USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Arlington > Town of Arlington annual report 1938 > Part 26
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
On March 20th, one of the most delightful Sunday after- noons was experienced when Mrs. Edith Trowbridge vom Baur gave personal reminiscences of her late distinguished father, John Townsend Trowbridge, the poet and author who lived in Arlington so many years. She gave a recital of his poetry that brought back to some, a vivid memory of a fellow towns- man.
Lectures and regular meetings were held in the hall under the auspices of the following :
Health lectures sponsored by Symmes Arlington Hospi- tals :
Arlington Garden Club Arlington Visiting Nursing Association Arlington Stamp Club Camera Club
Junior Woman's Club
Junior Garden Club
Garden Club
Junior Stamp Club
Fortnightly Club
Boy Scout Press Club
The Small Hall has been used four evening a week for Americanization classes.
The Gallery has at all times been used for pictures or other exhibits of interest.
489
REPORT OF LIBRARIAN
January 4-Pointings by Arlington Artists.
February-Oils by Barbara Sears. Scenes from Maine and Massachusetts.
February-Prints of George Washington from Robbins Print Collection.
March-Paintings by members of the Federal Art Project. March-Work of students of Senior High School.
April-Flower pastels by Emma Bailey Fraser.
April-Unusual camera studies by Arlington Camera Club.
July to September-Prints from Robbins Print Collection.
October-Oils from the Boston Art Club.
November-Collection of old teapots with books on glass, china and antiques.
December-Creche arranged in the foyer of the Library.
For the case, Christmas seals of Norway, Sweden, Den- mark and Iceland loaned by Miss Louise Larsen and during the summer Prof. and Mrs. David Dill, articles from Chili.
Gifts for 1938 have been both generous and extremely useful. Of Miss Esther Wyman who designed and planned the planting at the Vittoria C. Dallin Branch, special mention should be made, as well as our own Trustee, Mrs. Walter Vaughn who gave of her time and thought so generously. Friends have not forgotten how much of cheer and beauty flowers bring.
Following is a list of Gifts:
Books
American Society of mechanical engineers Arlington Fortnightly Club
490
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
Arlington Woman's Club
Miss Esther Bailey Miss Grace Hall Blashfield
Boston Life Underwriters' Association Mrs. Henry Brask Buhl Foundation, University of Pittsburgh
Mrs. Anna C. Covell
Miss Ruth M. Dallin
Mrs. Vittoria C. Dallin
Doubleday, Doran Mrs. Clifford Dumble
Garden Club
Lit. distribution committee of the First Church of Christ Scientist
Rev. Matthew J Flaherty
W. Gardiner Goss
Dr. Franklin Hawkes
Miss Phyllis Hon
Heights Study Club
Mrs. Guy E. Jones
Junior Woman's Club
Mr. William H. Lannin
Miss Jennie Lantz H. B. McArdle
Mrs. Stephen Merrill National Council of American Shipbuilders
Oxford University Press Estate of Judge James Parmenter
Mrs. Amy I. Powers
Mr. Herbert Raymond Edith Rice Misses Robbins
Edith Nourse Rogers Meyer Sackett Sunshine Club Miss M. Helen Teele Mrs. Annie E. Wells R. L. Wilbur and A. M. Hyde Grace Stone Woodbridge
491
REPORT OF LIBRARIAN
Gifts Other Than Books
Auxiliary of Spanish War Veterans, Shrine of the Consti- tution
Friday Social Club, magazines
Garden Club, $10 for landscaping the Dallin Branch Screen for use with lanterns
Christmas tree
Christmas wreath and flowers through the seasons.
Heights Study Club, two screens
Miss Bettina Kahnweiler, placque to perpetuate the mem- ory of Mrs. Vittoria C. Dallin
Henry Parker Robbins, oil painting of Nathan Robbins at the age of fifty
School children of the Heights, money for hedge at Dallin Branch Sunshine Club, magazines
Trefoil Club, daylight lantern
Mrs. Sarah Vaughn, curtain
A deep appreciation is felt for the many kindly things that have been done for the library, the gifts from clubs, from individuals and the publicity given by our local newspapers. We need the help of all. The library along with the church and schools must preach the much-needed lesson of democraoy.
Staff
In February, Miss Helen Henry, Miss Marianna Hemen- way and Miss Alice Cutter were made members of the staff.
More than ever, members of the staff have taken part in professional activities outside of the library. Mrs. Thelma Montague, Children's Librarian, has spoken at the Heights Study Club and Crosby Parent-Teachers' Association on chil- dren's literature. Mrs. Ruth Fuller and Miss Esther Gannett gave pleasure to the Blind Group which is sponsored by the Junior Woman's Club. During Book Week, Miss Jeannette Favreau and Miss Pauline Bennett gave a survey of new books
492
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
for children at the Dallin Branch, and Mrs. Thelma Montague gave the high lights of the seasons' books for a gathering at the main Library. The Librarian has answered many calls for advice. She appeared on the program for the Massachusetts Library Association, which met in Pittsfield, Arlington Heights Study Club, Chamber of Commerce, Arlington- Framingham Club and the Community Day of the Woman's Club.
Professional and cultural courses have been taken by Miss Marianna Hemenway, Miss Rachel Santoliquido, Miss Alice Cutter and Miss Helen Henry.
Miss Ruth Sampson, Mrs. Margaret Erskine spent full time, and Miss Jeannette Favreau part time, at the New Eng- land Library Institute on Adult Education which was held at Simmons College, September 12-16, 1938.
In closing, I am mindful of the faithful and gracious serv- ice rendered by my staff, and of the continued confidence and support of the Trustees.
Respectfully submitted,
LUCINDA FIELD SPOFFORD, Librarian.
493
REPORT OF LIBRARIAN
REPORT OF THE CURATOR OF THE ROBBINS PRINT COLLECTION FOR THE YEAR 1938
The Robbins Print Collection recently sustained a great loss in the sudden death of Miss Caira Robbins at Évian, France, on September 16. She was both a benefactor and a friend, of rare charm and fine intellect. Distance from Arling- ton caused no diminution of her interest in the portrait collec- tion assembled many years ago by her cousin, Winfield Robbins. After his death in 1910 she worked for years with infinite patience and understanding on the classification of the thousands of subjects in the collection - the sort of task that most curators and researchers attack only after a period of museum training. Her discretion and taste were shown by the prints she added to the collection : Early English portraits, rarely seen in contemporary print exhibitions ; English mezzo- tints; engravings by the famous French portraitist, Robert Nanteuil, and numerous nineteenth and twentieth century subjects, as, for example, the Nicholson color woodcuts. Her benefactions did not cease with her removal to Europe to live- for her interest in the upbuilding and care of the collection was an abiding one and offered both inspiration and a kindly challenge to the present curator.
During 1938 hundreds more of the prints were mounted in new mats and made exhibitable, and the work of research and cataloguing goes steadily forward. The large exhibition in the Print Room upstairs is still on view. In July, twenty-one portraits - twenty of them recent accessions - were hung in the gallery on the main floor, remaining on view until Septem- ber. And in November a small group of subjects in color was shown in connection with the exhibition of teapots.
Eventually it is hoped the collection may have a per- manent exhibition of plates, blocks and tools for the purpose of illustrating the various graphic arts processes. To initiate this plan a group of color blocks and prints by Elizabeth
494
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
Norton has been acquired. The subject, "After Lunch," is a color design of rabbits. The complete group comprises the preliminary drawings, the four original wood blocks, three process proofs, and the finished color block print. These were shown in the Children's Library for several weeks last Spring.
The following portraits have been acquired this year:
American Subjects :
Bellows, George Lithograph by Leo Mielziner, 1925
Dell, Floyd
Woodcut by J. J. Lankes, 1930
*Harding, President War- 1 ren G. Drypoint by Walter Tittle, 1920
"Hughes, Charles Evans ... Drypoint by Walter Tittle, 1922 "Lodge, Henry Cabot, Sr ... Drypoint by Walter Tittle Pennell, Joseph (caricature) Etching by Robert James Ma- lone, 1927
"Root, Elihu Drypoint by Walter Tittle, 1922 Whitman, Walt Woodcut by J. J. Lankes, 1919 Miscellaneous:
* Briand, Aristide Drypoint by Walter Tittle, 1921 *Lloyd George, Rt. Hon. David Drypoint by Walter Tittle
Three etched portraits by Charles Meryon :
Bizeul, Louis Jacques Marie, 1861
Boulay-Paty, Évariste Félix Cyprien, 1861 Fillon, Benjamin, 1862 Wycherley, William Mezzotint by John Smith, 1703 " Balfour, Arthur James, first Earl of Drypoint by Walter Tittle, 1921 the Fleet Drypoint by Walter Tittle
*Beatty, David, Admiral of
195
REPORT OF LIBRARIAN
The portraits starred are from the collection called the ARMS CONFERENCE MEMORIAL PORTFOLIO, which comprises drypoints done from life by Walter Tittle of the 25 leading figures in the conference on the Limitation of Arm- aments held in Washington. This collection was exhibited in the Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington, and a set of the por- traits was bought by the government for the Library of Con- gress collection. After the portraits were shown in London, two complete portfolios were purchased by the British govern- ment for the British Museum and the South Kensington Museum. In this country the complete portfolio is to be found in the Brooklyn Museum of Fine Arts, the New York Public Library, the Museum of the University of Virginia, and Yale University. As may be seen from above list, the Robbins Col- lection has acquired eight portraits from this set during the past year, and the remaining 17 will be added gradually.
KATHRYN M. ACHUFF,
Curator.
196
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION FORM FOR UNIFORM STATISTICS
Annual Report for the Year Ended December 31, 1938
Name of Library : Robbins Library.
City: Arlington. State: Massachusetts.
Name of Librarian : Mrs. Lucinda F. Spofford.
Date of founding 1835
Population served (estimated)
39,000
Assessed Valuation of Town.
$57,961.150
Terms of use: Free for lending.
FREE FOR REFERENCE
Total number of agencies 3
Consisting of Central Library
1
Branches
2
Number of days open during year
(Central Library) 302
Hours open each week for lending
(Central Library ) 66
Hours open each week for reading
(Central Library ) 66
INCREASE
Number of volumes at beginning of year . 56,160
Number of volumes added during year by purchase 4,282
Number of volumes added during year by gift or exchange 498
Number of volumes lost or withdrawn during year 2,312
Total number at end of year 58,628
497
REPORT OF LIBRARIAN
USE
Number of volumes of fiction lent for home use ... 230,545
Total number of volumes lent for home use 348,994
Pictures circulated 858
REGISTRATION
Number of borrowers registered during year 2,209
Registration period, years . 3
Number of periodicals and newspapers currently received :
Titles 195
Copies 245
Number of publications issued during year :
Booklists 0
Number of staff, library service (including part- time) 14
Number of staff, janitor service.
3
LIBRARY FUNDS
Robbins Art Fund $42,815.40
Henry Mott Library Fund
5,200.00
Timothy Wellington Fund 100.00
Ellen W. Hodgdon Fund 1,000.00
Children's Book Fund 5,003.40
Nathan Pratt Library Fund
10,000.00
Elbridge Farmer Fund
54,003.77
E. Nelson Blake Fund 4,073.75
Dexter Rawson Fay Fund
1,741.60
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Receipts from :
Trust Fund Income Balance, January
1, 1938
$2,394.80
Appropriation by Town 29,675.00
Transfer from Reserve Fund 132.92
$32,202.72
498
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
Expenditures
Personal services $19,493.56
Materials 12,584.92
32,078.48
Balance
$124.24
Unexpended balance
Personal services $6.44
Materials
117.80
$124.24 $2,208.16
Trust fund earnings, 1938 carried forward to 1939 Payments for :
Salaries, library service
$16,950.49
Salaries, janitor service
2,543.07
Books and periodicals
5,749.63
Bindery
2,029.07
Fuel
1,783.80
Light
945.01
Building and grounds
562.37
Telephone
144.47
Other expenses
1,370.57
$32,078.48
Robbins Art Fund:
Expenditures :
Salaries
$917.50
Prints
234.73
All others
212.01
$1,364.24
499
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
To the Citizens of Arlington :
The personnel of the School Committee for 1938 was un- changed with one exception. Mr. John P. Morine was elected in March to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Mr. George S. Coburn who had served the town efficiently as a member of the Committee for three years.
We respectfully refer you to the report of the Superintend- ent of Schools which the Committee endorses and presents as part of its report. Much progress has been made in many branches of the school system toward greater economy of oper- ation and efficiency of instruction.
That portion of the report dealing with the building sit- uation needs your careful, sympathetic consideration. We must face the need for additional school accommodations. The development of Kelwyn Manor and the growth of the school population in the Hardy School district will require either a new elementary school in that section or an addition to the Hardy School in the near future. The present building is used to capacity.
The situation in the Russell district is serious. The pres- ent building should be replaced. This old building is no longer serviceable for the needs of the district it is trying to serve - neither as to its location nor its physical condition.
We cannot overemphasize the urgent need for completing the high school auditorium and we emphatically endorse the Superintendent's comment thereon.
The previous standing committee on school acommoda- tions having been discharged, we recommend that a new com- mittee including representatives of the School Committee be
500
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
appointed at once to study and report upon additional school accommodations.
By far the largest part of the annual appropriation for schools is used for salaries. The Committee has succeeded in making substantial savings in this large item of the budget. We are doing our utmost to maintain a high standard of edu- cation for our youth. We believe the citizens of Arlington are interested in superior schools. Our salary schedules are in no instance high, in fact, we are very low in many classifica- tions. We shall make a study of salaries during the next year.
However, as the salary item is practically impossible to change, the custom for some time has been to reduce our budget items for capital outlay, maintenance and supplies. This cannot go on without seriously handicapping the educa- tional program of the schools and causing wasteful, unbusi- nesslike deterioration of school properties. We urge upon you serious consideration of this problem when appropriations are voted upon.
We were fortunate in the small amount of damage caused by the hurricane which necessitated an expenditure of approxi- mately $2,500.
The town receives a substantial revenue each year on ac- count of public schools from the Commonwealth and other sources. This money, with the unexpended balance from the 1938 appropriation which totals $1,260.85, materially reduces the net charge on the real estate tax levy for school purposes.
The reimbursement figures follow :
Vocational Education $2,167.28
Tuition of State Wards 2,363.79
Other Tuition 351.02
Miscellaneous 751.69
Americanization
574.19
Rentals
320.50
Sale of Portable 25.00
501
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Gas Refund 828.02
General School Fund 50,902.00
$58,283.49
Total 1938 expenditures .$655,300.11
Reduced by above 58,283.49
Actual amount from Real Estate Tax Levy $597,016.62
The Athletic Council treasurer has made the following re- port for 1938:
Cash on hand
$3,589.06
Outstanding accounts
$3,589.06
Franklin P. Hawkes, principal of the Junior High School West since 1923, resigned December 1 to accept a position as Superintendent of Schools in Abington. Mr. Hawkes was an able administrator of his school and a public-spirited citizen who will be greatly missed by teachers, pupils and the citizens of Arlington. His position was filled by the election of A. Henry Ottoson, for eight years principal of the Memorial Junior High School in Framingham.
We express our appreciation to the school officials, teach- ers and employees for their loyal support and we thank the members of the various town boards and departments for their splendid co-operation.
Respectfully submitted,
(Signed) M. NORCROSS STRATTON.
Chairman.
January, 1939.
502
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOL FOR THE YEAR 1938
To the School Committee of Arlington :
In this, my second annual report as your Superintendent of Schools, I shall briefly review the work of the School De- partment during the past fiscal year and will call to your attention problems that confront us as we begin another year. The primary aim of education is to develop intelligent citizens who will play a constructive part in our democracy and will prove to be productive units in the economic and social life of our communities. Only from a well-rounded public school system can we eventually establish an intelligent electorate.
Schools not only serve the main function of providing good citizens but are also an economic asset to the community. A good school system with able and experienced teachers and up-to-date, efficiently operated and well-constructed school buildings, is well worth its cost. By attracting the right type of people to our town it increases taxable property and pro- motes business.
From the table of comparative enrollment it will be ob- served that the total school enrollment December, 1938, is but forty-five pupils more than the total enrollment in 1934. There are, however, some significant contrasts between these enroll- ments. It will be noticed that in the first six grades there are three hundred seventy-nine less pupils enrolled in Decem- ber, 1938, than in December, 1934. While the population of the town has remained somewhat the same, we have a larger adult population today and the new families have not brought into town a large number of small children.
Due to depression years there were fewer marriages so fewer homes have been established. The immigration laws
503
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
have been restricted and, consequently, we no longer receive large families from abroad. This dropping off in the elemen- tary schools is not peculiar to Arlington, for it seems to be the story in most of the towns and cities of New England.
Another interesting contrast in this tabulation is the num- ber of pupils in the six upper grades. Our junior high schools have one hundred forty-eight more pupils than five years ago and our senior high school has two hundred seventy-two more pupils enrolled than in 1934. Thus, we have had an increase of four hundred twenty pupils in the upper grades and a de- crease of three hundred seventy-nine pupils in the first six grades. There are several reasons for these changes. First, the American people as a nation have decided, if possible, to give every boy and girl a high school education; secondly, our labor laws are such that fewer boys of high school age can find a place in industry. This increase in enrollment in the upper grades has a significant bearing on the cost of education since the cost per pupil in the high school is approximately forty dollars more than the cost in the elementary schools.
ENROLLMENT BY GRADES, DECEMBER, 1934-1935-1936-1937-1938
Dec., 1934
Dec., 1935
D'ec., 1936
Dec., 1937
Dec., 1938
High School
Post Graduates
55
46
39
31
39
Seniors
283
264
313
333
351
Juniors
429
528
544
537
637
Sophomores
712
704
692
729
724
Industrial Class
30
32
32
28
30
Total High School
1,509
1,574
1,620
1,658
1,781
Junior High
Grade 9
512
537
556
586
590
Grade 8
568
580
611
593
641
Grade 7
572
608
615
656
569
Total Junior High
1,652
1,725
1,782
1,835
1,800
Junior High Industrial
3rd year
19
20
25
23
21
2nd year
26
25
24
24
29
1st year
26
22
24
29
25
Total Junior High Industrial
71
67
73
76
75
504
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
Elementary
Grade 6
608
606
646
580
596
Grade 5
640
629
587
593
599
Grade 4
633
564
597
597
551
Grade 3
586
589
592
554
530
Grade 2
598
585
584
542
525
Grade 1
589
550
508
507
476
Special Class
29
28
27
27
27
Total Elementary
3,683
3,551
3,541
3,400
3,304
Total of all grades
6,915
6,917
7,016
6,969
6,960
·
.
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
505
506
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
In Review
In my report last year attention was called to the follow- ing needs: (1) our desire to effect greater co-ordination and unity in the work of the elementary grades and to the necessity of the appointment of an elementary school supervisor to carry out and supervise this work; our objective is a wise uni- formity and for the benefit of the children in our school sys- tem, yet it does not hamper wholesome initiative or destroy personal achievement; (2) the dire need of suitable, sufficient, modern text books throughout the school system; (3) the great need for a new basal textbook in primary reading to replace a series which was hopelessly antiquated, with a modern series typifying the best in modern primary reading; (4) completion of the senior high school auditorium in order that our high school might function properly; (5) installation of a tele- phone service in the senior high school building; (6) the con- sideration of a guidance program in the junior and senior high schools.
I can report progress in some of these recommendations. The first of March, Miss Mary Elizabeth O'Connor, a skilled elementary supervisor of long experience and rich professional training, was appointed. Miss O'Connor gives promise of be- ing a competent and trustworthy leader in the field of ele- mentary education.
This year it has been possible for your Superintendent to give more attention to supervision in the secondary schools due to the appointment of a supervisor for the elementary grades which makes it unnecessary for the Superintendent to give so much personal attention to the elementary work. I enjoy the elementary school supervision, but it is physically impossible in a system of this size for one person to adequately supervise the whole system and at the same time attend to the administrative duties affecting the system as a whole.
During the past four months I have visited practically every junior and senior high school teacher. I have studied
507
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
the teaching load of each and the number of teaching periods. This information made it possible for us to make some profit- able changes in organization and will be a basis for our or- ganization the next school year.
The junior high schools have adopted a standard series in mathematics, and committees will soon be at work studying the social studies with a view to standardizing this subject. It is my desire through the assistance and co-operation of the principals, supervisors and teachers to have a syllabus in each subject in all departments throughout the school system. This is a big piece of work, but is a very valuable asset to any school system.
Reading
In my report of a year ago I stated that a committee had been appointed to study several reading systems. Reading is the most important tool subject taught in our American schools. Because of this and due to the local situation in read- ing I have given a great deal of attention to this subject dur- ing the past year. The committee appointed was made up of two first-grade teachers, two second-grade teachers, two third- grade teachers and one sixth-grade teacher who had had ex- perience teaching in all of the elementary grades. The com- mittee was instructed to study seven different systems of read- ing as to content and method of instruction and to recommend the adoption of some system in the light of best scientific thought and specific need of Arlington. This committee held several meetings a month over a period of six months and after careful analysis of several reading systems recommended the adoption of the Elson-Gray series. This system of reading is based on the belief that interesting content is the most im- portant factor in learning to read, that the keynote of interest is the story plot and that the child's delight in the oral story should be utilized in the very first steps of reading. This method supplies the child with stories of such nature as will keep his interest and constantly develop his power of con- nected thinking by means of incident and plot structure. Through the use of vital content this method develops the vari-
508
ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
ous phonetic elements of our language, one by one, as they are encountered in the story. In this way the motive for master- ing difficulties is constantly present and knowledge acquired is immediately applied without the painful drilling necessary in less vital methods.
Good reading ability is made up of a number of factors and the teacher must have a clear perspective of the relative value of these factors as a daily guide in the classroom work. Obviously, the power to control words comes first. The teacher, however, must remember that word mastery is merely a means to an end - the interpretation of the thought of the printed page - for reading is vastly more than word getting. It is not sufficient that the child can recognize a given word at sight and call it correctly. He must also associate it with its proper meaning. It must suggest to him its full content. Finally, reading improves the ability to interpret thoughts in their organized relation throughout the story, that is, it improves the power of following the plot.
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.