Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-01-21

or higher grade, embracing uofnsRl. pfepdTetofy
Our educational system embraces the common
school, the higher school, the Normal School, ths
Agricultural College and the State University.
intendent of public instruction is commended e
the careful attention OF the Legislature Tor lts
detailed interesting and valuable matter, ano
for certain practical suggestions. From 1t W
learn that In 1892 there 912S school dlsT1ccs
In the state, and 9,08S school buildings, The re
mote and sparsely settled county OF Morton CON
tatns nineteen school districts and thirteen
school buildings, while the expansive and well
settled county Of Sumner has 1877 school districts
and 200 school buildings,
The persons of school age in the statefor 1885,
pupils enrolled in the public schools. $50 ,225
which is .S45 less than the enrolment for 1881
The average daily attendance was 239, 299. which
is 8 SOB less than it was In 1891. The common
schools may be regarded Is the peoples colleges
and, hence, worthy Of all needful care on the
part of tee law-making power of the state; and
therefore attention is called to the following
from the aforesaid report: Tt is quite evident
that the law relating to compulsory attendance
at school Is susceptible of improvement, and
The time has come In the history OF our state
for the establishment of truant schools for the
already large and constantly increasing number
OF pupils who are In the streets when they ought
to be in school"
Female teachers are largely in excess Of male
teachers In the state, and while males receive on
an average SO. Is per month, and females $35.2
yet In Sumner county the average pay is the
same for each sex, and In Sedgwlck females lead
the males on an average of $2.0S per month.
In the list of county superintendent OF public
instruction for 1894, there are twenty-three
females, which is an indication OF the increas-
ing power of women in educational work and OF
the coming solution OF the problem OF equal pay
for the same work, without reference to who
may perform it.
There are 257 school districts extending
through fifty-fve counties in the state which
have not sustained at least three months school
In the year, and twenty-five of these districts are
in one county. From the beginning of the ex-
istence of Kansas as state, up to 1879, there had
been an annual levy OF a tax of one mill on each
dollars valuation of the assessed property OF the
state for school purposes But by an act OF the
legislature of that year it was abolished.
From the report of the superintendent of pub
lie instruction the following extract is made,
which bears on this subject: L believe that the
legislature should at the earliest day ractlcable,
restore the one mill levy by the state to be dis
tributed as the annual school fund is now appor-
toned. And if the legislature would make the
levy two mills, or even three mills, their acti
would go quite q long way toward correcting
our present unequal and unjust distribution of
the money raised for the support of our schools
by the district plan of taxation"
The amount of money of the semi-annual
apportionment of the state annual school fund
1891 was $3.50 229.4, which was 53cents per cspita
for the February apportionment and 50 cents
per capita for the August apportionment,
making total of S1.05 per capita.
The total amount of money received during
the year 1891 for school purposes was Oh 299 IS,
of which the sum of S3,538, $50 81 was received
from county treasurers from district school
taxes. In 1892 the whole amount received was
$500 9S1 81, of which $3.50 II was received
from the treasurers Of the several counties of the
state from district school taxes.
CHANGE OF TINE OF ANNUAL SCHOOL MEETINGS.
The statute providing for annual meetings in
district schools on the last Thursday of July was
perhaps enacted on the theory that it would give
the county clerk of each county sufficient time
to furnish the several district school clerks the
amount of taxable property in their respective
so that suitable levy of district school
taxes might thereby be made, but the state
81 perintendent of public instruction in his re-
port Gays the annual school meeting should be
held at earlier date in cities of the third class
He gives as a reason for the change that in these
cities from three to twelve teachers are employed
and it would be better for the schools and the
earlier date than is possible as the law now
stands; and it may be further remarked that
were such change made, cities of the first and
second class would not be given the first choice
of teachers by reason, of their school boards
being elected at an earlier date.
COUNTY NORMAL INSTITUTES.
These institutes, brought into life by the action
Of the legislature of 1877. have been so extended
q, to have an existence in every county of the
state. They have had such benefcent influence
upon the educational work of this great COM
as to be permanent part Of what
may be called our symmetrical common school
getiC, plain, toiling people of Kansas. At the
sessions of the institute in 1892 the average daily
was fourteen in Morton county and
lou in the county of Jewell. The sessions have
been thirty days in ength in most cf the lO6
counties. In 1891 there were 210 evening lee
lures independent of the general work of the
Institutes, and in 1892 the corps of instructors
At these Institutes reached the number of 1873.
The state superintendent of public instruction
deemed it proper to require county commission
srs to appropriate not less than $50 for each in
stitQte of four weeks.
THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND.
There are in the treasury of the state certain
fraudulent district school bonds purporting to
nave been issued by the authority of school dis
riots organized in the counties of Comanche,
Norton and Rice, which aggregate SIS, 800, and of
which the state can have no possible prospect of
any part of the principal or interest
If the same. lnas much as the constitution of
he state expressly declares that the permanent
school fund shall not be diminished I would
legislation authorizing the state
treasurer and auditor of state to cancel these
fraudulent bonds. and duly provide for a rein
ponds.
HIGHER EDUCATION.
Aside from the Normal School, the Agricul-
jural College and the University of the State the
abstracts of thirty other educational institutions
which Include high schools, academies, colleges,
'eminaries and universities of different classes
The State NaTndl SclOOL-The reports of the
duO OOdlO VI IeSOuGS VI ILLS luSUlCu-
ion will amply repay ones perusal for the in
jeresting and valuable matter they contain. The
legislature will be asked to appropriate for the
iscal year ending June 80, 1894, the amount of
$4,000 for an additional wing and assembly
Dom. The pupils from the institution come
rom Lightweight counties of the state, and out
tide of the state from sixteen states and terri
orieS.
NJ 8. Carrie S. Plumb and family have kindly
donated to the school the valuable private
library of selected public documents which the
ate United States Senator Preston B. Plumb
lad collected during his public life, which gift
embraces nearly 900 volumes, for the most part
bound in sheep, but for which the
has absolutely no room.
The State Agricultural Colle0e.-The board of
egents of this institution, in their eighth ben-
hal report, declared: 1.-The past two years have
hown more than usual prosperity In the growth
If the institution, as well as in its administra-
ion. Although crowded beyond the capacity Of
he buildings for most satisfactory work, the
,ollege Ia every department has been well MAN.
aimed, and the work of educating the sons and
daughters of farmers and mechanics in line with
prominent industries OF the state 10 SO well
as to make the Kansas State Agri-
cultural College the largest OF such institutions
n the country, or even in the world"
Instructive matte in the report 10 found under
eyeral headings, and particularly under those
If "Exper ment Station" and Farmers Insti-
;utes"
President Fairchild. in his report to the board
II regents says: Fully 20 per cent. of the stu
Tents are shown by the records to be from farm
rs homes, so that OF all euch colleges In the
United States this stands among the most repre-
sentative in relation TO the farmers interest