weather. Third, another special advantage is in the recognition of the fitness of collecting and disseminating information upon these subjects as they affect the whole country. Fourth, the free use of the Government mail, though adding an expense to its postal service. Fifth, that without the exercise of authority it brings to the minds of all educators, as they are shaping the institutions and customs of education and molding the character of future citizens, their relation to the National Government. The evils of forgetfulness in this direction we have already sufficiently experienced. Sixth, the results of inquiries from this point. more than from any other are likely to put the officials of each locality into intercommunication with each other, and to bring about a recognition of their mutual relations, thus creating that sympathy between fellow-laborers to a common end which is so essential to the greatest success of the whole. Seventh, there is another special advantage which should not be overlooked. It may not always be apparent from a single case of pauperism, insanity, or crime, that education has any relation to these results as a modifying cause. Indeed a single case, or several cases in a single locality, may be an exception to the general rule; whereas, upon the collection of the facts from a vast variety of sources, such as are embraced in our entire country, great general principles may be educed, vitally affecting every locality; and the argument once made is for use by every educator. Eighth, in respect to all educational information from foreign countries the facilities of the National Government are of course unequaled.

In order that the public mind might be fully informed of the condition of these educational statistics, and co-operate most cordially in the various measures for their improvement, we gave last year such tables as we were able to compile, although fully conscious of their incomplete

ness.

In no table, perhaps, is this more apparent than in that showing the attempt to collect statistics in regard to education in our cities. While the beneficial workings of the American system of public schools has been nowhere more successfully shown than in many of our large cities, yet the items of statistics reported from the different cities (school population, enrollment, average attendance, items of income and expenditure) are all so diverse, have so few points in common, that any comparison which would be entirely safe and trustworthy between the results was manifestly impossible.

Each city should furnish an example and belp to every other. Each characterized by its own peculiarities and succeeding according to the measure of its own great opportunities, has, at the same time, certain conditions in common with all others; and by a recognition of these common points comparisons incalculably useful in their results could readily be made. Many attempts have been made in this direction, and much good accomplished in respect to organization, discipline, and instruction, but all have been very inadequate from want of some common standard and the lack of being able to find the results of the efforts of the different cities set down together for comparison. One of the results sought in these annual reports is to furnish such facilities. Great necessity for similar effort still remains.

The whole number of incorporated cities in the United States is over 500. Of these, 150 cities contain more than 10,000 population each. The aggregate population of these 150 cities having over 10,000 inhabitants each is 7,328,728, which is a little over 19 per cent. of 38,555,983, the total population of the States and Territories. The superintendents of schools of 116 of these 150 cities have, within the last thirty days, fur

nished this office the latest statistics of their respective cities, as to the number of pupils enrolled, the average attendance, the number of primary, grammar, higher, evening, corporate, or normal schools, and the income and expenditures of the public schools.

Of 112 cities, each containing over 5,000 and less than 10,000 population, 54 have sent the same class of statistics; 62 cities, containing each a population of less than 5,000 inhabitants, have also furnished the same information.

The great disparity in methods of collecting statistics by individual cities greatly impairs the value of the tables of city statistics of schools, presented in the accompanying papers, and illustrates the vast importance of the movement of the National Educational Association to secure a uniformity of city and State school statistics. Besides the 500 and more incorporated cities, there are 147 towns having over 3,000 population each.

In the national educational meetings at St. Louis, in August last, this subject came up for special consideration; and resolutions were adopted, and a committee appointed to bring it to some successful result. The demand, however, is such that the superintendent of the St. Louis schools has sent out a circular especially with a view of obtaining some harmony of effort among the different cities, and many of the city superintendents of schools in Illinois and other Western States have for some time been reporting to each other for their mutual benefit the statistics of their respective cities.

NORMAL SCHOOLS.

There are reported in the United States 51 normal schools, supported by 23 different States, having 251 teachers, and 6,334 pupils; 4 supported by counties, with 83 pupils; 16 city normal schools, with 112 teachers, and 2,002 pupils; all others, 43, supported in various ways, with 80 teachers and 2,503 pupils; making a total of 114 schools, with 445 teachers, and 10,922 pupils.

The idea of the importance of specially training teachers for their profession is steadily gaining ground. States that for a time suspended their normal schools have re-opened them, and even those having the largest number are disposed to increase them. So far, the literary and scientific instruction given in them has ranked below that of the college, or as secondary; and the normal training has been adapted to prepare teachers chiefly for their duties as instructors in high schools, academies, and schools for elementary training, the training of teachers for instruction in colleges and professional schools receiving little or no attention in our institutions of learning. Indeed there has been in superior instruction a sort of license for inferior methods, that would not be tolerated in a system of well-managed public schools. It is gratifying to observe among the ablest managers of these institutions of higher learning a disposition to correct this evil, and not to allow excellence of method and manner to be excluded from the recitation or lecture room of the college or professional school. President Porter has already intimated his purpose to associate a training school with the exercises of Yale College.

BUSINESS COLLEGES.

The business colleges reported are 84 in number, scattered through, 27 States, having 168 instructors and 6,460 pupils. It will be observed

that the public demand for this kind of instruction is very largely met by institutions entirely outside of public control. In some instances they are believed, by gentlemen of excellent judgment, to be purely business speculations. If any community suffers in this way it can censure only itself. What these institutions propose to do is specially demanded in the preparation of the young for the business relations of life, and should be provided in every system of city schools. If many who demand the instruction cannot attend during the hours of the day, the opportunity should be furnished in the evening; but where this necessity is not met by public provision, great credit should be given to those private enterprises which furnish able commercial lectures and thorough training.

INSTITUTIONS FOR SECONDARY INSTRUCTION.

The progress toward completeness exhibited in this report enables us to present a partial illustration of the great subdivisions of instruction. so often recognized among educators; as, 1st. Superior; 2d. Secondary; 3d. Elementary. In the last report the statistics of institutions for superior instruction only were included. In addition, this report contains the statistics of 638 academies and high schools-institutions of secondary instruction.

The fullness of the details collected by the office will be seen by comparing those against which the entire series of columns is filled, and those in which several of the columns are blank, as the latter are taken from the reports of the regents of New York and of the State officers of instruction. The value of these inquiries to educators, when carried to their conclusions, can hardly be overestimated. Silently each institu tion, by its own choice or by the public judgment, takes its place in its appropriate class and grade. The public mind comes by degrees to a clear apprehension of what is included in the respective subdivisions of education, and whatever name an institution may assume does not alter the judgment of the value to be set upon it.

COLLEGES.

In the table* of colleges and collegiate departments chartered to confer degrees in arts, of the 368 reported there are

Of these 368 colleges 28 are under the supervision of States, 1 of a city,

*Two copies of this table were sent to the several institutions, for the supplying of omissions and courection of errors, with the intention to make all reasonable efforts for completeness and accuracy, but to publish the best results obtained, whether complete or not. It has been impossible to indicate all the subdivisions into schools and departments.

8

and 1 of the Masonic fraternity; supervisory power over 77 is undetermined. The remaining 261 are divided among the denominations as follows:

Methodist Episcopal

Methodist Episcopal, South
Methodist

Christian

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African Methodist Episcopal.

Methodist Protestant

As far as is known, there are in these institutions 2,962 instructors and 49,827 pupils. One hundred and fifty-eight colleges instruct males only; 99 admit both males and females; and of 111 the sex of the students is not specified, but is probably male.

FEMALE COLLEGES.

I have thrown into a supplement to this table the statistics collected respecting 136 institutions for the superior instruction of females exclusively.

Of these 136 female colleges, 2 are under the supervision of the Masonic fraternity, and the supervisory power of 65 is undetermined. The remaining 69 are divided among the denominations as follows:

As far as is known, there are in these female colleges 1,163 instructors and 12,841 pupils. How many of these institutions are chartered to confer degrees is not known.

From the above statement it will be seen that in the 504 institutions above mentioned there are 4,125 instructors and 62,668 pupils.

No such extended statistics have, it is believed, ever been compiled or published in this country.

Statistics of the professional schools connected with these institutions will be found in the appropriate tables-law, medical, theological, &c.

THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES.

The table showing theological instruction in the country gives the total number of institutions as 117. Of these, Alabama has 2; California, 3; Connecticut, 3; Georgia, 1; Illinois, 11; Indiana, 1; Iowa, 5; Kentucky, 7; Louisiana, 2; Maine, 2; Maryland, 3; Massachusetts, 7; Michigan, 2; Missouri, 4; New Jersey, 3; New York, 12; North Carolina, 1; Ohio, 13; Pennsylvania, 17; South Carolina, 3; Tennessee, 2; Texas, 1; Virginia, 5; West Virginia, 1; Wisconsin, 4; District of Columbia, 2.

These seminaries are distributed denominationally, as shown by the following table, which also gives the number of professors or instruct ors and students.

There are forty law schools in the United States, with one hundred and twenty-nine professors, and 1,722 students. Of the States having more than one, Illinois, Iowa, and Tennessee have each two; Indiana, Ohio, and Virginia have three each; Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia four, and New York five. Seventeen States have no law schools, namely: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia; while Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin have one each.

MEDICAL SCHOOLS.

The table of medical schools indicates fifty-seven known as regular, four as eclectic, two as botanic, six as homeopathic, nine as dental, and sixteen as pharmaceutical; total, ninety-four." Of those denominated regular, Alabama, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont have each one; Cali