Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-01-26
Of higher grade embracing normal, preparatory


collegiate and university departments
| Our educational system embraces tho common
school, the higher school, the Normal School, the
Agricultural College and the SNte University.
The eighth biennial report Of the state super
intendent Of public instruction is commended to
the careful attention OF the Legislature for ita
detailed interesting and valuable matter, and
| for certain practical suggestions. From IL we
learn that In 1902 there are 0l23 school districts
in the state, and 9.OsS school buildings, The re-
mote and eparsely settled county OF Morton con-
talns nineteen school districts and thirteen
school bulldings, while tho expansive and we'll
settled conntyof sumner has l9l school districts
and 200 school buildings,
| The persons Of school ago In the state for 1892
reported TO be i9s 80l the number Of Different
pupils enrolled in the public schools. 1882, 2l6,
which Is 7,8i5 less than tho enrolment for 1891
The average daily attendance was 2S9, 29o. which
is . SOS less than II was in 1891. The common
schools may be regarded as tho peoples colleges,
and, hence, worthy OF all needful caro- on the
part Of tue law-making power OF the state; and
therefore attention In called TO the following
from the aforesaid report; 1T Is quite evident
that the law relating to compulsory attendance
at school IL susceptible OF improvement" and
''The time has come in the history OF our state
for tho 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 sl215 per month and females S35,42,
yet in Sumner county the average pay Ia the
same for each sex, and In Sedgwick females lead
the males on an average OF sos per month. =,
In the list OF county superintendents OF public
instruction for 1sg3-9i, there arc 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 tho same work, without reference TO who
may perform IL.
There are 81 school districts extending
through fifty-hve 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-
istonce of Kansas as state, up TO 1879 there had
boon an annual levy of q 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 1t was abolished.
From the report OF the superintendent OF pub
lie instruction the following extract 10 made,
which bears on this subject II believe that the
Legislature should at the earliest day pract cabe,
restore the one mill levy by the state to be dis
tributed as the annual school fund is now appor-
toned. And il the Legislature would make the
levy two mills, or even three mills, their action
would go quite long way toward correcting
our present unequal and unjust distribution of
the money raised for the support OF our schools
by tho district plan Of taxation"
The amount Of money OF the semi-annual
appOrtionment OF the state annual school fund
distributed among the schools Of the state for
1891 was 9,2204i which was bScents per cspita
per capita for the August apportionment
making total Of Sl05 per capita.
The total amount OF money received during
the year 1891 for school purposes was 50 0 200 49,
Of which the sum OF SS,0SS 400 9l was received
from county treasurers from district school
taxes. In 1892 the whole amount received was
S5,0l0931W, of which $3.50 058, IL was received
from the treasurers OF the several counties OF the
state from district school taxes.
CHANGE OF TIME OF ANNUAL SCHOOL MEETINGS.
l,,a ,N,,N, l..
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
districts so that suitable levy of district school
taxes might thereby be made, but the state
superintendent of public instruction in his re-
port says the annual school meeting should be
held at earlier date in cities Of the third class
He gives rs reason for the change that in these
cities from three to twelve teachers are employed
and ii would be better for the schools and the
teachers If teachers could be employed at an
earlier date than Is possible as the law now
stands; and 1t may be further remarked that
we're 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
as to have IN existence in every comfy of the
state. They have had such benefcent influence
upon the educational work OF this great COM
monwealth as to be a permanent part OF what
may be called our symmetrical common school
system, 80 helpful to the great body of the ener-
getic, plain, tolling people OF Kansas. At the
sessions of the institute in 1892 the average daily
attendance was fourteen in Morton county and
400 in the county of Jewell. The sessions have
been thirty days In length in most OF the 100
counties. In 1891 there were 2l0 evening lee
lures, independent Of tho general work of the
institutes, and In 1892 the corps of instructors
at these Institutes reached the number of $685.
The state superintendent of public instruction
deemed it proper to require county commission
ers TO appropriate not less than $50 for each in
stitute OF four weeks,
THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND.
Thereare in the treasury of the state certain
fraudulent district school bonds purporting to
have been issued by the authority Of school dis
tricts organized in the counties Of Comanche
Norton and Rice, which aggregate SIS, 800, and of
which the state can have no possible prospect of
collecting any part Of the principal or interest
OF the same. lnasmuCh rs the constitution of
the state expressly declares that the permanent
school fund shall not be diminished, | would
recommend legislation authorizing the state
treasurer and auditor OF state to cancel these
fraudulent bonds, and duly provide for rein
bursement Of the fund to the amount of these
bonds,
HIGHER EDUCATION.
Aside from the Normal School, the Agricul-
tural College and the University Of the State the
state superintendent in his report presents brief
abstracts of thirty other educational Institutions
which include high schools, academies, colleges
seminaries and universities of different classes
The State Normal SChOOL-The reports of the
president and board of regents Of this nstitu-
ton will amply repay ones perusal for the in
teresting and valuable matter they contain. The
legislature will be asked to appropriate for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1894, the amount of
$4,000 for an additional wing and assembly
room. The pupils from the institution come
from eighty-eight counties of the state, and out
side Of the state from sixteen states and terri
tories.
MIS-, Carrie S. Plumb and family have kindly
donated to the school the valuable private
library of selected public documents which the
late United States Senator Preston b, Plumb
had collected during his public life, which gift
embraces nearly 1000 volumes, for the most part
handsomely bound in sheep, but for which the
institution has absolutely no room.
The State Agricultural COIlege.-The board Of
regents of this institution, in their eighth bien-
NAL report, declared "Ihe past two years have
shown more than usual prosperity in the growth
of the institution, as well as in its administra-
ton. Although crowded beyond the capacity of
the buildings for most satisfactory work, the
college in every department has been we'll main
tanned, and the work of educating the sons and
daughters of farmers and mechanics in line with
prominent industries of the state ia so well
maintained as to make the Kansas State Agri-
cultural NOlleBe Jne largest OF buCn institutions
in the country, or even in the world"
Instructive matte in the report is found under
several headings, and particularly under those
Of "Exper ment Station and Farmers Insti-
tutes"
President Fairchild in his report to the board
of regents, says; Fully 10 per cent of the stu
dents are shown by the records to be from farm
ers' homes, so that of all such colleges in tho
sentative in relation to the farmers interest
throughout the state. No other has so large an
attendance, and no other has so large proper
ton of farmers children. There are pupils
E. .s.l,t l. 4 I