by such States: and in case any State shall have established under the provisions of said act of July second aforesaid, an agricultural department or experimental station, in connection with any university, college, or institution not distinctively an agricultural college or school, and such State shall have established or shall hereafter establish a separate agricultural college or school, which shall have connected there with an experimental farm or station, the legislature of such State may apply in whole or in part the appropriation by this act made, to such separate agricultural college, or school, and no legislature shall by contract express or implied disable itself from so doing. Legislative as SEC. 9. That the grants of moneys authorized by sent necessary. this act are made subject to the legislative assent of the several States and Territories to the purposes of said grants: Provided, That payment of such installments of the appropriation herein made as shall become due to any State before the adjournment of the regular session of its legislature meeting next after the passage of this act shall be made upon the assent of the governor thereof duly certified to the Secretary of the Treasury. Right to suspend, etc., reserved. SEC. 10. Nothing in this act shall be held or construed as binding the United States to continue any payments from the Treasury to any or all the States or institutions mentioned in this act, but Congress may at any time amend, suspend, or repeal any or all the provisions of this act. LAWS RELATING TO EDUCATION. [Compilation of 1888, Chapter III.] State Board of Education. An Act to provide for the supervision of common schools passed by the General. Assembly in 1838, constituted a Board of Commissioners of Common Schools, consisting of the Governor and Commissioner of the School Fund ex officio and one member from each county. The duties and powers of this Board are set out in the second section as follows: "SECTION 2. The Board of Commissioners of Common Schools shall submit to the General Assembly an annual report, containing, together with an account of their own doings; first, a statement, as far as may be practicable, of the condition of every common school in the State, and of the means of popular education generally; second, such plans for the improvement and better organization of the common schools, and all such matters relating to popular education, as they may deem expedient to communicate, and said Board may require of the school visitors of the several School Societies, semi-annually, returns of the condition of each common school within their limits; and they shall prescribe the form of all such returns, and the time when the same shall be completed, and transmit blank copies of the same, to the clerk of each School Society; and said Board may appoint their own Secretary, who shall devote his whole time, if required, under the direction of the Board, to ascertain the condition, increase the interest, and promote the usefulness of common schools." Section 3 provides that returns and reports shall be made by the School Visitors of the societies and lodged with the clerks, and that registers of schools shall be kept. Section 4 requires the transmission of these returns to the Board of Commissioners, and Section 5 provides that societies' committees shall not certify to the Comptroller that the schools have been kept according to law unless the requirements of the two preceding sections have been complied with. Section 6 fixes the compensation of the Secretary of the Board. At the first meeting held June 15 and 16, 1838, Henry Barnard was chosen Secretary. As an auxiliary to the work of the Board The Common School Journal was established. During the four years of its existence, energetic and effective work was done in behalf of common schools by the Board and especially by the Secretary. At public meetings, and at schools for teachers, he was present to urge the need of trained teachers, better wages, larger and more regular attendance, longer terms, uniformity of books, improved school-houses, and faithful supervision. Reports of the Board and of the Secretary were issued in 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842. From that of 1839 the following table showing the condition of schools fifty years ago, is taken: ABSTRACT SHOWING THE CONDITION OF THE WINTER SCHOOLS IN THE SEVERAL COUNTIES, AND THE AGGREGATE FOR THE STATE. Number of School Districts. Number of School Districts returned to Comptroller in August, 1838. Number of persons between 4 and 16 years of age. 32 33 27 266 378 31 21 22 27 29 31 18 25 17 211 20 22 28 16 18 15 167 224 218 250 309 132 178 129 1,706 253 212 215 232 297 129 166 126 1,630 157 160 225 200 143 14,689 12,420 12,252 14,554 11,346 7,236 8,139 5,046 Male Number of scholars of all ages in all schools returned Female. Number of children returned as in no school, public or private. Male Number of teachers employed Female Average wages paid per month exclusive of board Male. > Female Annual income of, appropriated to the support of Schools. Amount of School Fund. Avails of, for the year ending March, 1839 Number of children in Private schools Estimated amount paid for private tuition, over $15.59 $16.90 $15.45 $15.87 $15.27 $15.52 $15.22 $14.06 No. of persons between 4 and 16 years of age returned to the Comptroller in Aug., 1838 14.625 12,231 12,140 13,836 11,150 7,114 7,937 4.944 Number of persons between 4 and 16 years of age included in School Returns 12,403 8,963 9,539 9,984 9,301 6,667 5,829 4,155 5,354 3,439 4,296 4,187 4,601 3,182 3.003 2,266 4,651 2,657 3,324 3,079 3,559 2,695 2,415 1,842 10,005 6,096 7,620 7,266 8,160 5,877 5,418 4,108 178 109 164 80 128 141 148 446 273 564 305 717 289 440 404 8,225 4,732 5,762 5,110 6,056 4,540 4,076 3,331! 712 326 $8.35 $8.31 $9.44 $10.30 $7.21 $8.17 $7.33 $7.53 $8.33 In 1842 this Board of Commissioners was abolished, and its efficient work brought to an end. It had called the attention of the people of the State to deficiencies in their system and practice. It had begun to gather facts and figures which were not entirely pleasing to those who were willing to let things go on as they had been going on. Yielding to the pleas of economy and of interference, the Legislature stopped the work so happily begun, by abolishing the Board. In 1845 the Commissioner of the School Fund was made ex-officio Superintendent of common schools. It was his duty to perform the duties previously imposed upon the Board of Commissioners, viz: to exercise a general supervision over the schools of the State, to collect information from school visitors, and to submit a yearly report. Under this act, Hon. Seth P. Beers became Superintendent of common schools, and by him were written and presented to the Legislature the reports for 1846, 1847, 1848 and 1849. In all these reports the Commissioner urged the separation of the functions of the School Fund Commissioner and the Superintendent of common schools, giving as an imperative reason the fact that no one could properly attend to the duties of both. There was, under his administration, much activity in educational matters. In 1849, the Principal of the Normal School was made ex officio the Superintendent of common schools with the same duties and powers as previously attached to that office. On the opening of the school in May, 1850, Henry Barnard, formerly Secretary of the Board of Commissioners was chosen Principal by the Board of Trustees created by the Legislature. The reports of 1850, 1851, 1852, and 1853, were written by him, and contain, especially the last, very able and full accounts of the history, progress, and condition of the public schools. No report was printed for 1854. In 1855, John D. Philbrick, as Principal of the Normal School, became Superintendent and the reports of 1855 and 1856 were written by him. In 1856, David N. Camp succeeded Mr. Philbrick as Principal of the Normal School, and as Superintendent of common schools. The reports for 1857-1865, were written by him and are full of wise and practical suggestions, and contain abundant and lasting evidence of his interest, activity and ability in directing the common schools. In 1865, the feeling that the Principal of the Normal School should give his attention wholly to that institution and that the State Superintendent of Common Schools should give his attention wholly to the duties of that office, took form in the act which constituted the State Board of Education appointed by the Legislature. This Act has been from time to time modified and in 1883 was wholly revised and passed in the form found below. Tables exhibiting the changes and progress in public educa tion since the organization of the Board in 1865, are given in this report under the following heads: 1. Receipts and expenses, pages 20, 22. 2. Scholars, including enumeration and attendance, page 27. 3. Teachers, page 47. 4. Schools, page 57. 5. School-houses and libraries, page 83. G. S. sec. 2095. Appointment of members. Term of office. SEC. 4. There shall be a State Board of Education, composed of the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, and four persons appointed by the General Assembly, two at each regular session, and selected one from each Congressional district, who shall hold office for four years, except when appointed to fill a vacancy occasioned otherwise than by the expiration of the term of office, in which case the person so appointed shall hold office only for the unexpired term of the person in whose place he may be appointed; all vacancies shall be filled by the General Assembly, but until so filled they may be filled by the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. Vacancies. The terms of office of members other than the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor begin on the first day of July following their appointment.-General Statutes, sec. 427. The members are paid their necessary expenses.-General Statutes, sec. 3706. The following table gives names of persons who have served as members of the Board and length of service: |