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<br />obliged to distribute his labors among all the classes and
<br />recitations of the school.
<br />In this connection, it may be well to bring to the atten-
<br />tion of the town the following provision in the General
<br />Statutes, chap. 38, sect. 9 : " In every public school having
<br />an average of fifty scholars, the school -district or town
<br />to which such school belongs shall employ one or more
<br />female assistants, unless such district or'town, at a meeting
<br />called for the purpose, votes to dispense with such assist-
<br />ant." In the absence of any such vote, it is, of course, the
<br />duty of the Committee to provide one or more assistants
<br />for the HIGH SCHOOL.
<br />SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
<br />It is well known that the school -districts of this town are
<br />not, and for some years have not been, determined by
<br />metes and bounds in such manner as is requisite to give
<br />them full legal standing and authority. For many years,
<br />the town has sustained the charge for which, more than
<br />any thing else, districts are created ; namely, that of build-
<br />ing and maintaining schoolhouses. For the last two years,
<br />the duty of contracting with teachers (another of the func-
<br />tions formerly assigned to district -officers) has been im-
<br />posed on the General Committee ; and, at the late annual
<br />town -meeting, the town refused, in a contested vote and
<br />by a decisive majority, to return to the former course.
<br />Two of the districts last year omitted the choice of a Pru-
<br />dential Committee, or the persons so chosen declined to
<br />serve ; and the remaining duties of that office in those
<br />districts devolved on the General Committee. Another
<br />district, this spring, failed to hold any meeting, though one
<br />was regularly notified ; and the clerk has surrendered the
<br />records to the General Committee. And still another dis-
<br />trict has voted, at its regular meeting, not to appoint a
<br />Prudential Committee. By a provision of the General
<br />Statutes, chap. 39, sect. 4, the town will be required, at the
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<br />next annual meeting, to vote on the question of abolishing
<br />the district -system. The facts just recited will serve to
<br />show how small a relic of that system is left in this town,
<br />and may aid the citizens in making up their minds whether
<br />to retain what is left, or to bring the whole school -business
<br />of the town into a compact and united form. We have no
<br />wish in the matter but to bring the subject in the plainest
<br />way before the peoj le whose rights and interests are con-
<br />cerned.
<br />STUDIES.
<br />The School Committee have received a copy of certain
<br />proceedings had in the annual school -meeting of the east
<br />district, by which it appears that an article was brought
<br />before the meeting to the following effect : " To see if the
<br />district will adopt any measures which will cause the stu-
<br />dies usually taught in grammar -schools to be taught in the
<br />Grammar School in this district." The article was referred
<br />to the General Committee.
<br />This reference is to the Committee for the year now
<br />beginning; but as the article implies, if it means any thing,
<br />that the studies usually taught in grammar -schools have
<br />not been taught in the Adams Grammar School, it seems
<br />proper that the Committee of the past year should notice
<br />it. The statute which provides for the maintenance of
<br />public schools (Gen. Stat., chap. 38, sect. 1) prescribes the
<br />following branches for such schools : " Orthography, read-
<br />ing, writing, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, the
<br />history of the United States, and good behavior." All
<br />these studies have been taught in the Adams Grammar
<br />School hitherto, unless an exception is asserted in refer-
<br />ence to the branch last named. The statute goes on to.
<br />say that " algebra, vocal music, drawing, physiology, and
<br />hygiene shall be taught, by lectures or otherwise, in all the
<br />public schools in which the School Committee deem it expe-
<br />• dient." The Committee have not deemed it expedient to
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