The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-09-28
has been fulnlled, ] WIN briefly indi-

ton, has been the creation, building up
and conservation of the states perma-
nent school fund and the development
OF our educational facilities made pos
sible thereby
To-day Minnesota has a permanent
school fund amounting to $13, 294. 016.4S
and q permanent university fund OF
81, 4O3, O70.I4, all of which is invested
either in United States bonds, the
bonds of other states. loaned to school
districts, towns. counties, cities and
villages in our own state, and In land
contracts The school fund OF Mime
sofa is the largest Of any state in the
Union, and viii ultimately reach $780,
900, 600. We have 325, 766 school chill
dren in Minnesota, and, owing to the
existence OF our magnificent school
fund, supplemented by the 1-mill gem
eraI school tax. there was distributed
by the state in aid Of the public schools
for the year 1900. the sum of $685.
1862, or $39S per capita That is to
say, the state was in position to give
and did give the sum OF $3.9S for each
one of the 325. 766 pupils.
During the past forty years the state
aid to the public schools derived from
investments of the permanent school
fund has amounted in the aggregate to
81, zoo. 1853 In educational matters
Minnesota is, the third state in the
Union, and is excel1ed only by the two
old and rich commemorative of Massa-
chusetts and New York.
Direct aid is given to each school in
addition to the aid given on the basis
of the school population. We have lib
y rxI, IN "a Hr17f
received for the year. 1900, the sum Of
$4,000, or s80,500 in the aggregate. Over
10 graded schools received $500 each
last year, equal to So coo; the six nor
NAL departments of high schools re-
ceived $500 each. or $1,000 in all; our
100 semi-graded schools were given
57.59 each, or 10,935.10, and our $50 ru-
raj schools were paid s60.60 each, or
$50 $4,000 in the aggregate. The total
amount of direct aid to the different
public schools for the year 1900 amount
ed to $156 431. 10.
In addition to this, the school dis
tricts can secure loans from the per-
manent school fund at the low rate of
interest of per cent, to aid them In
building their school houses and for
permanent school improvements. There
has thus been loaned to school districts
81, ia, 03493. At present an amount not
to exceed per cent of the real proper
. ty of a school district can be borrowed
from the permanent school fund, but
the legislature of 1899 wisely provided
for an amendment to Section of Arti-
Gle of the State Constitution. which,
. if adopted by the voters next Novem-
Der, viii permit of the loaning of an
!. amount not to exceed Is per cent of
the assessed valuation of the real prop
erty to a school district, and at the rate
of per cent per annum. sincerely
hope that that amendment will be
adopted. There is no reason why the
state should not loan its permanent
school fund to its own school districts,
towns, villages, cities and counties on
as easy terms as it loans to other
states
Summer training schools for teachers
have been established, and have proved
very useful in providing valuable in
struction to teachers from all parts of
the state have not yet mentioned
our splendid state university among the
list of our educational institutions. 1t
contains colleges of science, literature
and arts; college of engineering and
mechanic arts; an agricultural college,;
a school of mines; a law college; a
college of medicine and surgery; a
dental college and college of phar-
macy.
The number of students enrolled at
the university in 1898 was $50, and the
present number is over $500.
In Winona, Mankato, St Cloud and
Moorhead are located four stately nor
NAL schools that are the pride of their
several localities. These normal schools
are turning out hundreds Of well
equipped teachers annually. The SER
vices of normal school graduates are
always in demand as teachers at re-
munerative wages. The total amount
expended by the state on normal school
buildings to July 31st 1900 was $685.
1882, and the total cost of mainten-
ance of the four normal schools to July
31st, 1900, was s., TAG, 755. 49, At the pres
ent time the state appropriates about
$4,000 annually for the support of its
four public schools.
It is impossible to overestimate the
value of our splendid educational sys-
tenn, and the marvel of it is, that all is
free, Education, for the primary grade
to the university, is as free to the child
of the Iaborer as it is to the child of
the millionaire. The children of the
foreign-born enjoy the same education
al privileges as the descendants of the
Pilgrim Fathers. There is no discrim-
nation. It is free to all
OF the school lands granted by con-
gress to the state. amounting to some
2,s40,2S4 acres, there yet remains I'M
sold, in round numbers, 100000 acres,
which are steadily increasing in value.
and at the moderate estimated value OF
Sc. 90 per acre would net the school fund
81. zoe. 600 and increase it ultimately to
$50. 4sl. 600. With the addition OF the
timber and mineral upon them and the
value of swamp lands, which have be-
come part OF the school fund, it win
eventually reach 100000
Our political opponents have declared
that if they had been in power the
school fund would have been infinitely
larger; that they would have acted
with such wisdom and discretion as to
have doubled it at least. Such is the
claim they advanced in the campaign
two years ago. But they have never
manifested any capacity for improving
upon Republican methods Of managing
the states business. This claim of
theirs-this pretentious claim-may be
safely left to the people Of Minnesota
to pass upon.