Download Life and Works of Horace Mann Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1891 edition. Excerpt: ...teachers, and for board and fuel, was.... $516,051.89 Do. in 1842-3 510,592.02 Difference $5,459.87 This shows an apparent falling-off; but the towns not heard from would increase the amount to a considerably larger sum than that for the year 1841-2. Besides, there was, in fact, a generous increase in the appropriations generally, throughout the State; the great deficit being in the city of Boston, which expended on this item $16,618.28 less for the last than for the preceding year. The above-mentioned appropriations inclnde only a part of our annual expenditures for public schools. If the cost of schoolhouses, of school-libraries, apparatus, &c., should be added, it would appear that Massachusetts now supports her public schools at an annual expense varying but little from one dollar a head for every man, woman, and child belonging to the State. This outlay being made, however, every child in the Commouwcalth has a right to attend school without fee, or any further contribution whatever. That this expenditure is not burdensome is manifest from two considerations: first, becanse it is voluntarily assessed by the inhabitants of the respective towns upon themselves; and, secondly, becanse a sum nearly equal to half as much more is annually paid by individuals to academies and private schools, where, to a great extent, the same branches are taught as in the public schools. In regard to the other items shown by the returns, there appears to be no material change from the last year. The town of Brighton, in the county of Middlesex, stands this year, as it did the last, at the head of all the towns in the Commonwealth in regard to the liberality of its appropriations for the support of schools; having raised five dollars and ninety-nine cents...
