OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, July 21, 1897.

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

ANNUAL REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT F. E. SMITH.

Interesting Facts Regarding Attendance, Cost of Education, General Expense, Courses of Study, Suggestions for Improvements and General Comments.

   To the Board of Education of Union Free School District No. 1, Cortland, N. Y.: It gives me pleasure to transmit to you my first annual report.

GENERAL.

   During the year 1,106 pupils were registered in the public schools of Cortland.

   The total days' attendance for the year was 165,588.

   The percentage of attendance for the year was .9602/3 of the pupils attending.

   Pupils that are absent for more than five days consecutively are dropped from the roll as "not attending." We have made our percentages upon this basis. It is the plan followed in most of the villages and cities of the state at the present time. The state truant officer, Mr. Wright, told me that 96 per cent was a high and satisfactory percentage for any school to attain. As we have passed this point by a fraction, we are gratified at the result, and it is an evidence that the truant law has had its effect for good in Cortland.

ATTENDANCE.

   I have examined all of the annual reports for 1896 of the superintendents in the state, and I find that only three cities and one village report a lower cost per pupil than Cortland.

   This is an assurance to the taxpayers that the school funds are managed with great care by the board of education.

   The cost per pupil of education in a few of our neighboring villages and cities, as reported in 1896, is as follows:

PROMOTIONS.

   Of the 825 promotions we had to make at the close of this school year, 88 per cent of the pupils were promoted and were given pass cards to that effect, signed by the superintendent and teacher in charge.

   Five per cent of the remaining 12 per cent are conditioned in one or more subjects and may be promoted if they show a disposition to work and improve on their work of last term. The other 7 per cent must take the half year's work over again in the same grade. We think this is a most excellent record and a compliment to our pupils and teachers.

   This record is made in the face of the fact that in many of our rooms the pupils have been kept from school because of epidemic diseases incident to children. I think 50 per cent of the failures is attributable to absences from these causes.

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS.

   I respectfully recommend that the following repairs and alterations be made to the school buildings for the coming year:

   First—That the hall in the Pomeroy-st. school be changed so that the steps descending to the walk be built on the outside of the school building. The first floor can then be extended to the front side of the building, leaving a much larger hall for the entrance to the four schoolrooms in this building. This room is much needed and will add much to the convenience and safety of the building for the pupils and teachers.

   Second—That slide doors, similar to the one put in last winter at the Pomeroy-st. school building, be placed between the adjoining rooms of the first floor at the Schermerhorn and Owego-st. school building.

   Third—That Mr. Loope be requested to remove the partition between the rooms on the north side of the building in the John-st. school, and that the rooms in said building be painted and papered.

   That the board of education reseat said school building with new single desks, such as we have in our other school buildings. There are about eighteen, rickety, double desks now in this building which are inadequate and not suitable for school purposes. With these improvements, this building will be suitable and convenient for school purposes.

   Fourth—That the library room at the Central school building be provided with modern shelving for the library books of the school district.

SCHOOL LIBRARY.

   We have 854 volumes in our school library, about 500 of which are good, modern books. The other volumes are from the old Pomeroy school library and are not of much value.

   During the year two hundred and fifty pupils from our public schools have drawn books from our library. All of the pupils have been allowed to draw books from the library on Monday and Friday afternoons of each week. The books have been largely drawn by the pupils from the more advanced grades.

   Twelve hundred books have been charged and returned during the year, or an average of nearly five books to each pupil enrolled on the library books of the school. This does not include the use of our reference and supplementary reading books by the pupils.

   We have fourteen set of supplementary reading books with twenty volumes in each set or 280 volumes.

   Each teacher in our schools has been allowed the use of one or more set of these books for at least ten weeks during the last term of school. These books have added very much interest to our work in reading.

   I respectfully recommend that our library committee be authorized to purchase a large library table with rollers under it so that our reference library books may be kept upon it in the hall for the convenience of all the pupils in the building. We wish the library table so constructed that it may be rolled into our library room when not in use. We also wish a small table for our library room.

   Respectfully submitted,

   F. E. SMITH, Superintendent.

   Cortland, N. Y.

BREVITIES.

   —The spiritualist camp-meeting opens at Sylvan Beach nest Sunday. It is under the management of Mr. Henry Sessions of Cortland.

   —Mrs. Martin Gates died from kidney trouble this morning at her residence, 194 Railroad-st. Her age was 75 years. The funeral arrangements have not yet been made.

   —The sixth in the series of St. Vitus club parties will be held at the park Friday night, McDermott's orchestra furnishing the music. Dancing will begin at 8 o'clock.

   —The members of Grace Episcopal church congregation and Sunday-school are picnicking at the park to-day. The first special car left Court-st. at 10:30, and the regular cars are being well patronized.

   —The wife of Mr. M. W. Baldwin, formerly of Cortland, died Monday at Port Ewing on the Hudson. Mr. Baldwin has many relatives in this county and he himself is well known here. The cause of Mrs. Baldwin's death has not yet been learned.

   —The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Cortland & Homer Traction Co. was called for yesterday, but at the time The STANDARD went to press the out of town stockholders had not appeared in town. At a later hour the meeting was adjourned till next Monday.

   —A Marcellus physician seems likely to lose his eyesight as a result of an accident that might happen to any one who wears glasses and drives nails. A nail which he was driving flew and broke his spectacles and filled one of his eyes with small pieces of glass. A Syracuse oculist extracted all the pieces which he could, but it depends upon the inflammation whether the eye can be saved.

   —The ordination and installation of Rev. John Kenyon as pastor of the Universalist church will be held this evening and to-morrow. The program has already been published in The STANDARD. The examination of the candidate occurred this afternoon at 3 o'clock. Rev. H. W. Carr, the former pastor, conducts the communion service to-night and preaches the ordination sermon on to-morrow afternoon.

The Dog Was Slow.

   The Ithaca Journal says that George Hammond released a rat from a trap in front of his cafe yesterday and expected his terrier "Mike" to "do it up" in short order. But the rat was a sprinter and made a sudden break for Eshbach's diningroom, which at the time was well filled with ladies. At the approach of the rodent there was a chorus of shrieks, a great clutching of lingerie and a scrambling upon chairs and tables. In the mix up the rat got away and "Mike" retreated crestfallen and ashamed.

BIG FLOW OF GAS.

New Well at Baldwinsville, N. Y., Proves to Be a Great Find.

   SYRACUSE, July 21.—A special from Baldwinsville says: Another immense gas well has been developed on the Binning farm, one-half mile northeast of Baldwinsville. It is by far the most prolific well yet found here. By actual test the volume of gas flowing from it amounts to over 5,000,000 cubic feet every 24 hours. The pressure is intense and must reach 3,000 pounds to the square inch.

   The well is down 2,520 feet. It has been sunk into the Trenton rock 200 feet, where the great deposit of natural gas was struck. No such deposit has ever before been disclosed in this state, and it is said by experts that the flow exceeds any discovered in other states.

   The force of the gas which proceeds from the boring is so enormous that it will lift a weight of 300 pounds placed over the opening. It throws out particles of rock from a depth of 2520 feet one hundred feet into the air. When the rock is thrown out the particles are driven through pieces of soft wood as though they were shot from a gun.

   The well is now being piped and packed. This is done in order to save the waste of gas, which is very great amounting, it is thought, to the value of $1,250 every 24 hours.

LYNCHED BY A MOB.

It Was Feared the Murderer Would Escape the Gallows.

   ATLANTA, July 21.—Dispatches received from Talbotton confirm the reported lynching near there of Dr. W. L. Ryder, who murdered Miss Sallie Emma Owen at Talbotton a year ago.

   When the case against Ryder was called, Judge Hart, on the evidence that the leading counsel for Ryder could not be present on account of sickness, continued the case until the regular term in September. Ryder was to have been returned to Muscogee jail and was taken to Waverly Hall, the nearest station from Talbotton, for that purpose.

   A few minutes after the deputies arrived at the station a mob took the prisoner from the officers and returned to a point just across the county line, and there lynched him. His body was found hanging from a limb at dawn.

   The action of the mob is ascribed to the indignation of the people at the case being continued. It is also said that friends of the prosecution had given up all hope of ever bringing Ryder to the gallows, by reason of his being insane.

RACE WAR ON.

Negro Starts All the Trouble by Assaulting a White Woman.

   BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 21.—A race war is on at Riverton, Ala., a town of 600 inhabitants, and serious results are feared.

   A negro attempted a criminal assault on Mrs. S. L. Vaughn, an estimable white lady, but was beaten off and the neighborhood aroused.

   A searching party is said to have caught the negro and lynched him, but this the members of the party will not admit.

   After the supposed lynching the whites became further incensed and threatened to exterminate the negroes. Both sides are arming, and one white man has been seriously injured.

   Mrs. Vaughn is in a delicate condition, and her death is momentarily expected.

Negro Will Stretch Hemp.

   RICHMOND, July 21.—Joe Fife, a negro, who attempted an assault upon Mrs. Marks of this city on Thursday morning last, and on that afternoon attempted the same crime upon Miss Russell of Norfolk, who was visiting in a suburb of Richmond, was tried in the Hustings court. A verdict of guilty with the death penalty was returned by the jury. Fife was sentenced to be hanged on Aug. 26.

Sentenced to Death.

   RICHMOND, July 21.—Jackson Wilson, a negro, who attempted an assault on Miss Gilliam of York county, was arraigned in York county court and pleaded guilty, and the jury gave him the death penalty.