USA > Vermont > Rutland County > Pittsford > History of the town of Pittsford, Vt., with biographical sketches and family records > Part 41
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11. Each book, at the time of being taken, shall be charged by the Librarian to the person who draws it, specifying its number and time of drawing.
12. Catalogues of the books in the library shall be fur- nished by the Board of Directors, and fixed in conven-
539
BY-LAWS OF THE MACLURE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.
ient places, to which persons wishing to draw may resort for examination ; and every person having determined on a book, may name its number and receive it from the Librarian. No person shall be permitted to take books from the shelves except the Librarian and his assistants.
13. The Librarian shall collect all annuities and moneys due for books, fines and damages, and pay over the same to the Treasurer on the first day of February next, and thereafter quarterly.
14. The Library shall be entirely free to all non-resident Teachers, while actually employed in Pittsford, on giving the usual bonds and security.
15. Persons non-resident in town may be admitted to all the privileges of the original subscribers except that of voting on the location of the Library, by a donation of not less than five dollars each, to the Library.
16. This constitution may be altered or amended at any annual meeting by a vote of two-thirds present. Provided, that all amendments shall have been proposed at least thirty days previous, at some regular meeting. Provided, also, that the Secretary shall put up, at the Post-office, notice of such proposed amendments, at least thirty days previous to said annual meeting."
SCHOOLS.
It is not now known when the town was first divided into school districts, nor when, where or by whom the first school was taught. There is no reason to suppose that there were any regularly organized schools in the town until after the close of the Revolutionary war, so that whatever education the chil- dren of the town obtained previously to that time must have been mainly derived from parental instruction. Caleb Hendee, Jr., commenced teaching school here in the winter of 1786-7,
540
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
and he was the first teacher in the town of whom we have any account .*
At the annual meeting in March, 1791, the town voted "that there be a committee chosen for the purpose of dividing the town into school districts.
Chose Amasa Ladd, Thomas Hammond, Amos Kellogg, David Gitchel, John Barns, John Hitchcock and James Ewings the above committee."
The division of the town into school districts as reported by the committee was as follows :
" District No. 1. Begins at Col. Benjamin Cooley's dwelling house, thence north as Sucker Brook now runs until it gets so far north as to be east of Uriah Cross' farm,t thence to the Great Creek, and thence to the first bounds.
District No. 2. Begins at the southwest corner of No. 1, thence up the Creek to the Great Falls, from thence on the town line east, so far as to take Abraham Stanton's farm, thence north till it strikes the Great Brook known by the name of Warner Brook to the East road, thence to the first bounds.
District No. 3. Begins at No. 2, at Col. Cooley's, thence east on the last mentioned bounds, so as to leave Stanton's in No. 2, thence north to a small pond,¿ north to Hill's farm,§ thence west so as to leave Capt. Cooley's on the south in No. 3, to a small brook, so as to contain the School lot | in No. 3, from thence down the said brook to the first bounds.
District No. 4. Begins north of School lot, thence east on Capt. Cooley's north line of his dwelling, Hill farm east to the town line, thence north as said line runs until it strikes Brad-
* Hendee's MS.
t Now the Town Farm, but formerly purchased of Uriah Cross by Col. Ham- mond.
į This was the pond now cast of the residence of John Hudson.
§ Afterwards the Thayer farm, now owned by Mrs. Eliza Connell.
||Now a part of Mrs. Emeline Smith's farm.
1
541
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
ford's south line, thence west until it strikes Sucker Brook, thence down said brook to the first bounds.
District No. 5. Begins at the north-east corner of No. 1, thence up said brook to the town line, thence west to the Great Creek, thence up said Creek to the south line of Elder Rich's farm, so as to leave Elijah Adams on the north side in No. 5, thence east to the first bounds.
District No. 6. Begins at Hill's northwest corner to the town line to the south corner of Pittsford, thence west to the southeast corner of No. 2, thence north on the east line of No. 3 to the northeast corner of No. 3, thence east to the first bounds.
The foregoing report was accepted and adopted by the town.
JAMES EWINGS, For the Committee. BENJA. COOLEY, Town Clerk."
Soon after this division was made the districts, as thus con- stituted, built school houses. The school house in District No. 1 stood on land then owned by Col. Cooley-now a part of the farm owned by Caverly and Nourse-and on the west side of the north-and-south road, near the junction of the road* leading to Stephen Mead's, on the west side of Otter Creek.
District No. 2, built a school house near the Kingsley tan- nery, about where the school house now stands.
No. 3, built a school house some ten or fifteen rods north of the residence of Amos Kellogg.
No. 4, built a school house on the north side of the road leading from the Chittenden road to Keith's furnace, a few rods west of the house now occupied by A. N. Webber. The school house in District No. 5 stood on land then owned by William Cox. It was on the west side of the road, a few rods south of the present residence of Junia Sargent.
* This road is now several rods farther south than formerly, at its eastern ter- minus.
542
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
Schools were usually kept in these districts a few weeks in each year, and they were supported, in part, by the income from the school lands, and in part by taxation. As the early school records are nearly all lost, we have no means of know- ing the amount of money appropriated for the support of schools. Indeed, the first allusion to this subject we find upon existing records, was in 1794, when the town " voted that each school district shall receive an equal sum of school money."
The first School Rate we have discovered bears date Janu- ary 17, 1796. There is appended to it the following :
"The above is a School Rate assessed by the committee of the 1st School District of Pittsford, agreeable to a vote of the inhabitants of said district at their school meeting, January 21st, A. D. 1796, and laid on the Grand List of A. D. 1795, for the purpose of paying Caleb Hendee, Jr., one half of his wages for the last two quarters."*
It will have been noticed that the school districts established in 1791, included only that part of the town lying east of Otter Creek. At what time the territory west of Otter Creek was first divided into school districts we are not able to learn ; but it must have been prior to March, 1799, as on the 27th of that month, the town, at a special meeting, "voted that the old lines of the school districts on the west side of Otter Creek stand good." No record of the lines referred to is to be found. At the annual meeting in March, 1800, " the following addi- tion to the Second School District in said town was made on application of Tilly Walker, Stephen Estes and David Tuttle, to wit: beginning at the northeast corner of said Walker's home farm, thence on the north line to the northwest corner of the same, thence on the west line of the said Walker's farm, David Tuttle's farmt and the farms lately occupied by Stephen
* For the List, see Appendix.
t Now owned by A. C. Powers.
543
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
Estes* and William Wheelert to the south line of the town, thence on the same to Otter Creek, thence to the first bounds."
The following year a committee which had been appointed to "regulate" school districts on the west side of the Creek made their report to the town, but it was accepted only so far as it related to one district, as follows: "Beginning at the height of the mountain on Hubbardton road, thence running eastwardly as said road runs to Abraham Owen's farm, thence easterly and northerly on said farm to Owen's northeast corner, thence eastwardly to Mr. Pearce's southeast corner, thence northerly on said Pearce's east line to his northeast corner, thence on said Pearce's north line to his northwest corner, thence northerly to William Barlow's southwest corner, thence northerly to the northwest corner of Mr. Hewing's farm to Bran- don line, thence westerly to the height of the mountain, thence southerly on said height to the first bounds mentioned."
In 1805, the town " voted to establish a division of School District No. 2, on the west side of Otter Creek, made and mutually agreed to by the inhabitants of said district, and pre- sented to this meeting for confirmation, to wit : all that part of said district which lies south of a line running on the south line of Samuel Fairfield's home farm, and extending from the same east and west to the east and west line of said district, to be set off for a school district by itself, with all the privileges and immunities appertaining to school districts in general, and to be denominated the Southwest School District in Pittsford."
To give a full account of the alterations and divisions that have been made from time to time in the school districts of this town, would be an unprofitable task, and we will merely state that there are, at present, thirteen school districts in the town, besides several parts of districts which are united with like and contiguous parts in adjoining towns for school pur-
*Now owned by E. C. Warner.
+ Now owned by J. C. Powers.
544
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
poses. The school houses in some of these districts are neat, substantial structures, possessing the modern improvements, and they are a credit to the people who built them, while others present a neglected and dilapidated appearance, and could seem inviting only to beings of a very low order. But it is hoped that these rude relics of a former generation will soon give place to the more healthful, convenient and attractive specimens of modern school architecture.
The laws of the State require "each organized town to support one or more schools provided with competent teach- ers ;" and if more than one is needed, the town is required to divide its territory "into as many school districts as shall be judged most convenient." These districts are constituted cor- porations for maintaining schools, and they may assess taxes for this purpose. Previously to 1850, districts could, if they chose, raise money for the support of schools "by subscrip tion, or by apportioning the same to the scholars who should attend the school or otherwise." But the law of that year required that "all moneys raised by school districts for the payment of teachers' wages, shall be raised upon the grand list, and moneys raised by a tax upon the scholars, shall be appro- priated only to defray the expenses of fuel and teachers' board."
For some time previous to 1836, the revenue of the gen- eral government had considerably exceeded the expenditures, and a large amount had accumulated in the treasury. As but a small proportion of this was required by the government, Congress, by an act approved June 23d of that year, ordered that "the money that shall be in the treasury on the first of January, 1837, reserving the sum of five millions of dollars, shall be deposited with the several States in proportion to their representation, in the Senate and House of Representatives, as shall, by law, authorize their treasurer, or other competent authorities, to receive and give the required certificate for the
545
SCHOOL FUND.
same." The deposits were to be made in four installments, on the first of January, April, July and October, 1837. After three installments had been delivered, Congress, on the 2d of October, enacted that "the transfer of the fourth installment be postponed till the first day of January, 1839," and this payment has never been made.
The Legislature of this State authorized the Treasurer to receive its share of the accumulation and to give the required receipt; and it directed him to distribute the funds among the several towns, according to their population, as ascertained by the census of 1830, and to make a new apportionment at each succeeding census. The act also provided that the several towns should "choose by ballot three trustees, who should receive, take care of and manage the moneys deposited with the respective towns." These trustees were directed to loan the money on good security, at six per cent. interest, " for a term not exceeding one year at a time," and pay the income annually into the town treasury, "to be distributed by the selectmen to the several school districts." This town, at a meeting held for that purpose, December 27, 1836, "voted to receive the apportionment of the public money that may be deposited in this town agreeably to the act recited in the warning.
Chose JOHN BARNS, r DAVID HALL, JR., --- Trustees of the School Fund."
S. H. KELLOGG,
The trustees, at the annual March meeting in 1838, reported that they had received, in two installments, the sum of $4,417 .- 75, and had loaned it to individuals on good security in sums of $100 or less.
This, together with the rents of the school lands, is a per- manent fund in aid of common schools. Whatever sum is required in addition to this is raised by direct taxation. The statute requires that "the selectmen of each town shall annually,
36
546
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
previous to the first day of January, assess a tax of nine cents on a dollar of the list of such town, to be collected and paid to the treasurer of the town previous to the first day of March succeeding, in the same manner that other town taxes are col- lected." If, however, in any town, "the income appropriated in such town for the use of schools, after deducting one-half of the income arising from the United States deposit money, shall amount to as large a sum as would be raised by such tax, the selectmen shall not be required to assess the same ; or if such income shall be less, the selectmen shall assess a tax only suffi- cient, with such income, to amount to the sum which would be raised by a tax of nine cents on the dollar."
The mode and time of dividing the public money are pre- scribed by statute as follows: "The one-fourth part of the proceeds of the tax assessed by the selectmen, with the income of any town appropriated to the use of schools, and all sums raised by vote of the town for such use, shall, annually, on the first Tuesday of April, be divided by the selectmen of such town between the several common school districts in such town equally, without regard to the number of scholars such dis- tricts may contain; and the remainder shall be divided between such districts, including also any union district, so called, in such town, in proportion to the average daily attendance of the scholars of such districts between the ages of four and twenty years, upon the common schools in such districts during the preceding school year."
In 1805, the General Assembly of the State directed the selectmen of those towns, in which were lands known as the glebe rights, granted to the Church of England, to recover possession of such lands and to lease the same according to their best judgment and discretion, reserving an annual rent therefor, to be paid into the treasury of such towns and appro- priated to the use of schools. The rent was to be applied in the same manner as moneys arising from school lands.
1
547
AMOUNT AND SOURCES OF SCHOOL MONEY.
The following table shows the amount of public money appropriated for schools each year since 1839, and the sources from which it has been derived :
Year.
Interest on Notes.
$ cts.
$ cts.
$ cts.
$ cts.
$ cts.
$ cts.
$ cts.
$ cts.
1840,
33.42
95.92
2.47
287.19
397.35
816.35
38.10
778.35
1841,
33.42
63.00
10.00
287.19
409.11
802.72
28.11
774.61
1842,
33.42
95.92
7.03
287.19
312.55
736.11
22.37
713.74
1843,
29.82
63.00
7.24
265.06
417.29
782.41
25.52
756.89
1844,
29.82
95.92
9.64
265.06
349.19
751.63
23.47
728.16
1845,
29.82
63.00
2.50
265.06
420.13
780.51
20.60
759.91
1846,
29.82
95.92
5.00
265.06
350.36
752.41
18.51
733.90
1847,
29.82
63.00
2.50
262.86
352.17
710.35
27.65
682.70
1848,
29.82
95.92
265.06
359.06
749.86
28.13
721.73
1849,
29.82
63.00
265.06
290.24
674.32
14.70
659.62
1850,
29.82
95.92
265.06
443.17
833.97
28.17
805.80
1851,
29.82
63.00
3.00
265.06
442.89
803.77
25.14
778.63
1852,
29.82
95.92
263.68
401 24
790.66
23.06
787.60
1853,
29.82
63.00
224.28
511.76
828.86
28.58
800.28
1854,
29.82
95.92
646.19*
771.93
35.30
736.63
1855,
29.82
63.00
649.01
741.83
35.45
706.38
1856,
29.82
95.92
650.42
771.16
61.50
714.66
1857,
29.83
63.00
716.41
809.23
54.14
756.09
1858,
29.82
95.92
947.00
1075.16
70.29
1004.87
1859,
29.82
63.00
994.27
1087.09
73.59
1003.50
1860,
29.82
95.92
1015.36
1441.10
77.07
1064.03
1861,
29.82
63.00
930.40
1056.10
72.12
983.82
1862,
29.82
95.92
874.32
1000.06
67.20
932.86
1863,
29.82
63.00
872.23
965.05
67.05
898.00
1864,
29.82
95.92
921.10
1046.84
70.47
976.37
1865,
29.82
63.00
961.06
1053.88
25.72
1028.16
1866,
29.82
95.92
961.73
1057.65
25.73
1081.92
1867,
29.82
63.00
959.31
1052.13
25.68
1026.45
1868,
34.11
95.92
1044.66
1174.69
27.49
1147.20
1869,
41.29
63.00
1053.06
1157.35
27.56
1129.79
1870,
41.29
95.92
1063.72
1199.93
27.75
1172.18
1871,
41.29
63.00
1006.97
1110.26
26.64
1084.62
Balance of Abate-
ments the preced-
ing year.
Interest on surplus
Notes.
Raised by Taxation.
Total amount.
# Abatement expense
of collecting, etc., deducted.
Amount divided.
*In 1854, the town borrowed the surplus deposit money, and the amount raised by taxation since then includes the interest of that money.
Rent of Lands.
548
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
In a few instances it may be seen that the aggregate for the year is a little in excess of the parts of which it is made up, as shown in the table. This is due to a small addition derived from funds reserved the previous year, or from some temporary income.
The table does not include sums raised by the several school districts by taxation ; but no district can receive any share of the income from the school funds, or of the amount raised by the town for school purposes, " unless there shall, during the year next preceding such distribution, have been kept in such district a school for the term of two months, with other moneys than those which may be drawn from the town treasury; nor unless the moneys so drawn from the town treasury shall have been faithfully expended by such districts in paying teachers' wages and board, and for fuel for such schools and for no other purposes."
Within a few years very much has been done for the improvement of our common schools, and yet they are very far from being what they ought to be. But before their pres- ent condition can be very much improved, it will be necessary to create an interest in their behalf among the people of the town. Very few fully estimate their importance. And when parents send their children to school, they seldom stop to con- sider what influences will there be brought to bear upon them, nor the effect of such influences in after life. The children of to-day are to be the men and women of to-morrow; and the impressions they are now receiving will go very far towards shaping their future character and destiny. The influence of the school room, second only in importance to that of the domestic circle, is very powerful for good or evil; and it affects not only the whole future being of the pupils, but through them it affects also the parents in their declining years, either filling their hearts with comfort and gladness, or with disap- pointment and sorrow. When this is fully understood and
549
IMPORTANCE OF OUR SCHOOLS.
duly appreciated, our common schools will be watched and cherished with the greatest anxiety.
The thrifty, enterprising farmer does not hire laborers and send them into the field alone to do his work, but he will be with them himself to direct the labor and to see that it is done to the best advantage. In this matter he feels that he has an interest, an interest which must not be neglected. But he will send his children to a school to be educated-a work in com- parison with which all his farm work dwindles into insignifi- cance-without so much as raising a single inquiry about the competence of the teacher, or the influences that are there being exerted in the school room. He will look closely after the interests of his horses and cattle; but his children are com- mitted to the tender management of those whose interest in their welfare is measured mostly by a monthly stipend. This subject needs to be agitated unceasingly, until public attention is concentrated upon it efficaciously.
When the community has become suitably impressed with the importance of our common schools, it will be very easy to inaugurate measures which will result in their improvement.
To make these schools what they should be, in addition to a warm general interest in them, five things are necessary :
1st. There should be suitable school houses. These should be constructed in conformity to the rules of modern architec- ture, should have provision for thorough ventilation, should be supplied with all needful school furniture made after the most approved patterns, and they should, in all respects, be made convenient, comfortable and pleasant.
2d. The school should be supplied with competent teach- ers. It is one thing to keep school, and another thing to be an efficient teacher. Those who can merely keep school are far too numerous.
To be a successful teacher requires a combination of good
550
HISTORY OF PITTSFORD.
qualities which few possess. Teaching should be made a pro- fessional business. Indeed, it is one of the highest and noblest professions ; and it is desirable that those who engage in it should have a taste for it, and have been specially educated for the work. A young man may occasionally turn from the field or the workshop to teach a term in winter, and the result be quite satisfactory. But no teacher can be as profitable to a school without, as with, having had the advantage of a prepar- atory course of training, such as is afforded by our normal schools. These schools have been established for the purpose of qualifying young gentlemen and ladies for the business of teaching ; they are placed under the control of the best teach- ing talent in the State, and they afford, or certainly ought to afford, young people superior advantages for becoming success- ful teachers. While other schools have mainly aimed to impart such knowledge as qualifies for the usual trades, professions, etc., these have made it a special object to impart a knowledge of the best methods of managing schools and giving instruc- tion." It may be true that some who have been educated at normal schools have not been very successful teachers; they may have lacked some important natural qualification, or have possessed some vice which rendered success impossible ; but other things being equal, there is no doubt that our best teach- ers come from these schools. And of those who have attained success without the aid of the normal schools, there are few, if any, who would not have been qualified for still higher success by attending such schools.
3d. Every school should be taken under careful supervi- sion. By statute, the town superintendents are required " to visit all such common schools within their respective towns as shall be organized according to law, at least once in each year, and oftener if they shall deem it necessary. At such visitation, the superintendents shall examine into the state and condition
551
TOWN SUPERINTENDENTS.
of such schools, as respects the progress of the school in learn- ing, and the order and government of the schools; and they may give advice to the teacher of such schools as to the gov- ernment thereof and course of study to be pursued therein, and shall adopt all requisite measures for the inspection, exam- ination and regulation of the schools, and for the improvement of the scholars in learning."
It will be seen by this that the town cannot be too careful in the selection of a superintendent, as his duties require the exercise of talents of a high order. He should be not only a good scholar, but a good man. He should have experience in teaching, and have carefully studied all parts of our common school system. He should not only thoroughly understand and appreciate his duties, but he should have the courage and moral stamina to discharge them faithfully. The duties of superintendent have too often been committed to unskillful hands, and the result has been, that the whole routine of the office has been little better than a farce.
Every person proposing to teach a district school is required to go before a literary board or a town superintendent and pass a satisfactory examination. Attend one of these examinations and what do we hear ? We hear something of mathematics, something of geography, something of the nature and con- struction of the English language or English grammar, and possibly of natural and intellectual philosophy. But where is the moral philosophy or Christian ethics, an all-important branch of education ? Not so much as named. Now we do not wish to find fault with our superintendents, for they proba- bly go as far as public sentiment requires, and it is not often that our public servants go beyond this line, especially in the direction of progress or reform. Occasionally, however, one will take a step in advance of the age in which he lives, and if the position thus taken be sanctioned by right and truth, and if, by dint of agitation and the diffusion of light, public senti-
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