seems no chance to remedy this, until the people are willing to organize a series of schools at conveniently located places, to be kept at proper seasons of the year, where the higher grade of scholars can be convened. When this is done, our schools can be managed at less expense, while the Primary classes will have equally as good, or better, facilities for learning, and the others would be far better accommodated and classed in their various branches.

We congratulate our fellow-citizens, and, using the language of a former report, "desire in this public manner" again "to return the thanks of the committee, and of the pupils and residents of the town generally, to our esteemed fellow-townsman, Charles L. Heywood, Esq., the superintendent of the Fitchburg Railroad, for his present of a complete and beautiful outfit of organs and school song-books, for the benefit of every school in town. This adds [still] another to the many varied and frequent evidences of consideration and remembrance he has heretofore shown for his native town."

School Committee.-C. A. GOODRICH, O. L. SPAULDING, A. C. ESTABROOK.

MILFORD.

In spite of all disadvantages, we are glad to be able to report that our schools are making general progress in excellence. The teachers are awake to any improvement in methods of imparting knowledge; more attention is given to instruction, and less to the mere hearing of lessons; the perfection and development of an idea is esteemed of more importance than a perfect recitation.

The laws of the Commonwealth make it the duty of teachers to instruct their pupils in good behavior as well as in books, to cultivate in them all social virtues; and any teacher who fails in this, fails in their duty to the public. It is not sufficient that the parent should say, "I want no such instruction for my child; I can attend to that." The duty is imposed upon the teacher; she cannot escape it, or throw it off. It is important that every one should understand that the teacher is a public servant, not the servant of a parent or clique; the duties she owes her pupils she owes to the public, and no parent has any authority to dictate to the teacher what shall be done for his child in particular. When the child leaves home for the school, the authority of the parent is delegated to the teacher; and whatever right the parent has to enforce authority, such also has the teacher. The erroneous idea so prevalent, that the teacher's authority is very limited, and that parents may dictate special directions with regard to their children to teachers, must be our apology for so frequently alluding to this subject in our reports.

School Committee.-H. H. BOWERS, Chairman; GEO. E. STACY, Secretary; MRS. M. J. RUSSELL, CHAS. A. DEWEY, CHAS. E. WHITNEY, J. T. CANAVAN.

NEW BRAINTREE.

The plan adopted one year ago, by vote of the town, to extend the length of the schools in each district to thirty weeks, we think has proved satisfactory, and productive of more general good than the former method of having twenty-four weeks only, with a fall school in the centre for the advanced scholars in the several districts. The increased expense of the new arrangement over the old is comparatively small; and the gain is seen, in that it affords equal privileges to all the children in town for six additional weeks of schooling, that were before restricted to about one-fourth of the whole number. A more uniform attendance during the term is also thus secured. We are gratified that the town is so far pleased with the change as to vote at its late annual meeting to continue the experiment another year; and we shall hope for even better results in the future than in the past.

There has been, we think, some improvement the past year, in the regularity of attendance in several of our schools; and to stimulate to increased effort in this direction, your committee have agreed to give each school a copy of "Webster's Unabridged Illustrated Dictionary," when the attendance of the scholars during the year shall amount to an average of ninety-five per cent., or, in case of prolonged sickness, to an average of ninety per cent. The south-west district has already complied with these conditions, the average attendance for the year exceeding even ninety-five per cent.; and we are told by the teacher there, that the new dictionary placed upon her table is often consulted by the older pupils during the hours of school, thus richly rewarding them for their punctuality, in the constant benefit they are receiving therefrom. We trust that the other schools will soon earn a like advantage, by cheerful compliance with the prescribed conditions. But in order to do this, parents must lend their influence to secure the regular attendance of their children, since the responsibility of effecting this desirable end rests chiefly with them.

School Committee.-WILLIAM B. BOND, GEORGE K. TUFTS.

NORTHBOROUGH.

Introduction of Drawing.-The committee decided, early in spring, to make the experiment of introducing drawing into the schools. A small amount of money was expended in furnishing cards and guides for the use of the children and teachers.

We are happy to state that, with few exceptions, the teachers took up this work with enthusiasm, and have shown great patience and

perseverance in carrying it on. Where the experiment has been faithfully tried, we are as astonished as pleased with the results. We should be glad to present to the citizens of the town, for inspection, specimens of the drawing in some of the schools. The best drawing books were found on the examination of the winter term in the West and East schools. We hope another year the pupils in all our schools will receive the benefit of this branch of study.

School Committee.-S. CLARK, P. B. WILCOX, J. B. DAVIS, WM. A. BARTLETT, 2d, SARAH A. ALLEN, FRANCES M. CHESBRO.

NORTHBRIDGE.

No radical changes have been made in our system of instruction, but patient work on the part of the teacher, in improving present methods and exciting a zeal and interest on the part of the pupil, has resulted in a steady improvement. Fewer changes in our corps of teachers have occurred during the year than ever before. Two or three cases of incompatibility between teacher, committee and pupils have been discovered and speedily rectified. The value of nine months' training under the same teacher, as compared with a change every term, has been clearly demonstrated. Their faithful toil and zeal, their willing coöperation with the school committee in making their teaching more efficient and useful, deserve from us a public recognition.

Attendance. Our truant laws are in operation; but no attempt has been made to enforce them, nor do we personally know of any children in town who have not attended school the time required by law. There may be such in town; but the greatest obstacle to progress is irregular attendance. This, without any sufficient excuse, is amenable to punishment under these laws. We would prefer, however, that parents, upon whom most of the blame rests, should voluntarily rectify the matter. We think no scholar should be allowed to remain at home for any less reason than he would stay away from his employment in the mill, store or shop.

For the Committee.-R. R. CLARKE, Chairman.

OAKHAM.

We think we can report our schools an average in success as compared with past years; there is still room for improvement. A great deal has been said for and against some of our teachers,-quite too much against. We need not fear to trust our teachers; they are generally as humane, sympathetic and indulgent as their situation will admit, and they are bound by every consideration of self-interest to

do nothing which can be construed into neglect of duty or wilful violation of right. If we think they are mistaken or wrong, how much better to kindly talk with them, than to spread their fancied wrong-doing through the town. We have often spoken of moral teaching. We think this should hold a high position in the system of public education. The places of the fathers will soon be filled by the children; how shall they be filled? A growing waywardness of the young is a prelude of public debasement, while moral integrity will prove a safeguard of those interests we hold so dear. While, therefore, a jealous watchfulness is exercised relative to the mental culture of the young, their moral development should be the object of the highest solicitude. School Committee.-H. W. LINCOLN, L. P. Lovell, Jesse Allen.

OXFORD.

Parents have an authority over their children, back of which no one has a right to attempt to go. But then the children themselves, as beings upon whom the responsibilities of life will fall in a few years, have rights of which even parents have no authority to rob them. A child has a right to education, and a parent in depriving him of it, is committing a wrong against him greater than robbing him of property which may have fallen to him. The child's right to education is so great and so fundamental, that, just as a citizen, hearing cries of distress from a house, has a right to enter and interfere between the person who is inflicting cruelty and the sufferer, so the public has a right to demand of the parent that he shall not rob the child of his Godgiven right to education. Furthermore, the child being unable to educate himself, or to direct his own education, has a right to the direction which those who are wiser than he may be able to give. Hence the utter folly of allowing children, of whatever age, in Primary, Intermediate or High schools, to select for themselves the studies which they wish to pursue, and to neglect those which their undisciplined minds are inclined to neglect. What parent possessed of common-sense, does not know the child will some day regret it? But it is the right of the child to receive from the parent, such authoritative direction as will save him from the regrets of coming years. And if parents will not use this authority, the community, by their appointed officers, have a right to exercise it. A favorite method of evading this, is to take the scholar out of school, or allow him to drop out of his own accord. But this, again, is transgressing the right of the child to an education. In short, to be led and controlled by wisdom superior to his own, is the right of every minor. In all cases where the scholar is under fifteen years of age, the school committee has the authority to inquire into the reasons for thus withdrawing; but the

weakness which threatens American society as much as any one thing, is the fact that girls and boys become young ladies and young gentlemen several years too soon.

School Committee.-THOS. E. BABB, J. P. DANA, I. B. HARTWELL.

PETERSHAM.

The town at its last annual meeting, very generously appropriated the sum of one hundred dollars to be used by the committee, or such part of it as they might think expedient, for conveying children to school. A portion only of this appropriation has been used, as will be seen by the financial statement; yet this small sum has served a purpose in lieu of which two terms of school would need to have been kept, besides giving school advantages to a few children who otherwise would have been without them. This means of economy should be provided in the future.

The exhibition of all the Public Schools, held in the town hall on the 22d of January last, we regard as a complete success. Our most sanguine expectations as to results were fully realized. The schools having had it in anticipation from the very commencement of the winter term, and knowing that real attainment in the various branches was to be shown without any special preparation, were presented with a new stimulus to thorough and practical work on the part of scholars; and teachers, to some extent, we think, indulged a pleasant anxiety and laudable pride of vying with each other in the excellence of their respective schools. We feel assured, also, that the interest of the people in our schools, of parents especially, is materially strengthened by having their attention directed to them in this novel and pleasant way.

School Committee.-S. B. Cook, E. C. ANDERSON, M. N. AYERS.

PHILLIPSTON.

Every year higher qualifications are being required of our teachers, and new branches of study are from time to time being introduced into the schools. Many people entertain the idea that almost any one is competent to teach small scholars in the elementary branches; but this is a great mistake. The starting-point is the most important point, and but few are qualified to direct the opening mind into right habits of thought and study, where many may be competent to guide onward after the right way is fully entered. In view of all the requisite qualifications of first-class teachers, and the burden of effort and expense necessary in fitting themselves for their profession, can we expect such to take up their life-work for a few short weeks in our small back