Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-03-01
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY OF OR
Covering q Period Of Nineteen Years.
Beginning January /, 1873, and
Closing January /, 1892.
IIIsTORY.

HISTORY.
The act detachlng the Office Of state
superintendent Of public instruction
from that Of governor, and creating i
separate and distinct Office, went intt
effect by operation OF the constitution
on the 9th day Of January, 1873. Prlol
To the enactment Of this law the severa
counties Of the state ut that time were
practically independent of each othel
10 school affairs. There was really nc
state school system. The governor WA
nominaIly the state superintendent ol
public instruction, hut, burdeDed as be
necessarily was, with other important
duties, he could give no attention Il
the schools OF the state beyond receiv
Ing the reports of the county superin-
tendents and devoting few lines Ia
bis biennial message to the subject ol
general education.
The county superinteodentsw were, ~
fact, the highest educational officers OF
the state. each being the head OF an In.
dependent school system. To compac,
these separate and distinct county
systems into one uniform and orderly
state system was the principal object Of
the act passed by the legislature.
Under the then law II became the
duty Of the governor of the state
70 appoint a state superintendent
OF public instruction. Hon. Syl. G.
Simpson was appointed the first state
superintendent Of public instruction,
and took charge Of his office on the
above mentioned date to-wit: the 20th
day Of January, 1873. In order to In
dictate the loose and unsystematic
methods OF the socalled systems prior
TO that date, we quote below from Mr..
Simpsons report issued for the biennial
period closing September IA, 1874:
'sIn accordance with the require.
monts Of the law, ! have endeavored
TO collect a. full and accurate informa-
tion ~ possible concerning the public
schools OF the state, but regret to say
that the endeavor has not been ~ sue
cessful ~ ] could wish, Owing to the
defective character Of many OF the dis
trict reports for both Of the last two
school years l am unable 10 furnish
complete and trustworthy statistics
upon many Of the subjects upon which
the law requires mo TO speak. l can
only present such information as l
have been able to collect, calling at-
tention to the particulars In which II In
GENERAL CONDITION or THR PUBLIC
SCHOOLS or THE STATE.
We quote below still further from
Mr.. Simpsons report at that time,
ut gives me pleasure 10 be able 10
report that the present condition Of the
public schools Of the state IL ~ prosper
perous ~ could reasonably he
'xpected when we consider the
many serious disadvantages un- ,
Ter which they labor. or course, I
Oregon Ii not NJ far advanced Ia this =
espcct ~ many Of the other states, =
'or is II surprising that she IL not,
Me has neither the wealth nor the =
'opulatlon 10 enable her to maintain a
uch fiourishing school system M her a
siHhbor, California possesses. In ad-
iuon 10 this II must be borne In mind :
hat our state school fund. commonly q
Al!sd BY kind of pleasant fiction the d
riducable school fund' has been 81 J
eglIgently aud improperly managed h
sAt, until quite recently, II has con- Il
tbuied very little toward the suppor, u
the public schools OF the state. hence Il
10 chief resources for the maintenance o,
these schoois have been district tax. Il
Ion aud voluntary subscription. The a,
Ate school hind 10 now, however, bet. Il,
managed than formerly. and there Il,
reason To hope that for the future 1, OF
u bs 'irreducible' IN fact ~ well as m 10
'me, sud that before many years th. Al
rome derived from l, will material, | a,
nrssss the resources for the support OF "a
pubic schools aud relieve ia. ed
opls of some OF The burdens OF taxa Of
a. ra,
The fact that our population h o. tes
all and 30 widely scattered, has ye
"a, ~ AlroAdy hinted. another ser. "a
. obssAcie Ia the way of the progress .
'ur school system. Evvn II we mad IN,
Abundsnce II wealth. II would he e.l
pnsibls for us 10 malnlain really ha
q schoob throughout the state a. AR
& ~ our people live 90 far apart q. on,
y do nov. In order 20 afford FAC. /.
- to all our citisens for the ou
cation u their childwn Il has ,hs
. fo6nd necessary 10 subdislds str,
coantiss Into large number Of HE
lly settled school distriets And mar
have thus been comp~lIsd 20 hitter sni
y our sssousess asnons great mul. IA,
q of small ssd week scheols- And MAJ
svsn now u onsu happens that for
: - ths tahshitasss ~ dissrics ssss
shsss o. four nailss from the school am.