XXVI. EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN.

Every organized Township must be divided into School Districts.

Each District at the first Meeting, elects a Moderator for three years.

The District is a Body Corporate, and has power to designate a Site for a School House, and may vote Taxes to pay for the same, and to build a School House and keep it in repair, and may also vote $20 a year for the purchase of Books of Reference, Apparatus, etcetera.

The Moderator, Director and Assessor form a District Board, that has the care and custody of the School House and property; that hires the Teacher, and has immediate management and control of School affairs.

Each Township elects two Inspectors, who, with the Township Clerk, form a Board of Inspectors, whose duty it is to divide the Township into Districts, to examine and license Teachers, and to visit and supervise the Schools.

There is a State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who has general supervision of the Public Schools, and he and three other elected persons form a State Board of Education.

The Director of each District annually makes a report of the condition of the Schools, to the Township Clerk, who makes an abstract of the District Reports for the County Clerk, who makes copies of them for the State Superintendent.

The Constitution directs that all fines assessed and collected in the Townships and Counties shall be applied to the establishment of a Township Library.

A School Fund is created, consisting of all lands granted by Congress, or the State, or given by deed, or devise for School purposes, and of all lands that escheat to the State for want of heirs.

Funds are also created for the support of a University, in which tuition is free, and for a Normal School."

The educational funds of the State were reported in 1865 to be—

Primary School Fund

University Fund

Normal School Fund

Total

£2,040,085

535,412

65,876

$2,641,373

XXVII. EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.

There is a State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who has the general supervision of Common Schools. He is required to visit the several Counties of the State, and advise with Teachers and School Officers; to recommend Text Books and advise as to the selection of Books for School Libraries; to examine and determine Appeals; to apportion the School Moneys among the Counties, and to report annually to the Legislature.

The legal voters in a District have power to choose a Director, Treasurer and Clerk; to designate a School Site; to vote taxes for the purchase of Sites; for building, or leasing, School Houses; for the payment of Teachers' wages; for the purchase of Books for a Library, and of Maps, Globes and Apparatus.

The Director, Treasurer and Clerk constitute a District Board. The Clerk hires the Teacher, with the approval of the Director and Treasurer, and draws Warrants on the Treasurer, countersigned by the Director, for all moneys due for Teachers' wages.

In every District School there must be taught the English Language, Orthography, Reading, Writing, English Grammar, Geography and Arithmetic.

The District Clerk every year makes a statistical Report to the Town Clerk, who in his turn reports to the County School Superintendent, who compiles an abstract of the Town Reports for the State Superintendent of Schools.

Every District is required to keep a School for three months to entitle it to any share in the distribution of the public money.

A County Superintendent is elected, whose duty it is to examine and license Teachers, to visit and inspect the Schools, to organize and conduct Teachers' Institutes and Associations, and to report annually to the State Superintendent.

The Board of supervisors of every County are required every year to cause to be collected in every Town and Ward, by Tax, an amount of money for the support of Schools not less than half the amount apportioned to such Town and Ward the previous year by the State Superintendent, and unless this is done no public money is to be apportioned to the delinquent County for the current year.

The School Fund in 1864, amounted to $2,118,423.56.

The State has also established a Normal School Fund, estimated at $1,128,246, of which $594,581.87, is productive. This fund and the Normal Schools are placed under charge of a Board of Regents of Normal Schools.

XXVIII. EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF IOWA.

Every civil Township is a School District, and is divided by the Trustees into Subdistricts. Each District holds an Annual Meeting, and decides upon the purchase and sale of Sites and School Houses, upon the branches to be taught in the Schools, and may vote a Tax, for School purposes.

The Sub-districts hold Annual Meetings and choose Officers called Sub-directors, who constitute a Board of Directors for the District, with corporate powers, and who have the power fix the Sites of School Houses and to establish Schools. They estimate the amount of money necessary to keep School in the District for the legal term of twenty-four weeks, and certify the amount to the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors cause such Taxes to be levied and collected. Each Sub-director has charge of his Sub-district, hires the Teacher, and makes all contracts for fuel, furniture, etcetera, subject to the approval of the Board; and he is required to report to the Board.

There is a County Superintendent elected for two years, whose duty it is to examine and license Teachers, visit and supervise Schools, to receive the Reports from the Districts, and make and report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction an abstract of them.

The School month consists of four weeks, and the School year of twenty-four weeks. The Auditor of the State apportions the Income of the School Fund to the Counties.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is charged with the general supervision of all the County Superintendents, and all the Common Schools of the State; he decides appeals from the decisions of the County Superintendents, and reports annually to the Legislature.

All Land granted by the United States for Schools, the 500,000 acres granted by Congress to new States, all escheats, the percentage on sales of land in the State, money paid for exemption from military duty, and fines for breach of penal laws, are devoted to the support of Common Schools and constitute the School Fund. The fund in 1857 amunted to $2,030,544, and the unsold lands to 619,940 acres.

XXIX. EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

The Towns and Sub-districts, as divided by the County Commissioners, are declared to be corporate Bodies, with power to elect a Director, Treasurer and Clerk, who are the Trustees of the District. The Director has immediate charge of the Schools. The Treasurer receives and pays out all School moneys. The Clerk records the proceedings of district meetings and of the Board, and makes annually to the County Auditor a Report.

The Districts have power to vote money for the support of Schools, and the Clerk certifies the amount voted to the County Auditor, who assesses and levies it upon the real and personal property of the District.

The County Commissioners appoint annually a man in each County to examine and license Teachers, and visit the Schools. They are also required each year to levy a tax for the support of Schools.

The several Districts of the State are entitled to their share of the public money on the condition of making their Annual Report, no time being limited during which School shall be kept.

The Secretary of State is ex-officio Superintendent of Public Instruction, and makes the apportionment of the Income of the School Fund. The County Commissioners (Supervisors) are authorized to appoint at their discretion a County Superintendent, with power to examine and license Teachers, to organize and conduct Institutes and Teachers' Associations, and to have generally the supervision of the Schools; to receive the District Reports and make an abstract of the same for the State Superintendent.

One-eighteenth part of all the public lands in the State, amounting in all to about 2,800,000 acres, were granted to the State by Congress for the support of Common Schools.

XXX. EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF KANSAS.

Supervision is provided, first, by the election of a State Superintendent of Public Instruction for two years, and a County Superintendent for the same term.

The State Superintendent is required to visit each County at least once a year; to file and keep all reports made to him; to recommend Text Books for the use of Schools; to apportion the public money among the several Counties, and to make an annual report to the Legislature.

The County Superintendent divides the County into Districts, apportions the School money to them, visits the Schools, examines and licenses Teachers, and reports annually to the State Superintendent.

Each District elects yearly a Director, Clerk, and Treasurer, who constitute a District Board. The Board has power to purchase School Sites, hire Teachers, and have the control and management of the Schools and School property. The C'erk of each District makes the annual statistical Report to the County Superintendent.

The male and female inhabitants of the District are allowed to vote at District Meetings, and they have power to vote taxes for the payment of Teachers' wages, for the purchase of Sites and building of School Houses, and the purchase of Black-boards and Apparatus for the Schools.

The School Fund consists of the public lands granted by Congress for the support of Schools. The estates of persons dying without heirs or will are also to be added to the fund. The School Land amounts to 2,844,444 acres.

XXXI. EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

The Constitution of the State provides for the election of a Superintendent of Public Instruction. It also requires the Legislature to provide a System of Common Schools, by which a School shall be kept in each District for three months in the year. The Legislature has created a Board of Education, composed of the Governor, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, etcetera.

The Board have power to adopt a Course of Study for the Public Schools; to prescribe a list of Books suitable for District Libraries, to grant Life Diplomas to Teachers, to prescribe Regulations for the examination of Teachers, and to adopt uniform Text-books.

The Superintendent visits and superintends the Schools and Educational Institutions of the State, apportions the public money to the Districts, Cities and Counties, and makes to the Legislature, biennially, a report upon the condition of the Schools and the administration of the School System.

XXXII. EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF OREGON.

The organic law of Oregon provides that the Governor of the State shall act as Superintendent of Public Instruction. Together with the Secretary of State and the Treasurer, he is one of a Board of Commissioners for the sale of School and University lands, and the investments of funds derived therefrom.

The County Superintendent shall be elected for a term of two years. He has power to fix the boundaries of Districts, to collect or cause to be collected the moneys due to his County for School purposes, and apportion the result among the Districts in his charge. Certificates to teach shall be granted by him, and he has power to fix the grade of Teachers. The School Lands are supervised by him, and it is made his duty to visit the Schools once in six months.

Districts are organized by the meeting of six or more electors, under whose management the Schools are placed. No Teacher may be employed who has not a Certificate, which in certain cases may be granted by the Governor. The District Clerk shall keep the accounts of the District. School must be kept six hours and half daily. The Law provides for Registers of progress of Scholars.

The proceeds of all lands and bequests which shall shall be granted to the State for educational purposes shall be forever kept for that purpose, in addition to all money accruing to the State from escheat, or forfeiture. The five hundred thousand acres which were granted to this State by Congress are devoted to School uses, and the five per cent. of the net proceeds of the sales of the public lands. These sources shall together make a consolidated fund, irreducible and separate, to be appropriated for the use of the Common Schools. The County Court, in addition, shall levy a tax of two mills on the dollar, yearly, to be collected at the same time and in the same way as other taxes. Districts have power to tax for School purposes also.

XXXIII. EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF NEVADA.

The State of Nevada has made very liberal provisions for the education of the children of its community. Two sections of Land are reserved in each Township for the use of the Schools, besides the revenue derived from various taxes and privileges belonging to the State. These are reinforced by taxes levied for this direct purpose, and the County is also empowered to provide in the same manner.

Alabama
Arkansas

SCHOOL FUNDS OF THE SEVERAL STATES AS LATE AS JANUARY 1, 1859.

California

$1,425,933
None.
739,487

Massachusetts

Michigan

REMARKS ON THE UNITED STATES SYSTEMS OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.

1. General Excellence of the City and Town Schools.

In the foregoing epitome of the Systems and state of Popular Instruction in several neighbouring States, I have said little of what has been done, or is doing in Cities and Towns. The reason is that the Schools are organized in the Cities and Towns, for the most part by special Acts, and not under the general School Laws of the States. Taken as a whole, I do not think, from my best observations and enquiries, that there is any Country in the world in whose Cities and Towns, (except Leipsie in Saxony,) the Systems of Education are so complete and efficient as in the neighbouring States, especially in Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia, etcetera. There is one Board in each City charged with the education of a large population, from the Primary schools up to the highest English and Scientific Schools, and Classical, preparatory to the University, and to the Professions, and to foreign Commerce. In each of these Cities, and in each of many of the Towns, there is but one set of Regulations, and one series of School Text-books; there are Classical Schools and Teachers, and some of the Cities have their own Normal Schools for the training of their own Teachers, with Libraries, etcetera. In the style, arrangements and furniture of their School Buildings, in the character and Salaries of their Teachers, and in every provision for the education of all classes of citizens, there is a manifest earnestness, an intelligence, and princely liberality truly admirable and patriotic. Nothing but a personal visit and inspection can convey an adequate idea of the comprehensiveness, completeness, and even in some instances, grandeur of the establishments and Systems of Education in the Cities, and in not a few Towns of our American neighbours. And where there are private and select Schools and Seminaries in those Cities and Towns, they have to be conducted in the most efficient manner possible in order to maintain an existence in competition with the excellent Public Schools.

2. The Citizen's Recognized Right to Education.

There is another educational feature common to all the neighbouring States, and worthy of the highest respect and admiration it is the recognition of the right of every citizen to the means of a good education, and the obligations of the State to provide for it. This is an article in the Constitution of several of the States, and is recognized by a liberal provision in setting apart the proceeds of the sales of one-sixth, or seventh, of their Public Lands to form a School Fund for universal education. This has been followed up by School Laws, framed in the same spirit and with the same design; very large sums of money have been raised and expended, and a net-work of Schools has been spread over the land.

3. Inadequate Results from American Country Schools.

But here, in most of the States. the work has begun to halt, and the patriotic objects of its projectors have been disappointed. The State has acknowledged, and nobly endeavoured to redeem, its obligation to provide an education for its every child;