The New York herald., 1870-12-01
Report Of .Ae c.nnl..le.er Of Ea.o.sloa.

The annual report Of the Commissioner
Of Education Is an earnest Of the intelli-
gent and thorough manner 10 which 1t may
be expected that the work Of the Bureau Of
Education win be done under the supervision
Of one Of the most competent living writer's
on the subject et education. The report ig
fill Of interesting and important facts and
statistics relative to the diversity Of public
school systems In the States and Territories Of
the Union; to provision for the education of
Indians; of the lately emancipated negroes
aud Of the Chinese who are pouring into our
country from Eastern Asia and its islands; to
q suggestion made at the National Teachers
Association In Cleveland, Ohio, last August,
in favor Of the establishment of an American
University, for which, as Commissioner
Barnard intimates, some Of the essential eie-
ments already exist in the city Of Washington /;
to the three hundred and sixty-nine colleges,
and the theological, medical, law, agricultural
and scientific and commercial schools in the
United States; to the Military Academy to
schools for the deaf and dumb and blind, for
idiots and imbeciles; to asylums for the insane
and for inebriates, and to reformatories and
prisons.
II appears that the average attendance In
the schools Of the whole country Is 1871, ,060,
while the average number Of absentees Of
school age Is 4,S43, 56S. The average yearly
school expenditure per head of the school
population varies from $l9 IT, in Nevada, to
4S cents in North Carolina. In the latter State
and three other States-Tennessee, Florida
and Kentucky-less than dollar year is de-
voted to the education Of each child. Massa-
chusetts spends $i6 40 and New York only
$6 SO per head yearly for common school edu-
cation. The large influx Of ignorant immi-
grants must be added to the inadequacy Of our
school systems and the superficial instruction
In our elementary schools as causes for the la
mentable fact that, comparing the effort made,
the money expended and the amount accom-
plished with similar particulars in the Prus sian
system, theirs will undoubtedly be found to ex-
eel the American in economy, in the universally
Of intelligence, in The training of teachers and in
the ratio Of highly trained, scientific and lite
rary minds to the whole population" Com
missioner Barnard Is constrained to endorse
the recent declaration Of President Folwell, of
the University of Minnesota, that with world
wide fame for our free schools, with civil insti-
tutions not merely tolerating, but presupposing
and demanding, the coordination Of 'educa-
tienal agencies, we Americans, accustomed as
we are to organize and cooperate, stand far
behind many European nations in this matter
Of the organization of education In general.
Prussia, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece,
have for many years had all their schools,
colleges and universities, public and private,
SO co-ordnated and subordinated as to form
harmonious systems.
The report OF the Commissioner of Educa-
tion gives the most complete view Of the sub
ject which has ever been presented. II con-
cludes with number of practical recommen-
dations, after having stated seven things which
the government may do in relation to educa-
ton. or these the sixth-''the national gov
ernment may know all about education in the
country, and may communicate what It knows
at the discretion Of Congress and the Execu-
tive"-is unquestionably the most important