132. That the teacher may know that the law has amply provided for the protection of his school against all who may be disposed to disturb it, we publish here the provision of the law. "Every person who shall be convicted of wilfully interrupting or disturbing any town or ward meeting, any assembly of people met for religious worship, or any public or private school, or any meeting lawfully and peaceably held for purposes of literary or scientific improvement, either within or without the place where such meeting or school is held, shall be imprisoned not exceeding one year, or fined not exceeding five hundred dollars." [Digest, p. 395, § 93. A complaint under this act may be made to the Attorney General, or any justice of the peace. APPEALS. 133. The law has wisely provided a cheap and efficient mode of settling all disputes arising under the school law. It was intended to save the expense of litigation to districts and individuals, and it is believed that it has already had the effect of saving a great expenditure of money in this way as well as effecting a more speedy settlement of difficulties, which, if continued, would interrupt the harmony of the districts and injure the schools. An appeal may be taken to the Commissioner, [see the Forms] and he will hear the parties without cost, and his decision is to be final. When questions of law arise, provision is made for laying them before one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, but the Judges will not examine or hear the parties upon the facts of the case. Any party neglecting to appeal from a vote to tax, or assessment of a tax, cannot question it afterwards, [§ 66] provided the meeting was legally notified, and the tax approved, &c. It has been settled that an appeal brings the whole question up, and that the Commissioner in many cases is not confined to confirming or reversing the proceedings appealed from, but may make a new decision. All appeals, however, should be taken within a reasonable time, and before any contract is made, or liability incurred, under the vote or act appealed from. If the appeal is not made within such a reasonable time, that circumstance alone will be a sufficient reason for dismissing it. And no appeal will be entertained unless made by the party aggrieved. DEAF, DUMB, BLIND, IDIOTS AND INSANE. 134. By § 73, the sum heretofore appropriated for the deaf and dumb, blind and idiots, is increased to two thousand five hundred dollars annually, and the Commissioner of Public Schools is appointed to distribute it. By a separate act of the Legislature the Governor is authorized to aid in maintaining poor insane persons at the Butler Asylum, at Providence. And by another act the sum of fifteen dollars per quarter is appropriated out of the State Treasury to aid the towns in supporting their insane poor at the Asylum. As there are a number of these in every town in the State, the school committees, and friends of education and humanity, should look them up and see that they receive their proper share of the appropriations. LIBRARIES. 135. By § 5, towns, and by § 34, districts are authorized to maintain school libraries. The act of January, 1840, provided for district libraries, but for several years very little was done under it. By § 75, 76, 77, 78 and 79, provision is made by which library associations may form themselves into a corporotion without applying to the Assembly for a charter. These provisions were first enacted in the School Law of January, A. D., 1839. Persons wishing to form these associations will find much valuable information as to the selection of books, lists of suitable books, &c., prepared by Mr. Barnard, in vol. 2 of the Journal of the R. I. Institute of Instruction. Vol 3 contains the catalogue of the Westerly Library, the best school library in the State. This catalogue wis prepared by the Rev. Thomas H. Vail, of Westerly, and is a model of what a catalogue should be. Specimens of suitable regulations for libraries, will be found in the Journal, vol. 2, p. 204. The regulations of the Westerly library are in the Journal, vol. 3, p. 433. In the greater part of the towns, library associations have been formed and in some towns, several. These school libraries alone, now contanin a great number of volumes, accessible to all. In all towns or neighborhoods where there are none, exertions should be made at once to obtain them. The Commissioner will always be ready to aid in every way in his power. A list of the school libraries already formed, may be seen in the Journal, vol. 3, p. 428. For many of these the public are indebted to the exertions of the late Commissioner, Mr. Barnard, aided by several public spirited gentlemen in Providence. 136. The following is the proper form for the Constitution of an Association formed under the above laws : FORM OF INCORPORATION. We, the subscribers, agree to associate and incorporate ourselves for the purpose of maintaining a public library by the name of the under the provisions contained for that purpose in "An act to revise and amend the laws regulating public schools," passed at the June session of the General Assembly, A. D., 1851, and to be governed by the following constitution : The ARTICLE 1. This association shall be called the Library shall be established and maintained at such place or places Iwithin the town of as the directors may from time to time appoint. 2. The officers of the association shall be a President, VicePresident, Secretary, Treasurer, and Librarian, who shall constitute a board of directors for the management of the business of the association, according to such rules as the association may from time to time adopt. on and mem 3. The annual meeting shall be held at any officer shall be elected by ballot if demanded by any bers. [The treasurer and librarian shall give bonds to the corporation in the sum of each, with security to the satisfaction of the President for the faithful discharge of their duties.] 4. Any member for disorderly or immoral conduct may be expelled, and any officer for misconduct may be removed at any regularly notified meeting of the society. 5. The directors may make all such regulations as they may deem proper for the government of the library, and prescribe fines for non-compliance, and may in any case of misuse of books, pro hibit any person from using the library, until satisfaction is made. 6. The library shall be held by the association, not in shares for the benefit of shareholders, but in trust for the public benefit; to be open to all who shall comply with such reasonable rules as shal from time to time be made by the association or directors; and for the purpose of continuing the existence of the corporation, the association will from time to time elect as members such persons as they shall think most likely to co-operate zealously in promoting ts objects. No member shall be admitted unless proposed at a previous meeting. [Note to Art. 6. This section will answer for all cases where the library is established by donations, and is intended to be for the benefit of the whole public. And this is undoubtedly the best plan for getting up such libraries. In this case, the corporation might be named "The Trustees of the Library." But if the library is intended to be owned in shares, and for the benefit of the shareholders, this article should be altered accordingly. They will then have the power to assess the shares and to sell them for non-payment of assessments. In this case the shareholders will be the members and compose the corporation. The law provides how the shares may be transferred.] 7. This constitution may be amended at any annual meeting, provided notice of the intended amendment has been given at some previous meeting. The Secretary shall cause this constitution and all alterations thereof to be recorded in the records of land evidence of the town of as the law requires. The above are all the provisions necessary to be inserted in the constitution. All other provisions had better be made in the shape of Rules or Regulations, which might be altered from time to time with less trouble. Whenever it is intended to establish a permanent library, it will always be most prudent to be incorporated as above. If a library is owned by several persons unincorporated, it will be liable to division, and each one's interest liable to attachment. tion, the share only could be attached, and where the corporation hold the library merely as trustees, (as provided in Art. 6, above,) In a corpora |