The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-26
THE STATE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

are State officers. The State compels the To-
cation and maintenance of the schools, pre-
scribes the course of study, assumes the
equalization of benefits and adopts the prln-
ciple of general taxation. Through indiffer-
ence or neglect the people of no locality can
deprive their children of good school priv
ileges. The State requires that the teachers
shall be intelligent, moral, competent to in
struct and discipline, and shall attend daily
to their duties. The State does not leave this
to local control. All is fixed by law; the
machinery is perfect, wheels within wheels
There are territorial divisions-State, county,
township town or city and school districts.
There are school officers-State Superintend-
ent and Board of Education; the same for
counties, besides township trustees and
school director. As to special institutions
we have the State University and Normal
School, the agricultural and industrial
school, and special schools for the blind, deaf
feeble-minded, for the orphans and for the
vicious. AS to general institutions, we have
the graded schools of cities and towns, city
normal schools and the graded and un-
graded schools of the country districts.
There are also county institutes held an
nually by the county superintendent be-
State in the West is more thoroughly or
ganized for educational purposes than
is Indi ana. The State Board of Education
consists of the Governor the State
Superintendent, the presidents of the State
University, of Purdue University and of the
State Normal School, together with the SUI
perntendents of the schools of Indianapolis
Evansville and Fort Wayne. The whole
system is interlocked and perfected, and pro-
vides theoretically for the education of every
child from the rudiments of knowledge to
the masters degree in the higher institu-
tons. ,t5
But the greatest interest centers about the
public schools. OF higher and special insti-
tutions there are far more and larger private
and sectarian than State, and many of them
are fully as complete and successful. A pri-
vate school at Valparaiso outnumbers the
State University of Ann Arbor in numbers
having nearly 1,5O0 students, while there are
half a dozen sectarian schools II which
stand parallel with the State schools
in wealth, numbers and influence.
1t is the representatives of the public schools
who are assembled in the State Teachers AS
ISOLATION, In number they are over !, 400,
instructing daily over 100000 children in
10000 different school buildings. These
houses, with other school properties, are
valued at over twelve millions of dollars.
The s, 900 males teaching in these schools re-
ceive an average of $37 each month, and the
5000 females $35 month. OF children of
700, 900 in the State, of whom about one-half
are in average daily attendance. OF the
IA 900 colored children of school age 5000
are in attendance, sharing equal rights and
privileges with the whites. No feature of
our growth and prosperity as State. since
the war of the rebellion is more noticeable
and satisfactory than the attention given to
public education. $40 ea 80 g.
Reference to the twenty-eighth report of
the Superintendent (18SO) to the Governor
shows the rapid growth of our publc-school
system. This report of Superintendent
Smart is one of the most comprehensive
ard valuable ever issued in the West, rank
ing with those of Newton Bateman, OF Hi
nois, or of Mr.. Harris, of st. Louis, for prac-
teal value and clever perception of educa-
tional conditions and necessities Prof.
Smart places on record the results of
his study of the school system of the State.
He finds this system to be the result of a
growth of twenty-five years, the fruit of the
constitution adopted in 1852 He further
states that IRON the date of the adoption of
those fundamental laws the growth of the
school system has been very rapid. large
school fund has been created and made pro-
ductive; grand system has been organized
and perfected; public sentiment has been
aroused and nodded Alright; school-houses
have been built by the thousand; schools
have been opened within convenient dis
lance of almost every child in the State;
cities and villages have maintained high
schools and training-schools; a State normal
school has been established; colleges
and universities have been founded, and the
whole educational machinery of the State
has been adjusted and adapted to the wants
! of a great Commonwealth" Various dia-
grams and comparative tables in illustration
of his statements are given by Mr. Smart.
In one of the latter he shows that the num-
Der of children is increasing proportionately
faster than the school fund. the per capita be-