obvious. We hope in due time to have an improved list of school books, the readers are especially getting to be an old story to the children.

T. L. SINCLAIR, Stafford.

I cannot say that I think our schools are advancing. I am aware that our law is very good, and excellent provisions have been made for the intellectual and moral culture of the youth and children of our common schools. I am aware, also, that we have many good teachers; but, Sir, if certain evils relative to our schools are permitted to remain in our midst, the efforts of the friends of education to advance the Common School interest, must prove almost an entire failure. These evils, I think, arise from a lack of interest on the part of officers and parents.

This is evident :

1st. From the condition of our School houses. In the nineteen districts in town, we have but two or three houses fit to hold school in, and but one of them is what it should be. Many of our houses are mere tumble-down shanties, a disgrace to the districts where they are located. If our people could justly plead poverty, they would be excusable. But this is not the case, for most of them, if not wealthy, are well off. The only reason that can be offered for this state of things is lack of interest.

2d. From a failure on the part of the districts to furnish Dictionaries, Globes, Outline Maps, Clocks, Thermometers, &c., for their schools. In none of the schools in town is anything of the kind to be found except one Thermometer.

3d. From the principle that governs in the relation of teachers. I find it often the case, that instead of being solicitous about securing good teachers, quite an interest is felt on the part of parents to obtain cheap teachers; though in that case, they throw away their money, and their children grow up in igno

rance.

4th. From the negligence on the part of officers and parents to visit the schools.

I found on looking over the district registers that in nineteen districts, there were only eight visits made by Committees. We have nearly four hundred youth and children attending school in town, and I will warrant, that not a dozen visits have been paid by parents.

This is a sad picture, yet it is a true one.

That the friends of Education in this town will awake to a sense of their own interests, and a sense of the obligations they are under to their children, to their neighbors' children, and to posterity, is our sincere desire.

As far as I know, the law terminating the practice of “boarding around" is well received among our people. I think it an excellent law.

L. C. POWERS, Topsham.

Of our schools, the past year, a large proportion have been decidedly good; yet there have been a few poor ones, and two or three worse than useless. This is due to a too prevalent desire to hire cheap teachers, and to a want of care in the selection of the best men for Prudential Committees.

There has been quite an improvement as to regular and prompt attendance this year over the last. There were only 18 last year who had no absences. This year 35. This year there were 805 less instances of Tardiness than last year. This result has been obtained principally by the efforts of teachers, and the promise of the Superintendent to report the names of those who distinguished themselves by having no absences, and of those having no instance of tardiness. Last year there were of dismissals before the actual hour of closing school, 818; this year only 443.

Of the teachers employed, six were obliged to leave their schools before the expiration of the terms, by reason of sickness; and one left his school for inability to instruct and manage his school.

Our schools could be very much improved by a more active interest on the part of Prudential Committees, Parents and Guardians; and if you would favor the people of this town with a lecture on the subject of common schools, I think it would pay them well, and tend to awaken a more active interest in our schools.

The Registers are kept pretty correctly by most of our teachers, yet some are quite at fault; and some of the district clerks are still more in fault than any of the teachers, occasioning the Superintendent a great deal of time, expended in making up his report.

The Annual Reports of the Secretary of the Board of Education are well calculated to advance the interests of Education in our State. They contain much useful information, and many suggestions of a practical nature, and have been of great benefit; and are in my opinion destined to have a still more beneficial effect when the information they contain shall be more generally diffused.

The Teachers' Institutes are valuable to all who attend them, and especially teachers.

The recent enactment intending to terminate the practice of "boarding around," has its advocates and its opposers. It is now difficult to say which will prevail. Some districts will board their teachers around as usual, but upon the Grand List.

G. ROLFE, Tunbridge.

* * As far as I have learned, the new law, as to putting the board on the Grand List, was recognized at the District meetings. One, where the teacher has always boarded around, voted to provide one boarding place for the winter. It is hoped that the law will gradually work a favorable change for teachers; but, when they board around on the Grand List, they will have the more places to go to. This very thing will be likely to work out in the end the design of the law: to provide one steady boarding place.

Our public schools are among the common mercies, which every year are bestowing upon our communities unnumbered blessings. We should make them as good as we can, because they cost so much. A good school costs something more than a poor one, but far, far less than the greater value of the good one; while a poor school is money thrown away. I am happy to be able to say, that we have had a worthy band of teachers, and there has been no serious difficulties in any of our schools. Of our 18 schools, I may call 4 superior, 8 good, 5 middling, 1 poor. One district has had the same teacher for both terms, and also the same teacher for the previous year; and in both cases to the manifest benefit of the schools. There has been but one male teacher employed during the year. I am glad to report his school as among the best, but the wages he received were out of all just proportion, being four times more than the teacher of the summer schools, and $2,75 per week more than the highest wages given to our female teachers this winter.

I have thought there was a deficiency of books in the schools of this town, rather than a surplus. In some cases children were learning to read from the spelling book, or to spell from the reading book. In other cases, they were unprofitably confining themselves to reading and spelling, for want of other books. In other cases, the parents have delayed for weeks to procure the needed book, or perhaps failed to get it at all.

Of the whole number of school children, about two-thirds are enrolled on the Registers, and the average attendance about one-half. Of our school-houses, three are totally unfit for the purpose; three may be regarded as passable, and four only can be reported as comfortable.

CHAS. DUNN, Vershire.

I find that our district clerks are very remiss in their duty in filling out and returning their Registers, and in my annual report to the town, I urged the necessity of care in the selection of Clerks and Committees.

The practice of "boarding around" has long been the custom in this town, and it is done on the Grand List, so that no fault is found in regard to the re

cent enactment.

As a general thing, our schools have been well visited, except by Prudential Committees.

They have been taught with one exception by females. One of the greatest hindrances to the progress of our schools is tardiness, and in this I think the parents are greatly to be blamed. J. B. DEARBORN, West Fairlee.

I must say to the credit of our teachers and district clerks, that the school Registers have been better kept, during the past year, than ever before, which I attribute to an awakened interest in, and realization of their importance.

A great mutual benefit can be derived by a free interchange of thought in any occupation, and I know no way, by which a teacher can be more benefitted in so short a space of time as in our Teachers' Institutes. Many of our teachers have expressed a desire to have the next Teachers' Institute for this County, holden in this town, or its vicinity, so that they may better avail themselves of its privileges.

The popularity of that time-worn practice of "boarding around" has been on the wane, in this town, for some time past, and both teachers, and patrons of teachers, hail with joy the approach of the law that shall put an end to their flitting from place to place, "seeking rest and finding none." While another class of men oppose the new law in toto."

H. S. DAVENPORT, Williamstown.

Cannot any thing be done, to compel teachers to be present at the public examinations? They have proved almost a perfect failure in this town, the past two years; because there has been but three or four teachers present at any one examination, and from that to none.

R. B. SKINNER, Barton.

Small scholars are too often neglected in our schools. Writing should have more attention.

The new law giving teachers a steady boarding place will be well received by a great majority.

As to Teachers' Institutes, no teacher can afford to lose them; and no district can afford to hire a teacher who neglects them.

There has been great improvement in our schools, but we want more yet; more life and energy on the part of the teachers, scholars and patrons.

D. H, AUSTIN, Brownington.

Only let me refer to a few promine at evils, which should be remedied, and which, I presume, do not attach alone to this town, viz: bad school houses, cheap teachers and a strange lack of interest by the people in the welfare of the schools. Add to this, frequent changes of S perintendents, making their services, which, by permanency, might be valuable, almost worthless. So far as I am acquainted in these northern towns, the common practice is to change Superintendents almost every year. The object o tae State in having such an office is thus almost entirely defeated.

We have one excellent school-house in town; two or three tolerably good, the rest decidedly poor, and "unfit" for use. The past year we have had some excellent

teachers.

Our present Superintendent is a man well qualified for the office, which is not a ways thought of by those who elect men for this office, but who is quite unacquainted with our Schools; and will probably be able to effect about as much as I have this year, "more or less," and then leave, to give place to a new hand to make a year's acquaintance. How much is lost by pursuing such a policy, the people ought to know.

Carefulness in the selection, and permanency in the office of Town Superintendent ́ would, doubtless, do much to promote the interests of our public Schools. LEVI LORING, Charlestown.

Our people are manifesting considerable interest in the schools, in some particulars; they want good teachers, and are generally willing to pay good prices. They like to have the Superintendent visit and look after the schools, but are negligent in visiting themselves.

I think our schools are making some progress in thoroughness of instruction, in promptness and punctuality. We report 27 scholars with no absence, and could report a much larger number with no tardiness. The instances of tardiness are indeed large, but about one half belong to the village district. In one rural district, in which several families live a mile or more from school, two-thirds of the scholars, in the summer school, had no tardy marks; and of the 16 marks, one-half belonged to the family living nearest, and within a stone's throw. In the winter school, of 37 scholars, 28 had no tardy marks; and of the 81 marks, 20 belonged to the same family.

The keeping of the Registers is having a very good effect with most of the scholars and families. But for a few indolent and indifferent ones, the tardy list would be quite small.

The Teachers' Institutes are doing much for the schools, through their influence on the teachers and the people who attend them. I would like much to have the Annual Report of the Board of Education read by every man, and in every family. It would do much to awaken and keep alive an interest in the schools.

I think well of the enactment terminating the practice of "boarding around". I think it will be well received in this vicinity generally.

A. R. GRAY, Coventry.

There are a few very thoroughly qualified and excellent practical teachers, who have been employed; but the large number fail more or less in their examination, and generally the most in the first principles of the sciences,-in the very things which, not taught in the common schools, are very likely afterwards to be entirely neglected.

The Academies and higher schools in this vicinity are neither continuous or thoroughly sustained The Select Schools are generally superficial; and hence perhaps the failure of thorough qualifications of teachers; hence, also, I think, the need of Teachers' Institutes. These, I believe to be of great advantage, and I wish every teacher could and would attend them. At the same time, I submit, that the Institutes, as now held, fail to meet the case. The funds appropriated and the lim-" ited time which each one now has, cannot practically develop either the previously acquired knowledge of those who attend, or the fund of useful information which is farnished during their sessions. Aside from a want of opportunity for thorough preparation for teaching, there is another serious difficulty. My own opinion is, that a large majority of the people fail to appreciate, in any proper manner, value of correct, thorough, scientific instruction. Only a few of the Prudential Committees, or of the parents, visit the schools, unless it may possibly be at a closing examination, and then often to be disappointed. Generally the cheaper teachers are hired first; hence there is much less inducement to make thorough preparation than there would be, were all awake to the vital importance of our Common Schools. I have ever, on all occasions, opposed the system of "boarding around". I have

the

not thought it as well for the school; it must necessarily in the winter injure the health of any teacher, and thus unfit him for his duties; and generally it is not economical.

CHAS. A. J. MARSH, Craftsbury.

The schools in this town, as a whole, have been much improved; most of them have been good.

One aim, on the part of the teachers, has been to govern by the kindest of motives, and in only one exception has this rule been broken. Very close attention has been given to govern whispering, and I have been much gratified wi h the orderly appearance of every school. Most of the schools have been t: ught by females, who have succeeded admirably. In some schools it would be better to employ male teachers, who would secure better order, and greater improvement. On the subject of boarding "round" I must express my gratitude to those who felt so much interest for the good of both teacher and district, and I know of no reason why all should not be pleased with it, certainly all who have an interest in the rising generation.

I cannot forbear speaking in relation to the subject of "History" for our schools. Much ignorance prevails in relation to our own State. Had we paid more attention to the direct history of the United States, we should not have been so ignorant as we have during the past four years. I hope Rev. S. R. Hall and others wi do their utmost to supply us with a condensed history of our State. I feel that the people have paid too little attention to the Reports of the State Superintendent; if this was done, a spirit of rivalry would cause greater faithfulness and condense personal effort. Of the town reports, I am not prepared to speak of other than my own. No superintendents' report has gone into a family for the past number of years; consequently but few know of that for which the Superintendent labors.

I feel that this State, with its present admirable school laws, might easily rank among the first of our Country, if parents would heartily cooperate with those who labor for the good of their children.

Rev. B. MERRILL FRINK, Derby.

The twenty teachers employed in our schools, all having taught before, there were fewer failures than have sometimes occured.

The study of History was almost entirely discontinued during the past year, in reference to the introduction of the work which we have been expecting so long from Revs. Messrs. White and Hall, and which, we hope, will reward us for waiting. The school registers can only be perfect, as there are those trained in the schools and qualified to be clerks in the districts. Omissions of items still occur. How frequently is the question, "What was the amount raised on the grand list ?" answered by giving the per cent.: as if a stranger would be any the wiser as to the amount of money raised, by such an answer. We heartily approve of the doing away of the custom of having teachers "board around". The Teachers' Institutes are highly prized in this County, and on them we principally depend for proper advancement.

SIDNEY V. B. PERKINS, Glover.

I am happy to inform you of the general excellence of the schools in town, the past year. Teachers fail most in order. I wish I could show you a better record of the visits of the Committees. Only two visited their schools, out of twelve. I am heartily ashamed of them. Cannot something be done to wake the people up? Whose fault is it, if we have poor schools? who should be interested in having good schools, if not parents and Committees? But, still, they find fault if they do not have them, and will hardly venture to a school meeting, much less to their school. Too much cannot be said on the subject of employing the same teacher as long as possible. I have seen much good result from it, the past year, and hope the practice will be adopted generally.