MR. stone's ADDRESS. 27 



the influence of books on the choice of pursuits, then this study, 

 so far from being useless, will be found an important auxilia- 

 ry to an interest from which other interests are amiually ab- 

 stracting much of the best talent. 



And now that I have entered the school-room, permit me to 

 say, that notwithstanding the changes for the better we every 

 where witness, public opinion on the subject of common school 

 education, is susceptible of further improvement. A noble 

 spirit has been awakened in Massachusetts. A glorious work 

 has been successfully begun. Under the operation of our pres- 

 ent school system, the advance of the last eight years has been 

 equal to the twenty preceding. The annual Abstracts of 

 School Returns, and the eight annual Reports of the Secretary 

 of the Board of Education, have thrown a flood of light upon the 

 condition of common schools throughout the Commonwealth. 

 They show that what has been so well done, is, in a sense, 

 preliminary — that much remains to be done to give our schools 

 entire efficiency — and that popular sentiment is still to be disa- 

 bused of hurtful prejudices. 



I rejoice in our educational elevation. Still, I must say, the 

 standard is too low. As a community, we have not yet appre- 

 hended the true idea. The indifference of thousands, who 

 hold the responsible relations of parents and guardians, is yet 

 to be overcome.* The eyes of many are to be unsealed, who 

 are blind to the bearing of education on the physical, social 



*Tlie Secretary of the Board of Education, in his eighth annual report, states tliat 

 *' thousands and thousands of our children, between the ages of 4 and 16 years, attend no 

 school whatever, from the beginning to the end of the year." This is an outright loss of 

 " thousands and thousands " of dollars, raised by taxes, for the education of these absen- 

 tees. Another evil to which I wish to invite the attention of parents and guardians, (for 

 they alone can remedy it,) is, irregularity of attendance. The average attendance in all 

 the public schools of the commonwealth, of children between 4 and 16, is less than two 

 thirds of the whole number between these ages. In Essex County, the fifth in educational 

 rank, the whole number of children l:)etween 4 and 16 years is 25,848. The highest num- 

 ber of scholars of all ages in all the schools, including 458 under 4 years, and 847 over 16, 

 is 18,210, or 7,738 less than the number of children between 4 and 16. The highest aver- 

 age attendance is 12,800, or 5,410 less than the number of scholars in all the public 

 schools. The amount of money appropriated by this county for the education of children 

 between 4and 16, is $;66,952 73, or $2 59 per head. Of this sum, more than ^14,000 

 are practically wasted, by irregularity of attendance! Though Massachusetts is in ad- 

 vance ofall other states in the Union, these facts show that perfection belongs to the future. 



