INDIANA. The fourth biennial report of the superintendent of public instruction, Hon. Barnabas C. Hobbs, for 1867-'8, contains the following information: The constitution of the State makes it incumbent upon the legislature to provide "a general and uniform system of common schools, wherein tuition shall be without charge, and equally open to all." "We cannot," says the superintendent, "avoid the grave consideration that there is a large colored population in the State, who have hitherto submitted patiently to the ordeal of adverse public sentiment and the force of our statutes, in being denied participation in the benefits of our public school funds, while, at the same time, no bar can be discovered to their natural and constitutional right to these." "Colored citizens, while hitherto deprived of their natural and constitutional rights, have been subject to the special school tax for township purposes in common with white citizens, and have thus paid their proportion of expense for building school-houses for white children. After being denied all privilege to the school funds, and thus taxed, they have been under the necessity of levying on themselves an additional tax to build their own school-houses, and for the entire cost of their tuition." * * INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY. This institution is located at Bloomington. President, Cyrus Nutt, D. D., professor of moral, mental, and political philosophy. The whole number of students in the four college classes is 192. In the department of the theory and practice of teaching, 30 ; in preparatory studies, 12; in the law department, 21; in modern languages, 6. Total in attendance, 249. The number of professors is 10; number of tutors, 3. Three new departments have been opened this year, viz., modern languages, the theory and practice of teaching, and military science. Tuition was made free for all the students in the State University, by the action of the trustees, in 1860. Every young man and maiden has a perpetual scholarship, which entitles them to free tuition in their own State university. INDIANA ASHBURY UNIVERSITY. Located at Greencastle, about forty miles west of Indianapolis. Thomas Bowman, D. D., president, and professor of moral and mental science. This institution has a permanent endowment fund of over $100,000, which is constantly increasing. The libraries of the college reach an aggregate of 10,000 volumes. It has a good apparatus for chemical experiments, a fine achromatic telescope, polarizing apparatus, meteorological, electrical, magnetical, and optical apparatus of the most approved forms, and a good cabinet. Expenses of board and tuition from $200 to $300 per annum. This institution, the superintendent states, deserves a more extended notice, but no reports have been received from the faculty, therefore further information is lacking. WABASH COLLEGE. This institution was chartered in 1834. President, Joseph F. Tuttle, professor of moral and intellectual philosophy. The college has given more or less instruction to more than 2,000 students, and has graduated 105. The present attendance is 162; in college proper, 66; in preparatory department, 96. The college was chartered as Wabash College and Teachers' Seminary, and has always done much to foster common school education. Permanent funds invested, $100,000, from which and tuition fees is realized about the sum of $12,000 annually. A low estimate of the buildings, $35,000. It has a beautiful campus of 25 acres of native forest trees, which cannot be estimated in dollars. It has other property which may be estimated at $50,000. Library numbers over 10,000 volumes. NORTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. Situated near the northwest limits of the city of Indianapolis. Was founded in 1850 by a joint-stock company. Stock amounts to more than $152,000, controlled by a board of twenty-one directors. Endowment, $100,000, upon which interest is accruing to the amount of $5,000 annually. The president is O. A. Burgess, A. M., professor of biblical literature. The session is nine months, divided into three terms. Pupils, exclusive of the music department and the primary school, number 160. The number of professors and teachers is 8. The course of study is thorough, requiring two years in the preparatory department, and four in the college proper. EARLHAM COLLEGE. Located one mile west of Richmond. President Joseph Moore, M. S. Number of pupils, 174; ladies, 76; gentlemen, 98. Number of professors and teachers, 12. Course of study, preparatory or academical and collegiate. It has a good cabinet of natural history, mathematical, philosophical, and chemical apparatus, and libraries containing about 3,000 volumes. In its observatory are a good mounted telescope, and a transit instrument in good condition, with a sidereal clock. It has been a college proper about nine years. It has a campus of about 160 acres, handsomely laid out in groves, orchards, fields, garden, lawn, &c., and is under the management of the Indiana Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends. The number of alumni is 39. UNION CHRISTIAN COLLEGE. Located at Merom, Sullivan County; incorporated in 1859; opened for the admission of students in 1860. President, Thomas Holmes. Endowment fund, $110,000. Value of property, $65,000. Students in attendance within the last year, 109; number of alumni, 4; number of volumes in college library, 300; number of faculty and teachers, 7. Ladies pursue the same course of study, are subject to the same regulations, enjoy the same privileges, and receive the same honors, as gentlemen. The courses of study are, academic, classical, and scientific, omitting the dead languages. There is a commercial and music department. The location is reported healthy and beautiful; students orderly and industrious, and methods of instruction thorough and efficient. BROOKVILLE COLLEGE. Located at Brookville, on the White Water Valley railroad, forty miles from Cincinnati. Under the control of the Methodist Episcopal Church. President, J. H. Martin, A. M. The course of instruction is classical and scientific, collegiate and preparatory. The classical course requires four years; the scientific, three. It has a normal, a commercial, and a music department. Its normal course is designed to equal the course required by the State board of education for applicants for State certificates for teaching. The institution is in a prosperous condition, and out of debt. INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB. Located at Indianapolis. Thomas MacIntire, M. D., superintendent. Total annual expenses per pupil. 209 186 10 2,034 $800 $45 $240 1,200 400 Probable number of deaf-mutes in the State.. Cabinet-making, boot and shoe making, tailoring, and mantua-making are carried on for the benefit of pupils who wish to learn those trades. The institute is in a prosperous condition in all departments, except that the accommodations are not sufficient. INDIANA INSTITUTE FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE BLIND. Founded in 1847. Superintendent, William Churchman. Number of pupils enrolled during the year was 126; males, 57; females, 69. Of this number 21 have left as graduates, either of the school or work department; 13 being young men who had obtained a thorough knowledge of the broom-making business, and several of them had learned other branches of handicraft. The whole number of pupils received into the institution since its foundation is exhibited in the following: This "House of Refuge for juvenile offenders" is located near the village of Plainfield, on a farm of 223 acres. Since the purchase of the farm, in 1867, there have been three family buildings erected on it, 38 by 56 feet in extent, with two stories and basement. Two of these buildings are occupied by the boys. The first inmate was received on the 28th of January of the current year, and there are now in attendance 108 boys, 54 in each family building. Each family is divided in two classes, all of whom attend school one-half of each day, and are detailed for work the other half. Most of the boys can read print quite intelligibly, and nearly all the larger boys can write and cipher some. Cost of the buildings, including a work-shop 40 by 80 feet, about $30,000.Nearly all boys take a deep interest in their studies, and seem anxious to improve their advantages. EDUCATION IN STATE PRISONS. In response to letters of inquiry, addressed to officers of the State prisons, north and south, the superintendent has received information from those in the south that "the law providing for the mental culture of the convicts is not carried out at present, at least not according to the letter." There is no organized school, yet the education of the prisoners is not quite overlooked. All who desire it are furnished with schoolbooks, slates, and writing-books. Both the prisons, north and south, report a great lack of books in the library; that of the south having been in use so long that the books are quite worn out, and in that of the State prison north, there is not even a supply of Bibles to furnish every man a copy, according to law. |
