The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-03 00:00:00

EDUCATION IN AMERICA.

[The following answers have been given by a gentic-
man who has been for some years resident in New
York, to queries on the subject of education trans-
mitted to him by a friend in Edinburgh.]
1. What is the provision made, in the different States,
for the support of schools and teachers, and from what
sources is it derived ?

In all the New England States—in the States of
New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania—State
provision is made for the support of the schools,
but the mode of making the provision differs in the
different States. In Massachus-tts, the law requires
that, so soon as the population of any township
reaches a certain number, the citizens shall meet and
tax themselves, in order to raise a sum to build a
school-house and support a teacher. A meeting for
the same purpose is held annually, and the rate fixed
according to the exigencies of the case, much in the
same way as the Church•rate is fixed in England.
All are obliged to pay the tax thus mutually agreed
upon, and all in the township have the privilege of
sending their children to the school supported by it,
free of any additional charge. Their refusal to send
their children to the school does not exempt them from
the payment of the tax.
In Connecticut there is no direct annual tax as in
M assachusetts, but the Legislature have a large fund
at their disposal, out of which all the public schools
in the State are entirely supported. In every town-
ship in Connecticut there is a public school free to all.
In New York, as in Connecticut, there is a school
fund ; but before any township (or rather school dis-
trict, as it is called in this State), can derive any ad-
vantage from the fund, certain conditions must be ful-
filled, the most important of which is the building of a
school-house. The sum necessary for building the
school-house is raised, as in Massachusetts, by a direct
tax. The school fund in New York is small, and the
sum given is in proportion to the population of the dis-
trict. In many instances, therefore, when the popula-
tion of the district is small, a charge is made upon the
scholars to make up the salary of the teacher. The
points of difference in the other States arc so trifling
that it is unnecessary to mention them. On this head
I shall only add, that the school funds of the different
States have been raised by the sale of public lands, and
in no instance are supported by a direct tax. Massa-
chusetts has no fund.
2. By what body are teachers elected, and their qua-

Lfications judged Of ?
In every school district school trustees and inspectors
are elected, whose business it is to judge of the qualifi-
cations of teachers, elect them, and superintend the
progress of the school, with power to retain or dismiss
the teacher as they may see cause. This refers to the
State of New York. In New England the select men
of the township, I believe, perform the duty.
How do they manage in regard to religious educa-
tion ?

The law is silent upon this subject altogether,
and there is no religious education, as we would un-
derstand the phrase in Scotland, in any of the public
schools of the Union. If the school inspectors decide
that the school shall be opened with prayer or the
reading of the Scriptures, or with both, there is no law
to prevent it ; and this is practised in several of the
schools, as you will see from Barnard's report. lam in-
formed; however, that this practice does not hold in one
school out of a hundred.
4. If the schools are understood to be secular, how
far is this carried? Is the Bible read or explained?
The answer to the former question involves the an-
swer to this. There is no instance of a catechism
being taught, so far as I know, in any of the schools.
In Pennsylvania a new school law has lately passed the
Legislature, by which it is permitted, if not required,
to read the Bible daily in school, as containing the best
code of morality extent, and the most authentic record
of the early state of the world.

IMPORTANT TO AGRICULTURISTS.—It Will
be in the recollection of our readers that a most terrific
and destructive storm occurred at Chaddesley and the
ne ghbourbood on the 13th of June last. The estimated
loss to the crops was many thousand pounds, the wl.eat and
barley crops being, as was imagined, totally destroyed, the
stalks being entirely broken and beat into the earth. It
was the prevailing opinion of the oldest agriculturists,
that it would be advisable to plough them up, and

.
sow crops of turnips in their places, whilst some few
entertained an adverse opinion, and prognosticated
that the old stalks which had been broken cif

From the root and driven into the earth by the hail would

reproduce a new crop scarcely inferior to the origin&
was ultimately agreed not to plough up the crops, and the
result ought to be generally published for the information
of agricultural public. In the course of a week after the
storm, the green blade put forth as though it were spring,
and flourished so rapidly that the owners began to cherish
hopes that although one crop had been so completely de-
stroyed, a second would arise on its ruins scarcely inferior
in quantity or quality. Those hopes have been more than
realized. In the barley crops especially, ere a month had
elapsed, the new ears put forth in increased numbers, and
we have now before us a sample of this second crop. It is
in every respect equal to that which never sustained any
damage. The wheat crops present a somewhat unusual ap-
pearance. The stalks which were broken have shot forth
cars of wheat in greatly increased numbers. The fields
present an appearance of two crops, the remains of the
original crop being now ready for the sickle, whilst the
second is quite green, but mast luxuriant. The farmers
intend to let " both grow together till the harvest," which
will probably be from two to three weeks later than would
otherwise have been the case. Knowing the proneness of
the sons of this earth to murmur at the apparent visita-
tions of Providence, we may conclude this brief notice of
an event unparalleled in the agricultural history of the
neighbourhood, by recommending our agricultural friends
to consider that there is a wisdom superior to their own,
and that good, may sometimes spring forth out of what ap-
peareth to them evil.—Ten Towns' Messenger.
DISAPPOINTED BURGLARS. During the
the night of Sunday last the premises of Mr. Dear, linen-
draper, High-street, Shoreditch, were forcibly entered,
and property amounting to upwards of 3001. was packed
up, and placed ready for removal in the rear of the pre-
mises, where it was fortunately discovered before the
thieves returned for it. The parish turncock, who lives in
Magpie-alley, imniediately behind Mr. Dear's residence,
got up it appears, at four o'clock in the morning, and on
going out he perceived a bulky white bundle on the roof of
an adjoining shed ; suspecting that it contained property
stolen from Mr. Dear's, he alarmed the family, who on
entering the shop, found the fanlight open, and a long rope
depending from i . Upon examination it was asccrtaineod.
that 101 pieces of silk had been removed, the whole
which was found in the bundle. The turncock bad per-
ceived two suspicious looking fellows lurking near the
and it is suspected
place, who hurried off on observing 11_1
a cab in which to remove it. They mos
of t have sealed two
.e roofs two or three
that hey left the property on the shheid'until they procured
depredation. On the
lofty walls, and scrambled over th
outhouses to reach the scene of their
1 et
preceding night the house of Mr. Batch, another linen-
draper in Shoreditch,
was
case
almarauders went off in a
flighthaunrr yin ,
ibnuuts
BRANDING A DESERTER —A few mornings
since the operation of branding a deserter was performed
their et this
r i s
collected c as booty.
likewise enter
the through the
in the Tower on a private belonging to the Fusilier Guards,
who had been sentenced by a Court-martial to be branded
with the letter D, and to undergo three months' imprison-
ment in the Penitentiary, for desertion. The man was
brought from the place in which he had been confined about
ten o'clock. The shape of the letter was first marked with
some colouring on his back, and afterwards traced with a
sharp instrument in Ilngitudina lines. When this was
completed, the letter was finished by means of a needle
fixsd in a cork, and finally rubbed with a colouring mix-
ture, which it is impossible to eradicate. The man ap-
peared to suffer a good deal of pain while it was being
performed, and the sweat ran rapidly down his face. The
punishment was inflicted by a drummer, in the presence of
Dr. Bowling, the surgeon of the regiment. The man was
subsequently conveyed to the military hospital.