The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-02-13


Fsgg - Her form ,is- crinoiine.
REPORT or THE sUPERyNrENDENr or
= .s. PvBLlC INSTRUCTION.: yt9.,,4
following abstract of the report OF Mr..
FISHER, the superintendent Of Public In
struetion in this State: f.a ssls,
1t opens with . reference to the smbar-
RAISING circumstances existing at the COM
meneement Of his term, from the controver-
~ between Messrs. Eads and Stone, A. to
who was the Superintendent of Public. In
struclion. The estimated amount Of the
10th section, school lands,is I,Oll ,456 acres,
of which AT ,403.36 acres have been sold.
In addition to this, Congress granted 500,
600 acres, of which 454, ,lll.89 have been
sold. The whole number of acres Of school
lands remaining unsold is 5l9,92O.75. The
present amount Of school fund is 81, 2,O5O,-
543.65, from which is to be deducted $4,-
777.37 for defalcations. The average price
of the land sold during the past year was
$4.S6 per acre. Ii the SIS, ,939.75 acres Of
school lande unsold, sell at the same price,
they will bring $2,182, ,997 .65, which added
to the existing fund, amounts to 81, ,2i3,-
SAL 20. In addition to this, it is probable
that Congress will authorise the allowance
of five per cent. on the lands entered BY
land warrants in this State, rs it did to
Mississippi and Alabama, which will increase
our fund at least 81 500, 600, and give us d
permanent school fund Of $5, SOC, 900.
In the administration Of the school fund,
under the new Constitution an entire change
becomes necessary, and affords an opportu-
nifty for making ample provisions for rigid
supervision of its management, few gener-
al principles for which are laid down and
recommended by Mr.. Fisher. Out Of the
eighty-four organized counties in the State,
School Fund Commissioners Of twenty-six.
From the returns it appears that three-ffths
of the children of the State, of the proper
age, did not enter the sehool-room during
the past year. More than one half of our
youth ase growing up in ignorance, notwith-
standing the provisions made for schools.
In Ohio, four ffths of the youth attena
school, and the absence Of the other fifth is
considered serious evil, demanding rem
edy. Out of 1896 organized school districts
in the State, only 2,70S schools were main.
tanned. 1t is evident from the Superintend-
ent's report, that our common schools are
in very unsatisfactory state, notwithstand-
ing the gratifying fact that $7l, l,7s4.5S is
raised in the school districts by voluntary
subscription. # s-.a
The deplorable state Of our schools is
mainly attributable to the want Of an efficient
school law. This has been long felt, and
the efforts to remedy it have only resulted
in patchwork system Of laws enicted ut
different times. #
The report suggests some excellent fea-
lures Of system Of public schools which it
would be becoming for the State to adopt.
1t recommends that provisions be made for
the instruction of the whole people in the
elementary branches of knowledge, and for
the education of teachers. 1t also urges the
establishment of High Schools in all the
populous and wealthy counties, and recon-
mends the annual appropriation Of one
thousand dollars to every county, which
raises an equal amount for their support
1t recommends the election of county su-
perintendent of schools and township com
mittees, to have supervision over the schools
and to report to the State Superintendent.
Mr.. Fisher adopts the views of Messrs. Ben
ton, Mann and Dean, and recommends that
atownship constitute a school district, rather
than that it should be divided into several
as at present.
The report next takes up the disparity in
the means Of education between the city and
the country, which it forcibly illustrates and
recommends that the injustice done to sparse
ly settled districts be removed by providing
that the money raised by taxation shall be
equally divided among the districts Of the
county. The estimated expenditures which
the adoption of the scheme would impose, is
only about 100 from which S2,76O is to
be refunded. The books now in use in the
schools, possessing considerable merit, are
not substituted by others, rs it would i'm
pose tax Of one hundred thousand dollars
upon the people, while the success of the
schools depend more upon the character of
the teachers than upon the text books used.
OF the 46,0S0 acres of land granted by
Congress to the State University, 81 ,S43.60
acres have been sold for $ll2, 1857 "A, which
is the present fund Of the University, draw
ing interest ut 10 per cent. 1t is estimated
that the land unsold will bring enough to
make the fund ut least 500, 900. The rev.
enue Of the University for the year ending
December 81. was $9,9O8.5O. Its expendi-
lures were $8,670.ll, leaving balance in
the treasury Of 81 ,23S.48. The estimated
resources for the year 1858 are SIS, 5,l63.61;
expenses $l4, 500. The report recommends
that $5,O 900 be appropriated to put the Uni
versity building in q fit condition for occu-
pancy, and that $780, 900 be appropriated to
erect college edifce sufficiently capaclous
to accommodate one hundred students. This
able report is concluded as follows: "The
greatness Of this State in wealth and popu-
lation is inevitable. Our moral and intel
lectual grandeur depend upon ourselves, and,
IN great degree upon the legislation Of this
session, and the appropriations, scanty or
liberal, which may be made for institutions
for the promotion Of learning and virtue.''
DIR. LIVINGSTON ON AFRICA. ~
The Africans look upon Us white people
as only another tribe Of men: and when
attempt to tell what their number may be,
they put me the question ,ss..
"Are they as many Is . cloud Of locusts?o
II say yes, they ask further, whether,
if each Of the white people were 70 take .
locust into his hand, they would finish the
whole cloud? Of course, say ! think
they would. ..g asa