USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the end of the century : a history, Volume 2 > Part 23
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 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68
In 1834, at the October session, the districts of the town of Cumber- land were authorized to collect taxes to build and repair school houses.
At the June session of 1835, it was provided that in Hopkinton the assessors should assess the value of such portion of any person's prop- erty situated in different school districts, as may lay in the school dis- trict ordering a tax. At the same time the several districts in Rich-
234
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
mond were directed to erect school houses, and in January, 1846, the penalty of losing their school money was appended. At the session last named the districts in Burrillville were authorized to build school houses, and in October the same authority was given to the first district in North Providence. At the October session, also, the interest on deposits of United States funds deposited in the several banks was set apart for the support of schools.
At the June session, 1837, the town of Charlestown, a district in Richmond, and (in January, 1838) the districts of Exeter and Smith- field were authorized to build and repair school houses ; and at the May session, 1838, district No. 7, North Providence, was given similar au- thority. In June of that year all school committees were directed to make proper returns on forms supplied by the State, under penalty of losing the public school money. At the October session (1838) a part of district No. 9, Hopkinton, was annexed to district No. 7, Richmond, and at the same time the fourth district of Cumberland was author- ized to purchase as well as build and repair school houses. Also, the inhabitants of the fourth Richmond district and the seventh South Kingstown district were authorized to unite in one district.
In 1839, at the January session, the district in Exeter was given one year from the time set in a former act in which to build school houses before forfeiting the public money in case of neglect. The act provid- ing for the disposition of United States deposit funds was amended so as to authorize the loan of any money relinquished by any bank, or withdrawn from any bank by the loan commissioners, to any town or city applying for it, upon giving bonds for payment of interest at five per cent., and to employ the money so received exclusively for educational purposes. The amount to be loaned to any town or city was not to be in greater ratio to the whole sum on deposit from the United States than the ratio of the population of such town or city to the population of the State.
Under the provisions of this legislation the school system was oper- ated about five years. Improvement was made during that period, but to the more progressive and broad-minded friends of education throughout the State, the conditions were still far from satisfactory.1
During the period under consideration, Massachusetts and some of
1The History of Public Education in R. I. by Thos. B. Stockwell contains a series of tables which show in condensed form school statistics in all of the towns of the State in three different years, 1832, which was the first report giving definite statistics given to the public; in 1839, and in 1844. To the special investigator of the school system of Rhode Island these tables are of great interest.
235
GROWTH OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.
the other New England States were making enormous strides in educa- tional advancement. In the first-named State, especially, during the decade from 1837-48, the school system was revolutionized and placed upon a most efficient basis. This acted as a stimulant to the other New England States, a stimulant that was needed in Rhode Island more than in any other Commonwealth, and here the imperative demand finally came for more vigorous, liberal, and united action.
Wilkins Updike, an enthusiastic friend of education residing in South Kingstown, introduced a bill in the General Assembly in October, 1843, which was the stepping-stone to a radical change. In addressing the Assembly he condemned the existing laws and the results obtained through their administration in harsh terms and in all of their phases. Said he, "Our self-respect should be roused by a knowledge of the fact brought out by the last census of the United States, from which it appears that Rhode Island is behind the other New England States in this matter. With a population of 108,830, we have over 1,600 adults who cannot read or write, while Connecticut with a population of 309,978, has only 526".1 Mr. Updike's bill was entitled, "An Act to provide for ascertaining the condition of the Public Schools in this State, and for the improvement and better management thereof". In brief it provided for the appointment by the governor of an agent, whose duty it should be to thoroughly examine all of the schools of the State in all of their features, and make a detailed report thereon, with suggestions as to the best methods for their improvement. The act was passed at the October session of 1843, and under date of December 6, of that year, Gov. James Fenner appointed to this responsible position, Henry Barnard,2 a man of experience in educational affairs and admir- ably equipped in every way for the task. He began his work and made his first regular report to the General Assembly in 1845. It covered the entire ground in the fullest possible manner and demonstrated clearly the need of a radical change in the school system. Many of the statements contained in the report were almost startling in their repre-
'This was hardly a fair arraignment of Rhode Island, from the fact that the speaker did not take into account the difference in the general character of the adult population of the two States, a difference caused largely by the foreign element that is characteristic of all manufacturing districts.
2 Mr. Barnard devoted his superior qualifications and best energies to the improvement of Rhode Island schools with signal success, as will presently appear. He remained in office until 1849, when he retired on account of fail- ing health. His successors as commissioners of public schools have been Elisha R. Potter until 1854; Rev. Robert Allyn, 1854 to 1857; John Kingsbury, 1857-59; Dr. Joshua B. Chapin, 1859-61 and 1863-69; Henry Rousmaniere, 1861-63; T. W. Bicknell, 1869-75; Thomas B. Stockwell, 1875 to the present time.
236
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
sentation of the educational conditions found by him. The report is a lengthy one and can be found in many of the libraries of the State. Only brief allusion can here be made to its more important features.
One of the radical defects of the former school law found by him was the absence of any effectual system of inspection or any provision for the examination of teachers by competent persons. The new law made it illegal for any one to teach without a previous examination and a certificate of competence. Lack of uniformity in text books was another weakness, which was remedied to some extent, at least, by authorizing the State commissioner to recommend proper books, and making it the duty of the town school committees to adopt suitable regulations for their use.
The new law provided that the commissioner of public schools should decide without appeal and without cost all controversies submitted to him. Provision was made for the election of three school trustees in each district, one to be elected each year, the term of office being three years ; for the election of town school committees to consist of three, six or nine members, to have charge of and inspect the schools, the care of the school money, the examination of teachers, visitation of schools, formation of districts, location of houses, etc., and to report to the commissioner of public schools. A board of county school inspectors was provided for, their appointment, number, and tenure of office to be left with the commissioner of public schools. The State commis- sioner received his appointment direct from the governor, his duties being to apportion the school funds, prepare forms and instructions for the uniform administration of the law, visit schools, remedy de- fects, introduce improvements, recommend text books, aid in estab- lishing libraries, grant certificates, establish teachers' institutes, and a normal school, etc.
At the time Mr. Barnard was making his investigation through the State he found that in eleven towns the school houses, such as they were, were owned by proprietors to whom "in many instances, was paid in rent a larger amount than would have been the interest on the cost of a new and commodious school house". At the same time, Mr. Barnard found that there were in the State about 30,000 children over four and under sixteen years of age, while the whole number attending any kind of school, public or private, in any part of the year, was only 24,000; 3,000 of these obtained instruction at home or in private schools. It is well known that the great number of private schools opened in early years and down to about 1850, was due largely to the wretched condition of the public schools.
237
GROWTH OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.
In referring to the necessity of grading the schools, Mr. Barnard stated that in 1844, out of 314 districts in which schools were taught, only fourteen had more than one teacher, resulting in the necessary formation of numerous classes to include varieties in age, impossibility of enforcing proper discipline, and all the other well-known evils.
In relation to text books, incomplete returns from teachers showed that there were in twenty-three towns, one hundred and twenty differ- ent kinds of school books; fifty-three of these were in reading and spelling.1 This seems incredible to the modern educator.
One of the methods of school improvement recommended by Mr. Barnard in his report was the giving of all possible aid to school com- mittees in the selection of proper teachers ; also, the more extensive and permanent employment of women teachers. He wrote: "In all of the schools visited the first winter, or from which returns were received, out of Providence, and the primary departments of a few large central districts, I find but six female teachers." There was at that date, in the whole State, not more than twelve employed, while, in Mr. Bar- nard's opinion, two-thirds of the schools visited would have been better taught by women.
The report also advocated "a gradation of schools in the manufac- turing and other populous districts", in order to avoid the crowding of masses of children of all ages under one teacher. He recommended also the formation of an "itinerating normal school agency", thus foreshadowing the need of a State normal school.
Through the co-operation of the Washington County Association, before noticed, the commissioner reported that a well-qualified teacher had been employed to visit every town in that county, to expose defects in school management and introduce improvement.
Another important measure of the commissioner was a recommenda- tion that better plans for school houses be devised and introduced. He recommended the passage of a law authorizing districts to levy a tax for repairing and erecting school houses, and an educational tract on this subject was sent out. He wrote, "during the past two years more than fifty school houses have been built, or so thoroughly repaired as to be substantially new". One of these in each county had been made in such dimensions and style as to serve as a model.
Under his appointment, Mr. Barnard covered the whole field of his duty, as far as it could be understood at that time. An account of the varied details of his labors would occupy too much space for these
1Barnard's report, p. 67-foot note.
238
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
pages. At the January session of the General Assembly (1845) a resolution was adopted directing Mr. Barnard to draw a bill to be enacted into a law, which should supersede all existing school laws and provide for the improvements suggested in his report. Mr. Barnard drew the act, which was passed at the June session of 1845. It covered the whole subject from the standpoint of that date, and became the foundation of all subsequent school legislation in this State. A few of the principal sections in which changes were made may be noticed here.
It was made a condition that the towns, in order to be entitled to State financial aid, should raise by tax one-third as much as the State supplied, or more. The regulations for the distribution of the school funds were extended and improved. The amount received from the State was denominated "teachers' money", and was to be divided among the districts one-half equally, and one-half according to the daily average attendance during the next preceding year. This was a wise provision intended to stimulate and increase the average attend- ance in the schools.
In addition to making a great number of personal visits, Mr. Bar- nard began the publication of a series of Educational Tracts for gratui. tous distribution, besides circulars and books of various kinds, all directed towards the diffusion of knowledge upon the subject in hand. He recommended the establishment of school libraries in every town, and the formation of Associations for Educational Improvement. This latter measure was productive of great good. The earliest one was organized in Washington county, and at the date of the report, a little more than a year from its formation, twelve general meetings had been held in various towns, most of which continued two days, a local agent had been employed to visit and inspect the schools and to lecture in each district, distribute circulars, etc. A high degree of local interest was thus aroused.
The Kent County Association was formed in February, 1845, and had held several general meetings in most of the populous neighbor- hoods, which were numerously attended.
The Smithfield and Cumberland Institute was formed at about the same time and had held ten public meetings. Among its members and officers were some of the most active and earnest friends of education in the State.
But what was of still more far-reaching benefit to the cause in gen- eral throughout the State was the organization, on January 24, 1845, of the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction. A public meeting of
PROVIDENCE PRIMARY SCHOOL BUILDING IN 1842. FROM AN OLD WOOD CUT IN BARNARD'S SCHOOL REPORT
240
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
the friends of popular education was held on the date named in West- minster Hall, Providence, and a constitution adopted, announcing the principal object of the institute to be the improvement of the public schools, providing for the election of officers annually in January, and naming and describing the duties of various committees. The officers of the institute for 1845 were: President, John Kingsbury; vice- president, Wilkins Updike, Washington county; vice-president, Ariel Ballou, Providence county ; corresponding secretary, Nathan Bishop ; recording secretary, J. D. Giddings; treasurer, Thomas C. Hartshorn. There was also a board of nine directors.
In the appendix to his report Mr. Barnard has the following relating to the school expenditures, which is of interest at this point :
"1. The amount received from the State has been the same since 1840, and is continued under the new school law. 2. The amount voluntarily raised by tax has been increased since 1840, in Providence, Cumberland, Newport, Warren, Bristol, and Tiverton. 3. The avails of the registry tax 1 varies from year to year, and bears no fixed pro- portion to the number of children to be educated in the different towns.
"In several towns the public schools, after the close of the free school, are continued by subscription or rate bills, which amounted in 1844 to upwards of $5,000.
"In addition to the sources of income for the support of public schools, in Newport, the avails ($600) of a Local School Fund, amount- ing to $10,000, and in Bristol, the rent of certain school lands, are appropriated to the same object."
Mr. Barnard retired from office early in 1849, the report for which year was made by his successor, Elisha R. Potter. While the fullest. measure of praise is due to Mr. Barnard for the enormous quantity of intelligent and effective labor performed by him during his term of office, it is nevertheless true that his work was largely preliminary. He erected the school system and prepared the way for its later devel- opment, but was forced to abandon his task before it was fully com-
1This registry tax was provided for by the following section from the second article of the Constitution:
"Sec. 3. The assessors of each town or city shall annually assess upon each person whose name shall be registered a tax of one dollar, or such sum as with his other taxes shall amount to one dollar, which registry tax shall be paid into the treasury of such town or city, and be applied to the support of public schools therein. But no compulsory process shall issue for the collec- tion of any registry tax."
Provision was made exempting soldiers and sailors under certain condi- tions from the payment of the tax.
241
GROWTH OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.
pleted. The extent and character of his labor is noticed in a historical work as follows :
"During the five years of service by Mr. Barnard, more than eleven hundred meetings were held, expressly to discuss topics connected with the public schools, at which upwards of fifteen hundred addresses were delivered. One hundred and fifty of these meetings continued through the day and evening; upwards of one hundred through two evenings and a day ; fifty through two days and three evenings; and twelve, in- cluding Teachers' Institutes, through the entire week. In addition to this class of meetings and addresses, upwards of two hundred meet- ings of teachers and parents were held for lectures and discussions on improved methods of teaching and for public exhibitions or examina- tions of schools. Besides these various meetings, experienced teachers were employed to visit particular towns and sections of the State, and converse freely with parents, on the condition and improvement of the public schools. By these agencies a meeting was held within three miles of every home in Rhode Island. In addition to all this, more than sixteen thousand educational pamphlets and tracts were distrib- uted gratuitously through the State; 'and one year not an almanac was sold in Rhode Island without at least sixteen pages of educational read- ing attached.' This statement does not include the official documents published by the State, nor the Journal of the Institute, nor upwards of twelve hundred bound volumes on teaching purchased by teachers or added to public or private libraries. Before Mr. Barnard left the State a library of at least five hundred volumes had been secured for twenty-nine out of thirty-two towns'.1
In his report covering the year 1849 Mr. Potter stated that nearly all the districts had organized and elected their officers under the law ; but a few still remained under control of the town committees, thus showing that after Mr. Barnard's five years of effort, the work was still incomplete. Of the 332 districts in the State in 1849, 231 only owned school houses; in the others they belonged to private individ- uals. During the preceding six years there had been expended in building and repairing school houses about $150,000; to this sum should be added $210,000 which had been expended within a few years in Providence. All of the towns in the State excepting East Green- wich had in the preceding year raised the amount of money necessary to entitle them to the State appropriation. The amount expended for schools in the year (1849) was $86,550, as shown by the returns ; but in many towns no return was made of the amount raised by rate-bills. The number of scholars registered was 22,477. In relation to libraries the commissioner wrote :
1Hist. of Rhode Island Institute of Instruction, by Rev. Edwin M. Stone.
16
242
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
"As publie libraries constitute an important part of the means of publie instruetion, it may be well to state, that it appears from a table prepared and published by my predecessor, that there are now in publie libraries in this State, ineluding the College, Athenaeum, and Redwood libraries, about 85,000 volumes. Nearly every town in the State has now a town or village library, for many of which we are indebted to the generosity of a single individual, Amasa Manton, Esq., of Providence."
In his report for 1850 the commissioner ealled partieular attention to the advisability of forming Union Sehool Distriets, wherever the situation made it feasible; he mentioned Paweatuek Bridge, Wiekford, and Woonsocket, as points where distriets had been consolidated. The amount of money received from the State that year was $34,548.71; from town tax, $50,332.73; from the rate bill, $8,949.08; from the registry, ete., $4,208.19. About $20,000 was expended during the year for school houses. The total number of children attending sehool during the year was 28,331.
The condition of the school finanees of the State was a subjeet of inquiry in 1851, in response to a resolution passed at the June session that year, the committee on finanee making an investigation and report. The investigation was directed more particularly towards the status of the permanent sehool fund, which was founded in 1828. The committee found "that sinee May, 1839, notwithstanding eertain speei- fied sources of revenue, set apart for that particular purpose-no addition whatever had been made to the permanent sehool fund-the amount thereof, as reported by the late treasurer, in May of the present year, being $51,300, the same sum that was reported in May, 1839". The investigation showed further that the sehool fund at that date (1851) should have been $133,787.96, while it had been reported annually sinee 1840, as $51,300.00, showing a deficieney of $82,487.96. It was not assumed by the committee that this condition of the fund was due in any respeet whatever to dishonesty on the part of any person, but rather to a failure to keep a separate aeeount of moneys that should have been placed to the eredit of the fund, and allowing them to be disbursed at various times for various purposes. In this eonneetion the following table from the general treasurer's report is of very great interest :
A statement of the annual amount of revenue from lotteries, of the annual amount of revenue from auctioneers, of the dividends, etc., received from the permanent sehool fund, and of the annual interest received on deposit of State revenue.
243
GROWTH OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.
Dividend
Int. on
Total.
1828
May
$4,138.02
$1,399.99
7,035.77
1829
May
5,728.63
805.60
6,534.23
October
5,666.13
574.47
$ 477.75
6,718.35
1830
May
7,991.61
619.13
318.50
8,929.24
October
7,647.42
716.05
273.00
8,638.47
1831
May
5,028.28
275.93
423.00
5,727.21
1832
June
14,970.32
271.32
623.00
15,864.64
1833
May
15,418.62
555.50
2,121.00
$158.35
18,253.47
1834
10,000.00
681.72
2,416.50
169.50
13,267.72
1835
5,000.00
372.07
2,612.00
208.65
8,192.72
1836
10,000.00
219.35
3,093.50
313.56
13,626.41
1837
10,000.00
333.95
3,360.50
353.12
14,047.57
1838
10,000.00
415.42
3,345.50
257.02
14,017.94
1839
9,750.00
554.80
3,416.00
264.44
13,985.24
1840
9,000.00
682.75
3,591.00
446.95
13,720.70
1841
9,000.00
274.85
4,303.00
720.13
14,297.98
1842
9,000.00
180.15
3,844.00
320.00
13,344.15
1843
9,000.00
52.47
3,078.00
100.00
12,230.47
1844
6,750.00
34.92
2,565.00
330.60
9,680.52
1845
101.99
2,482.00
64.08
2,648.07
1846
964.30
2,986.50
3,950.80
1847
1,785.06
3,167.00
276.48
5,228.54
1848
1,837.30
3,202.50
5,039.80
1849
1,254.92
3,244.00
4,498.92
1850
1,234.26
3,334.50
4,568.76
1851
1,157.93
3,591.00
148.82
4,897.75
Year.
Month.
Lotteries.
Auctioneers.
Sch'l F'd. Revenue.
$5,538.01
October
5,784.98
1,250.79
October
12,046.56
572.17
423.00
13,041.73
Mr. Potter's entire fitness for the office of school commissioner is indicated by his labors in codifying the school laws of the State; in his recommendation, in 1850, of the establishment of a Board of Edu- cation, and in his persistent advocacy of a State Normal School. It was largely through his efforts that a normal department was first established (in 1850) in Brown University, which was placed under charge of Prof. S. S. Greene, then superintendent of the Providence schools, as described in later pages. Mr. Potter was also instru- mental in settling the long-agitated question of religious service and Bible reading in the schools. This subject was under discussion as far back at least as 1838, when, on January 28, a report was made to the State Legislature by the committee on colleges, academies and common schools, on a memorial presented by William G. Griffin, and
244
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
others. The burden of the memorial was to the effect that "religious exercises are tolerated in those public schools which participate in the public bounty". This was regarded by the petitioners as a "violation of the law of equality and the rights of conscience"; that the Chris- tian religion was thus being aided at public expense. The report was against granting the petition of the memorialists, for the reason that the matter was not under State control ; that the local authorities had it in their power to permit prayer and Bible reading in the schools, or the reverse, as they deemed advisable ; that the wishes of the majority must decide the question in each instance; that the use of the Bible as a class book was advisable, and that its influence was a part of moral education.
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.