree of hopefulness to a reduction in school expenses, but rather we must bring our minds to a realization that a constant
126
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
yearly increase in the appropriations for this purpose is inevitable.
If those who are interested will turn to the superintendent's report of last year they will find there a portion devoted to this very subject which is exceedingly illuminating. The increasing cost of labor which has entered into the manufacture of all prod- ucts and materials, including fuel, the demands of teachers and janitors for advance in salaries, the growing dearth of competent and well-trained teachers, the keenness of competition in securing their services, and the increase in the relative numbers in the High and elementary grades, all contribute to the increasing cost of school maintenance.
Turning again to the school report of last year we find, by an inspection of the figures on page 36, that the average cost of education per pupil for the last five years has been slightly in excess of $34.00, and when we consider that the enrollment of pupils for the month of December 1912 exceeded the enrollment for the corresponding month of the year 1911 by 114, we can get some idea of the necessity for each year increasing our school appropriation.
The citizens should also bear in mind that the Town has in- vested in school property a sum in excess of $400,000.00, of which / about $370,000.00 has been expended in the erection of buildings alone, and it must be borne in mind that the wear and tear on these buildings year after year by an army of school children, together with the natural deterioration in the structure, will compel a constant increase in future expenditures for repairs.
Taking all the elements and factors of expense into considera- tion, including the probable growth of the school population, it is probable that the Town will be obliged to appropriate this year for school purposes not less than $87,500. This sum will be fully required if we are to retain the present high quality of our teaching force and maintain the character and equipment of our schools at their present standard of efficiency.
THE PLAYGROUND.
During the past year the Business Men's Association, com- posed of many of our most loyal and public-spirited citizens, appreciating the great benefit and advantages to our school children which the use of the Spy Pond Athletic Field affords,
127
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
and believing that those benefits and advantages could be further enhanced by the erection of a suitable grand-stand, requested that permission be granted to a committee appointed by that Association to act as the agents of the School Committee in solicit- ing funds for grand-stand purposes. The permission was readily given and the Association, through its Committee, proceeded to raise, by subscription and otherwise, the sum of $4200. With that sum the present grand-stand, built of reinforced concrete, with a seating capacity of 1100, was erected, and on Thanksgiving Day dedicated with appropriate exercises to the use of the school children. For this gift the School Committee feels keenest appreciation, and in behalf of the pupils and teachers extends its sincerest thanks to the Business Men's Association and those who in any way contributed to the success of the undertaking. It is expected that this structure will prove the source of a revenue sufficient for the proper conduct and maintenance of athletics without resorting to means and methods which, while hardly avoidable, have, nevertheless, been more or less objectionable.
Owing to the erection of the grand-stand it is the purpose during the coming year to so change the location of the baseball diamond and football field that a better view of these areas may be afforded. In connection with this subject it is desired to again emphasize the necessity for an appropriation sufficiently large to enable the Committee to employ a playground director. Such a director is an absolute necessity if the pupils are to obtain in a reasonable measure those benefits to which the use of a field of this character entitles them.
VACATION SCHOOLS.
During the past summer, vacation schools were maintained in both the Locke and Crosby districts. These schools were made possible through the interest and generosity of certain citizens, clubs and associations, and the work accomplished was but a repetition of the excellent results obtained from the same undertaking in the Russell district the preceding year. While these schools have justified their right to exist, it is too much to expect that they can be continued indefinitely if they must depend for their support upon voluntary contributions. The Town should give this subject its serious consideration and hasten the
128
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
day when the maintenance of vacation schools shall become a part of the school system.
Finally, notwithstanding present difficulties and embarrass- ments, it can fairly be said that the work accomplished during the past year has, taken as a whole, been satisfactory to the Committee, and we believe of a character worthy the best tradi- tions of the Town. It is, however, too much to expect that in a system so comprehensive and far reaching as that of our public schools, perfect conditions can always prevail, but citizens may rest assured that in the solution of every problem and determina- tion of every policy your school authorities act with an eye single to the advancement of the best interests of all, and with co- operation on the part of parents and pupils we may confidently look forward to a continuance of that prosperity which the school of Arlington already enjoy.
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.