Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-12-06
Education in the United States.

The report Of Ir. Easton. United
States Commissioner Of Education. is
yoluminous document, seventy
pages in length, and with til accom-
panying documents will make vol
ume of five hundred page 1t is
more III the shape of genel i essay
on the condition Of educati0a in this
country and the iuadequacy of any
system n present in existance in de-
velopiag the facts and statistics neces-
sary, than a report Of the actual work
done and the results attained The
accompanying documents are chiefly
other essays by experts on special
topics bearing on the general subject
The Commissioners praises the system
OF Prussia IS superior, in the econ
omy of management and universality,
to the American.
OF tue State reports on schools, that
OF Illinois is said to DO the most COM
plcte. The Massachusetts reports,
while full respecting the common
schools, gay nothing about the col
leges. Several Western States com
plain of the diversion and waste OF
the school funds. Tho condition Of
the educational work in the South is
treated ola length, and the progress
in each State noted. The upshot is,
that many Of the States have good
systems Rnder theirnow constitutions,
bat the apathy or open opposition Of
large classes makes them insignificant.
The provision by the General Gov
eminent Of q system Of free schools
in the Territories is urged and q
schemo of Congressional action is
submitted. A large space il given to
the consideration of the education Of
the Indians. Some general legislation
in aid Of tho Indian school system is
asked, which system ought 80 be in
great part Industrial The constant
calls Tor information receiy ID from
abroad are referred 70, US showing the
interest of other countries 10 our ex-
periments.
There is much talk about the rela-
tions Of education and labor, and a
report on technical schools, by Robert
J Henton. The statistics Of the com
parative illteracy of the males and
females in the New England States
are, the Commissioner says, appall-
ing, and show the necessity for the
thorough education of women, as a
sure means of promoting the general
intelligence.
Other topics treated of are pro
posed National University az the
capital, teachers associations, college
statistics, agricultural and scientific
schools, reformatory schools, institu'
tons for the blind, dumb. idlOtic and
insane, and prison schools. Wherever
| possible, statistics have been obtained
as complete az practicable.
The number Of teachers il the pub
lie schools, as reported for twenty,
eight States, is 8l,394, II which
| more than one third are in he States
Of New York, Illinois and o 10. The
proportion OF the sexes employed are
81 528 malos to lis 966 fem lie teach
ers While the number o. achcrs il
reported for TWEEN y-eight states, 81
varible are the ways of scho officer:
In making reports, that til amour
OF teachers wages can only be asccr
tanned for twenty States hese foo
up the sum Of S23 368,043. 1t is in
terestine to note the contrasts fur
nished by the different States in re
| gard To teachers wages Nevada
pays per month TO her male teacher
! S1lS.55 in coin. and to female teach
ors $50 Is while North Carolina pay
to male teachers $1,000, and to femal,
teachers $3.50, currency, out o
which they have to pay their owr
board, which averages $1,000 pc
month. California pays per month
to male teachers S8I.33, and TO fe
male teachers SG2 ST. Minnesota pay
to males 80 81, and to females so. Al
Maine pays males 1927. aud to fe
males only S14. on the average, pc
month.
The average total absence from th,
public schools amounts, in only TWEEN
ty-four States, to noarly 5,000,0 0t
children Of school age. The States
in which this item was not definitely
ascertainable are Delaware. Georgia
Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Ne
braska, Oregon, South Carolina, Ten
nossee, Texas. Virginia, and Yves
1 Virginia. Take Illinois as ~ exam
! pie The number OF children enroll
Ell in the schools is 7O6,780, Will
there AFRO 1850 not enro led an,
tho average attendance Of heso en-
rolled children is but 2G9, 7GG, so tina
/ the average total absencc.in his Stat
alono is SOB .364.
The following is graduated tabl
Of school expenditure per capita Of
the population ofschool age by States