influence and use their best endeavors, that the youth of their towns shall regularly attend the schools established for their instruction." The success attendant upon the exertions of these officers to secure a "regular" attendance upon schools, will appear by the following state

ment.

The whole number of children, in the two hundred and ninety-four towns which have made returns, who are between four and sixteen years of age is

If from this number we deduct twelve thousand, as the number of children, who attend private schools and academies, and do not attend the public schools at all, there will remain

177,053

165,053

So that the average attendance, in winter of children of all ages, falls below the whole number of children in the state between four and sixteen years of age, who depend wholly upon the common schools

53,533 70,097

And in summer it falls below that number That is, a portion of the children, dependant wholly upon the common schools, absent themselves from the winter school either permanently or occasionally, equal to a permanent absence of about one-third of their whole number; and a portion absent themselves from the summer schools, either permanently or occasionally equal to

a permanent absence of considerably more than two-fifths of their whole number.

The average length of all the schools in the two hundred and ninety-four towns heard from, is six months and twenty-five days each, for the whole year. Were the winter and summer terms equal in length, this average would give three months and twelve days and a half to each. But, on account of the voluntary absences from school, the winter term is reduced to the scholars, on an average, to about two months and one week, and the summer term to two months and an inconsiderable fraction; or taking both winter and summer terms, to about four months and one week in the year. And so much as some scholars, dependant upon the common school, actually attend school more, just so much, do others actually attend less.

Were it certain that the number, one hundred and seventy-seven thousand and fifty-three was not an over estimate of the children between four and sixteen years of age; and did the returns embrace all the children of all ages attending in all the public schools, it would appear that forty-two thousand one hundred and sixty-four children, wholly dependant upon the common schools, have not, the past year, attended school at all in the summer; and twenty-three thousand two hundred and sixteen, neither in summer nor winter. There is some reason to believe, that from omissions in the returns, and, perhaps, from other causes, the total of the children of all ages, attending all the schools, is rather too low. After making every possible allowance, however, the returns exhibit frightful evidence of the number of children, who either do not go to school at all or go so little as not to be reckoned among the scholars.

In this state, where the traditional habits and usages of the people exact some term of apprenticeship for all arts -except for the most difficult of all, the art of teachingan intelligent and assiduous committee can do much, by way of counsel and sympathy, to encourage teachers, if not to capacitate them for the discharge of their delicate and arduous work. No person, fitted by nature even for a temporary guardianship of the young, if not specially taught and skilled for his office, can remain in school a single week, without a deep consciousness of incapacity for interesting, guiding, and elevating the beings, entrusted to his tutelage. In this condition of things, the committee are his only resource; and, if they also are incompetent to counsel and enlighten, accident and darkness must preside over the education of our youth.

Another important duty enjoined upon school committees is the visitation of the schools. Such visitations may be a moral incitement to the scholars of great efficacy. Advice, encouragement, affectionate persuasion, coming from such of their townsmen as the children have been accustomed to regard with respect or veneration, will sink deep and remain long in their hearts. Wise counsel from acknowledged superiors makes a deep impress. It comes with the momentum of a heavy body, falling from a great height. The same counsel, if the same could be had, from men, whom the children hold in no respect or esteem, might be remembered only to be ridiculed. The visitations of the committee break in upon the monotony of the school. They spur the slothful and reward the emulous and aspiring. To suppose, that the children in a school will ever feel a keen, impulsive interest in learning, while parents and neighbors are disregardful of it, is to suppose the children to be wiser than the men. The

stimulus of acting under the public eye, though an inferior motive, is still an allowable one, amongst adults. To the mind of the sworn officer, is it not more present than his oath? Do not much of the uprightness and thoroughness brought to the discharge of public duties, depend upon their being performed under public inspection. And why, in regard to children, may we not avail ourselves of this innate sentiment as an auxiliary in the attainment of knowledge; always holding it subordinate to the supreme sentiment of duty? I have heard hundreds of teachers, with one voice, attest its utility. Such visitations by the committee, are not less useful to teachers than to pupils. While all due respect should be accorded to teachersand certainly no class in the community are more deserving both of emolument and of social consideration, than they—yet as our school system is now administered, we are not authorized to anticipate any more fidelity and strenuousness in the fulfilment of duty from them, than from the same number of persons engaged in any reputable employment. This state employs, annually, ia the common schools, more than three thousand teachers, at an expense of more than four hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars, raised by direct taxation. But they have not one-thousandth part the supervision which watches the same number of persons, having the care of cattle or spindles or of the retail of shop goods. Who would retain his reputation, not for prudence, but for sanity, if he employed men on his farm or in his factory or clerks in his counting-room, month after month, without oversight and even without inquiry? In regard to what other service, are we so indifferent, where the remuneration swells to such an aggregate?

Being deeply impressed with these views, I inserted in

the circular an interrogatory upon this subject, and wherever I have been, I have made constant inquiries whether this duty of visitation were performed, agreeably to law. I have heard from nearly all the towns in the state. The result is, that not in more than fifty or sixty towns, out of the three hundred and five, has there been any pretence of a compliance with the law; and in regard to some of these towns, after a reference to the requisitions of the statute, the allegation of a compliance has been withdrawn, as having been made in ignorance of the extent of its provisions.

It would be unjust to attribute the omission even of this important duty to any peculiar deadness or dormancy, on the part of committees, towards the great interest of our common schools. No body of men in the community have performed services for the public, at all comparable to theirs, for so little of the common inducements of honor and emolument. In not more than about one fifth part of the towns, do the committee receive either compensation or reimbursement for devoting from six to sixty days of time to the duties of their office, and for incurring expenses of horse and carriage hire, amounting to ten or twenty, and sometimes even to thirty dollars per annum. Where any thing is given, it rarely exceeds a quarter of the lowest wages of day labor. The towns paying most liberally, I believe, are Falmouth and Sandwich, in the county of Barnstable, where one dollar a day, and six pence a mile for travel, are given. In a very few other towns, the compensation is fixed at seventy-five cents for each visit, (understood to occupy a full half day); in a few more, fifty cents a visit is paid; but in most other cases, it is a small fixed sum to be given to the chairman or the secretary of the committee, or to be divided be