MAINE. 



r,77 



are. Tho moral nnd social condition of that 

 portion of the triln- raiding at Oldtown was 

 notably improved in 1878, through the special 

 efforts of Father O'Brien, one hundred and 

 twenty-live having signed the pledge. Bishop 

 Healey of Portland last summer established a 

 community of Sisters of Mercy on Oldtown 

 Island, and they inculcated principles of mo- 

 rality, industry, and economy. An evening 

 school had been established there. Low wages, 

 continued depreciation in the price of baskets 

 and other wares usually made by the tribe, and 

 decreasing demand for their labor, prevailed 

 during 1878 ; yet many of the Indians made im- 

 provements in their dwellings, and they have 

 erected several now buildings, and generally 

 have devoted more labor and attention to agri- 

 cultural pursuits. More land than usual had 

 been cultivated. Tho Legislature at this ses- 

 sion made the following appropriations for this 

 tribe: Interest on trust funds, $4,429.70; an- 

 nuity, $1,800; agricultural purposes, $700; 

 bounty on crops, $450 ; agent's salary, $200 ; 

 instructor in agriculture, $100; schools, $385; 

 repairs on schoolhouse, $30 ; salary of priest, 

 $100; salary of Governor, $50; salary of Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, $30 ; repairs on chapel, $150. 



The whole number of the Passamaquoddy 

 tribe at the time of taking the census was 513, 

 of whom 268 were males and 245 females. 

 The whole number of deaths during 1878 was 

 26, 20 being of children under ten years of age. 

 The principal causes of the deaths among the 

 children were whooping-cough and scarlet fe- 

 ver. Included in the number of deaths among 

 the adults were Governor Newell Neptune and 

 wife. He had held the office of Governor for 

 many years, and was much respected by the 

 tribe. The portion of the tribe residing at 

 Pleasant Point had taken much more interest 

 than usual in farming, and it was their inten- 

 tion to persevere in that direction in the fu- 

 ture. The following appropriations were made 

 by the Legislature for this tribe : May dividend, 

 $400; November dividend, $300; poor, $2,000; 

 agricultural purposes, $600; crops and plowing, 

 $450 ; salaries of Governor and Lieutenant- 

 Governor, $140; wood, $200; road repairs, 

 $50; contingent expenses, $100; educational 

 purposes, $300 ; salary of priest, $100 ; dress- 

 ing for land, $100 ; salary of agent, $200 ; con- 

 tingent fund, $500. 



A report of the schools during the preced- 

 ing year was made by the State Superintendent 

 to the Legislature at this session, containing 

 the following details : Whole number of schol- 

 ars between four and twenty-one, 214,797; de- 

 crease from the previous year, 2,620. Average 

 attendance in summer schools, 102,805 ; in- 

 crease, 1,823. Average attendance in winter 

 schools, 108,940; increase, 1,287. Whole num- 

 ber of different scholars registered in schools 

 during the year, 155,150; decrease, 878. Num- 

 ber of districts in State, 4,005 ; decrease, 84. 

 Number of parts of districts, 344; decrease, 10. 

 Number of schoolhouses, 4,215; decrease, 7; 

 VOL. xix. 37 A 



number built daring the year, 82, costing $92,- 

 746. Estimated value of all school property, 

 $3,063,418. Number of male teachers em- 

 ployed in. summer, 274; in winter, 2,280. 

 Number of female teachers employed in sum- 

 mer, 4,540 ; in winter, 2,389. Average wages 

 of male teachers per month, excluding board, 

 $32.63 ; average wages of female teachers per 

 week, excluding board, $3.98. Amount of 

 money expended for oommon schools, $936,- 

 648; decrease from the last year, $15,229. 

 Balance unexpended, $90,205. Among the 

 needs of the schools, the Superintendent says, 

 "Another is better teachers. The times de- 

 mand a higher grade of culture than formerly, 

 and that the schools shall be, more than ever 

 before, nurseries of purity, morality, and up- 

 rightness of thought and action. Again, the 

 times demand better supervision, and a revolu- 

 tion in our system of employing, examining, 

 and certificating teachers." 



At the State Educational Association held at 

 Brunswick a short time previous to this report, 

 numerous papers were read. One of them 

 urged the necessity of a change in the system 

 of examination of teachers and schools, and 

 advocated the appointment of a board of ex- 

 aminers in each county. It said : 



One of the reasons for examining boards as proposed 

 is that many persons too young are permitted to teach. 

 At the examination of fifty teachers at one of our nor- 

 mal schools, it was found that 12 per cent, began teach- 

 ing before fifteen years of age. Persons ot too poor 

 attainments are employed. Many teachers are em- 

 ployed who have no fitness for the work, knowing 

 nothing of plans and methods, and the great mass or 

 the twelve nundred committeemen employed in the 

 different towns in the State are as ignorant as the 

 teachers of the best ways and means of school man- 

 agement. Tho importance and responsibility of the 

 teachers' -work is not felt by very many teachers or 

 committeemen. What importance can be attached to 

 any work which any boy or girl of fifteen or eighteen 

 years of age may undertake with a week's or a day's 

 preparation, as their friends or themselves may take a 

 notion that it would be a good thing to do ? In some 

 communities, so far is the idea of teachers' qualifica- 

 tions from the right one, that ignorant agents, falling 

 in with the vulgar prejudice of the ignorant against 

 the learned, refuse to employ well-educated and trained 

 teachers, and prefer the more ignorant and less skill- 

 ful. Tho cause of these deficiencies is not in agents, 

 but in the examining committees, whose duty by law 

 is to examine all applicants, and certificate those quali- 

 fied and reject those who are not. Often these boards 

 are made up of lazy, good-natured men, who do not 

 wish to reject those whose fathers and mothers they 

 know, and often as ignorant of the best methods of 

 school requirements as of calculating an eclipse. 



The number of deaf and dumb in the State 

 is nearly 850, of whom 125 are between the 

 ages of four and twenty-one years. Fifty of 

 these are at the asylum in Hartford. To this 

 institution, on account of this class of persons, 

 the State has paid the sum of $216,000, and to 

 other institutions outside of the State enough 

 more to make the total amount $298.251. 



A statement of the Secretary of State says 

 that the cost paid by the State to persons de- 

 fending criminals in 1871 was $600; in 1872, 

 $200; in 1873, $1,075; in 1874, $2,647.50; in 



