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reports of the last year furnish evidence of such co-operation, and of the value of this agency in providing teachers for the Common Schools."

For several years the applications for appointment to instruct teachers' classes had not been sufficient to exhaust the appropriation. A careful consideration of this fact showed that in many Academies the sums paid for instructing these classes had not been equal to the amounts. which would have been received from members of these classes at the regular rates of tuition, and hence provision for giving efficient instruction to teachers' classes in these Academies had become a burden to be avoided. Hence those Academies that charged high rates of tuition usually did not apply for appointment to instruct teachers' classes as the instruction of such classes would be attended with loss upon the part of the Academy; and the appointments were many times sought, not for the benefit which might be conferred upon the Common Schools through such instruction, but to secure the appropriation made for such instruction as an aid in the support of the school. An attempt was made to obviate this difficulty by section 3, chapter 642 of the Laws of 1873. This section reads as follows:

"Twelve thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be required in addition to the annual appropriation of eighteen thousand dollars from the United States Deposit Fund, for the instruction of Common School teachers; the whole sum to be apportioned and paid to the several institutions which may give such instruction as now provided by law, at the rate of fifteen dollars for each scholar instructed in a course prescribed by the said Regents, during a term of thirteen weeks, and at the same rate for not less than ten weeks or more than twenty weeks."

The sum paid for the instruction of each scholar in a teachers' class was thus advanced to fifteen dollars, the number of scholars to be taught in any Academy was not restricted, and the limits of time. during which a class might be under instruction were fixed at ten and twenty weeks. The $12,000 appropriated in addition to the regular annual appropriation of $18,000, was a portion of an appropriation of $125,000 made to the Academies by the act of Legislature, chapter 642, Laws of 1873, and made for that year only. The amount appropriated for the support of teachers' classes was thus made $30,000, in anticipation of a large increase in the number of pupils instructed in consequence of the change in the regulations

governing the formation and instruction of these classes. In their annual report made to the Legislature February, 18, 1874, the Board, referring to the provisions of this act, say:

"These changes in the requirements of the law have proved most salutary, more appointments have been applied for than the fund. at their disposal would permit the Regents to make, and they have gratifying testimony to the increased thoroughness and efficiency of

the instruction."

In the "Report of the Committee of Fifteen on Legislative aid to the academic institutions of the State of New York," the purposes and possibilities of these provisions of the law are thus outlined:

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"The Academies will continue hereafter, as heretofore, largely to train the teachers of their respective localities and thus of the State. * While the smaller Academies will be able to continue the present form of the teachers' class with greater efficiency than before, the larger Academies may be enabled, under proper arrangements, to organize a permanent teachers' department with its regular professorship; and it is the opinion of your committee that no more valuable service could be rendered, under this appropriation, than for the Regents to perfect some plan whereby all Academies which have a sufficiently large attendance of those preparing for teaching to warrant it, may establish a teachers' department, with courses of training for teachers similar to those now in operation in our Normal Schools."

The effect of the additional appropriation of 1873 was to stimulate very greatly the interest in these classes, and so numerous were the applications for appointment to instruct classes during the Academic year 1873-4 that the Board considered it necessary to advise the Academies not to instruct more than twenty-five scholars for a term of thirteen weeks free of charge, unless they were prepared to assume the risk of instructing a larger number.

The appropriation of $125,000 failed to be made after 1873 and hence that portion of it which had been apportioned to the support of teachers' classes was withdrawn, and but $18,000 was left with which to continue them. It was hence thought very desirable and important to secure the annual appropriation of an adequate amount for the permanent encouragement of instruction of Common School teachers in the Academies and Academical departments of Union Schools. The subject was therefore brought to the attention of the

Legislature at the session of 1877, and the following act was passed (Laws of 1877, chapter 425):

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"SECTION 1. The treasurer shall pay yearly, on the warrant of the comptroller, out of the income of the United States Deposit Fund not otherwise appropriated, the sum of * thirty thousand dollars for the instruction in Academies and Union Schools in the science and practice of Common School teaching, under a course to be prescribed by the Regents of the University; * ** *

$2. The said Regents shall designate the Academies and Union Schools in which the instruction shall be given, distributing them among the counties of the State as nearly as well may be, having reference to the number of school districts in each, to location and to the character of the institutions selected.

§3. Every Academy and Union School so designated shall instruct a class of not less than ten nor more than twenty-five scholars, and every scholar admitted to such class shall continue under instruction not less than ten weeks, all of which shall be in one school term. The Regents shall prescribe the conditions of admission to the classes, the course of instruction, and the rules and regulations under which said instruction shall be given, and shall, in their discretion, determine the number of classes which may be formed in any one year in any Academy or Union School, and the length of time exceeding ten weeks during which such instruction may be given, all of which shall be in the same school term.

4. Instruction shall be free to all scholars admitted to such classes, and who have continued in them the length of time required by the third section of this act.

5. The trustees of all Academies and Union Schools in which such instruction shall be given shall be paid from the appropriation. made by the first section of this act at the rate of one dollar for each week's instruction of each scholar, on the certificate of the Regents of the University to be furnished to the Comptroller.

The changes made by this law in regard to the amount appropriated, the rates to be paid for each scholar instructed, and the length of time during which the instruction should continue gave a strong impetus to this work throughout the State. Applications were made and granted to the full extent of the appropriation, and reports from the different schools where instruction was given, and from the school commissioners, indicated that the character of the instruction was greatly improved. But an unexpected discouragement arose. The appropriation for the support of the teachers' classes made by chapter 425 of the Laws of 1877 was from the income of the United States deposit fund. The annual report of the Regents transmitted to the Legislature March 10, 1879, states that the Comp

troller had commnnicated to the Board his decision that he would not be able to make payment for the instruction of teachers' classes during the preceding year, as the expenditure from this fund was in excess of the income, and that the deficiency was increasing. As the law prescribes that such deficiencies shall be reimbursed from the income of the fund, the Board expresses the opinion that the prospect of making payment for this service from this fund at an early day could not be regarded as favorable. The Board accordingly earnestly urged the Legislature to provide for the payment for the instruction of these classes. The Legislature at once gave attention to the subject, and relief was given by the act, chapter 61 of the Laws of 1879, appropriating such sum as might be necessary for this purpose from any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. By chapter 1 of the Laws of 1881 an appropriation was made to supply the deficiency in the revenue of the United States deposit fund, and provision was made for the payment from other funds of certain sums which had before been paid from this fund, thus rendering secure the annual payment of $30,000 from the United States deposit fund for the instruction of Common School teachers in the Academies. This interruption in the instruction of teachers' classes in the Academies caused by the deficiency in the revenue of the United States deposit fund was considered by the Board as furnishing a favorable opportunity for the revision of the regulations governing the organization and conduct of these classes. In addition to this the Board were impressed with the necessity of requiring this service to be well and thoroughly performed. At their annual meeting in January, 1881, the committee upon the instruction of Common School teachers were instructed to devise and carry out such reforms in the management of these classes as they should deem advisable. The committee reported to the Board at their meeting July 14, 1881, the amended form of instructions for the management of these classes which they had prepared and issued, introducing the following important changes:

"As to the conditions of admission to the teachers' class, they provide that candidates must have passed the Regents' preliminary examination, or must give promise of being able to pass said examination before the close of the course.

As to the subject of study to be pursued, they direct that instruction be given in reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic intellectual and written, English grammar, geography, United States history, science of government, and principles of teaching; and they remove

the restriction heretofore in force as to pursuing other branches of study.

As to the instruction to be given, they provide that one and a half hours each day be occupied in drilling the class in methods of giving instruction in the several subjects, and that opportunities be furnished for practice in teaching.

As to the final testing and acceptance of the class, they provide that a final examination of the class be held, and that only those members who have received the Regents' preliminary certificate and pass the final examination will be accepted and paid for by the Regents."

In their annual report to the Legislature January 13, 1882, the Board mention the above changes and call attention to the fact that what is still required to make the administration of this work wholly satisfactory is a close supervision by a competent person who should give his time to the care and inspection of the classes; and an enactment making it the duty of the school commissioners to visit. these classes and report to the Regents as to their condition.1

The idea of visitation and inspection by a competent agent of the Regents had been suggested in a modified form, in the report made by a committee of the Regents in 1835, already noticed.

It should be remembered that at that period the Academies of the State were not supplied with apparatus as fully as their wants required, and we may infer from the following extract from the Report, that in some of them, at least, the teachers themselves were not as well qualified to teach the physical sciences as they would be required to be at the present time. With a view of supplying in some degree these wants, and at the same time of securing the benefits of a thorough inspection, the committee suggested the following economical arrangement: "Should the funds available for this purpose thereafter admit, it was suggested that great benefit might be derived from a course of lectures accompanied with experiments, on chemistry, mineralogy, natural philosophy and astronomy, delivered by a person who should make it his whole business to lecture upon these subjects, and who should visit each of these institutions in turn; the pupils being previously prepared by the study of proper text-books, so as to be ready at a specified time for the lecturer, who would carry his apparatus with him, and who from his familiar knowledge of his subjects could in a course of lectures of not more than a month in duration at each place impart more practical information than could be gained in the ordinary way in a much longer period. It was esti mated that $1,000 a year, with what might be received from students (other than those of the teachers' classes) attending, would be sufficient to meet these expenses. The person thus appointed by the Regents, and acting as their agent, would be able to examine into the condition of the institutions and report full information necessary for a proper understanding and the further improvement of their oper

ation."

This was the only part of the plan recommended in 1835 which was not adopted. So far as related to courses of lectures with experiments, the plan has since been carried out on private account to some extent, but more in the early years of the

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