~-:hait be nsou
90
AGRICULTURIAL COLLE(GE.
To the question-shall it be sustained?-it is believed
that the people of MIichigan will give but one answer
When a State suffers its Schools to expire, (unless superceded by others,) it gives fearful tokens of decay, and a
relapse toward, if not actually to, public ignorance and
barbarism. Blot out the State University, the Normal
School, and the Agricultural College, and the same public
sentiment that will thus assassinate the GENIUS OF MIND,
will lift no hand to save local Seminaries and Primary
Schools from a similar fate. Well may we look with honest
pride at the State University, and rejoice in the great
work it is doing- but the genius of its system is not specially adapted to the wants of the farmer. Its main design is in other directions. The Agricultural College,
while it designs to discipline the mind of the student, and
impart generally, the most useful practical knowledge of
men and things, makes his instruction in those branches of
science most useful to him as a Tiller' of thee Soil, a primary
object. That the College shall be sustained, therefore, is
believed to be a proposition that requires little argumenta tion with an intelligent people.
This question, however, in view of the other, may ad mit of a division, which is debatable. Shall the College
be sustained only with its present capacity-or shall it be
made commensurate with the wants and wishes of the
class for whom it is instituted?
It has now one hundred students; and this is the utmost
limit of its capacity. At the commencement of the last
term, about one hundred and fifty applicants were reected
or discouraged from appearing at examination, for no other
reason than because there was no room to receive them.
As many will probably be refused admittance in April next,
unless the applications shall be withheld, from a knowl edge that the institution is full. Tomeet the full demand,
requires that further additions to the College build ings should be immediately erected, and the boarding ac
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AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
commodations increased three-fold, with additional barns,
and other incidental expenses. Fifty thousand dollars
would probably no more than make such additional improvements as might be fully occupied as soon as completed. (Such increased accommodations as would admit of
two hundred students, might probably be secured for
twelve to fifteen thousand dollars.) Thus this question involves the other: Hfow shall the College be sustained?
The Agricultural College has no endowment. Until it
has, its current expenses must be a charge upon the treasury, if tuition is to remain free. The State has no more
unappropriated lands from wvhich to create an endowment
fund, as has been done for the University and Normal
School; and their funds, even, are not sufficient for their
wants. The Educational funds from Congressional grants
are all pledged to their appropriate ends. The seventytwo sections of Salt Spring lands have been appropriatedtwenty-two sections to the Agricultural College, twentyfive to the Normal School, and twenty-five to the Asylums
for the Deaf and Blind, and the Insane. The avails of the
Internal Improvement lands have been expended in various ways, and are a matter of history. The will of the
people appears decisive that such portion of the avails of
the Swamp Lands as are not required for reclaiming the
lands, shall be added to the Primary School Fund; as thus
imparting the greatest good to the greatest number. The
State has no more lands from which to create an endowment for th's, or any other institution.
As members of a great confederacy we have an interest
ii many hundred millions of acres of land, several millions
o-i which lie within our own borders, but of which the
State has no exclusive ownership, or power even of taxationi. In all these untold millions we have only an equal
ownership, according to population, with Vermont or
Georgia. Congress has for years been well granting an
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AGRICULTURAL COLLE(GE.
immense amount of these lands to aid in internal improvements. But this has not been done exactly as a gift, or' as
distributing to " the people" tbhat which is their own; but
rather with the expectation that the remaining lands would
be thereby increased in value equal to, or, exceeding the
whole.
But what real difference would it make, whethier the
grant of land to build a railway increases the value of the renmaining lands, or adds an equal amount to the wealth of the
country in some other way? And may we not justly clai,l
that the wealth of the country is increased by the education of the people? Especially will this be true in reference to Agricultural Schools. As is Michigan, so is oui
nation essentially an Agricultural Nation. As a Nation, we
buy more manufactured productions than we sell, and sell
more of the earth's productions than we buy. The farmers
cannot be educated-and especially if educated in ref' erence to their profession-without adding materially to na
tional wealth and power. Therefore, if the public lands are
to be regarded only in the sordid view of dollars and cents,
a portion can be appropriated in no wiser direction than
for the education of that class whose numbers, physical
strength and general political integrity, have given them
the cognomen of "the bone and sinew of the land."
But a grant of lands for Agricultural Schools may be
claimed upon still other and higher grounds. In addition
to the proposition that it will add directly to the national
wealth and power, we may urge the value of Education
itself; in the comfort and happiness it brings to individ uals; in making them better citizens and the new gw,r anties it creates of the perpetuity as well as the prosperity
of our boasted institutions. Like the former proposition,
this would seem to need no argument. It is not proposes(
to argue either of them here. These remarks are designed
rather as suggestions of facts, the truth of which must be
apparent to every intelligent miind. The man who wounid
93
L
AGRICULTURAL COLLECGE.
require argunment to convince him of their truthi, miust be
one who has never heard the maxim, "Knowledge is
power!o
Btit wve hlave yet another claim to urge for a grant of
land to Agricultural Colleges. The benefits derived from
grants of lands to railways are to a great extent local being made only for sections where the lands are situated
-while a grai,t for the education of the farmers in all
parts of the country, will be general and equal. As has
been said, these lands belong not to the States or Terri tories in which they lie, nor do they belong to Congress.
They are the property of the people-as much of the
people of Massachusetts and Georgia as of Michigan or
Kansas. A great portion of the people are agriculturists; and those who are not, are equally benefited by their
prosperity, and equally ready to see Schools endowed for
their education. None would rejoice more sincerely in
their prosperity than the manufacturers of New England,
the miners of Pennsylvania, or professional men everywhere. In establishing the Agricultural College of Michiganas was well shown in an article from the pen of a
member of the present Legislature from Jonia county,
published some months sinceall other classes were even
more interested than the farmers themselves. This proves
what has been before stated, that the farmer has no
enemies.
The public lands, then, belong entirely to the farmers and
their friends. And shall not Congress, which is only their
agent, or trustee, give to the people a portion of that
which is their own-which will make them wiserand happier-which will teach them how to lighten the fatigue of
labor, while it makes them more valuable citizens, increases
the aggregate wealth of the nation, and forms new guaranties of its perpetuity and future greatness? If refused,
it will be in defiance of public sentiment. and a great want
of the age; and give evidence that the rulers we have
94
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
pias.e& in porwer have a higher appreciation of internal
.mprovements than they have of the intelligence and prosperity of the people. In other words, that they think
more of the value of railways than of mnen!
We ask it not for Michigan alone; though were there to
be an exclusive privilege, we might cite the fact, that she
has been the pioneer in the inauguration of an Agricultural College, and risked the liabilities incident to every new
enterprise; but we ask it upon the above considerations,
for every State in the Union. We ask it as their right, as
States and as individuals, as a means of social happiness
and general improvement; and as the highest benefit that
can be derived from a portion of the public lands, in securing the greatest good of the greatest number, and the
wisest means of making our great community of States a
rich, happy, intelligent, and powerful people among the;
rations of the earth.
95
I
HOU —SE OF CORRECTION FOR JU-VENILFl
OFFENDERS.
Had this institution been denominated, by the Act es,
tablishing it, the bta,e Reform )Sclzool, it would have been
a more appropriate name, and more expressive of its true
design. That design, with reference to those under its in-.
fluence, is scarcely (lifferent, in its moral aLnd intellectualai
character, from w-Nvhat the Primary School should be, in relation to its pupils The aim of each should be to edlucate
bothl the intellect aind the heart. Moral discipline ought
everywvhere to h'be united w7ith inteilectual culture. While
the latter, in the Priinary School, is more apparent in the
machinery, so to ~peak, by which it is effected, it will s'ill
fail of its highest end, unless moral instruction is constantly
blend(ed with it. The moral influences may not come -with
as much observti'on,i but they are no less important. Improve the intellect of a morally bad person, without any
cultivation of the moral q ualities, and whbile he nmay be
able more successfi.lly to evade the penalties of law, he is,
in some respects. )nly a m-ore dangerous. ma in society
than before.
Hence, we see what a Primary School should. be; and
this it is designed he HllCose of Correctiorn.sa,)C;e. -n
one respect, how've c —r, it goes ftirther than is to he expected
of the Primary Sciool. The latter makes intellectu.al ecuilture its more a[)r,;rt object; but should conisider tbhe
training of the moal nature equally important. TI'ie former places the t,,o considerations on a more equa,l basis
i.alo,S done in'P liry Schools.as a maitter of fact, both
1,111
HOUSE OF CORRECTION
in real importance, and in prominence. But to these features is added another. It is also an Industrial School.
AIoralty, Intelligence, and Industry. Truly, this is a worthy trinity of considerations to impress upon the youthful
mind anywhere! If the boy who has fallen into crime
needs these teachings, to reform him, the child in the Primary- School, who has not yet fallen, needs the same to fortify him against temptation, and insure his safety.
If any one supposes that the House of Correction is
some nmodern Bastile, where unfortunate or guilty boys are
immured behind bolts and bars, like a criminal in his dungeon, with nothing to do but to mourn over his loss of liberty. ad his far greater loss of the sympathies of his race
and to plot revenge upon society when he shall escape —a
more hardened and desperate character than before-he
has sonething to unlearn before he can understand what
the institution is; what its aims, or its operations. It is
probable that many persons form their opinion of a State
Peniteintiary, not a little from their ideas of some unfortunat e captive entombed alive by a cruel tyrant; and then
imagiie tihct a House of Correction fobr juvenile offenders
must be similar to their imaginary penitentiary. It will
be the design of these remarks to correct such liupressiolns.
by a brief review of the establishment of the Michigan
Hiouse of Correction, and its practical workings in the
education and reclaiming of those who come under its
infl-auence.
The main object which is, or should be designed, in the
punishmenit of adult violators of law, is a question upon
which men differ. Some hold that the great object of
punishmenlt is the reformation of the offender; that a State
Prison is scarce else than a moral Asylumn, where the
morally insane may be taken to be treated for the obliqcuities of their hearts, as the intellectually insane are sent to
their appropriate Asylum. Others contend that, while
98
FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
everything should be done that can be, to reclaim the
heart, as well as to reform the manners and conduct of the
culprit, the greatest design of punishment is the protec tion of society; not only by restraining, and if possible,
reforming the man, but by making him an example of terror
to evil doers, with whom moral considerations are not sufficient to restrain from crime.
Whether the world will ever agree upon this subject, is
perhaps doubtful-unless they meet upon the more rational
intermediate ground, that both objects are of equal importance. But in reference to those who, from their youth,
are sent to the House of Correction, all will probably
agree that their reformation should be the great object.
Hence, the necessity of the institution; for all agree that,
to send them to the penitentiary, is but to hasten and perfect their ruin.
As a School, the House of Correction is designed to do
all that the Primary School can do, and more. As a Prison,
it is divested, to a very great extent. of those olnoxious
features, and degrading associations and influences that
attach to the penitentiary, and seeks hopefully to accomplishl results, which the penitentiary either regards as of
secondary importance, or in whichl it most sig'nally fails of
its end. As to the bare fact of personal restraint, the
House of Correction has the character of a prison; and in
this it is only like the Asylum for the Insane. But fartler
than this, it more resembles an industrial school for boys.
The appearances of restraint are, as far as possibl, avoided.
They wvear no stripes, or other sign of disgrace, to remin-d
therm of their fall, and make them despise themselves
their honor, and their better, higher nature —not rendered
obtuse, likle the matured man of crime —are happily appealed to, and all their associations and surroundings are
designed as much as possible, to cultivate their self-respect, and stimulate them to high and noble thoughts and
aspirations.
99
HOUSE OF CORRECTION
The law of hereditary descent is no less certain in its
effects upon the moral than upon the physical nature.
Diseased parents semetimes give birth to comparatively
healthy offspring, but such cases are regarded as exceptions to the general rule; and it is more than probable
that if we fully understood the subject, we should find ano
exceptions. All our race is to a greater or less degree
morally diseased. This disease is comprehended in the
simple term self; and it descends from father to child.
So well aware is the world of this, that every prudent,
thoughtful parent begins in the earliest years of his child
to apply the remedies for counteracting the natural evil
tendencies of his nature, and educate him into the love and
practice of virtue, and the avoidance of vice. His first
object is to invest his exposed moral nature with armor,
both defen sive and offensive; so that hlie may be able to stand
unharmed and uncorrupted in the battle of life. Unfortunately, many fail in their design; some from undervaluing
its importance, and others from a mistake in the Ifieas
which they employ; and others, perhaps, from unfortunate
counteracting influences, which they cannot control. And
not a few parents are themselves so far lost to any just
appreciation of the superiority of right over wrong, that
the teachings of their own lives are continual practical
lessons of vice to their children; and they are daily offering them a living sacrifice upon the altar of self-indulgence
and vice.
But there are thousands of the young, whose parents are
removed by death before they have formed a self-reliant
character, and learned to resist the enticementshof others,
or of their own wayward nature. Some of these find protectors who supply theirs loss, and train them to respectability and usefulness. But many others wander forth, as
it were, from the very graves of their parents, one or both,
unprotected, to become (- easy prey to bad examples, and
every temptation
100
FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
Under all these circumstances, is it strange that so many
fall victims to evil passions, and become involved in crime?
Who has ever carefully and kindly taught them fully to
comprehend the enormity of vice, and the moral beauty of
purity of heart and life? If they were ever told that the
wages of vice is disgrace and woe, the serpent of temptation whispered, "it is not so; gratification is happiness!"
and as do many who claim to have come to years of discretion, they believed the declaration most in accordance with
their inclinations, and were lost.
In contemplating the situation and future prospect of
this large class of the young, the humane and Christian
heart regards their depredations upon society of trifling
importance compared with the moral, and often physical
ruin, they are developing for themselves and their associates. They differ from the adult criminal, both in the
fact that their moral responsibility is less, and there is a
hundred fold more hope, with proper means, of reforming
and restoring them to virtue and a useful life. If they
have fallen into serious crime, doubtless they should be
restrained; but to punish them as we do the adult offender,
and imprison them together, has been found the most
certain method of making their absolute ruin more certain,
and fitting them for a life continuance in the school of vice
to which we send them.
With the light which the world nowv has upon this subject, these simple facts need only to be suggested to
obtain the assent of every candid mind. And the State
which now fails to provide the best means yet discovered
for the protection and reclamation of its youth, is as false to
itself, and its aims, as a social compact, as it is to the
claims of humanity in its most tender aspects, or to the
Christianity which as a people we profess.
Probably the same minds which first conceived the idea
of Asylums for the Insane, and other unfortunates, comprehended the thought of the practicability of saving this
101
HOUSE OF CORRECTION
equally unfortunate class, by some similar institution. It
now seems strange that in this State a Reform School for
juvenile offenders was not established at as early a day, or
at least nearly so, as was the StatePrison; and the neglect
can only be accounted for in the supposition that our early
rulers in the State thought more of punishing crime than
of preventing it, and more of preventing it by the terrors
of the law than by educating its young to virtue; that they
regarded the reformation of any class hopeless; or if they
deemed reform possible, they designed for the first fifteen
years to try the experiment upon the most hopeless subjects.
For fifteen years after the organization of the State government of Michigan, the State Prison was considered the
proper place for all offenders against the law, of all ages,
from the stripling of eleven years, to the man of gray
hairs. For fifteen years, the attention of the public or the
Legislature was never called to the subject by any report
from the officers of the State Prison, or any Governor's
message.
The State Prison Inspectors in'their report for 1851,
speak as follows:
"There are among the convicts r[fivetor six boys, one of
whom is only eleven years of age; and the records of the
institution show that others have been brought into it at
that tender age. The propriety of this is indeed questionable. What can be expected of a'child-whose nursery
has been the State Prison? If he be naturally wayward,
the contamination with the hardened'villains with whom
he is associated is fatal. Hie is sent out of Prison with the
brand of disgrace upon him, and suspicion lurking continually at his heels. The probability is, that he has no friends,
and being shunned by all good influences, he necessarily
leads a life of crime. For suchlyouthful offenders there
should certainly be some milder, or at leastlessedisgraceful
102
FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
and withering punishment provided. The subject is commended to the consideration of the Legislature."
This is believed to be the first official notice taken of the
subject in this State. By sad observation, the Inspectors
of the State Prison wvere made sensible of the imrportance
of the subject, as above expressed; and in their next
r eport, the same language is repeated to the Legisilature
of 1853. Governor MIcClelland, in his message to the same
body, says:
"3Iany boys of a tender age have been sent to Prison.
It is no fit place for them. A milder and less infamtous
punishment should be provided. A House of Correction,
conducted as some of them are in older States, would be
m.ore,uitable, and its moral influences more salutary."
The attention of the Legislature of 1853 being- thus
offlciallv called to the subject, it came before that body,
and somewvhat singular action was taken upon it. Probably few persons are aware that in the Session Laws of
1853, is an act wNTith the following title:
"4ai ~act to provirdefor rtie erection of a Prfso i fo the
p~/Ipose o f.solitaury co??fi'rente,t, AND A HOUSE OF CORRECTION FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS, a!c?,Zd laok?a.,jc ra RP ctppa
An act with this title passed both Houses, and was
signed by the Governor. It appropriated $5,000 for a
Prison for solitary confinement of murderers, but contained
not the most remote allusion to a House of Correction,
except ini the title, and of course, made no provision for it.
Had it made such provision, the entire act vwould have
been void, as the Constitution declares that -".[o laJo s'hal
embr,?ce more thanz ore object, which shall be embraced in
its title." The "title" is thus left free to embrace any
number of objects that may be desired.
By reference to the journals of the Legislature, the history of this bill appears to be as follows: A bill was
before the Senate, entitled "A bl,' to I)rovicde for the erec
103
HOUSE OF CORRECTION
'ion of a Ptisonz for the putposes of solitary confinement."
In the course of its passage, it was amended so as to embrace the other object, and thus passed the Senate, by a
vote of nineteen to twelve. In the House, the provision
for the HIouse of Correction was stricken out, but without
altering the title; and on the return of the bill to the
Senate, that body unanimously concurred in the amendment, and thus the one body with two heads found its
place among the laws.
In 1854, the Chaplain of the State Prison recommended
to the Inspectors, that there being no proper House of
Correction for the boys, they should spend one hour in
.eachi day in study.
,Governor Parsons, in his retiring, message to the Legislature, in 1855, said:
"I believe it to be the duty of the Legislature to esta('blish a House of Correction for Juveiile Offenders."
In this opinion Governor Binrghamr fully concurred, as
will be seen by the followiing extract from his message to
the same body:
"The presence of several'boys anid youth among the
more hardened criminals in the State Prison, induces me
to urge upon your attention the plropi'ie,,ty of establishing
a House of Correction, where a mailder.course of treatment.
more esptecially adapted to their refor,mation, can be employed. The State has not performed its duty to these
nunfortunate victims of ignorance and temptation, until it
has made provision by a proper system of discipline, for
their instruction, in useful knowledge, imorals and pietytauglt them some mechanical trade. or other proper employment, and prepared them upon their release from
confinement, to become good citizens and useful members
of society, as they return to its duties and privileges.';
To these humane sentiments, the Legislature cordially
e~sponded, anid appropriated twenty-five thousand dollars
to establish a "Hovuse of Correction for Juvenile Qffenzders,"
iO4
FOPR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
to which all persons under fifteen years of age committing
a Prison offence should be sent, together with such of
those as were from fifteen to twenty years of age, as the
Oourt before which they were tried should think fit. The
bill passed the Senate by a vote of twenty-six to twio; and
the House, by a vote of ffty-eight tofive. Such unanimity
is rare in the appropriation of large sums for a new enterprise.
The site selected consists of thirty acres of high land on
the eastern border of the village of Lansing, which it overlooks for a distance of about two miles along the Grand
River. The main building and north wing were at once
commenced, and the institution was ready for the reception of sholar,s on the second of September, 1856. Tile
main building is 48 by 55 feet, and the wNing 94 by 35 feet,
the whole four stories high, and covering 5,930 square feet
of ground. The plan is in good stvyle, but comparatively
plain, with no extravagant expense incurred fo1r sho-W.
When the corresponding south wing shall be erected, as it
ought soon to be, it will be quite an imposing, edifice,
beautifully situated, showing a front of 236 feet. The
present edifice contains a chapi)el. with seats for 400 persons: rooms for the accol-mm-odation of two farniles; office,
Iitchen, dining-room, bathing-room, sitting-room, hospital,
tailor-s shop, a school room, with seats for 80 scholars, and
other necessary rooims, together with dormitories for 76
boys, each boy occupying a room. The yard" is inclosed
by a high board fence, and comprises nearly two acres of
lanid. In this yard is a brick shop, 25 by 60 feet, one story
high, and another, also of brick, 25 by 50 feet, and two
,.sLories high, with an engine room attached.
The entire expense to the State up to Dec. 1st, 1857,
(the date of the latest repcrts,) was $46,701 45. This
includes a11 the cost of grounds, (a large portion of which
was donated by the citizens of Lansing,) buildings, super
14
105
HOUSE OF CORRECTION
intendence, salaries of officers, and everything to put the
institution in operation, and pay the current expenses for
fifteen months after being opened. It is estimated from
the expenditures of the past year, that the annual current
expense with the present number, 53, will be about
$6,000. The boys will earn from $500 to $1,000.
In 1857 the law was so amended that all delinquents not
over sixteen years of age shall be sent to the Honse of
Correction-nominally till they are twenty-one, but the
Board of Control have powner to dismiss them whenever in
their discretion their reformation will warrant them in so
doing, and such action promises their highest good. The
happy influence which this must have upon the boys, in
stimulating them to establish a good character, is apparent.
If they are without friends, to throw around them their
aid and protection, or for other reasons, the Board of Control may apprentice them to somue trade or occupation, as
they think best.
The number now in the institution (October, 1S58) is
fiftv-four. The whole number admitted since it was
opened, two years ago, is seventy-three. Of this entire
number, nine only had never been in jail for previous
offences. Thirty-three had been in jail once; thirteen,
twice; seven, thrice; seven, five times; one, six times;
one, nine times; and one, teet times! Nearly all were sent
for larceny. But fourteen were over fifteen years of age,
and but one under ten years. The age of one was nine
years. Such is the mnaterial which this institution designs
to reform, and send forth into the world to become good
citizens. That in some cases it will fail, is to be expected;
but that in many others it will meet with the happiest
success, reason, no less than the history of older Reform
Schools, gives a sure promise.
The history of these seventy-three youth —but three of
whom were girls-leads us to regard their misfortunes in
106
FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
quite as striking a light as we do their crimes. Less than
half of the number have both parents living; and of those
whose parents are living, those of four had separated.
Less than half are of American birth. The fact that all,
save four or five, were sent for larceny, indicates that they
were led into crime, to a very great extent, through poverty. Most of the number were convicted of crimes which
would have consigned an adult to the State Prison. Yet
it is p-robable that not one-eighth of these delinquents
would have been thus sentenced had there been no House
oft Correction to receive them. They would still have
been enit to jail, from time to time, till increased depravity and greater age fitted them for that College of crime
where thev would ultimately have graduated with sad
honolr, unles as they grew wicked, they should become
crafty enough to escape the grasp of the law.
But look at their prospect now. They have a home,
a\way from the evil examples and influences that, like an
armed host, have invested them hitherto. In the place of
idleness, they find industry; in the place of want, plenty.
Indeed, a greater contrast than really exists between their
former woes and their present comforts, cannot well be
imagined. On entering the institution, their daguerreotypes are taken, their history ascertained, and briefly
recorded. The fact is explained to them that they are not
sentenced from a vindictive spirit of vengeance, that would
torment them for their past crimes, but mainly for their
highest good-to save them from ruin, and enable them to
become respectable men; and that they will be dismissed
as soon as, from their improvement, their truest friends
deem compatible with their highest welfare. Every inducement that can be devised is set before them, to stimulate to virtuous thought and action. It is the design not
to treat them in a mass, but each individualIis made a
special object of solicitude-his disposition studied, and
in view of his particular case, such remedial influences
107
HOUSE OF CORRECTI)N
applied as give the highest promise of success To do
otherwise, the institution would greatly fail in its aim of
restoring its patients. The physician might almost as well
go through the wards of a hospital and give the same medicine to its sufferers, as to expect to accomplish the highest
good with fifty wayward boys by dealing with them all
alike, and in the mass. In many respects, their treatment
must of course be uniform; but it may not be forgotten,
they are to be reformed as individuals. It is believed that
the officers in charge realize the importance of this consideration.
On entering the institution, each boy commences in
clatss " 6," which figure, in German silver, is worn on the
breast upon the Sabbath and holidays. At the end of a
mo)nth, if his conduct justifies it, he is promoted to class
'" 5," and the figure changed. At the close of another
month-, he is promoted to "4,'" or remains stationary, or is
set back, according to his conduct. Thus he goes on from
month to month, till he reaches number " 1."' Next comes
the star, (~) the degree of honor; and high are the aspira'itins of many of the number to gain this token of their
chiaracter, and the confidence of their teachers. Some of
the boys are often sent into the village upon errands, or
otherwise trusted, and never yet has the Superintendent
found his confidence betrayed.
They are not locked into "'cells" to sleep. Their dormitories are single, and large enough for comfort, with a
vwinrdow, and open into a spacious hall, two, and part of
the way, three stories high, with tastefully constructed
galleries. They have a better bedstead and bed than are
the lot of half the boys in our land. The doors, it is true,
are locked at night, but they appear like light lattice
work, and are painted green. They are allowed to adorn
their rooms according to their taste, and not a few are
ornamented with pictures.
108
FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
They rise at 5 to 6i o'clock, according to the seaspon,
and breakfast at 6G to 7 o'clock. From 7 till nine they are
in school, where they are taught the branches usually
pursued in the Primary School. In their education, the
development of their moral faculties, and an inculcation of
their responsibilities as beings destined to an endless
existence, are kept constantly in view. From 9 till 12, the
time is devoted to labor. Then comes dinner.
And here is a scene well worth a journey from any part
of the State to behold. Cold indeed, must be the heart
which can witness it without emotion! One forgets to
mourn over their'imprisonment," and rather finds the
eye moistening at the thought of their future hopes, in
contrast with the inevitable ruin from which they have
been rescued. They march around the long table, and
ake their places in perfect order, and most of them with
cheerful countenances. At a signal they are seated; another, and fifty heads are bowed, and fifty voices rise in
unison to their Creator in a short, appropriate prayer.
The meal is eaten in silence, and with a decorum that
would put many a fashionable hotel dinner party to the
blush. All their meals are taken in the same manner.
From one o'clock to four, the time is again devoted to
labor. From four to five o'clock, the hour is for recreation
and supper, when they return to the school-room, where
they study till eight, and retire for the night, after a short
recess. This system gives them six hours per day for
labor, /fi,e in school, and two and a half to four for recreation.
The institution has a library of about 175 volumes, from
which the boys draw books every Saturday. They have
also a common room where they can go when not otherwise engaged, to sit, or read the papers of the day,
and learn what is going on in the world. In the State
Prison, it is deemed the best policy, as far as possible, to
xcludie froin the prisoners, all knowledge of what is pass
109
HOUSE OF CORRECTION
ing outside of their walls. But here it is evidently wise
to keep the boys informed of what is passing in the busy
world upon which it is hoped they will ere long enter, to
be good citizens and virtuous men. To keep them ignorant of the world, would be a poor method of fitting them
for its duties and trials. They are encouraged to keep up
a correspondence with their friends; and can write
monthly without expense to themselves or friends, and
oftener if they wish, by providing for their own postage.
On the Sabbath morning, they thoroughly wash themselves in a large bathing tank, and the day is spent in
reading, religious instruction, Sabbath-School teaching
singing, &c., under the direction of the Chaplain, Teocher.
and others. They appea- to be under no more esrt
than are the pupils of a well conducted boarding-school.
MIuch has been said and written upon the reformation of
criminals. But w-hatever may be thought of the possibility of reforming adults, it is a sad fact, that for every one
who is reformed, either in heart or only in his coinduct,
many are made more desperate ill wickedness, by imprisonment. And in those cases where the reform is gennine, what infinite loss has the man still sustained? Like
him who recovers from the small-pox, to go throug-h life
with the scars upon his face, so he is saved, but with
those fearful scars upon his character, which time can never efface. But with the young delinquent, there is hope.
The disease with him, is not yet as deap seated; his recuperative powers are greater; and his past moral injuries,
if not entirely obliterated, may be measurably so.
The design of the House of Correctioni is the salvation
of the young from'ruin. It is not to create a revenue to
the State Treasury. No school was ever organized for that
purpose, though the wealth, as well as the happiness of
the State is vastly augmented by the knowledge and virtue
of its citizens. Yet it is designed to train these boys to
habits of industry. and teach them the practice of useful
110
FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
labor. In 1857 a portion of them were contracted at
twelve and a half cents per day of seven hours, for making
boots and shoes; in which business however, the contract ors did not succeed. A contract has been recently entered
into, with MAessrs. Woodhouse, Butler & Co., for twenty to
forty boys, for five years, at eight cents per day of six
hours, in manufacturing chairs; to be instructed, so that
they may be able to obtain a livelihood at the business,
when they go out into the world. dependent upon them selves. This looks like a small price, but considering their
age and inexperience, and the fact, that six hours consti tutes a day, that the more competent and faithful they are,
the sooner the contractors will lose their services by their
dismissal-their places to be continually supplied by inexperienced hands-it is believed to be as high a price comparatively, as is paid by contractors in the State Prison.
Few of the blessings of life. either moral or physical, are
obtained without labor and expense. The poor we have
always with us; and one of the highest duties of a State,
is to protect its poor and unfortunate, and to educate its
youth. But Schools and Asylums are not expected to be
sources of revenue. The House of Correction is both a
School and an Asylum. A School, in which these boys,. —
equal in native intellect, to boys in general,-are given a
good Common School education, and taught some useful
occupation; an Asylum, where the unprotected orphan,
and the boy doubly orphaned in a besotted or depraved
parent, may find a refuge from the ten thousand lures set
by his poverty or by bad men, to entrap his unwary feet.
Perhaps there are men who cannot appreciate this but
there are boys who can. During the brief period since the
institution was opened, several homeless lads have presented themselves at its door, begging admission to its protection. Unfortunately they could not be received,
under the law as it now stands. All the worthy Superin
ill
HOUSE OF CORRECTION'
tendent could do, was to interest himself unofficially, to obtain them a home. It is to be hoped that the next Legislature will make provision for this class of orphans, who
wvish even at the cost of personal freedom, to escape the
ruin that overtakes so many of their class. A few months
since, an orphan boy stole a horse from the most public
street in Lansing, in broad day, on purpose, as he stated,
to be arrested and sent to the protection of the House of
Correction!
Shall such an institution be decried because it is attended with expense? Then abandon, for the same reason,
our other Asylums. Nay, let us pay out money for nothing that does not bring a money return, with interest!
Abolish all our Schools and Churches; let all our public
and private charities cease; let us pay no more taxes fbr
the support of the Government, or for building Court
Houses, Jails, or other local public buildings, or for roads and
bridges; let us invest all our money where it will promise
us a direct money profit in return! Who is so poor a philosopher as not to:,ee thl-at sutch economy would raost
signally defeat its own end, and that we should speedily
sink to a nation of barbarians, where there would be no
security for property, and every man's hand would be
against his neighbor, and his neighbor's against him?
Who doubts that such a withholding would tend to poverty?
But what is the burden of expense which we must bear
to support this institution. To complete the south wing
of the building, and fit the whole for the accommodation
of one hundred and fifty inmates, with shops and all necessary appurtenances, will require, from the commencement of the enterprise, not more than $65,000. This is a
permanent investment, and wvill amount to not over ONETHIRD OF A MILL ubpon7 tlhe do'lla of the property in the
State! The current annual expenses, with 175 itnmates,
112
FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERE.
whiclh it ou,ght to provide for. will hot exceed $10,000;
and this amounts to not over one mi on every eighteen
dollars of propertv in the State I
Some of these very boys may yet be in positions to
to render our children the same protection we now extend
to them. The wheel of life in society revives; let us see
to it now, that the wretched appeal to us not in vain, as
we may hope for succor for our ourselves, or our posterity, when the wave of misfortune rolls over us or
them.
:t5
lit
9
I
9~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ASYLUM FOR THlE DEAF AND DUMB,
AND THE BLIND.
Article Thirteen of the Constitution of the State of Mlichigan is entitled "EDUCATION." Section ten of this Article,
reads as follows:
"Institutions for the benefit of those persons who are
Deaf, Dumb, Blind or Insane, shall always be fostered and
supported."
The Asylum for the Insane perhaps cannot strictly be
called an educational institution; yet it is so in this important sense: Its design is to restore wandering Reason to
its dominion in the,lind. As a hospital, it deals with
physical disease, which is the cause of the loss of reason;
but that very disease is often the result solely of the mind's
action upon the brain, and probably in all cases aggravated by it; and the restorative means are quite as much of
an intellectual, as of a physical character. There is therefore, evidently no impropriety in classing the Asylum for
the Insane, as is done by the Constitution, among the edurcational institutions of the State.
But the institution for the Deaf and Dumb, and the
Blind, though popularly styled an Asylum-" a place of retreat, or security"-is strictly a School, according to the
popular usage of that term. It is a School for the intellectual development of a class physically unable to receive
the benefits of the Primary School. It is the boast of our
institutions, that all classes shall have the means of education. Hlere are large numbers who, of all classes, need an
education the most. They are to a great extent, deprived
ASYLUM FOR THE
of the ordinary means of impirovemient fi-om observation
and daily intercourse with the world, arid are tihus robbed,
not only of their menta, but likewise of their physical resouices. In this sad state, unable by their peculiar misfortune, to avail thenmselves of the ordinary means of an
education, they may justly claim that the obligations of the
Social Compact impose upon the State increased responsibilities to provide such other means as are within its power,
for the improvement of those powers of mind that lie undeveloped in the midnight of blindness, or in the living
death of perpetual silence.
The State Census of 1854 gives us tile information that
'thle- were at that time one hundred and seventy-six blind,
and'two hundred and six deaf and dumb persons in Michigan-in all, three hundred and eighty-two. Since that
time, the population of the State Las increased nearly fifty
per c,int. Allowing a proportional increase to these
classes, we have at the present time, nearly six Anjidred
who must have aid fromi the State, or go down to the dark
grave, scarcely darker than the mental and moral entombmeint in which they live and die!
It were a great thing for a State to speak iuto being six
hundred souls, and clothe them with knowledge and joy!
It were a more glorious deed could it raise that number
from the dead, and give them back, with renewed life and
youth, to their rejoicing friends I It can do neither literally; but figuratively, it can accomplish both. It can
restore those who exist, but can hardly be said to live; it
can perform the miracle of making the sense of feeling see,
and the sense of sight hear! It can call to the soul, imprisoned in its temple of darkness, chained like a body of
death to the charity of friends, and bid it to go forth disenthralled, to be a joy to itself and its kindred. By giving
* The actual increase is probably not so great as this; but the increase upon the number
repor'ed by the census of 1854 doubtless is. That census was notoriously defective. Yet it
gave a populastion of 509,374 To this, add fifty per cent, asnd it gives 764,061-which cannet
much exceed the present population ol the Stats,
116'
DEAF AND THE BLIND.
to the Deaf and Blind a substitute -for their absent senses,
we create them anew to the world and its enjoyments, and
develope a new world to them. We open the darkened
chambers of the soul to the light of moral and spiritual
truth, and furnish appropriate aliment for the soul's immortal yearnings.
To be born deaf a hundred years ago, was to come into
the world apparently more like an unfortunate animal than
like an offspring of humanity, and with hardly an a.nimal's prospect for enjoyment in life, To be born blind
was to open the eyes upon rayless darkness-only sonscious, like Tantalus, that just beyond the reach, were
innumerable fruits never to be obtained.
But the Genius of Invention in these last days, has not
expended all its power upon dead nmatter, though:it has
well nigh imbued that w;4th life and thought. Its most
glorious experimients ha,,ve been successfully made with
Humanity. It has sought out the insulated soul, and lig/hted
up the deep dungeon of the mind with the electricity of
Thought. It is not only spanning seas with messages of
fire. but it is bridging that deeper, broader ocean, whose
turbid waters roll between the soul of the Deaf and Blind,
and the shores of Science and PRevelation I It not only
makes dead matter supply the place of lost members of
the body, but it furnishes a substitute for those almost
spiritual mechanisms, the eye and ear!
Mfen are still living who can remember when the Abbe
De L'Epee, of France, first conceived the idea of a system
for educating the Deaf and Dumb. It is little more than
forty years since the noble Gallaudet, of Hartford, (Jonn.,
established the first School in America for their benefit.
The invent'in of a system for instructing the Blind originated also in France. Not far from the same time that
he good Abbe De L'Epee was perfecting his scheme for
educating the Deaf and Dumb, the Abbe Hlauy was invent
117
ASYLUM FOR THE
ing the plan of embossed printing for the Blind. But
fifteen years later, Dr. Howe established a School for the
Blind, in Boston, Mass. We can well afford to forgive
"fickle France" for the folly of the fashions which she
gives us, for these glorious inventions, which our country
has copied as readily as we do her fashions.
The State of Michigan has perhaps little to boast of; in
the fact that about twenty years elapsed after the State
organization before she had any School for the Deaf and
Dumb, and the Blind; certainly not, that eight years
passed between the making of the first appropriation, and
the completiontl of one wing of a building for their accommodation. The first movement was in 1848, when the
Legislature adopted a Resolution, asking a grant of land
from the General Government in aid of the enterprise,
together with that of an Asylum for the Insane. At the
same time, an appropriation of eight sections of Salt
Spring lands was made toward the same objects. Nothing was done however, during the year, to carry the law
into effect; and Governor Ransom in his message to the
Legislature in 1849, recommended that nothing should be
done until the lands could be sold, or other means provided.
The Legislature rnevertheless increased the appropriation of Salt Spring' lands from eight sections to fifteen, and
directed the Trustees to commeince the erection of an
Asylum for the Insane as soon as the receipts from sales of
the land w,ould warrant-virtually abandoning the Asylun
for the Deaf and, Dumb, and the Blind, for the time.
During the year, however, the citizens of the village of
Flint and vicinity made an offer of ten acres of land, and
three thusL~d dollars in money, to secure the location of
the last namued Asylum at that place; and the Trustees
went so far as to decide upon that location. In 1850, they
urged upon the Legislature the importance of providing
the mens for putting the School in operation without
118
DEAF AND THE BLIND.
delay. The Legislature fu rther increased the appropriation of Salt Spring lands for the Asylums, to twenty-five
sections, and enacted to a(ivance five thousand dollars from
the State treasury-the same to be refunded from the first
receipts upon sales of the lands. At the same time it was
provided that not.more than one thousand dollars of the
amount should be used in the first year, and not more than
three thousand in any one year thereafter. This was not
a very large beginning for institutions which could hardly
be made available for limited use, for less than a hundred
thousand dollars, and to complete which, would require
from three to f/;ur hundred thousand. But it may be said
that the financ as of the State were in a deranged condition,
and the incre(ase of its debt more than the available
resources durimg the previous year, was $109,718 58, while
the State direct tax was over one hundred thousand
dollars.
Up to 1851, nothing had been done toward the Asylum
for the D)eaf and Dumb, and the Blind, except to obtain
the subscriptions above named, from the citizens of Flint,
ancd to decide upon its location at that place; and in 1851,
the Trustees reported to the Legislature, that the Asylum
for the Insane was of the most pressing importance, and
they had given their first attention to that object. That
is the last that was heard officially, of the subject, till
1853. when the Trustees reported that two hundred dollars of the donation from the citizens of Flint had been
expended in improving the grounds. This was a discouaging prospect for the five or six hundred unfortunates
who for five years, had been promised a School adapted to
their wants.
The commencement of 1853 found $116,555 21 in the
State Treasury; and during the year, this was increased to
$375,773 07. This incerease was owing to the sales of the
public lands. Of the State indebtedness, with the exception of $100.000 due in 1856. there would be nothing due
1'19
A.YLUM FOR THE
until 1858; audit would seem that something practical and
positive might have been done for the enterprise, in 1853.
But Governor MIcClelland made no allusion to the Asylums
in his Message of that year, to the Legislature. That body
however voted to levy a direct tax as follows:
For the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, and the
Blind..................................... $3,000
For the Asylum for the Insane, in 1853......... 10,000
" {' ".:'9- 1854,......... 10,000
But this was not to be an appropriation from the Treas ury; but a tax to go ultimately into the Treasury; for it
was only to be loaned to the Asylums, to be refunded out
of the first avails of the Salt Spring lands which had been
appropriated. It seemed still tobe the policy of the State,
that the cost of these noble and humane institutions should
never exceed the avails of twenty-five sections of land.
But even the three thousand dollars thus voted as a loan,
was useless until it should be collected-which would re quire almost a year. So nothing was done during the year
1853; and by the time the State had collected the three
thousand dollars, so generously to loan to the institution,
about four hundred thousand dollars"was lying idle in the
Treasury, or earning but one'per cent. to the State.
But in 1854, the work was really commenced. Six years
had passed away since the first appropriation of land, and
now the Trustees found themselves in command of means
sufficient to make a beginning-though that was about all.
Without waiting longer, however, they rented a building,
and Feb. 1st, 1854, a School was opened, with eleven deaf
mutes and one blind person for pupils. Slow as the progress was, that of the Asylum for the Insane had hardly
been greater.
In 1855, Governor Parsons, the retiring, and Governor
Bingham, the incoming Executive, both recommended to
the Legislature to give the Asylums the necessary aid to
make them competent for their high design. These two
120
DEAF AND THR BLIND.
gentlemen were supposed to represent the views of all the
,oters in the State. It was evident to all, that the finances
of the State, so abundantly replenished by the sale of the
School; and other lands, were now in a condition to warrant
substantial aid, and that the progress of the age impera
tively demanded it. Accordingly, thirty-three thousand
dollars was appropriated from the treasury to complete
the School wing, which had been commenced, for the Deaf
and Dumb, and the Blind, and to sustain the institution
in 1855 and'56. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of
25 to 2, and the Hlouse by a vote of 52 to 14. It was in
no respect a party measure-the majority of bothl parties
in both Houses voting for the bill.
In one year the wing was completed, anrd occupied by
forty-seven pupils, and four teachers. By Autumn, the
number wvas increased to seventy-seven pupils, and six
teachers. These, with the Principal and his family, and
help, inumbered ninety persons; which were miore than
could be comfortably situated, but the importunities for
admission wvere so numerous and urgent, that the cha-pel
was converted into a sleepi,ng-room, and on the 1st of January, 1838, there were sixty-two Deaf, and twenty-eight
Blind, in the institution.
The Legislature in 1855 appropriated in all, one hundred
and twenty-five thousand dollars for the Asylums and the
Ilous3 of Correction. None of these appropriations were
made a party measure, and a majority of both the political
parties voted for them. It is to be recorded to the honor
and humanity of all, that these institutions, promising so
much for the relief of human woe, were placed above all
party considerations, and the appropriations were made
simply upon the merits of each several case. All the circmstances indicated it as the settled policy of the State
o press forward these institutions to completion, as rap->
idly as prudence would warrant. During the exciting
16
121,
ASYLUM FOR THE
political contest of 1856, no one complained of the heavy
appropriations of the previous year-still fresh in the
public memory-no one considered the expenditure an
extravagance, or a waste.
With such a public sentiment, and so well understood
by the members of the Legislature in 1857, that body, with
remarkable unanimity, with the same union as in 1855,
made large appropriations for the Asylums, of which seventy-five thousand dollars was for the Asylum for the Deaf
and Dumb, and the Blind-to erect the main building, and
sustain the School in 1857 and'58. The bill making this
appropriation passed the House by a vote of fifty-nine to
eleven and the Senate, by the unanimous vote of all the
members present.* Until 1857, both of the Asylums had
been under the control of one Board of Trustees. The
bad policy of this-one institution being located at Flint,
and the other at Kalamazoo-had become apparent, and
the two were placed under the care of separate Boards.
On the 15th of July, 1857, the corner-stone of the main
buildings for the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, and the
Blind, was laid, with appropriate ceremonies, in the presence of the Governor and other distinguished gentlemen.
Letters of congratulation upon the progress of the enterprise, from distinguished citizens of our own and other
States, were read upon the occasion.
The buildings thus commenced, are the main front and
wings. One of these. wings is now (November, 1858,)
roofed, and the other almost ready for covering in; the
main building is so far advanced that it also, will be roofed
this fall.
The main building, which covers an area of 50 by 100
feet, independent of its projections, will consist of four stories above the basement-the whole surmounted by a dome
120 feet high from the ground. The basement is designed
*The bill aIpropriatmg $50,000 for the Asylum for the Insane, passed the House by a vote
of 45 to 6; anfl the Senate by a vote of 21 to 7. The appropriation for the House of Correclion was with similar unanimity.
122
DEAF AND THE BLIND.
for shops for the instruction of pupils in mechanical trades,
store rooms, hot air chambers for regulating the tempera ture of the rooms, &c. The first floor consists of reception
rooms and music rooms for the use and recreation of pupils;
the second floor is appropriated to the family purposes of
the Principal and Assistants, and the third to the use of
the Teachers.
One of the side wings is designed for male, the other for
female pupils; they will accommodate from 350 to 400 persons. Each wing covers an area of 50 by 80 feet, and consists of three stories above the basement. The basement
story is designed for bathing, washing and ironing rooms;
the first story for exercise and study; the second for hospital and dormitories; the third for dormitories.
The central building, which is not yet commenced,. will
communicate by covered corridors, in front with the main
building, or in rear with the side and school wings. The
basement is designed for the kitchen, the first story for the
dining hall, and the second for the chapel-coveriing an
area of 40 by 70 feet.
The school wing, completed in 1856, is in the rear. The
vawhole will show a front of twvo hundred feet. The style is
good, but comparatively plain, with no wasteftLil extravagance for mere ornament. The original estimate of the
cost of the buildings and appurtenances was $120,000 00;
but thus far. the expenses have been kept considerably
within the estimates? (a very rare thing in public works,)
and it is believed that not more than $110,000 will be required in all. This speaks well for the economy and faithfulness of the Board, and especially of the acting Commissionler, Hon. J. B. Walkier.
The design of this institution is not merely to impart intellectual light to the darkened i minds of its unfortunate
pupils; but likewvise, as Soon as suitable conveniences can
be prepared, to teach them such occupations as will best
enable them to earn their own support in after life. Even
123
ASYLIJM FOR THE
the Blind will be taught simple trades, such as making
baskets, brooms, and brushes, which will make them, thereafter, less dependent upon others. In this, it is like the
Hiouse of Correction, an Indut8strial School. The man who
gives his son no occupation, whereby he may honestly provide for his own wants, is justly regarded as recreant to
his high responsibility as the natural protector of his offspring. He places himself below the parental instincts of
some of the brute creation. And he who denies his son
the time and means to cultivate properly his intellectual
powers, is regarded as a sordid wretch, almost deserving
of a place in the pillory. But it is the duty of the State to
do in the general, what the parent is expected to do in particular. All should be educated, but all cannot be educated
to professional life. Especially is this true of the Deaf and
the Blind. Hence, as a majority of fathers should educate
their sons to labor, so should the State thus educate these
classes, who are peculiarly its children. We talk of' ntellect as resident in the brain; but who does not know that
the ha,a(d can be educated till it almost shows signs of intelligence in itself? A wonderful thing, indeed, is the human
hand! What is there grand in architecture, or beautiful
in artistic display, not wrought by the hand? From the
boy's shingle, with its paper sail, to the leviathan steamer
-from the infant's block house to the proudest palace —
from the most insignificant to the most stupendous material
works of man-all is due to the skill of the human hand.
Sad, indeed, would be the condition of our race, were the
hand to "forget its cunning I" It is true that.the hand is
dependent upon the intellect for its power; (though the
most skillful hand and the weakest intellect are often found
united;) but, though the intellect may be equal to an
angel's, the hand itself must be educated, ere it can accomplish its wonderful works. It is, therefore, evidently due
to the Deaf and Blind that they shall receive such a labor
education as may be best adapted to their condition and
wants.
124
DEAF AND I'HE BLIND.
All acknowledge the obligation of the State to provide
%or tbe physical necessities of those who, from any misfortune, are unazble to provide for themselves. Hence our
County poor-houses; and officers in every township to
becomo the protectors of the poor and helpless. Probably
not a man could be found in the State who will object to all
the expense thlus incurred for the unfortunate. And shall
we place the physical wants of our humanity above its
moral and intellectual hungerings? Shall we show such
solicitude for this animal frame, which, at the best, soon
lies down to mix again with its kindred dust, and ignore
all the demands of that higher nature, upon which is
stamped the seal of immortal being? We make no "appropriations" for the support of the poor-saying they
shall be provided for so far, but no farther but we agree
to support them, and pay the bills as properly presented,
be they less or more. And can we do less for those, many of
whom are equally helpless, and all of whose higher natures
are starving, and when nothing short of the power of the
State can give them relief? Each man cannot provide
teachers for his deaf or blind child; nor is it often that a
town or county can do it. The State only —except in rare
instances-can build and support Asylums.
The Deaf, Blind and Insane, are fully equal in numbers
to those who receive aid from the county funds. The
three classes in this State, at the present time, number
probably not less than one thousand. The number of the
Insane is about equal to that of the Deaf and Blind united.
It cannot be assumed that these classes are any better
qualified for their own support than are the county poor.
Will it be said that the Deaf should be excepted in this
comparison? Then it may be replied with confidence,
that an equal-number of the least helpless of the county
poor should be excepted; for doubtless there are many of
that number who could "get alog in some way," by their
,own exertions
125
ASYLUM FOR THE
The fable represents a traveler wandering into distant
climes till he became lost in the world's wide desert.
After hair-breadth escapes from barbarian tribes, he came
suddenly upon a populous city. Uncertain of the character of its inhabitants, he approached fearfully, until his
eye caught the sight of a Church and a Prison. Then he
rejoiced; for he knew he had found a Christian people.
Back of the irony here intended, lies a truth, perhaps not discovered by the author, which does honor to
the Christianity of the age. Prisons and chains have not
been wanting in all ages, almost from the time when the
first distinguished fratricide went forth from the presence
of his Maker, a vagabond upon the earth; and probably they will be required until the promised millenium
shall obviate their necessity, by the abolition of crime.
But until the advent of the Man of Nazareth-and even
now, where his Religion is unknown or unappreciatedthey were as likely to be employed for the persecution of
good men, as for the restraint or punishment of the bad.
Churches, therefore, are a sign that there are those who
are striving to promulgate and practice the principles of a
higher law than that of self, regardless of the rights of
others, or the claims of God; and Prisons show that these
principles are not universal —that there still exist bad
men to be punished and restrained. Our traveler-or his
historian-must have lived long ago, or he would have
seen by the side of the Church, indicating love to God,
the Asylum, speaking of good will to man.
Hospitals and Asylums are not the offspring of Heathenism. There have been tribes of men, where the infirm
and helpless were put to death, with the sanction of lawif law it could be called, where justice and humanity were
thus set at naught. And from that state of diabolism, as
our race has progressed in intelligence and virtue, we find
first the rights, and then the wants, of the weak, regarded;
and Prisons are put more exclusively to their appropriate
126
DEAF AND THE BLIND.
use. Hospitals, for the sick and disabled, were of an early
date. It needed but a heart of humanity to conceive of
thzeir benefits. Asylums for the Deaf, Blind and Insane,
are of modern origin; not because the warm heart of
Christianity did not feel for the woes of these classes, but
because no inventive mind had been Heaven inspired to
conceive the means of their relief. To conceive the plan,,
was to secure its execution. And if the names of Faust,
and Fulton, and MIorse, descend to remote posterity, as
benefactors of their race, in their inventions, shall they
who have invented Asylums, and successful treatment for
the Deaf, the Blind, and the Insane —and even for Idiotsever be forgotten? What say the grateful hearts of those
who have had a new existence opened up to their consciousness by their philanthropy?
To the memory of the devoted Gallaudet, the founncer of
the first Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb in America, at
HIartford, Conn., a monument has been erected at an
expense of two thousand and five hundred dollars, by the
money and labor of Deaf Mlutes alone! And how many
thousands are there in all enlightened lands, who bless the
memory of the Abbe De L'Epee, the inventor of the
deaf and dumb alphabet;" and of his compeer, the Abbe
Hauy, who like another Faust, conceived of printing books
to be read by the Blind! And is it not safe to predict,
that another generation in this State-and especially the
thousands who will hereafter find relief from mental bondage, and darkness inconceivable-will send back aspirations
of gratitude to the men of those Legislatures who founded
and sustained our Asylums, and to their constituentswho
so cheerfully contributed the means.
The means! Ah, that is the bugbear which stands ever
like a devouring lion, before some men's eyes! If they
would not themselves live forever in midnight darkness,
with worse than iron chains upon their soul], they would
let others do so, rather than incur the "expense" necessary
127
ASYLUM FOR THE
for their relief. While such narrow selfishless exists in
the world, Prisons must doubtless be built by the side of
Churches; for when a man denounces such monuments of
enlarged and enlightened Christianized humanity as are
our Asylums, and seeks to enlist a popular or party prejdice against them because of their trifling expense, he
demonstrates in no small degree, the necessity of Prisons
for bad men, or the erection of another Asylum for another
class, who were, until a recent date, considered the most
hopeless cases of an almost obliterated humanity.
"The trfding Expense?"
Yes, the term is used advisedly. A slight consideration
of thie subject shows that all the expense of our Asylums
is trifling, compared to our means, and unworthy of a
second thought, in view of the blessings these institutions
are able to impart.
To complete the Asylums for the Deaf and Blind, and
for the Insane, and the House of Correction, and fully furnish them, according to their several plans, competent to
meet the wants of the State for a generation to come,
cannot, at the highest estimate, cost over six hundred
thousand dollars. And what is that upon two hundred
millions? Divide it between six years, which is as fast
as the means have been and will be required, and five
cents upon every hundred dollars of our property, or half
of one mill upon every dollar is all. And will any one
who claims affinity to "Godlike humanity," object to a tax
so trifling in amount, whlen productive of so noble results?
Taxation">is usually most severely felt by men ofmoderate
means; but where is the man worth five hundred dollars,
who would object to paying twenty-five cents per annum
for six years, to perfect these humane institutions? When
they are completed, the current expenses of their main
tenance and support for the next twenty years, may
average forty thousand dollars per annum. This will
amount to less than two hundredtht of one per cent. upon
128
DEAF AND THE BLIND.
the value of the property in the State! Nearly half of the
above estima,ted six hundred thousand dollars has already
been expended. Not half of the amount hitherto used,
has been raised by a direct tax; but as every man is a
co-partner, and owvner of the public funds, in proportion
to the amount of his property, it is essentially the same
thing. And who will object to the appropriation annually
of an amount equal to two cents upon every hundred dollars
of his property, to sustain these three noble institutions,
and to reveal a new life to the six or seven hundred of our
unfortunate fellow beings who will ere long be found
within their walls?
Men seem to have an instinctive dread of taxation; and
there was, perhaps, never a community where the complaint of "high taxes" was not heard. The money thus
paid appears to bring no return. Yet our taxes do secure
a valuable consideration, as truly a-s does the money with
which we buy our daily food. We do not see it as much
in the detail, but in the aggregate result it is no less certain. And our taxes for the support of the government
and its works are very insignificant, compared with those
we pay on our owvn direct account. We pay from half a
cent to four cerntLs upon the dollar for insurance on our
buildings; yet the public taxes of every description, which
we pay, averaging p3rh'aps half of one cent upon the dollar
in the country, and one cent in the cities annually, constitute really a far better insurance upon the general safety
and productiveness of our property, than does any insurance against fire upon our buildings. What would oyr
property be worth without schools, courts, and highways?
Yet these are maintained only by taxation. Our taxes keep
in motion all the machinery of society, necessary to protect
and give value to our possessions. Let a now prosperous
community reduce its contributions for churches, schools,
courts, roads, and for all county and towni purposes, and
17
129
ASYLUM FOR THE
lot every individual reduce his private charities, to onefourth the arnount heretofore paid, and in a very brief space
of time, we should see property of all kinds depreciate in
value, business would decline, crime would increase, and
"for sale or to let " might soon be stereotyped upon a great
portion of its dwellings.
All the blessings of life which we enjoy superior to uncivilized tribes of men, come to us through the agency of
taxation in its various forms. As an individual, the farmer
pays a tax in the purchase of his land; and the seed which
he deposits in the soil, is but one of the taxes he must
pay to secure a harvest. As a member of society, he must
pay a further tax for building roads and bridges, or the
harvest, when obtained, will lose a great part of its value..
Without taxation of any kind, we should stand upon the
earth-if. indeed, we could live under such circumstances
— physically inferior to the animal tribes; and less competent than they to enjoy even our animal existence.
The wild Indian pays no public taxes, and few upon his
own account. And few and small are the blessings he
obtains, either for his physical, intellectual, or moral
nature! But to make available the blessings which we
procure by direct purchase-which may be denominated
private taxation-we must consent to pay common or
public taxes. What would the surplus crop of the farmer
be worth, were there no roads? But free roads can be
built only by public taxation. And when the roads are
constructed, there is involved the necessity of another privrate tax for his wagon, or the system is still imperfect,
and the other taxes fail in their highest results. Thus are
al our expenditures, private and public, intimately related
to, and dependent upon each other, in securing the greatest
amount of good to ourselves and the community.
As a question of expediency, it is not so much what
amounut of taxes we pay, as for what objects we pay them.
Some young men expend more for cigars than all the
130
DEAF AND THE BLIND.
public taxes they would pay, if worth twenty thousand
dollars! There is little danger of such a tax bringing any
better return than a debased taste, a beclouded intellect,
a diseased body and poverty. In those nations where the
taxes are wrung from the reluctant masses, to aggrandize
the few, the people are necessarily impoverished thereby.
But in this free land, so called, we the people, tax oursdves for our own benefit; and we are our own judges how
our revenues can be best applied. When the tax gatherer
makes his appearance, he is not always a welcome visitor;
but he comes only for that which we have probably voted
to pay, and it is seldom that any one would have a single
object for which the money is to be raised, abandoned.
Who would have a dollar less expended for the support of
Schools? Doubly benighted must the man be, who would
lessen one cent, the means for educating his children!
Who wvould have a dollar less appropriated for the enforcement of the laws of the land? Surely, our persons and property are even now, none too safe from the assassin and thief I
Thus we might go through the long list of objects for
which we tax ourselves; and though the aggregate may
appear large, and at times onerous, there is seldom a single
object we would be willing to see relinquished, merely on
the ground of an enlightened economy.
We owe the security of all our rights, and the protection
to our persons and property which we enjoy more than
that possessed by barbarous nations, entirely to our social
compact, sustained in its iufluences by the virtue and intelligence of the people. To carry out the designs of this.
compact, while there ii so much evil and selfishness in the
world, requires all the machinery of government; and the
more perfect it is in its operations and results-as a general rule, and perhaps always, if in the hands of honest
agents-the more expeniirYe it is. We might elect one or
two men to make our laws, at one-fiftieth of the expense
incurred by a Legislature. As far as any necessity in the
131
ASYLUM FOR THE
case is involved, this would be the best economy; yet all
are aware that the history of the world shows, that as a
matter of fact, the "one man power" is the most expensive that can be devised; and that not only financially, but
as regards justice and equal rights. Few men can resist
the temptation of power, to use it for their own aggrandizement; and the most perfect wisdom and virtue that
ever united in mere mortal man, cannot be safely trusted
with supreme power. Our fathers wvho followed their
God-like commander through the Revolution, might have
trusted Washington, but Washington would not have
trusted himself. The possession of power is perhaps the
severest trial to which a man's integrity is ever subjected.
We often see this illustrated in those who, in obtaining
power, or even in the hope of obtaining it, forfeit a character which they have labored many years to acquire.
Hence we perceive the true'policy in free institutions,
in retaining the p.wer as directly as practicable, in the
hands of the people. And as the people must necessarily
employ agents to transact their public business, they are
elected for short terms; so that, if they fail to -reflect the
will of the people, they can beesdisplaced before they have
time to do extensive injury. Thus the men-the leaders
of a party-who fail for any length of time to execute the
will of the masses, will be hurled from power, and their
places bestowed upon new parties and new men. Even
judicial tribunals-the strongest holds of civil power —will
be overthrown if they continue to outrage united public
sentiment. If one Legislature makes laws in opposition
to the will of the people, men will be eleoted to the next,
to repeal them. It is therefore impossible for a body of
legislators long to misrepresent the will of their constituents, by taxation or otherwise.
When we see successive Legislaturestmaking the! establishment of our humane institutions a marked feature of
their policy, wZith no remonstrance, it is fairly to be inferred
132
DEAr AND THE BLIND.
-were other proof wanting —that they are executing the
public will. Even the strife of political partizanship has
not reached the ground ofi' our Asylums and Schools. So
well are politicians aware that they are founded in reason,
justice, humanity, and the hearts of the people, that they
dare not avow opposition to them. The most they dare
do, is to appeal to men's passions in reference to some of
the details of their management. Such appeals go for
about what they are worth, with an intelligent people.
The unearthly wail of the MAaniac, the sightless look of the
Blind, and the mute speech of the Dumb, utter a more impressive voice than ever went up from the hosts of a political battle field. The man who would sacrifice the claims of
suffering humanity for party or political considerations,
would be likely to commit any crime that seemed to promise
him benefit, if he could do it with impunity.
The enlightened and benevolent hearts of the citizens
of Michigan who have thus far cordially sustained their
public servants in establishing their Asylums, will hardly
take a step backward in the noble works now half completed, and thus incur the stigma of going downward in the
scale of civilization and humanity. Michigan has no cause
to be ashamed of her institutions. She has set an example
for her sister States in her Agricultural College-her University ranks among the first in the land-her Normal
School is raising still higher the standard of education in
the Primary Schools, which, with her local Colleges and
Seminaries, will compare favorably with those of older
States. ier public debt is insignificant, compared with
that of several other States, and her resources are abundant to meet all the demands of an enlightened State policy. tT,er general tax is but about half a mill upon the dollar of her property, as assessed at less than two-thirds its
value, and the heavier taxes for local objects, are only such
as her citizens voluntarily impose upon themselves, as they
deem best for their highest prosperity. With all her past
133
ASYLUM FOR THE DEAF AND BLIND.
acts of enterprise, intelligence and benevolence, it can
hardly be ever said that her reformatory and humane institutions are not sustained with all the promptitude and
liberality that is warranted by her ability, demanded by
her Christianity, and by the obligations of the social compact, whose Constitution-which demands their support —
is but the written recognition of the mutual obli,gations of
depT enet hnan.ity
134
ASYLUMA FOR THE INSANE.
The X.svl or th ae T,nsane being classed amlong the
educat.iomd inst;.tutions of tlhe State, by the Constitution,
the l t.erlin ent of Pu?lnic Istructinon hTsa deemed it
fit- p..:1 dira> ble that some notice of it should be given in
eo]:mecition',vith other i.n nered institutions, in this work.
I>av:~co e-~-Isuated w..th the o:.loers of the Astiyum, who
e -:nt'!i -. es, litae hof)iIo'-,?hig article prel.tred by the
FIX-}il; Si LY iuten(dnt, is here submitted.
The (isC(overy and settlement of Michirln date far back
in our national history, and yet only h(lf a entury has
passed since its constinition as a territory, and but twentytwo vears since its admission into the Union as a separate
wd indepenident State. Though Detroit was funded as
early as 1670, in 1810, one hundred and forty years afterward. the population of the entire State was only four
tfhousand seven hundred and sixty-two. The occurrence
of the last wvar with Great Britain, and tb,o unsettled state
of the country consequent thereon, so far interrupted immigration, that in ten succeeding years the population was
scarcely doubled. The growth of the State was thenceforward more rapid; the census returns showing a poplation in 1830 of 31,639, and in 1840 of 212,267.
The statistics of nativity, occupation, education, and
other points more or less directly connected, etiologically
or otherwise, with the subject of insanity, are presented
a follows, in the United States Census of 1850. In an
entire population of 397,654, 341,596 were born in the
ASYLUM FOR
United States, 54,703 were of foreign bir-th, and 1295 unknown. About one-half of those of foreign birth were
originally fi'rom Great Britain. The matle adult population
of the State was 108,9tS, of whom 65,709 were firmers,
about two thousand professional men, nearly four thousand
were engaged in the different branches of mercantile pursuit, and about the same number are classed as laborers.
Of the male adult population, 8,000, about three-eighths of
whom,'were of foreign birth, were found entirely destitute
of education, and unable to read or write. At the date of
tle Census Report, June 1st, 185(0), the whiole number of
paupers receiving support was four hundred and twentynine-two hundred and forty-eight of whom are, of native
and one hundcred and eighty-one of foreign birth.
No special attempt seems to have been made to procure
a full and reliable enumeration of the IiJsane in the State
of Michigan. The statistics presented, however, it is presumed, are as correct as those usually compiled under
similar circumstances, and for purposes of comparison fully
as reliable. In 1840 the number of Insane and Idiots, as
presented in the United States Census, was but sixty-five,
only seven of whom were supported at r-ublic charge. In
the next decennial census and statisticsi returns made to
the Department of State, in pursuance of an act of the
Legislature, the whole number of Insane and Idiots, in
M]ay, 1854, was found to be four hundred and twenty-eight.
The annexed table is a compilation of the foregoing data,
and shows the ratio of Insane and Idiotic to the existing
population:
Number of of Insane
Year. |NuberfTotal Population. |and Iliots to the en tire Po:pulation.
1840................ 65 2t'2,267 1 to 3265
1850................ 326 397,654 1 to 1190
1854................ 428w 509,374 1 to 1119
In 1850 the ratio of Insanity in the United States was 1
in 1,280. Assuming the population of Michigan to be at
i36
THE INSANE.
tihe present timre 725,000, and taking the same ratio, the
number of Insane in our State is more than 550. In the
i-most recently settled of the westelrn States, statistics have
shown the rates of insanity to be I in 1,400. Taking a
more favorable ratio even. than this, 1 in 1,500, we have
the Insane population in Michigan numbering 480, The
question presents itself, what is the State doing for this
most unfortunate and helpless class of her citizens?
Where are these 480 lunatics? What is their condition?
On account of the almost universally received idea that
the term idiocy is applicable to all forms of mental imbecility, and the great difficulty usually experienced in instructing census marshals to makle a proper distinction
between idiots and the demented, no attempt was made, in
compiling the statistical tables from the returns of the
State census, to separate the one class from the other,
With a view of presenting the matter more fully to the
Legislature, and'to arrive at the facts with greater minuteness than was exhibited in the returns of the census, the
Board of Trustees of the Mlichigan Asylum for the Insane,
during the summer of 1856, instituted inquiries, by means
of circulars, in every township of the State. Returns
were received'from only about one-third of the organized
townships.
Comparing previous results with those deducible from
the statistics thus obtained, the Board came to the conclusion that the number of insane in the State was not less
than four hundred, three hundred and fifty of whom they
consider proper subjectstfor immediate medical treatment.
It was further ascertained that about one-half of this number were maintained by their friends at home, the remainder being county and town paupers. Of those supported
in the poorhouses and other similar receptacles, the Board
remark, "very few receive any medical treatment whatever, and" are subiect to influences which tend rather to
18
, 3
-L i
ASYLUM FOR
confirm than to remove their disease, while the worst pos sible moral effect is produced upon all who are thus asso ciated."
TIhe sn'oject of public provision for the Insane of the
Sth:te of':Iichigan was first introduced for legislative ae tifn in' 1848. A joint resolution of the Senate and House
of Re-presentatives nmiade it the duty of the assessors, in
their ainnual assessment rolls, to report the number of the
Insane, Deaf and Dumb, and Blind, in their respective town ships. The laws of that session also established the Asylums, and appropriated eight sections of " Salt Spring
lands" (t5120 acres) for the erection of buildings. The
go-verniment of the institution was rvested in a Board of
T r stees empowered to establish rules and regulations, appoint officers, and to report to the Legislature annually.
In 1849 the amount of lands appropriated was increased
to fifteen sectionis, (9600 acres,) and the immediate seletica or the land required. The proceeds of sale were to
bie pa-ssed to the credit of the "Asylum Fund;" and at this
session it w-as also made the duty of the Board of Trustees
to select suitable locations. At the next session of the
Legi,sllature ten additional sections of land were appropritedl, making a total of sixteen thousand acres, also $5,000
as a loan, fiom the general fund, to be used by the Trustees 1in the construction of the Asylums, and in defraying
other expenses.
In 1851, the Board reported to the Legislature that they
had ascertained the number and wants, as far as possible,
of the Insane, Deaf and Dumb, and the Blind, and recommended the immediate erection of institutions for their
care and treatment. They found in the State between
three and four hundred Insane persons, some of whom were
with their friends and relatives, but the greater number
confined in county houses and jails. "The wants of this
class being of pressing necessity, particular attention was
directed to the obtaining of information on the organiza
138
THE INSANE.
tion and construction of institutions for the Insane, and
communication had with several medical superintendents.
As the result of their labors, they recommend the immediate erection of an institution capable of accommodating
two hundred patients; to have attached not less than one
hundred and sixty acres of land, located near some town or
village; built substantially, and upon the general plan of
the most perfect building in the country; to be warmed
by steam or hot wa.ter apparatus, and ventilated upon the
most improved modiernil plan."
The citizens of Kalamaz.oo, in a,dditiotn to the sum of
$1,380, had donated for the site of the Asylum for the
Insasne, ten acres of land in the central portion of the village. This, being unsuitable for the location of an institu
fion, waas di,- )o, ed of,.nd ore hundred and sixty acres
rchbsed (abe')at 1one mile from the village.
The Legislature of 1853 made another appropriation
from the Geeral F und of' tiwenty thousand d,ollars, as a
loan, and appointed a second Board of Trustees, and made
it their duty to adopt plans for the buildings, and advertise for proposals.
The first Board of Trustees hlad presented to the Legislature the plans of two of the most approved institutions
for the Insane in the United States, but without making
any specific recommendation. With a view of obtaining
the best information, and collecting data which should
govern their action, the second Board deemed it necessary
that one or more of their number should visit some of the
astern Asylums. Accordingly, the Board deputed one of
its members to visit some of the best eastern institutions.
In referring to this subject in their report to the Legislature of 1855, the Board remark.: "Of existing institutions
for the Insane in the United States, that established at
Trenton, New Jersey, a plan of which was submitted to
the late Board, is probably best adapted, in its general
features, to the wants of this State; but the present Board
139
ASYLUM FOR
came to te coiclusionll that none of tile existing institu tions combinLie all the improvements which are important
to be adopted. It further seemed to tlhem advisable to
secure the early appointment of the JNedical Superintendent, in order that the building might be erected so far
under his supervision as to secure his approbation when
completed. The frequent and expensive repairs of institutions erected without such supervision led them to look
upon this as a matter of the greatest economrny. Many of
the Asyliums of the United States were erected according
to plans furnished by architects only, or by trustees without practical medical experience, and when supposed to
by finished, have been found so ill-arranged and defective
as to call for very large additional expenditures before the
building could be used.'"
Acting upon these suggestions, the Board of Trustees,
in January, 1854, appointed Dr. John P. Gray, then Acting
Superintendent of the New York State Lunatic Asylum,
to the post of Superintendent. Dr. Gray,greed to devote
as much of his time and attention to the buildings and fixtures as should be necessary. As early as practicable in
the following spring, the erection of the centre building
was commenced, and proceederd with, as energetically as
possible, until September, when the workl was discontinued.
The Legislature of 1855 made an appropriation of sixtyseven thousand dollars to continue the construction of the
institution, and as soon after as the weather would permit,
the extreme transverse portion of the south wing was built
and roofed, with a view of finishing it, together with the
centre building, for immediate occupation. This course
seemed very desirable, in order to meet the pressing demands of the Insane in the State even then awaiting admission, but upon consultation with several medical Superintendents of Asylums, it was found to be impracticable.
A proper classification of patients is the first requisite in
the care of the Insane, and a curative treatment is in a
-14(l,
THE INSANE.
measure based thereon. To have finished the limited por tion designated, and opened it for the reception of patients
as intended, would have been entirely subversive'of the
purposes of the institution. To have assembled patients
together without the facilities requisite to a proper degree
of classification; to have associated the quiet and orderly,
the melancholy and sensitive, with the raving and boister ous, the filthy and profane, would have made all more
wretched, and in many confirmed the disease, which
without such harmful association might have proved but
temporary. A proper regard, therefore, for the greatest
good both of the patients and the institution, induced the
Trustees to abandon the design, and apply the balance of
the appropriation to the comr)lpe,ion of the remainder of
the institution.
In the following year, Dr. Gray was elected to the Superintendency of the New York State Lunatic Asylum,
and Dr. E. IH. Van Deusen, first Assistant Physician at the
same institution, was appointed to succeed him in the
Michigan Asylum. The appointment of Dr. Van Deusen
is considered a very judicious one. He brings to the service of the institution a long and tried experience, acquired during an official connection of five years with the
New York State Asylum, at Utica.
The institutions for the Deaf and Dumb, and the Blind,
at Flint, and for the Insane, at Kalamazoo, were commenced
utnder one Board of Trustees, and continued under a joint
control until the winter of 1855, when the Legislature juiciously severed this unnatural connection. The wants
of the two classes are entirely dissimilar, and there'is
nothing in common between them, except that both are
ander the fostering care, and receive their inmates from
among the citizens of the same State. In order to save
the institutions from the loss and embarrassment inseparable from frequent and entire changes in their management,
the same Legislature very wisely varied the manner of
141'..
ASYLUM FOR
appointing Trustees, and so arranged it that whenever a
member of the Board assigned either Asylum should go
out of office, two would still remain with some experience
in their official duties.
The appropriation of 1857 was only $50,000; a sum in
marked contrast with the wants of the institution. New
ertheless, the Trustees at once set themselves energetically
to work, and the portions of the building commenced were
pressed on to completion as rapidly as the limited means
at their command would permit.
During the year, the applications for the admission of
patients were numerous, and many were made under the
most afflicting circumstances. "The necessity which first
demanded the erecti6on of an Asylum in the State, had
yearly become more and more urgent. The causes producing this most afflicting of all diseases had been in cone
stant and uniform operation, and the number of the insane,
as shown by statistics, had already more than doubled.#
The Trustees considered it their duty to make almost any
sacrifice that might be required to meet the pressing want
They were aware of all the inconveniences and daigers
which would attend the operation of a partially finished
institution, but felt that some relief nmust speedily be af~
forded the many who were absolutely suffering in various
parts of the State.
In February, 1858, the institution sustained a severe loss
in the destruction of the centre building by fire, whereby
nearly one-fifth of the portion erected was laid in ruins.
Every precaution had been used to guard against uch an
accident, and a subsequent investigation showed concla:.
sively that the fire originated above the second story, and
was the work of an incendiary. The building is very
nearly fire-proof-indeed, more nearly so than any other
Asylum in the world-and it is doubtful whether it could
have been successfully fired in any other portion. The
pecuniary loss was estimated at $22,000. The part de
142
THE INSANE.
stroyed, though small as compared with the remainder of
the structure, serves the most important purposes in the
economy of the institution. It is the residence and headquarters of the officers; all accidents and wants are
reported there, and thence must issue the orders necessary
for the direction and control of the entire household.
In this connection, and as thwarting their cherished
desire of receiving patients at an early day, its loss was
most deeply felt by the officers. Nevertheless, after careful and mature deliberation, the Trustees still determined
to carry their: original purpose into execution, and have
prepared apartments for the reception of eighty-eight
patients, and their necessary attendants, and this number
will be received as soon as an approl)riation can be secured for the purchase of furniture.
The statistics of insanity in Michigan, and the origin and
history of the Asylum as presented in the successive
reports of the Trustees, have been given in the preceding
pages. Before proceeding to a description of the building,
it may be remarked, that none but those who have had an
opportunity of acquainting themselves practically with the
subject, can form any idea of the close study in detail,
which every part of an institution for the care of the
Insane requires, and without which, it must necessarily be
deficient in some important particular. Take for illustratration an Asylum window. The health and comfort of the
patient require that it be large, at the same time no subdivision must be small enough to allow one's head to pass.
It must be strong and well guarded, and yet all appearance
of restraint must be avoided. The sash must be movable,
and readily opened, and at the same time must be guarded
against injury by being heavily dropped upon the sill.
To this end, it must be balanced by a weight, which requires, as a matter of course, a cord; but the cord must
be concealed. and beyond the reach of the patient, or it
143
ASYLUM FOR
may be removed and used for purposes of suicide. Thus,
in every part and appointment of the institution, the
peculiar character of the inmate must be studied; and
while striving to meet each requirement with constant
attention to strength and durability, everything forbidding
or unpleasant must be carefully avoided.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ASYLUM.
SITUATION.-The Michigan Asylum for the Insane is sit
uated at Kalamazoo, upon the Michigan Central Railroad,
one hundred and forty-three miles west of Detroit, and
fifty-one,iles southwest of the Capitol at Lansing. The
location is probably as central and convenient as any that
could have been chosen, having reference both to the
present means of communication with the various parts of
the State, and to any other routes of travel likely to be
projected hereafter. The site' selected for the building is
upon an irregular eminence, about one mile from the village, and sufficiently elevated above the valley of the Kalamazoo river to secure an extenided prospect, and yet well
sheltered, and easy of access from the plain below. The
location is in every respect healthful and desirable, and
well adapted to the purposes and objects of an institution
for the treatment of mental disease.
FARM. —The amount of land originally purchased for the
use of the Asylum was one hundred and sixty acres; but
to secure a more desirable site for the buildings, an adjacent tract was subsequently added, making the whole
amount of land in the possession of the institution one
hundred and sixty-eight acres (167 76-100ths.) Most of
this land is finely timbered with the original growth of
oak, hickory, and other trees, affording every facility
which could be desired for beautifying the grounds. That
in the rear of the building is broken, and falls, by a series
of ravines covered with trees, about eighty feet to the valley below, through which flows a small hbint rapid strca,i
144
THE INSANE.
of pure warer. The buildings themselves will cover an
area of one and one-third acres. It is designed to pre serve about fifty acres in groves and woodland, with walks
and drives, and the remainder will be devoted to ordinary
agricultural purposes.
GENERAL PLAN.-The ground plans were furnished by
Dr. John P. Gray. It might here be remarked, that the
principles laid down in a series of propositions relative to
the construction and arrangement of Hospitals for the In',ane, unanimously adopted by the "Association of Medi cal Superintendents of American Institutions for the In sane," have been fully carried out in the plans adopted by
the Board. The form and internal arrangement of the In stitution will be readily understood by reference to the
a;ccompanying ground-plan. The Asylum building proper,
the main front of which has an easterly aspect, consists of
a center and six wings. The center portion of the main
luilding is divided by the entrance hall into two nearly
equal parts. That to the right contains, in front, the
principal offie of the Institution, the apothecary shop,
anrld an ante-room communicating by a private stairway
with the Superintendent's apartments above; and in the
rear. the matron's room and ladies' reception room; while
that to the left contains in front the public parlor and officers dining-room, and immediately behind these, the business offce and men's reception room. The second floor is
aplpro-)riated exclusivel7v to the use of the Medical Superilhtendent. Upon the third floor are the apartments of the
assistant physicians, steward and matron. The basemenf'
contains the laboratory connected with the apothecary
shop, and the officers' kitchen and store-rooms. Immediately behind the center building is the chapel, and still
further in the rear the engine and boiler-house. Extending from the center building, towards the south for males
and towards the north for females, are the several wards
19
145
ASYLUM FOR
of the Institution, nine on each side, including the
infirmaries.
ARCHITECTURE.-The plans selected by the Board of
Trustees were placed in the hands of A. II. Jordan, Architect, of Detroit, for the necessary elevations, details, &C.
The style adopted is the Italian, it being the lightest,
most cheerful, and least expensive for the effect required
in such an extensive range of building.
MATERIALS.-The material used in construction has been
brick, covered with Roman cement and sand, and finished
to represent freestone. The window-caps, sills and brackets, belt-courses and capitals in front, are of white limestone, from the Athens quarries, near Chicago. The
division walls throughout are of brick. The Asylum is
built upon a system of fire-proof construction, nearly all
the floors being laid upon brick arches sprung from iron
girders, which besides providing against fire, give additional security to the building, and ensure its durability.
APPROPRIATION OF WARDSs.-The various wards in the
institution are appropriated as follows:
Number of Beds. Total of
No. f ______________each sex
Nos. Classifioation. No. of. each se x
Wards. Single [Associatedn
. Rooms. Dorim Class.
1 and 2 Convalescent and quiet, 4 80 16 96
3 and 4 Less disturbed,......... 4 56 32 88
5 and 6 More disturbed,........ 4 60...... 60
7 Demented,............ 2 20....... 20
8 " and infirm,... 2 12 12
9 Acute cases, &c., (Infir.) 2 12...... 212
Total............... 18 1 240 l 4;8- 288
The divisions for the sexes are equal. Eight of these
wards, inclusive of the infirmaries, are upon the first floor,
six upon the second, and four upon the third floor of the
transverse wings. It is considered that by moans of these,
any desirable classification of patients may be readily car
ried out.
ARRANGEMENT OF WARDS.-Each ward has the usual
I
IA
i
146
THE INSANE.
arrangement of corridor, sleeping-rooms, day-rooms, and
dining-room; with two stair-ways, clothes-room, lavatory,
bath-room, water-closet, soiled clothes-shaft, drying-shaft
and dust-flue to each. The corridors in the first, second, and
third wings are respectively one hundred and fifty-five, one
hundred and sixty, and seventy feet long; and in the third
stories of the first and second transverse wings, one hundred and nineteen, and thirty-four feet long. They are
uniformly twelve feet wide, and, in common with all other
rooms, sixteen feet in hight upon the first and third floors,
and fifteen upon the second. The dimensions of the single
sleeping-rooms are eight and ten by eleven feet, with an
average cubic capacity of fourteen hundred feet. The associate dormitories are fourteen by twenty-one feet, and the
parlors, or recreation-rooms, eighteen by twenty. Lateral
recesses, extending into the projecting towers in front,
form additional day-rooms in the first and second wings, on
either side. The dining-rooms are sufficiently capacious
to accommodate the number for which they are intended,
and are supplied with detached sinks, cupboards, and
dumb waiters. The closets, bath-rooms, lavatories, and
clothes-rooms open upon an adjacent, and not upon the
main hall, giving a very desirable privacy. The bath and
closet fixtures are of approved construction, and, to prevent all possible danger from leakage, the service-pipes
are conveyed in a separate pipe-shaft-an arrangement
which also facilitates and cheapens any repairs that may
become necessary. Drying-shafts, having lattice-work
floors, and communicating directly with the ventilating
cupolas, furnish a ready means of drying mops, wet cloths,
damp brooms, &c., and thus materially assist in promoting
the cleanliness and healthfulness of the corridors. To
prevent exposure, the bath-rooms and lavatories have communicating doors, in order that the latter may serve, on
"bathing-days," as dressing-rooms to the former.
147
ASYLUM FOR
REFERENCES TO THE PLATE. —, public parlor; B, Superintendent's office; C, Matron's room; D, business office; EE, reception rooms; F, officers' dining room; G,
apothecary shop; H, ante-room, communicating by a private stiarway, with the Superintendent's apartments aboveI, and II, store-rooms; K, associated dormitories; L, attendants' rooms; M, day and recitation-rooms; N, patients'
sitting-rooms; 0, dining-rooms; U, Chapel, having beneath it the kitchen, bakery and store-rooms; 1, boiler-room,
2, engine and fire-rooms 3, laundry: 4, drying-roomr
5, ironing-room; 6, workshop; 7. covered corridors.
NOTE.'
The preceding " Referent to toe Plate," contemplate the
insertion of a ground plan of the Asylum, not in hand at
the time this form goes to press, but promised by the Officers of the Asylum on a separate sbeet, in season to be
bound up with this volume, and facing this page.
148
.1
k
V~~~~~~~~~~~ ——!
ill~~~~~~~~:
-' 6- " —;
INFIRMARY FOR MALES [ FIRMAP.Y FOR FEMALES
-iliq - ~ -'......H
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
H A L L N9 I.: H A L]L iN
WA R D S FO R MA^ LE PATIENTS W A-R D S FOR FEMALE PATIENTS
_
MICHIGAN ASYLUM FOR THE NSAE, KALAMAZOO.
II
It
T
-i>'~t tee t^ 1Il
,; #J' L J, C, 0 c-,.' t r, a.,,; >/ IZ
,, cr I^f^ r. ",-,,I
THE INSANB.
!NFIRMARIES.-In a detached building, in the rear of the
qrst transverse wings, but connected with the wards by
means of a covered corridor, an infirmary is provided for
each sex. Fitted up with every convenience, they provide
A very desirable place for the treatment of acute cases, of
+hose w-ho are seriously ill, or of any requiring special care
.nd frequent medical attention. They can be reached at
:lI hours of the night without disturbing any other portion
of the house; they provide the means of isolation in case
Of the occurrence of any infectious or contagious diseases in
:he institution, and give to the friends of dying patients an
)pportunity of administering to them in their last moments.
WLi.Nows.-The windows are fitted throughout with a
cast-;ron sash, the upper half of which alone is glazed.
Posterior to the lower half, and immediately against it, is
A wooden sash of corresponding size and shape, moving
tree, and suspended by a cord and weight; the former
being attached to the bottom of the sash, and passing over
? pulley near its top, is always entirely concealed. The
panes of glass are six by nine inches in size. - The windows,
,Vhere deemed desirable, are protected by a shutter of
tramned wicker-work, sliding into the wall, and retained
there, as also in its position, by one and the same lock.
FLOORING.-The floors in all uncarpeted rooms are formed
one and one-half inch oak plank, grooved and tongued,
md none of them being more than three and one-half inches
in width. The sleepers and the iron girders supporting
the arches rest upon an offset in the wall, which, when fin-
i]shed, also forms the cornice in the room below.
PROvISTON AGAINST FIRE.-The horrible sacrifice of hunan life on the occasion of the burning of an institution
&-r the insane in one of the Eastern States, and the peculiar
liability of these buildings to take fire, as shown by the
Srequent occurrence of such accidents, determined the
Board r of Trustees, although;t would somewhat increase
149
ASYLUM FOR
the price of construction, to make the Asylum fire-proof.
The more recent partial destruction by fire of another in+-,itution has confirmed the wisdom of this decision. The
use of iron girders and brick arches as support for the
floors, was consequently determined upon, and to secure
additional safety, all connection between the wing and the
centre building is entirely cut off by the interposition of a
verandah of iron and glass, with communication from one
to the other only through iron doors. The location of the
heating apparatus and the kitchen in detached buildings
under the institution, quite exempt them from danger of
destruction by fire.
CHAPEL.-A separate building immediately in the rear
of the centre building, seventy by forty feet in size, contains upon its first floor a room for Chapel purposes, capable of seating three hundred and eighty persons. It communicates with the different wards by means of covered
corridors, is appropriately fitted up, properly warmed, and
lighted with gas.
KITOCEN.-One central kitchen is intended to supply the
whole institution. It is placed immediately beneath the
Chapel room, with store-rooms near at hand, and communicates with the dumb-waiters of the different dining-rooms,
by means of a small car moving upon a covered railway.
The building containing the Chapel room and kitchen is
surmounted by a bell and clock tower.
WARMING AND VENTILATION.-It is now admitted as a
principle that the warming and ventilation.of buildings
corresponding in size and purpose with institutions for the
insane, should be effected by one and the same process;
and also, that means should be adopted for expelling the
foul air to the same extent and sinmultaneously with the
admission of fresh. The fact is also established, and in
many Asylums has been confirmed by a costly experience,
that the ordinary system of making the ventilation depend
150
THE INSANE.
upon the spontaneous action of warm air currents, has failed
to give satisfactory results. A perfect and equable distribution of fresh air, either warm or cold, or the necessary
rapidity in the discharge of foul air, under all circumstances and in all seasons, can be secured only by a system of
forced ventilation. This is found to be most efficiently and
economically effected by means of a fan driven by a steam
engine; effectual, because at all times under perfect control, and economical, because the warm air is more thoroughly and rapidly distributed. The primary cost is not
great; it is not liable to get out ot order, and the motive
power is that requited for other purposes.
The system decided upon is a modification of that in use
at the New York State Lunatic Asylum, the efficiency of
which is shown by the fact that in ten similar institutions
in other States it has since been adopted, in place of furnaces and other means of heating and ventilation already
in operation. It consists of boilers, an engine, a fan, heating surface, and distributing-ducts and inlet-flues, with exitflues, foul-air ducts, and ventilating cupolas. The boilers
are four in number; these, with the engine and fan, (the
latter peculiar, from the circumstance of its delivering the
air in the direction of its axis,) are all in a separate and detached building. The air, after its delivery from the fan,
passes directly forward beneath the chapel. The main duct
conveying it gives off a small branch to the chapel, and
another to the centre building. It then branches toward
either wing, and another sub-division is made, one portion
passing beneath the first longitudinal wing, and the other,
entering the proximal end of the second wing, passes on to
the end of the extreme wing. The air-passage beneath the
building occupies the centre of the middle portion of the
basement, or rather, the space immediately beneath the
floors of the corridors, and the distributing flues pass up in
the walls upon either side of them. The heating surface
consisting of a series of wrought iron pipe, one inch in di
151
ASYLUM FOR
ameter, is placed in narrow chambers on either side of the
air-chamber. Exit-flues are carried up in the same walls,
taking their departure from two points, one near the ceiling, and the other near the floor of the rooms on either
side. These again conjoin in the attics to form the foul-air
ducts, and empty out into the open air through the ventilating cupolas. Downward currents of air, for the ventilation of the water-closets, will be secured in the usual
manner. This very important department has been intrusted to Joseph Nason, Esq., of New York City.
WATER.-Water is forced up to the institution through a
cast-iron pipe three inches in diamater, from a stream flowing in the valley immediately in the rear of the building.
COST.-It is estimated, and the experience thus far acquired in the progress of construction has shown the estimate to be a liberal one, that the entire cost of the institution, with all necessary outbuildings, farm implements,
farm stock, fences, gas-fixtures and pipes, a complete system of drainage and sewerage, warming and ventilating,
and furnished throughout, ready for the occupation of two
hundred and eighty-eight patients, will be about three
hundred and thirty thousand dollars.
Of the sum thus stated as the entire oost of the establishment, the amount properly belonging to the cost of erection would be $270,000.
For the purpose of comparing this with the cost of simlar institutions in other States, the following table is subjoined:
Name of
;~~~~~~ I anu ~ Oa~pt
State Lunatic Asylum. Utica, NO sI..........130 acr 440 patients..5 00
Maryland Hospital, Baltimore,..................... 4 130
McLean Asylum Somerville, Massaehuetts,....... 4 200 "
Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia................ e 1 00
Friends' Asylum, Frankfort, Pa.,................2 5
State Lunatic Asylum, Trenton, New Jefy,....... 2500
Maine Hospital for the Insane....................l. la 17# 1
Mt. Hope Institution, Baltimore, M.rya..........18 a 120
Butler Hospital, Providence, R. I...................... 1 1 0
State Lunatic Asylum, Taunton, ia<.,.............. "' 0
Experience in the erection of Asylums for the
'5
152
Cost.
$517,400 00
213,600 00
321,000 00
330,000' 00
85,593 00
2605000 00
150,712 00
100,000 00
116,000 00
250,000 00
IInsanlle?
THE INSANE.
})oth in this country and elsewhere, has shown that the
average cost of such institutions is about one thousand dollars for each patient aocommodated; though in several of
the larger Asylums in the United States, it has been much
:ireater. In the Michigan Asylum, it will be observed that
he cost has not exceeded this average.
Reviewing the architectural details of the building, and
ts general arrangement, and recollecting that the amount
of cubic space allotted to each patient, is about one-third
cmore than usual; that the number accommodated in single,
instead of associated dormitories, is proportionably greater,
(being 214 of the whole number;) also, that the estimate
-includes the e- ection of a well arranged infirmary for each
sex, external to the walls, (a very important feature, peculiar to this institution, though common to all recently
erected Asylums in England,) it will be observed that the
plan is most complete, and embraces all the modern im!provements.
The following is an extract from a recent article in the
editorial department of the "PENINSULAR AND INDEPE)DE\T MEDICAL JOURNAL," published at Detroit.
"That our readers mtnay know how our State Asylum is
regarded by those who have studied its construction, on
the other side of the Atlantic, we subjoin the following extract from the Dublin Medical Quarterly:
"'Great good sense was shown respecting the Michigan
lsylum, at the commencement, by the appointment of an
experienced Medical Superintendent. This was done with
thle view of the building being erected so far under hi-supervision as to secure his approbation when finished, than
which nothing could have been more judicious. And another and equally wise course was carried out, that of taking
as a basis of action the principles embodied in the series
of propositions adopted by the Assoc. of Med. Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane; which we
20
153,
ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE.
considered sufficiently important and practical at the time
of their publication, to transcribe in extenso into our Annual
Review on Insanity in 1851. We wish our authorities at
home would take a lesson from our far-seeing trans-Atlantic brethren, in such matters.
"'In the appropriation of the wards, we find that the
greater portion of accommodation consists in single rooms,
there being as many as two hundred and forty, leaving but
forty-eight to be located in dormitories. This is in the opposite degree to what prevails in these countries, the Asylums in which, we consider, are entirely too much limited
in single rooms, and too abundant in dormitories. But this
is done for economy, which is an injurious and mistaken
one of its kind, and but ill calculated to promote either the
recovery or comfort of the patients.
"'Altogether, this Asylum will be, from all appearances,
most complete in its several arrangements —in fact, will be
a model one for the New as well as the Old World!'
"It will be seen by this extract that Michigan not only
excels in her educational institutions, but that her Insane
Asylum is an acknowledged model, not only for the New
but the Old World."
OFFICERS.
Charles T. Gorham, Esq., President of Board of Trustees.
I. P. Woodbury, Esq., Secretary of Board of Trustees.
Hienry Montague, Esq., Acting Commissioner.
E. H. Van Deusen, M.D., Medical Superintendent.
154
3:t r x E I.
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO EDUCATION;
DUTIES OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION;
LAWS RELATING TO PRIMARY SCHOOLS;
PROVISIONS FOR LIBRARIES AND LYCEUMS;
TEACHERS' ASSOCIATIONS AND TEACHERS' INSTITUTES;
THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL;
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN;
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE OF MICHIGAN,
INCORPORATED INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING;
INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONDUCTING PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAWS.
PROVI>SIONS OF TIE CONSTITUTION
RELATIVE TO EDUCATION.
lrt'icle Thirteen of the Constitution of Michigan, under
the head "Education," makes the following provisions:
Section 1. The Superintendent of Public Instruction Supernten dent.
shall have the general supervision of public instruction,
and his duties shall be prescribed by law.
Sec. 2. The proceeds from the sales of all lands that School Fund
have been or hereafter may be granted by the United
States to the State, for educational purposes, andsthe proceeds of all lands or other property given by individuals,
or appropriated by the State for like purposes, shall be
and remain a perpetual fund, the interest and income of Perpetual
which, together with the rents of all such lands as may
remain unsold, shall be inviolably appropriated and annually applied to the specific objects of the original gift,
grant or appropriation.
Sec. 3. All lands, the titles to which shall fail from a de- Echeat-.
fect of heirs, shall escheat to the State; and the interest
on the clear proeeds from the sales thereof, shall be appropriated exclusively to the support of Primary Schools.
Sec. 4. The Legislature shall, within five years from the Free schools
adoption of this Constitution, provide for and establish a
system of Primary Schools, whereby a School shall be
kept without charge for tuition, at least three months in
each year, in every School District in the State; and all
instruction in said Schools shall be conducted in the English language.(i)
(1) The Legislature h not, as yet, fully complied with the requirements of this Section.
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS
Dit. schools Sec. 5. A School shall be maintained in each School Dis trict at least three months in each year. Any School DisPenalty. trict neglecting to maintain such School, shall be deprived
for the ensuing year of its proportion of the income of the
Primary School Fund, and of all funds arising from taxes
for the support of Schools.
Election of Sec. 6. There shall be elected in each judicial circuit,
Regents of
University. at the time of the election of the Judge of such circuit, a
Regent of the University, whose term of office shall be
the same as that of such Judge. The Regents thus elected
shall constitute the Board of Regents of the University of
Michigan.
Regents a Sec. 7. The Regents of the University, and their suCbody corporate. cessors in office, shall continue to constitute the body cor porate, known by the name and title of "The Regents of
the University of Michigan."
Reg'ts elect Sec. 8. The Regents of the University shall, at their
President of
Umiversity. first annual meeting, or as soon thereafter as may be, elect
a President of the University, who shall be ex-oocio a mem ber of their board, with the privilege of speaking, but not
of voting. He shall preside at the meetings of the Re gents, and be the principal executive officer of the UniSupervison. versity. The B,oard of Regents shall have the general
supervision of the University, and the direction and con trol of all expenditures from the University Interest Fund.
State Board Sec. 9. There shall be elected at the general election in
of ducation the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, three
members of a State Board of Educatio-one for two years,
one for four years, and one for six years; and a each suc ceeding biennial election there shall be elected one mem ber of such Board, who shall hold his office for six years.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall be ex-olcio
a member and Secretary of such Board. The Board shall
have the general supervision of the State Normal School,
and their duties shall be prescribed by law.
158
RELATING TO EDUCATION.
Sec. 10. Institutions for the benefit of those inhabitants Asylum.
who are deaf, dumb, blind or insane. shall always be fostered and supported.
Sec. 11. The Legislature shall encourage the promotion Agricultural
of intellectual, scientific and agricultural improvement;
and shall, as soon as practicable, provide for the establishment of an Agricultural School. The Legislature may appropriate the twenty-two sections of salt spring lands now
unappropriated, or the money arising from the sale of the
same, where such lands have been already sold, and any
land which may hereafter be granted or appropriated for
such purpose, for the support and maintenance of such
School, and may make the same a branch of the University, for instruction in agriculture and the natural sciences
connected therewith, and place the same under the supervision of the Regents of the University.(i)
Sec. 12. The Legislature shall also provide for the es-TOwshiP
Libraries.
tablishment of at least one library in each township; and
all fines assessed and collected in the several counties and
townships for any breach of the penal laws, shall be exclusively applied to the support of such libraries.
(1) The Agricultural Cllege, as organized, is entirely distinct from the State University.
159
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION.
By an Act approved April 4th, 1851, (page 708 Compiled Laws,) the duties of the Superintendent of Public
Instruction are thus defined:
'Supernten- Section 1. The Superintendent of Public Instruction
dent to have
general su-shall have general supervision of Public Instruction, and
pervision of
Publcn -it shall be his duty, among other things, to prepare anstructon.I
~A —' rnually and transmit a report to the Governor, to be trans
.port.
mitted by him to the Legislature at each biennial session
thereof, containing:
1. A statement of the condition of the University, and
its branches, of all incorporate Literary Institutions, and
of the Primary Schools:
2. Estimates and amounts of expenditures of the Sclhooi
money;
3. Plans for the improvement and management of all
educational funds, and for the better organization of the ed ucational system, if in his opinion the same be required;
4. The condition of the Normal School;
5. All such other matters relating to his office, and the
subject of Education generally, as he shall deem expedient
to communicate.
Be t~o Sec. 2. He shall make all necessary abstracts of the
embody abmteofr. reports of School Inspectors, transmitted to him by the
,Ports of Inoector. clerks, and embody so much of the same in his report as
may be necessary.
Sec. 3. He shall prepare and cause to be printed, with
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
the laws relating to Primary Schools, all neccessary forms, T,Ip,epere' fomas, regu.
regulations and instruments for conducting all proceedings lOtios,Oet;.,
for Schoo0l!
under said laws, and transmit the same with such instruc- Ocere.
tions relative to the organization and government of such
Schools, and the course of studies to be pursued therein,
as he may deem advisable, to the several officers entrusted
with their care and management.
Sec. 4. School laws, forms, regulations and. instructions sehool,lws,
fom, etc.:I
shall be printed in pamphlet form, with a proper index, to be prit'
ed.
and shall have also annexed thereto a list of such books as
the Superintendent shall think best adapted to the use of
the Primary Schools, and a list of books suitable for township libraries, with such rules as he may think proper for
the government of such libraries.
Sec. 5. Hie shall annually, on receiving notice from the Apprtion,
merit of Prl
Auditor General of the amounts thereof, apportion the mr,Y'School
Fund.
income of the Primary School fund among the several
townships and cities of the State, in proportion to the
number of scholars in each between the age of'our and
eighteen years, as the same shall appear by the reports of
the several Township Inspectors of Primary Schools, made
to him for the year last closed.
Sec. 6. He shall prepare annually a statement of theTo fcmh
And. G~ener. amount in the aggregate, payable to each county in the al with an nual state State from the income of th Primary School fund, and meaentof the
amoult pa-y shall deliver the same to the Auditor General, who shall able to each
county.
thereupon draw his warrant upon the State Treasurer in
favor of eachn county for the amount payable to such
county.
Sec. 7. He shall also send written notices to the clerks otices tOL
,, Co. Clerk; of
of the several counties, of the amount in the a',greg.t..e, to bedisbt to
ed in each
be disbursed in their respective counties, and the amount county.; payable to the townships therein respectively; which
notice shall be disposed of as directed by an act entitled,
"An Act to amend Chapter fifty-eight of the Revised
21
161
0
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
Statutes of one thousand eight hundred and forty-six,"
approved March twenty-eight, one thousand eight hundred
and fifty.()
Rtes ofap- Sec. 8. Whenever the returns from any county, town
portion me-nt, hw~
scetaioed ship or city, upon which a statement of the amount to be
ascertrainede
when Rdee disbursed or paid to any such county, township or city, shall
ports defec Uve. be so far defective as to render it impracticable to ascer tain the share of public moneys which ought to be disbursed
or paid to such county, township or city, he shall ascertain,
by the best evidence in his power, the facts upon which
the ratio of such apportionment shall depend, and shall
make the apportionment accordingly.
In what ca- Sec. 9. Whenever, by accident, mistake, or any other
ses deficienaportimay be cause, the returns from any county, township or city, upon
-potio nedt
the next which a statement of the amount to be disbursed to any
such county, township or city, shall not contain the whole
number of scholars in such county, township or city, be tween the age of four and eighteen years, and entitled to
draw money from said fund, by which any such county,
township or city, shall fail to have apportioned to it the
amount to which it shall justly be entitled, the Superin tenident, on receiving satisfactory proof thereof, shall
apportion such deficiency to such county, township or city,
in his next annual apportionment; and the conditions of
this section shall extend to all cases which accrue in the
year one thousand eight hundred and fifty.
Itereston Sec. 10. UJpon all sums paid into the State Treasury
F3:ucational
Fund; hteow upon account of the principal of any of the educational
computed
ai.how funds, except where the provision is or shall be made by
law, the Treasurer shall compute interest from the time of
such payment, or from the time of the last computation of
interest thereon, to the first Monday of April in each and
every year, and shall give credit therefor to each and
every School fund, as the case may be; and such interest
shall be paid out of the general fund.
(1) Section 112, Primary Schools.
162
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
Sec. 11. The Superintendent shall, at the expiration of Superinten dent at the
his term of office, deliver over, on demand, to his successor, expiration
of his term
all property, books, documents, maps, records, reports, and to deliver to
successor
all other papers belonging to his office, or which may have boeokj,r:
pers, etc.
been received by him for the use of his office.
Sec. 12. Chapter fifty-six of the Revised Statutes of one Certain ten aetments
thousand eight hundred and forty-six, and an Act to amend repealed.
R. S. of1846,
said chapter fifty-six, approved March twenty-ninth, one cih~.Pp56i
~thousand eight hundred and fiftys1850 are hereby repealed.
tilo-Li —ancl eight hun-dred and fifty are hereby repealed.
163
PRIMNARY SCHOOL LAW.
The following Laws relating to Primary Schools, aye
copied from the Revised Statutes of 1846, as since amended,
from time to time.(')
DISTRICTS.
When new Section 1. Whenever the Board of School Inspectors of
district is
formed any township shall form a School District therein, it shall
Township
Clerkto de-be the duty of the Clerk of such Board to deliver to a
liver notice
to nhabiabl taxable inhabitant of such District a notice in writing of
inhabitant.
the formation of such District, describing its boundaries,
and specifying the time and place of the first meeting,
which'notice, with the fact of such delivery, shall be en tered upon record by the Clerk.(2)
Inhabitant Sec. 2. The said notice shall also direct such inhabitant
to serve notice. to notify every qualified voter of such district, either per sonally or by leaving a written notice at his place of resi dence, of the time and place of said meeting, at least five
days before the time appointed therefor; and it shall be
Duty to the duty of such inhabitant to lnotifv the qualified voters
serve see
section 129. of said district accordingly.(-)
Return of Sec. 3. The said inhabitant, when he shall have notified
notice the qualified voters as required in such notice, shall en dorse thereon a return, showing such notification, with the
date or dates thereof, and deliver such notice and return
to the Chairman of the mneeting.(4)
Notice and Sec. 4. The said Chairman shall deliver such notice and
return to be
recorded. return to the Director chosen at such meeting, who shall
(1) Compiled Laws, Chapter.8. (3) See Forms Nos. 1 and 2.
(2) See Forms Nos. 1 and 2 (4) See Forms Nos. 1 and 3,
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
record the same at length in a book to be provided by him,
at the expense of the District. as a part of the records of
such District.(')
Sec. 5. The qualified voters of such District, when as- Election of
sembled pursuant to such previous notice, and also at each officers.
annual meeting, shall choose a Moderator, Director, and
Assessor, who shall be residents of said District, and who
shall. within ten days after such meeting, severally file
with the Director a written acceptance of the offices to
which they shall have been respectively elected, which
shall be recorded by said Director.(')
Sec. 6. Every such School District shall be deemed duly when ded
trict deem'd
organized, when any two of the officers elected at the first organed.
meeting shall have filed their acceptance as aforesaid.(3)
Sec. 7. In case the inhabitants of any District shall fail New notice
in cae of
to organize the same in pursuance of such notice as afore- failure to
organize.
said, the said Clerk shall give a new notice in the manner
hereinbefore provided, and the same proceedings shall be
had thereon as if no previous notice had been delivered.(4)
Sec. 8. Every School District organized in pursuance of corporate
pwers of
this chapter, or which has been organized and continued diswtrict.
under any previous law of the State or Territory of Michigan, shall be a body corporate, and shall possess the usual
powers of a corporation for public purposes, by the name
and style of "School District Number (such number as shall be designated in the formation thereof by the
Inspectors), of," (the name of the township
or townships in which the district is situated), and in that
name shall be capable of suing and being sued, and of
holding such real and personal estate as is authorized to
be purchased by the provisions of this chapter, and of selling the same.
Sec. 9. The record made by the Director, as required in Dector's
record evi
the fourth section of this chapter, shall be primafacie evi- dence.
(1) See Form No. 1. (s) See Note_A, and Sec. 149.
(2) See Form No, 4, Note A, and Sec 130 (4) Se Form No1, 1. Sec. 149 and Note A.
165
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
dence of the facts therein set forth, and of the legality of
all proceedings in the organization of the District prior to
the first District meeting; but nothing in this section con tained shall be so construed as to impair the effect of the
record kept by the School Inspectors, as evidence.
Rreaumpti'n Sec. 10. Every School District shall, in all cases, be preof legal or~g,a,ition. sumined to have been legally organized, when it shall have
exercised the franchises and privileges of a District for the
term of two years.
DISTRICT MEETINGS.
Annual Sec. 11. The annual meeting of each School District
meeting.
shall be held on the last(') Monday of September in each
year, and the School year shall commence on that day.(2)
Special Sec. 12. Special meetings may be called by the District
meeting. Board, or by any one of them, on the written request of
any five legal voters of the District, by giving the notice
required in the next succeeding section, and in all notices
of special meetings the object of the meeting shall be
stated.(:)
Notice of Sec. 13. All notices of annual or special District meetmeetings.
ings, after the first meeting has been held as aforesaid,
shall specify the day and hour, and place of meeting, and
shall be given at least six days previous to such meeting,
by posting up copies thereof in three of the most public
places in the District; and in case of any special meeting
called for the purpose of establishing or changing the site
of a School-house, such notice shall be given at least ten
days previous thereto.(4)
Whenmeet- Sec. 14. No district meeting shall be deemed illegal for
ing not illegal for want want of due notice, unless it shall appear that the omission
of notice.
to give such notice was willful and fraudulent.
Whoenti-: Sec. 15. Every white male inhabitant of the age of twentled to vote. ty-one years, residing in the District, and liable to pay a
(1) This word was erroneously printed " first," in the Compiled Laws.
(2) See Form No. 5 and Note A. (3) See Form No. 6 and Note A.
(4) See Note A, and Forms Nos. 5 and 6.
166
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
School District tax therein, shall be entitled to vote at any
district meeting.(1)
Sec. 16. If any person offering to vote at a School Dis- Chollenges
to persons
trict meeting shall be challenged as unqualified, by any ofering to
9 -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ vote.
legal voter in such district, the chairman presiding at such
meeting shall declare to the person challenged the qualifications of a voter, and if such person shall state that he is
qualified, and the challenge shall not be withdrawn, the
said chairman shall tender to him an oath in substance as
follovws: "You do swear (or affirm) that you are twenty-onlle oath.
years of age, that you are an actual resident of this School
District, and liable to pay a School District tax therein;"'
an?d every person taking such oath, shall be permitted to,
vote on all questions proposed at such meeting.
Sec. 17. If any person so challenged shall refuse to takeFalse oath
to be dee
such oath, his vote shall be rejected, and any person who ed perjury,
shall willfully take a false oath, or mnake a false affirmation
under the provisions of the preceding section, shall be
deemed guilty of perjury.
Sec. 18. When any question is taken in any other man- When cha,
lenge may
ner than by ballot, a challenge immediately after the vote be madae in
crtain ea,!
has been taken, shall be deemed to be made when offering es
to vote, and treated in the sume manner.
Sec. 19. The qualified voters in such School District, Powersof
vters at
vwhen lawfully assembled, shall have power to adjourn from meetings
time to time, as may be necessary; to designate a site for
a School-house, by a vote of two-thirds of those present,
and to change the same by a similar vote at any regular
meeting.(2)
Sec. 20. Whenr no site can be established by such inlab-whenIn.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~specters t
itants as aforesaid, the School Inspectors of the township determoine
site of
or townships i-i which the district is situated shall deter-sh~u~
mine where such site shall be, and their determination
shall be certified to the Director of the District, and shall
(1) See Forms Nos 1, 2 and 3. (2) See Form No. 19 and Note B.
16.'
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
be final, subject to alteration afterwards by the Inspectors
only, if necessary.(')
Quafiedvo- Sec. 21 The said qualified voters shall also have power
ters may di
rect pPgr-f at any such meeting to direct the purchasing or leasing of
chasing of
site, etc an appropriate site, and the building, hiring, or purchasing
and pre - r sie
scribe the
acmobnnetof of a School-house, and the amount of fuel to be furnished,
fuel, and
how fur- and the time and mode of furnishingr it for the succeeding
wished.
year; whether by apportionment to persons having schol ars to send to such School, in wood, to be delivered at the
School-house, or in money, to be assessed on a rate bill, or
by a tax on the property of the District, and to impose
such tax as may be sufficient for the payment thereof,
subject to the limitation contained in the succeeding sec tion.
Limi,tation- Sec. 22. The amount of taxes to be raised in any District
of tax for
Schooe. for the purpose of purchasing or building a School-house,
BMW), ete,
shall not exceed the sum of two hundred dollars in any
one year, unless there shall be more than thirty scholars
residing therein, between the ages of four and eighteen
years; and the amount thereof shall not exceed three
hundred dollars in any one year, unless there shall be more
than fifty scholars residing in the District between the
ages last aforesaid; and no sum shall be raised exceeding
one hundred and eighty dollars, for the purpose of building
or;,urchasing a School-house of less dimensions than
twenrty-four feet by thirty feet, and ten feet between floors;
nor exceeding seventy-five dollars for the purpose of
building or purchasing a School-louse, constructed of
round or hewn logs.(2)
Tax for re Sec. 23. Such qualified voters, when assembled as aforepairs, and
o, applara- said, may from time to time impose such tax as shall be
tus, ete.,,for myfo iet iesc
shof necessary to keep their School-house in repair, and to pro vide the necessary appendages, and to pay and discharge
any debts or liabilities of the District lawfully incurred;
and in Districts containing more than fifty scholars between
(1) See Form No. 19 and Note B.
168
(2)',Q e, e N o t e B,
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
the ages of four and eighteen years, lumay raise a sum not
exceeding twenty dollars in any one year for the puLrchase
of globes, maps, or any apparatus for the purpose of illustrating the principles of astronomy. natural philosophy,
and agricultural chemistry or the mechanic arts.
Sec. 24. They may also determine, at each annual meet- Aoter,s lfe?y
'' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~determhlie
ing, the length of time a School shall be taught in their ethleiegth
,~ ~ ~ ~ ~of time a,
District during the ensuing vear. which shall not be less selonoo,n
be tautIt;
than three months; and whlether by male or female et
teachers, or both; and whether the moneys apportioned
for the support of the School therein shall be applied
to the winter or summer term, or a certain portion of
each.(l)
Sec. 25. In case any of the matters in the preceding whe.e trict board
section mentioned are not determined at the annual meet- may deter
mine.
ing, the District Board shall have power, and it shall be
their duty, to determine the same.(')
Sec. 26. Said qualified voters may also, at any regular Whenvoters
I~ may direct
meeting, authorize and direct the sale of any School-house, sale of prop erty.
site, building or other property belonging to the District,
when the same shall no longer be needed for the use of the
District.(3)
Sec. 27. They may also give such directions, and make Directionsinm
regard to
such provision as they shall deem necessary, in relation to seuits.t
the prosecution or defense of any suit or proceeding in
which the District may be a party, or interested.
DISTRICT OFFICERS, THEIR POWERS AND DUTIES.
Sec. 28. The officers of each School District shall e a istrit offiModerator, Director and Assessor, who shall hold their
respective offices until the annual meeting next following
their election or appointment, and until their successors
shall have been chosen, and filed their acceptance, but not
beyond ten days after the time of a second annual meeting
(1) See Note C. (2) See Note C. (3) See Note C.
22
169
(1) See Note C.
(2) See Note C.
(3) be Note C.
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
after their election or appointment, without being again
elected or appointed.(l)
MODERATOR.
Moderator's Sec. 29. The Moderator shall have power, and it shall
powers and
ntieo s be his duty, to preside at all meetings of the District, to
sign all warrants for the collection of rate bills after they
shall have been prepared and signed by the Director, and
to countersign all orders upon the Assessor for moneys to
be disbursed by the District, and all warrants of the Di rector upon the Township Treasurer for moneys raised for
District purposes, or apportioned to the District by the
Township Clerk; but if the MIoaerator shall be absent
from any District meeting, the qualified voters present
may elect a suitable person to preside at the meeting.(2)
Moderator Sec. 30. If at any District meeting any person shall conto keep or'er, etc. duct himself in a disorderly manner, and after notice from
the Mioderator or person presiding, shall persist therein,
the Moderator or person presiding may order him to with draw from the meeting, and on his refusal, may order any
constable or other person or persons to take him into cus tody until the meeting shall be adjourned.
instay for Sec. 31. Any person who shall refuse to withdraw from
disturbing
meeting. such meeting on being so ordered, as provided in the pre ceding section, or who shall willfully disturb'such meeting,
shall, for every such offence, forfeit a sum not exceeding
twenty dollars.
ASSESSOR.
Sec. 32. The Assessor shall pay over all mone~ys in his
hands belonging to the District, on the warrant of the Director, countersigned by the Moderator; and shall collect
all rate bills for tuition and fuel, in obedience to the command contained in the warrant annexed thereto.(3)
Sec. 33. In case any person shall neglect or refuse to pay
Assessor to
collect and
ay over
r.oneys.
(3) See Note P. and Forms Nos. 7, 10 and 11.
(3) See Form No. 7.
170
(1) See -,\'otes A. and D.
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
the amount on such rate bill for which he is liable, on de- onrefusalto
pay, Asses.
mand, the Assessor shall collect the same by distress and Cor to ol.
lect by dissale of any goods or chattels of such person, wherever found, tress.
within any county in which the District, or any part of it,
is situated.(i)
Sec. 34. The Assessor shall give at least ten days' notice Notieeof
of such sale, by posing up written notices thereof in three
public places in the township where such property shall be
sold.(2)
Sec. 35. At the expiration of his warrant, the Assessor Assessor to
make r'turnshall make a return thereof, in writing, with the rate bill to )irector.
attached, to the Director; stating the amount on said rate
bill collected, the amount uncollected, and -the names of
the persons from whom collections have not been made.(')
Sec. 36. The Assessor shall appear for and on behalf of WhenAs sessor to apthe District in all suits brought by or against the same, peecatr for Di rector.
when no other directions shall be given by the qualified
voters in District meeting, except in suits in which he is
interested adversely to the District, and in all such cases
the Director shall appear for such District, if no other direction be given as aforesaid.
DIRECTOR.
Sec. 37. The Director shall be the clerk of the District Director to
be Clerk,
Board, and of all District meetings when present, but if he
shall not be present at any District meeting, the qualified
voters present may appoint a clerk of such meeting, who
shall certify the proceedings thereof to the Director, to be
recorded by him.
Sec. 38. The Director shall record all the proceedingg'ofTo record
proceedings;
the District, in a book to be kept for that purpose, and pre- etc.
serve copies of all reports made to the School Inspectors,
and safely preserve and keep all books and papers belonging to his office.
Sec. 39. By and with the advice and consent of the Mod
(1) See Form No.. (2) See Form No. (3) See Form No.7.
171
(1) See Form No. 7.
(2) See Form No. 7.1
(3) See Form No. 7.
i'RIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
To contach erato and Assessor. or one of them, the Director sha ll conwith Teach er tract with, and hire qualified tea.hers for, and in the name
of the district, which contract shall be in writing, and shall
have the consent of the Moderator and Assessor, or one of
!heni endorsed thereon, and shall specify the wages per
week or month as agreed by the parties, and a duplicate
thereof shall be filed in his office.(l)
To ascertan Sec 40. He shall ascertain, as niear as practicable. berequisite
qui,ntty-of foi e the commencement of each School Term, if the Disfuel for each
gpersot.~aed trict at any regular meeting so direct, the just proportion
tofuns.
,t~s.'which each person having schlolars to send to the School
ought to furnish, of the fuel for such term, and give each
such person at least five days' notice of the time within
which he is required to deliver the same at the School house; and if any person shall not deliver his proportion
as required, the same shall be furnished by the Director,
and the amount thereof shall be assessed on the rate bill
to the person neglecting to deliver his proportion as afore said.
'To takecen- Sec. 41. Within ten days next previous to the annual
-,sus of dis.
trict, aind District meeting, the Director shall take the census of his
;make list.
District, and make a list in writing of the names of all the
children belonging thereto between the ages of four and
eighteen years.(2)
Tofurnish Sec. 42. He shall furnish a copy of such list to each
copy of list
to Teacher, Teacher employed in the District, and require such Teacher
and require
Teacher to carefully to note the dailv attendance of each scholar and
mote attend-
ance and to make return thereof to him, including the ages of all
make re scholars whose names are not on such list; and such
Teacher shall also certify and return, according to his best
information and belief, the name of the person liable for
the tuition of each scholar.
When Sec. 43. In case the Director shall not have furnished
Teacher to
keeplist, such list as aforesaid, the Teacher shall keep a list of all
-etc.
the scholars attending School, and the number of days each
(1) See Note 0, and Forms Nos. 8 and 17. (2) See Form No. 22 and Note M
172
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
scholar shall attend the same, with the age of each, and
the name of the person liable for the tuition of each, according to his best information and belief, which list he
shall return to the Director as aforesaid.
Sec. 44. The Director shall ascertain from the return of Directorto
ascertain
such Teacher, the number of days for which each person famount tdue
for tuition.
not exempted shall be liable to pay for tuition, and the
amount payable by each.
Sec. 45. Within twenty days after receiving such list ttte billnfodr
" tui~~~~~~~~~~~tion an&'
and certificate from the Teacher, the Director shall make fuel, and
warrant for
out a rate bill, containing the name of each person so lia- ollecti.
ble, and the amount due from him for tuition and. fuel, or
either, adding thereto five cents on each dollar of the sum
due, for Assessor's fees, and shall annex thereto a warrant
for The collection thereof, to be signed by him' and the
M1oderlator. ()
Rec. 46. Such warrant shall command the Assessor that content otf
warrant.
within sixty days he collect of the persons named in said
rate bill the amount set opposite their respective names,
and that if any person shall neglect or refuse, on demand,
to pav the ainount on said rate bill for which he is liable,
he ut"ect the same by distress and sale of the goods and
chattels of such person wherever found within the county
or conuties in which the District is situated, first publishing such sale at least ten days, by posting up notices
thereof bi three public places in the township where such
property shall besold.(2)
Sec. 47. In case the Moderator and Director shall deem Renewal of
warrant.
it necessary, they may, by an endorsement on such warrqit
signed byN them, extend the time therein specified for the
collection of such rate bill, not exceeding thirty days.(3)
Sec. 48. The Director shall provide the necessary ap- Diroevctoerato
provide appendages for the School-house, and keep the same in good Ptendages,d
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~etc.,oition and repair during the time a School shall be
condition and repair during the time a School shall b count.
(3) See Form No.7. (2) See rorm No. 7, (3) See Form No.9.
17,3
('-) See Form No. 7
(2) See Form No. 7.
(-') qee Form No. 9.
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
taught therein, and shall keep an accurate account of all
expenses incurred by him as Director.(1)
AuoDiwance Sec. 49. He shall present said account for allowance to
of Director's
account, the qualified voters of the District, at a regular meeting.
and the amount of such account, as allowed by such meet ing, shall be assessed and collected in the same manner as
other District taxes; but no such account shall be allowed
at a special meeting, unless the intention to present the
same shall be expressed in the notice of such meeting.(')
Directorto iSec. 50. He shall give the prescribed notice of the angive notice
of meetings. nual District meeting, and of all such special meetings as
he shall be required to give notice of in accordance with
the provisions of this chapter, one copy of which for each
meeting shall be posted on the outer door of the District
School-house, if there be one.(3)
To draw Sec. 51. The Director shall draw from the Township Libooks from
Township brary the proportion of books to which his District may
Library,and
return the be entitled, and return the same to the Township Library
same.
at the expiration of three months, and shall continue to
draw books ijn like manner, at the expiration of every three
months, and to return the same as aforesaid.(4)
Distribution Sec. 52. He shall distribute the books drawn out by him
of books.
to the parents or guardians of the children of the District
of the proper age, for the time and under the restrictions
contained in the rules prescribed by the Board of School
Inspectors.(5)
Diretoer to Sec. 53. He shall draw and sign all orders upon the Asdraw and
sign war- sessor for all moneys to be disbursed by the District, and
rants on
Treasurer. all warrants upon the Township Treasurer for moneys
raised for District purposes, or apportioned to the District
by the Township Clerk, and present the same to the Mod erator, to be countersigned by him.(6)
Sec. 54. The Director shall also, at the end of each
(1) See Note E. ~~~(4) See Note K.
(1) See Note E.
(2) See Note E.
(3) See Forms Nos. 5 and 6.
(4) See Note K.
(5) See Note K.
(6) See Note P. and Forms Nos, 10 and 11.
174
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
School year, deliver to the Township Clerk, to be filed in Dirpeocrttor to
report to
his office, a report to the Board of School Inspectors of the TCwnleWhrkShP
p ~~~~~Cloerk.
township, showing: (1)
1. The whole number of children belonging to the Dis- Contentot
trict, between the ages of four and eighteen years, accord- rprt
ing to the census taken as aforesaid;
2. The number attending School during the year, under
four, and also the number over eighteen years of age;
3. The whole number that have attended School during
the year;
4. The length of time the School has been taught during
the year by a qualified Teacher, the name of each Teacher,
the length of time kept by each, and the wages paid to
each;
5. The average length of time scholars between four
and eighteen years of age have attended School during the
year;
6. The amount of money received firom the Township
Treasurer, apportioned to the District by the Township
Clerk;
7. The amount of money raised by the District, and the
purposes for which it was raised;
8. The kinds of books used in the School;
9. Such other facts and statistics in regard to Schools,
and the subject of education, as the Superintendent of
Public Instruction shall direct.
DISTRICT BOARD.
Sec. 55. The Moderator. Director and Assessor shall triet
boards
constitute the District Board.
Sec. 56. Said Board shall, between the last Monday of roard tore.
port amount
September and the second Monday of October, in each toiteabtysP -
triet, etc.
year, make out and deliver to the Supervisor of each township in which any part of the District is situated, a report
in writing under their hands, of all taxes voted by the
(1) See Form No. 22, and Note M.
175
PRJIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
District during the preceding year, and of all taxes which
said Board is authorized to impose, to be levied on the
taxable property Within the District.(')
Purchase of Sec. 57. The District Board may purchase, at the exbooks for
poor chl- pense of the District, such School books as may be neces sary for the, use of children admitted by them to the
District School free of charge, and they shall include the
amount of such purchases, and the amount which would
have been payable for fuel and Teachers' wages, by per sons exempted from the payment thereof, together with
any sums on the district rate bills, which could not be
collected, in their report to the Supervisor or Supervisors,
to be assessed as aforesaid.(5)
Fxerapiion Sec. 58. Said Board shall exempt from the payment of
of Poor Perpanfrom of Teachers' wages, and from providing fuel for the use of
payment o
Tuition, etc. the District, all such persons residing therein as in their
opinion ought to be exempted, and shall certify such ex emptions to the Director; and the children of such persons
shall be admitted to the District School free of clharge
during the time of such exemption.(3)
&rdaiI~, Sec. 59. They shaill purchase or lease a site for a School purchase or
hioesite for house, as shall have been designated by the District, in
House et~ the corporate name thereof, and shall build, hire or pur chase such School-house out of the fund provided for that
purpose,,rnd make sale of any site or other property of
the District, when lawfully directed by the qualified voters
at an annual or special meeting: Provided, That the Dis trict Board shall not in any case build a stone or brick
School-house upon any site, without having first obtained
a title in fee to the same, or a lease for ninety-nine years;
and also that they shall not in any case build a frame
School-house upon any site for which they have not a title
in fee, or a lease for fifty years, without securing the priv ilege of removing the said School-house wheng lawfully
(2) See Form No. 12.
(3) See Forms Nos, and 12.
176
(1)'-qe — Form No. 12.
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
directed so to do by the qualified voters of the District, at
any annual or special meeting.(')
Sec. 60. The District Board shall apply and pay over all Board htoalP ply School
School moneys belonging to the District, in accordance Moneyi.
with the provisions of law regulating the same, as may be
directed by the District; but no School moneys apportioned to any District shall be appropriated to any other
use than the payment of Teachers' wages, and no part
thereof shall be paid to any Teacher who shall not have
received a certificate as required in this chapter, before
the commencement of his School.(2)
Sec. 61. The Moderator and Director shall require of sngd to be
required of
the Assessor, and the Assessor shall execute to the District, Aseesor.
a bond in double the amount of money to come into his
hands as such Assessor during the year, as near as the
same can be ascertained, with two sufficient sureties, to be
approved by the Moderator and Director, conditioned for
the faithful application of all moneys that shall come into
hls hands by virtue of his office.(3)
Sec. 62. Such bond shall be lodged with the Moderator, Wher Bond
to be lodged,
and in case of any breach of the condition thereof, theand when
sued, etc.
Director shall cause a suit to be commenced thereon in
the name of the District, and the money, when collected,
shall be paid into the Township Treasury, for the use of
the District, subject to the order of the proper District
officers.(4)
Sec. 63. Said Board shall present to the District, at each Report of
Receipts
annual meeting, a report in writing, containing an accurate anr eDiset
bursementsg.
statement of all moneys of the District received by them,
or any of them, during the preceding year, and of the ds bursement made by them, with the items of such receipts
and disbursements.
Sec. 64. Such report shall also contain a statement of all stateo
of Taxe s,
taxes assessed upon the taxable property of the District etc.
(1) See Forms No, 20 and 21. (3) See Form No 13.
(l) See Forms No, 20-and 21.
(2) See Note O. and Form No. 8.
23
177
4
(3') See Form No. 13.
(4) See Form No. 13.
PRIMiARY SCHOOL LAW.
during the preceding year, the purposes for which such
taxes were assessed, and the amount assessed for each par ticular purpose, and said reports shall be recorded by the
Director in a book to be provided and kept for that
purpose.
Board to Sec. 65. The said District Board shall have the care and
have cusi-tcdyitofpDoper custodv of the School-house and other property of the
tricroer Property
ty.
ty District, except so far as the same shall be specially con fided to the custody of the Director, including all books
purchased for the use of pupils admitted to the School
free of charge.(')
To fi't va- Sec. 66. The Board shall have power to fill by appointcancies,
nelit. anyv vacancy that shall occur in their own number,
and it shall be their duty to fill such vacancy within ten
days after its occurrence.(2)
Boardm av Sec. 67. If the Assessor shall fail to give bond as is reappoin+ [ssessorn 1 oquired in this chapter, or from sickness or any other cause
certain case shall be unable to attend to the duty of collecting any
District- rate bill, the said Board shall appoint an Acting
Assessor to collect the same, wvho shall possess all the
j:c:ers of the District Assessor for that purpose, and shall,
before proceeding to the collection thereof, give bond to
thei District in double the amount of money to be collected,
in the same manner, and writh the same effect as the Dis trict Assessor is required to give such bond. Every
WVhen D- School District office shall become vacant upon the incumtriet Offices
toa baectome bent ceasing to be a resident of the District for which he
vacant, 9"
shall have been elected, or upon the happening of either
of the events specified in section three of chapter fifteen
of the Revised Statutes of 1846.(3)
. TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SCHOOL INSPECTOrS.
B13Drd of Sec. 68. The Inspectors elected at the annual township
School Inspectore. meetings, together with the Township Clerk, shall consti tute the Township Board of School Inspectors; and the
(2) See Form No. 15, and Note D.
(2) See Note D.
178,
(' ) See Note E.
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
Inspector elected at the annual township meeting, lhaving
the shortest time to serve, shall be Chairman of said Board,
and the said Township Clerk shall be the Clerk thereof.(')
Sec 69. The Chairman of said Board shall be the Treas- Chairman of
Board to be
urer thereof, and shall give bond to the township ill double naedagnuree
-, - - ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~and give
the amount of library nimonevs to come into his hands dur- bond.
ing his term of office., as near as the same can be ascertained. with two sufficient sureties, to be approved by the
Tovwnship Clerk, conditioned foir the faithful appropriation
of all moneys that may come into his halds by virtue of
his. office.(2)
Sec. 70. Said bond shall be filed with the Townshlipbhlarof
breach,
Clerk, and in case of the non-fulfillment thereof, said Clerk Bond to be
sued.
shall cause a suit to be commenced thereonr, and the moneys
collected in such suit shall be p)aid irnto the Townsv hip
Treasury for the benefit. of the Township Library.(')
Sec. 71. The Inspectors shall divide the township into Formation
to tl f Districts,.
such number of School Districts as may fromi tim e to time
be necessary. which Districts thev shall nuibiber; and they
may regulate and alter the boundaries of the same as cicumstances shall render proper: but no District shall conl-'DDoiugla"
]Hich. 121,
taim more than nine sections of land. and each District
shall be composed of contiguous territory, and b)e in as
compact a formi as may be; but no land shall be taxed for
building a School-houLse, unless some portion of every legal
subdivlsion of said land shall be within two and( one-half
miles ofh said School-honse site.(4)
Sec. 72. They may attach to a School District any per- Pdl-rsionsre,,i' " ding out of
son residing in the township,. and not in any orgtacrized Dis trict,
may be at.
trict, at his request: and for all district purposes, excepDitaherdt~,
, - D~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Iistrict in
raising a tax for building a School-house, such person shall cestsa
be considered as residiing in such District: but when set
off to a new District, no sum shall be raised for such person as his proportion to the District property.(5)
(1) See Form No. 14. (2) See Forn No. 14. () See Form No, 14
(4) See Noe F (i) See Note M,
179
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
Insprectors Sec. 73. The Inspectors shall apply for and receive from
to receive
and appro- the Township Treasurer all moneys appropriated for the
priate 12bray Township Library of their township, and shall purchase
the books, and procure the necessary appendages for the
Township Library, and make such rules for the regulation
thereof, and the preservation of the books contained in it,
as they may deem proper.(')
To appoint Sec. 74. They shall appoint one of their number to visit
one of their
number to each School in the township having a qualified Teacher, at
visit
Schols. least once in each School term in which a School is taught,
who shall inquire into the condition of such Schools, ex amitae the scholars, and give such advice to both Teachers
and pupils as he mav think beneficial.(2)
When part See. 75. When a newv District is formed, in whole or in
of District
setoff,valuep1art, from one or more Districts possessed of a Schoolof Property
to be aPpor- house, or entitled to other property, the Inspectors, at the
tioned.
time of forming such new District, shall ascertain and de termine the amount justly due to such new District:from
any District out of which it miay have been, in who(le or in
part formed, as the proportion of such uew Distrcic, oft the
value of the School-house anid other property belonging to
the former District at the time of such division.(:")
Howpropor- Sec. 76. Such proportion shall be ascertained anid detion to be
ascertained. termined-according to the valiue of the taxable property
of the respective parts of such former District at the time
of the division, by the best evidence in the;power of the
Inspectors; and such amount of any debt due fiom the
fbrmer District, which would have been a charge upon the
new, had it remained in the former District, shall be de ducted from such proportion: Provided, Tnat no real es tate thus set off, and which shall not have been tax'ed for
the purchase or building of such School-house, shall be
entitled to any portion thereof, nor be taken into account
in such division of District property.
Sec. 77. The amount of such proportion, when so ascer
(1) ee.Nte.. (' ee Note.. ~~.e ot
180
(1).9ee Note K.
(2) ee Not.,- G.
('3) See Note F,
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
tained and determined, shall be certified by the Township Proportion
to be certiClerk to the Supervisor of the Township, whose duty it fie tso su pe,rvisor;
shall be to assess the same upon the taxable property of pHow ddiosf posed of.
the District retaining the School-house or other property
of the former District, in the same manner as if the same
had been authorized by a vote of such District, and the
money so assessed shall be placed to the credit of the
taxable property taken from the former District, and shall
be in reduction of any tax imposed in the new District on
said taxable property for School District purposes.
Sec. 78. When collected, such amount shall be paid over When apr
portionment
to the Assessor of the new District, to be applied to the cbollectidtod
be paid over.
use therefore, in the same manner, under the direction of
its proper officers, as if such sum had been voted and
raised by said District fer building a School-house, or other
District purposes.
Sec. 79. Between the first and fifteenth days of October RPportt ofrom
IInspectors
in each year, the Inspectors shall make out and deliver toto Townhip
Clerk.
the Township Clerk duplicate reports to the County Clerk,
setting forth the whole number of Districts in their townships, the amount of money raised and received for the
Township Library, together with the several particulars
set forth in the reports of the School Directors for the
preceding year.(1)
Sec. 80. The Board of Inspectors, before making their Record of
Teacher to
annual report to the County Clerk, shall examine the re-beexamined
before Re cord of Teachers to whom certificates have been given by port made,
etc,
them, and if in any School District a School shall not have
been taught for three months during the preceding school
year by a qualified Teacher, no part of the public money
shall be distributed to such District, although the report
from such District shall set forth that a School has been so
taught; and it shall be the duty of the Board to certify
the facts in relation to any such District in their reports
to the County Clerk.(2)
(2) See Notes C. and M.
181
O) See Form No. 23.
PRIMIARY SCHOOL LAW.
Formation Sec. 81. Whenever it shall be necessary or convenient
of Dis tricts
in two or to form a District from two or more adjoining townships,
more Townships- the Inspectors, or a majority of them, of each of such ad joining townships, may form such District, and direct which
Township Clerk shall nmake and deliver the notice of the
formation of the same to a taxable inhabitant thereof, and
may regulate and alter such District as circumstances mPay
To whom render necessary. The Director of such District shall
Report to be
made. make his annual report to the Clerk of the Township in
which the School-house is situated.(')
Director to Sec 82. The Director of every District formed as proReport to
eah Town- vided in the preceding section, shall also report to the
ship. clerk of each township in which the District is in part sit uated, the number of children between the ages of four
and eighteen years in that part of the District lying
in such township, and books shall be drawn from the Li brary of each township for the use of such District; but
the District shall have access to but one such library at
the same time, and the said Inspectors shall establish the
order in which books shall be drawn from each Township
Library.(2)
Districts Sec. 83. Such School Districts already formed from two
formed from
two or more or more townships, shall continue to be governed by the
Townships;Tow regPi. regulations already established according to law, in related.
tion to the annual reports, and the drawing of books from
the Township Libraries, subject to such changes as may
be made in respect thereto by the said Inspectors, in con formity with the preceding provisions.(S)
Amount of Sec. 84. The full amount of all taxes to be levied upon
Taxes; How
certified and the taxable property in such District, shall be certified by
apportioneda. the District Board to the Supervisor of each of such town ships, and each of said Supervisors shall certify to each
other Supervisor within whose township such District is
in part situated, the amount of taxable property in that
part of the District lying in his township; and such Su (1) See Notes H., M. and 0. (2) See Note H. (,) See Note H.
182
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
pervisors shall respectively ascertain the proportion of
such taxes, to be placed on their respective assessment
rolls, according to the amount of taxable property in each
part of such District.(')
Sec. 85. It shall be the duty of the Inspectors to exam-zr0am0na tion of
ine annually all persons offering themselves as candidates Teachers
for Teachers of Primary Schools in their township, in
regard to moral character, learning and ability to teach a
School; and they shall deliver to each person so examined
and foLund qualified, a certificate signed by them, in such
form as shall be prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction; which certificate shall be in force for two
years from the date thereof, unless annulled within that
time, and no person shall be deemed a qualified Teacher
within the meamning of this chapter, who has not such -a
certificate in force.(2)
Sec. 86. For the purpose of making such examination, Meetings for
the Board of School Inspectors shall meet on the second Teachers
and Notices
Saturday of April and first Saturday of November in each +hreof.
year, at tihe office of the Township Clerk, or at such other
place as they shall designate, of which meetings the Township Clerk shall give at least ten days' notice in writings
by posting up the same in three public places in the township.(3)
Sec. 87. The Inspectors may make such examination at Famia tion at other
such other times as they mnay designate for that purpose, times.
but shall make no charge against the township for examining Teachers at any other times than those specified in
the preceding section.(')
Sec. 88. The examination of Teachers shall be public, Eramina tion to be
and no certificate shall be given by the Inspectors, unless QPuublfic;a
they are satisfied that the applicant possesses a goodt~OaS~ef
moral character, and a thoroug'h and accurate knowledge
of the several branches of study usually taught in Primary
(1) See Note H. () SeeNotes F. and 0. and Forms Nos. 17,18.
(e) ee Note 0. and Forms No. 8 and 17' (4) See NO,t, 0., and Fornm No. 17.
183
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
Schools, and is competent in other respects to teach and
govern a School.(')
'Whee t Sec. 89. When a District is situated in two or more
Teacher to
be examined townships, the Teacher for such District shall be examined
for District
ituated mo by the Insp ectors of the township to which the Director
Townships..~nna
Townshipsis required to make his annual report.(2)
Inspectors Sec. 90. Whenever the Inspectors shall deemn it necesmay re-exTealcier sary to re-examine any Teacher of a Pr imary School in
Teacher,
and annul their township, they shall give five days' notice to such
certificate.
Teacher of the time and place of such re-examination, and
of their intention to annul his certficate if they find him
deficient in the requisite qualifications; and at the time
and place specified in the notice, if such Teacher shall not
appear and submit to such re-examination, or if he shall
be found deficient as aforesaid, the Inspectors shall annul
the said certificate.(3)
Number of Sec. 91. The whole number of meetings of said Board
Meetings of
of Inspectors during any one year, at the expense of the
township, shall not exceed six; and whenever said Board
shall meet for the purpose of forming or altering School
Neoticein Districts, they shall cause the like notice to be given as is
case required for meetings to examine Teachers.(4)
Districts Sec. 92. Whenever the Board of Inspectors of any townmay be
formed from ship shall deem that the interests of any of the Schools
two or more
Districts, will be best promoted by so doing, they may form a single
and pupils
aeloasfied, District out of any two or more Districts therein, and clas sify the pupils in such District into two or more classes,
according to their proficiency and advancement in learning,
and require that such pupils be taught in distirpt(5) Schools
or departments as classified by them, and such District
may have the same number of School-houses, if necessary,
and raise the same amount of taxes, which the original
Districts forming the same could raise if not urtited.(6)
(1) See Note 0., and Form No. 17. (3) See Note 0., and FZrm No. 17.
(2) See Note 0., and Form No. 17. (4) See Note F
(5) The word "distinct'" was incorrectly printed " district" in the Compiled Lats,
(6) See Note I.
184
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
1. In Districts containing more than one hundred schol- When addi tional Trusars between the ages of four and eighteen years, the Dis- teesmaybe
trict Board may be enlarged by adding thereto four
Trustees: Provided, The District determine to do so, by a
two-third vote, at any annual meeting;
2. The additional Trustees first elected shall serve sev- Term of irerally, one, two, three and four years, to be determined by
lot, immediately on filing their certificate of acceptance
with the Director. After Llhe first election, each Trustee
elected shall serve four years:
3. All vacancies that may occur in the oflice of Trustee How ovacan cies, filled.
shall be filled according to existing provisions for filling
vacancies in the District Board;
4. Rate bills shall be collected, and all moneys shall be Employ ment of
drawn and applied according to existing provisions of law, Teeahers,
etc
but in the employment of Teachers the Director shall have
the approval of the Moderator or Assessor, according to
provisions of law heretofore existing, and of at least two
of the Trustees; and the authority to classify pupils in
such cases shall be transferred from the School Inspectors
to the enlarged District Board;
5. The boundaries of Districts that may avail themselves Boundaries;
Ho
of this Act, shall not be enlarged nor diminished without choaWnd.
the wnritten approval of a majority of the enlarged District
Board.(l)
Sec. 93. The said Inspectors may also, on the applica- onnappica tion of Distion of the District Board of any District, classify the trict Board,
Inspectors
pupils therein in the manner prescribed in the preceding my classi
Pdlpils in
section, aind require that such pupils be taught in distinct any )istict,
etc.
departments, whenever they shall. judge that the interests
of the School will be best promoted thereby; and, in case
of any such classification as is provided for ill this or the
preceding section, as many teachers may be employed for
each District as there are departments in which Teachers
are required.(')
(1) See Sec. 141, and Note 0. (2) See Sec. 141.
24
185
1.
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
Inspectors Sec. 94. It shall be the duty of the Board of Inspectors
to account
to Township to render to the Township Board, on the Tuesday next
Board.
preceding the annual township meeting, a full and true
account of all moneys received and disbursed by them as
such Inspectors during the year, which account shall be
settled by said Township Board, and such disbursements
allowed, if the proper vouchers are presented.
When In- Sec. 95. Whenever any District Board shall fail to supspectors to
supply rva- ply any vacancy that shall occur in their own number,
cancy in District Board; within ten days after the time of its occurrence, the Board
Power to ap- te atr t e ea
point Libra- of Inspectors shall fill the same by appointment.(')
rian.
CERTAIN DUTIES OF TOWNSHIP CLERK.
Clerk of Sec. 96. The Township Clerk shall be the Clerk of the
Board of
Inspectors. Board of School Inspectors by virtue of his office, and shall
attend all meetings of said Board, and under their direction
prepare all their reports and record the same, and shall
record all their proceedings, including the names of Teach ers to whom certificates shall have been given, with the
date of each certificate, and the name of each Teacher
whose certificate shall have been annulled, with the date
of such annulment.
Cl.erk to ap- Sec. 97. On receiving notice from the County Treasurer
portion
School of the amount of School moneys apportioned to his townMoneys.
Money. ship, he shall apportion the same amongst the several Dis tricts therein entitled to the same, in proportion to the
number of children in each between the ages of four and
eighteen years, as the same shall be shown by the annual
report of the Director of each District for the S.,hool year
last closed.
To apportion Sec. 98. Said Clerk shall also apportion, in like manner,
School~~
MoSneys on receiving notice of the amount from the Township
raised by
Township, Treasurer, all moneys raised by township tax, or received
and Record
apportion- from other sources for the support of Schools, and in all
ment,
cases make out and deliver to the Township Treasurer a
(1) See Note D, and Form No. 16.
186
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
written statement of the number of children in each Dis trict drawing money,, and the amount apportioned to each
District, and record the apportionment in his office.
Sec. 99. He shall receive and keep all reports to the In-To keep
books aind
specters from the Directors of the several School Districts papers.
in his township, and all the bookls and papers belonging to
the Inspectors, and file such papers in his office.
Sec. 100. He shall receive all such communications asTodrdireoeee
may be transmitted to him by the Superintendent of Pub-ofccaommons
-from Super lie Instruction, and dispose of the same in the manner di-intendSent.r
rected therein.
Sec. 101. He shall transmit to the County Clerk all such To transmit
Inspectors'
reports as may be delivered to him for that purpose by Report.
the Inspectors, within the time limited in this chapter.
Sec. 102. Each Township Clerk shall cause a map to be Tomake
Map of Dis.
made of his township, showing by distinct lines thereon tricts.
the boundaries of each School District, and parts of School
Districts therein, and shall regularly number the same
thereon as established by the Inspectors.
Sec. 103. One copy of such map shall be filed by the To file copy
of Map, and.
said Clerk in his office, and one other copy he shall file deliver corpy
to Superviwith the Supervisor of the township; and within ones~r
month after any division or alteration of a District, or the
organization of a new one in his township, the said Clerk
shall file a new map and copy thereof as aforesaid, showing the same.
Sec. 104. The Clerk shall also certify to the Supervisor To certify
amount to
the amount to be assessed upon the taxable property of be collected(,
on division
any School District retaining the District School-house r ofaDistrict,
other property, on the division of the District, as the same
shall have been determined by the Inspectors, and he shall
also certify the same to the Director of such District, and
to the Director of the District entitled thereto.
Sec. 105. Said Clerk shall also be the Township Libra- Clerk to be
Librarian.
rian, and as such, shall have the custody of the Township
Library; and he shall do and execute all such other acts
187
PRIMI,ARY SCHOOL LAW.
and things pertaining to his office, as may be required of
him by the Inspectors.
OF TAXES FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES.
Assesment Sec. 106. It shall be the dutl of the Supervisor of the
and collec-,
tion ~fTaeStowns hip to assess the taxes voted by every School Disfor Schoclon
poses trict in his township, and also all othler taxes provided for
in this chapter, chargeable against such District oi- townv ship, upon the taxable property of -the District or town ship respectively, and to place the same on the township
assessment roll' in the column for School taxes, and the
same shall be collected and returned by the Township
Treasurer, in the same manner antd for the same compen sation as township taxes.(')
ef saf ment Sec. 107. The Supervisor shall also assess upon the tax
iowapplied. able property of his township one mill upon each dollar of
the valuation thereof, in each year; and twenty-five dollars
of the same shall be applied for the purchase of the books
for the Township Library, and the remainder thereof shall
be apportioned to the several Districts in the township.
for the support of Schools therein; and the same shall be
collected and returned in the same manner as provided in
section one hundred and six of chapter fifty-eight of the
Revised Statutes of eighteen hundred and.forty-six; and
all School taxes returned for nonpayment shall be collected
in the same manner as State and county taxes.(2)
-Statement Sec. 108. The Supervisor, oni delivery of the warrant
to be delivered to for the collection of taxes to the Township Treasurer, shall
Treasurer
withWar- also deliver to said Treasurer a written statement of the
amount of School and Library taxes, the amount raised for
SeeSec. 144. District purposes on the taxable property of each District
in the township, the amount belonging to any new District
on the division of the former District, and the names of all
persons having judgments assessed under the provisions of
this chapter upon the taxable property of any District,
(1) See Note J, and Form No. 12. (-) See Notes J. and K.
188
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
with the amount payable to [each] such person onl account
thereof.(')
Sec. 109. Tha Township Treasurer shall retain in hiss-obh~e~ Ta
ed by Treashands, out of the moneys collected by him, after deducting uc,e,sub ject to Warthe amount of the tax for township expenses, the fullrant, ete.
amount of the School tax on the assessment roll, and hold
the same subject to the warrant of the proper District
officers, to the order of the School Inspectors, or of the
persons entitled thereto.(4)
Sec. 110. Said Treasurer shall, from time to time, apply Toewanshireprt
to the County Treasurer for all School and Library moneys aPPlY to
.c C~uty
belonging to his township, or the Districts thereof; and Treasurer
In for 3-loneyF,!,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~fr3[ny
an receipt of the moneys to be apportioned to the Districts, et.
hie shall notify the Township Clerk of the amount to be
apportioned.
CERTAIN DUTIES OP THE COUNTY CLERK.
Sec. 111. It shall be the duty of each County Clerk to cuty
Clerk to reeceive all such communications as may be directed to him disovesand
dispose of
1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~conmuiniboy tie Superintendent of Public Instruction, and dispose c'tionmmfrom
S,uperinof the samne in the maniler directed by said Superintendent. tenPdent.
:e. 112. Tl-he Clerk of each county shall, immediatelyC~untY
': ~'-" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ClIerk to Re-,
after -eceiving the annual reports of the several Boards of Perintt'endSchool Inspectors, transmit to theSuperintendent of Pub- ent.
lic Instruction one of the duplicate reports of each of the
said several Boards, and the other he shall file in his office;
and on receiving notice from the Superintendent of the
amuountt of moneys apportioned to the several townships in sNotico of
School
his county, he shall file the same in his office, and forthwith portiyneddeliver a copy thereof to the County Treasurer.
Sec. 113. [This section has been repealed.]
LIBRARIES.
Sec. 114. A Township Library shall be maintained in Libraryto
be maintaineach organized township in this State, which shall be the lin ach
property of the township, and the parents and guardians
(h) See Form No. 12. (2) See Form No. 11.
189
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
of all children therein, between the ages of foulr and
eighteen years, shall be permitted to use books from such
Library without charge, being responsible to the township
for the safe return thereof, and for any injury done thereto,
according to such rules and regulations as are or may be
established by the Board of School Inspectors of the
township.(l)
Books to be Sec. 115. The bookls in such Library shall, once in three
drawn once
inmthree months, be distributed by the Tovwnship Librarian among
months, and a
returned by the several School Districts of the township, in proportion
to the number of children in each between the ages afore said, as the same shall appear by the last report of the Di rector thereof, and said books shall be drawn and returned
by the several Directors for their respective Districts.(5)
Proceeds. Sec. 116. The clear proceeds of all fines for any breach
fines, etc.. to
beonaedPpbyr of the penal laws of this State, and for penalties, or upon
tionedb
Tcoeautr any recognizances in criminal proceedings, and all equivaTreasur-er
among
Townhips lents for exemption from military duty, when collected in
for purchase of any county, and paid into the County Treasury, together
boo. with all moneys heretofore collected and paid into said
Treasury, on account of such fines or equivalents, and not
already apportioned, shall be apportioned by the County
Treasurer, between the first and tenth days of April in
each year, among the several townships in the county. ac cording -to the number of children therein, between the
ages of four and eighteen years, as shown by the last an nual statement of the County Clerk on file in his office
which money shall be applied to the purchase of books
for the Township Library, and for no other purpose.(')
Director to Sec. 117. In each District in which a District Library
distribute
booksofDis- has been established, the Director shall, as the Librarian
triet Library, and c?o- of the District, distribute the books therein to the children
lect damages for injryrdone to of his District of proper age, and shall collect from the
any books
belonging to parents or guardians of such children, all such damages as
Township
b.nearhyP they may respectively become liable to pay on account of
(1) See Note K. (2) See Section 146. (3) See Note K.
~
190
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
any injury done to, or loss of, or neglect to return any of
such books, or any books belonging- to the Township Library, pursuant to such rules and regulations as shall be
prescribed by the Board of School Inspectors.(~)
Sec. 118. If such damages shall have occurred by reason Damagesmto
books; how
of any injury to, or loss of, or neglect to return any books collected
rad applied.
belonging to the Township Library, they shall be collected
in the name of the township, and paid into the Township
Treasury for the benefit of such Township Library, and if
the same shall have accrued by reason of any injury to, or
loss of, or neglect to return any books belonging to the
District Library, the same shall be collected in the name
of the District, for the benefit of the District Library.(2)
DISTRIBUTION OF THE INCOME OF THE SCHOOL FUND.
Sec. 119. The interest of the Primary School Fund shall Interest of
School Fund
to be di,-,
be distributed on the first MIonday of Mlay, or as soont0ib teda'
thereafter as is practicable, in each year, for the support
of Primary Schools in the several tovwnships in this State,
from which reports have been received by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, for the School year last closed, in
proportion to the number of children in such townships, PaYble to
County
between the ages of four and eighteen y-ears; and the T~easuarers
on Warrant
same shall be payable on the warrant of the Auditor Gen- ~feAurditor
.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ General,
eral to the Treasurers of the several counties.(3)
Sec. 120. The several County Treasurers shall apply for county
Treasurer
and receive such moneys as shall have been apportionedto receive
Moneys and
to their respective counties, w-hen the same shall become notify Clerk
of each
due; and each of said Treasurers shall immediately gieTownship.
notice to the Treasurer and Clerkl of each township in his
county, of the amount of School moneys apportioned to his
township, and shall hold the same subject to the order of
the Township Treasurer.
Sec. 121. [This section has been repealed.]
(1) See Note L. () See Note K and L. (3) See Note 3.
191
PRIMIARY SCHOOL LAW.
OF SUITS AND JUDGMENTS AGAINST SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
jusic! to usec
havJtuiso Sec. 122. Justice~of the Peace shall have jurisdiction in
havetun in
certtain all cases of assumpsit, debt, covenant, and trespass on the
oaes ase against School Districts, when the amount claimed,
or matter in controversy shall not exceed one hundred
dollars, and the parties shall have the same right of
appeal,as in other cases.
'sit against Sec. 123. When any suit shall be brought against a
District;
hmoeW eom- School District, it shall be commenced by summons, a copy
menced.
of which shall be left with the Assessor of the District, at
least eight days before the return day thereof.
Noexeu' Sec. 124. No execution shall issue on any judgment
tion to issue
against Di:,against Dis-against a School District, nor shall any suit be brought
thereon, but the same shall be collected in the manner
prescribed in this chapter.
Judgments Sec. 125. Whenever ally final judgment shall be obtained
against DistoiCt to bet against a School District, if the same shall not be removed
certified to
bSyuPre,,orm to any other Court, the Assessor of the District shall cer tify to the Supervisor of the Township, and to the Director
of the District, thle date and, a,mount of such judgment, with
the name of the person in twvhose favor the same was ren dered, and if the judgment shall be removed to another
Court, the Assessor shall certify the same as aforesaid,
immediately after the final (Iet,ermination thereof against
the District.
itf Assessor Sec. 126. If the Assessor shall fail to certify the judgfails to certiy, prtyr ment as required in the preceding section, it shall be lawful
tificate from
JuEtice or for the party obtaining the same, his executors, adminsCerkl. trators or assigns, to file with the Supervisor the certificate
of the Justice or Clerk of the Court rendering the judg ment, showing the facts which should have been certified
if District in by the Assessor.
two or more wo n u
Tow nshmips, Sec. 127. If the District against whom any such judgCertificate
to be made ment shall be rendered, is situated in part in two or more
to Supervisor of each. townships, a certificate thereof shall be delivered as afore
192
I
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
said to the Supervisor of each township in which such
District is in part situated.
Sec. 128. The Supervisor or Supervisors receiving either suoperviost
' t~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o assess
of the certificates of a judgment as aforesaid, shall proceed dgmonet Of
judgment
to assess the amount thereof, with interest from the date of est Hnew collected
the judgment to the time when the warrant for the collec- andre tu,rned.
tion thereof will expire, upon tle taxable property of the
District, placing the same on the next township assessment
roll, in the column for School taxes, and the same proceedings shall be had, and the same shall be collected and returned in the same manner as other District taxes.
PENALTIES AND LIABILITIES.
Sec. 129. Every taxable inhabitant receiving the notice Pen1lty for
' neglecting
mentioned in the first and second sections of this chapter, to serv Io tice of First
who shall neglect or refuse duly to serve and return such efteeting,
etc.
notice, and every Chairman of the first District meeting in
any District, who shall willfully neglect or refuse to perform the duties enjoined on him in this chapter, sh'ill respectively forfeit the sum of five dollars.(')
Sec. 130. Every p)erson duly elected to the office of Mod- Penalty 0
District Om-i
erator, Dirtector o.r Vssessor of a School District, who shall,eert fneg
neglect or refuse, -without sufficient cause, to accept such
office and serve therein, or wiho, having (entered upon the
duties of his office, shall neglect, or refuse to perform any
duty required of him by virtue of his ofifce, shall forfeit
the sum of ten dollars.(2)
Sec. 131. Every person duly elected or appointed arenalty o
Inspectors;
School Inspector, who shall neglect or refu se, without su4- for not qual
ifying, or
cient cause, to qualify and serve as such, or lwho, having nle,cting
dIuty.
entered upon the duties of his office, shall neglect or refuse
to perform any duty required of him by virtue of his office, shall forfeit the sum of ten dollars.(')
Sec. 132. If any Board of School Inspectors shall neg (1) See Forms No. I andl 2. (2) See Forms Nos. 4, 5 and 23, and A)te A.
(3) ee Form No. 23, asd Notes K. and 0.
25
193
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
Board of lect or refuse to make and deliver to the Township Clerk
School Inspeotors their annual report to the County Clerk, as required in
liable for
eglect. this chapter, within the time limited therefor, they shall
be liable to pay the full amount of money lost by their
failure, with interest thereon, to be rcovered by the Town ship Treasurer in the name of the township, in an action
of debt, or on the case.(') [See section 79.]
Township Sec. 133. If any Township Clerk shall neglect or refuse
Clerk negicing to to transmit the report mentioned in the preceding section
transmit Rep0orts liable t l r, a h l
a mo.t to the County Clerk, as required in this chapter, he shall
t be liable to pay the full amount lost by such neglect or
refusal, with interest thereon, to be recovered in the man ner specified in the preceding section.(2)
couty Sec. 134. Every County Clerk who shall neglect or reCnegkeueg to fuse to transmit the report required in this chapter, to be
make Annual Reportmade by him to the Superintendent of Public Instruction,
liable for bn
amontlost within the time therefor limited, shall be liable to pay to
each township the full amount which such township, or
any School District therein, shall lose by such neglect or
refusal, with interest thereon, to be recovered in the man ner specified in the last two preceding sections.
Money col- Sec. 135. All the moneys collected or received by any
lected on account of Township Treasurer under the provisions of either of the
neglect,
phow dis-edo three last preceding sections, shall be apportioned and
distributed to the School Districts entitled thereto, in the
same manner, and in the same proportion, that the moneys
lost by any neglect or refusal therein mentioned would, ac cording to the provisions of this chapter, have been ap portioned and distributed.
Removal of Sec. 136. The Township Board of each township shall
Officers for
illegal use of have power, and is hereby required, to remove from office,
Money.
upon satisfactory proof, after at least five days' notice to
the party implicated, any District officer or School Inspec tor who shall have illegally used or disposed of any of the
public moneys entrusted to his charge.
(1) See Form No.23. (2) See Form No.23.
194
(1) See Form No. 23.
(2) See Form No. 23.
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS RELATING TO PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
Sec. 137. Any person paying taxes in a School District reropa ing Taxes in
in which he does not reside, may send scholars to any Dis- District may
send to.
trict School therein, and such person shall. for that pur-behr~a~tedd
pose, have and enjoy all the rights and privileges of ataerein
resident of such District, except the right of voting therein,
and shall be rated therein for Teachers' wages and fuel,
and in the census of such District, and the apportionment
of moneys from the School fund, scholars so sent, and gen erally attending such School, shall be considered as be longing to such District: Provided, That a majority of the Proviso.
qualified voters attending at any regular meeting in the
District in which such person resides, shall have deter mined that no School shall be taught in said District for
the year: Or provided, further, That such persons shall
not reside in any organized School District.(')
Sec. 138. Whenever any portion of a School District shall whrieh D-be
~~~~~~~~~~ trict shall be
divided,
be set off and annexed to any other District, or organized after Tax as sessed and
into a new one, after a tax for District purposes other than not colleno
edel how Tax
the payment of any debts of the District shall have been cod.leted
and apporlevied upon the taxable pr6perty thereof, but not collected, tioned.
such tax shall be collected in the same manner as if no part
of such District had been set off, and the said former District, and the District to which the portion so set off may
be annexed, or the new District organized from such portion, shall each be entitled to such proportion of said tax
as the amount of taxable property in each part thereof
bears to the whole amount of taxable property on which
such tax is levied.(')
Sec. 139. For the purpose of apportioning the income of Ditrict in
two or more
the Primary School Fund among the several townships, a Townships,
Income of
District situated in part in two or more townships shall be School
Fund; how
considered as belonging to the township to which the an- apportion
nual report of the Director is required to be made; [but
(1) See Note N. (2) See Note F.
195
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
money raised i n ny one of such townships for the support
of Schools therein, shall be apportioned to the Districts and
part s of Districts thereinL, accorcin~_ to the number of chil dren of the proper age ir each.i(')
What Tax
voters may Sec. 140 The qualified voters of any School District
raise for
support of may, by vote at their Annual District MJeeting, rui,tse by tax
Srhooi.
npon the taxable property of the District a sum niot exceed ing one dollar for every scholar in the District between the
ages of four and eighteen years, for the support of Com mon Schools in the District, and such tax shalt be reported
to the Supervisor of the proper township, and sh-all be lev ed, collected and returned in the same manner as township
taxes are levied, collected aid retn.(2)
Tuition i Sec. 141. The District Board iii y School District in
Tuition in''- -
Sichootsl Day- which the scholars have been or may be claissiified as protricts may
begrda
teraduaby vided in section number ninety-two or o e-tre f 0chapBoard.
ter nLumber fifty-ei,,ht of' tie Rev'ised Statutes, and the act
scs. 9 sad or acts almen-f-iatory thereto, shilall hlave pwr t,r gradate
93 above.
the price of t,uLition accord ing:'1th:tu.iis p''s-eod bv the
scholar~~s res e iiev.; s,i,,, ma'nu'.:5, the, -:,s l..,',rd
shall dTem just ()
Rate biLs Sec. 142. The iate bills'w out)L in accor dance with the
how collecet.ed in such aduation provi ded for in the preiaedir-:g sect,ic, shall have
ease
t he sam-e f rce, a,nd be col'lecte, in t!: s e lai:le,*iii as the
rate bills in otLer cases.
Supervisor Sec. 11). If anyr Supervisor sli- l ierect or refuse to asneglect to -ess the taxes provid(led for in!io o-,ne hundred an-ld seven
assess ~er t, Ta. of chapter fiftv-eir.bht of t,rhe RPevised Statu:tes, l shel be
liable to pay to any School District thlle full amount lost to
See. 107 I " t
aboe such District by suclh ineglect or retusal', with the interest
thereon, to be- recovered by the Assessor in the name of
the School District, in an action of debt, or on the case.()
(1) Sec Notes HI., M. and O. The latter clause of section 19, embraced in brackets, i
practically repealed, for reasons stated in Note 0, which see.
(2) See Note J.
(3) Sections 141 and 142 were passed Feb. 18, 1850. [Compiled Laws, p.758.] These see tions were not embraced in the SLchofol Law as published in 1852.
(4) Secton 143 to 14, incls e% welre passed April 2,1850 [Compiled Laws, p, 758.j
196
IPRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
Sec. 144. The Supervisor of each township, on the de-Supervisor
tW.to give state livery of the warrant for the collection of taxes to the town- ment to
Township
ship T ea,surer, shall also deliver to said Treasurer, a writ- Tretaaserr of
.... c~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~,ertaina
ten stat e-,ment, certified by him, of the amount of the ta,e Taxes.Te
levied under section one hundred and seven of said chap-et' 1o08
above.
ter, uion any property lying within the bounds of a fractional School District. a part of which is situate w,ithlin hi
tov —nship, and the returns of which are made to the clerk
of some other township and the said Township Treasurer
shall pay to the Township Treasurer of such other township the amount of the taxes so levied and certified to him
for the use of such fractional School District.
Sec. 145. Each Treasurer of a township, to the clerk ofTown Treas urer's
which the returns of any fractional School District shall duties.
be made, shall apply to the Treasurer of any other township in which any part of such fractional School District
may be situate, for any money to which such District may
be entitled; and when so received it shall be certified toTraxcetional
the Township Clerk, and apportioned in the same mannerDtrts.
as other taxes for School purposes.
Sec. 146. The Board of School Inspectors shall have Shool -
spectors
power to suspend the operation of section one hundred may rsu
pend the
and fifteen of said chapter, whenever they shall be ofo~peration of
,S"toa 115.
opinion that the convenience or the interests of the people
of their township will be promoted thereby, and to restore
the same, as in their judgment they shall think best.
Sec. 147. The words "qualified voters," as used in chap- Who are
qualifiedi
ter fifty-eight of the Revised Statutes of eighteen hundred oter in
School Digforty-six, entitled, "Of Primary Schools," except in tih tricts.
fifth section thereof, shall be taken and construed to mean
and include all taxable persons residing in the District of
the age of twenty-one years, and who have resided therein for the period of three months next preceding the
time of voting.(')
Sec. 148. In all cases where the Board of School Inspec (t) Sections 147, 148 and 149, were passed Feb. 8, 1855. [Compiled Laws, p. 759.]
197
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
When Itors of any township shall form a School District therein,
School Inspectors and where no election for School District officers shall be
shall aptproimttODi- held, and where any School District shall neglect or refuse
triet Officers.
to elect, at the proper time, the necessary School District
officers, it shall be the duty of the Township Board of
School Inspectors of the township in which such District
is situated to appoint the officers of such District from
among the male persons residing in such District, of the
age of twenty-one years, who are tax payers therein;
which officers thus appointed shall severally file with the
Accerptance; Director a written acceptance of the offices to which they
where filed.
shall have been appointed, which shall be recorded by the
Director.(')
When Dis- Sec. 149. Every such School District shall be deemed
trict deemed
to be or-, duly organized, when any two of the officers thus appointed
ganized.
shall have filed their acceptance as aforesaid; and such
School District and its officers shall be entitled to all the
rights, privileges and immunities, and be subject to all the
duties and liabilities conferred upon School Districts by
law.(2)
Voters may Sec. 150. The qualified voters in any School District,
designate
site for having more than three hundred children between the
SchoolhWo.th byd ages of four and eighteen years residing in such District,
two-thirds
vote! shall have power, when lawfully assembled, to designate
by a vote of two-thirds of those present, any number of
sites for School-houses, including a site for a Union School house, and to change the same by a similar vote, at any
regular meeting: Provided, That the whole number of
sites or School-houses in any one District shall not exceed
When DTi- five: Provided, further, That in case two-thirds cannot
trict Board
maty desig- agree upon a site for said School-house, that a majority of
nate site.
the voters of said District shall have power to instruct the
District Board to locate said site.(3)
(1] See Form No. 4. (2) See Note A.
(3) Sections 150 to 168, inclueive, were paesed Feb.7, 1855. [Compiled Laws, p. 762.] See
Note B.
198
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
Sec. 151. Whenever a site for a School-house shall be Compensa tion for site;
designated, determined or established, in any manner pro- hwas e tained.
vided by law, in any School District, and such District
shall be unable to agree with the owner of such site upon
the compensation to be paid therefor, or in case such Dis trict shall, for any cause, be unable to purchase or procure
a title to such site, the District Board of such District
may authorize any one or more of its members to apply to
the Circuit Judge, if there be one in the county, or to a
Circuit Court Commissioner of the county, or to any Jus tice of the Peace of the city or township in which such
School District shall be situated, for a jury to ascertain
and determine the just compensation to be made for the
real estate required by such School District for such site, Aprpcration*
for Jury,
and the necessity for using the same, which application
shall be in writing, and shall describe the real estate required by such District as accurately as is required in a
conveyance of real estate.(')
Sec. 152. It shall be the duty of such Circuit Judge, Juyt,be
Oircuit Court Commissioner, or Justice of the Peace, upon
such application being made to him, to issue a summons
or venire, directed to the Sheriff or any constable of the
county, commanding him to summon eighteen freeholders
residing in the vicinity of such site, who are in nowise of
kin to the owner of such real estate, and not interested
therein, to appear before such Judge, Commissioner or Justice, at the time and place therein named, not less than
twenty, nor more than thirty days from the time of issuing
such summons or venire, as a jury to ascertain and determine the just compensation to be made for the real estate
required by such School District for such site, and the necessity for using the same, and to notify the o)wner or occu- Owner to be
pant of such real estate, if he can be found in the county,
of the time when, and the place where such jury is sum
(1) See Note B.
199
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
mooned to appear, and the object fior which said jury is
summoned; which notice shall be served at least ten days
before the time specified in such sumamons or venire for the
jury to appear, as hereinbefore menlltionied.
~Notieh i Sec. 153. Thirty days' previous notice of the time when,
casesr
owner i11'.2-q
o. and the place where such jury will assemble, shall be given
by the District Board of suchi District, where the owner or
owners of such real estate shall be unknovwn, non-residents
of the county, minors, insane, noti coomos metis, or inmates
of ally prison, by publishing Lhe same in a newspaper
published in the county where such real estate is situated;
or if there be no newspaper published in such county, then
in some newspaper published in the inearest county where
a newspaper is published, once in each week for four suc cessive weeks, which notice shall be signed by the District
Board, or by the Director or Assessor of such District, and
shall describe the real estate required for such site, and
state the time when, and place where such jury will as semble, and the object for which they will assemble, or
such notice may be served on such owner personally, or by
leaving a copy thereof at his last place of residence.
etur of Sec. 154. It shall be the duty of such Judge, Commis,
Tenire, and
thenproceed- sioner or Justice, and of the persons summoned as jurors,
ings
thereon as hereinlbefore provided, and of the Sheriff or Constable
summoning them, to attend at tie time and place specified
in such summons or venire; anid fie officer who summoned
the jury shall return such summoni s or venire to the officer
who issued the same, with thie'uai.es of the persons sum moned by him as jurors, and shall ceetify the- manner of
noti.fying the owner (or owners) of such real estate, if he was
found, and if he could not be foutld in said count),, he shall
certify that fact; either party may challenge any of the
said juroe-,s for the -same causes as in civil actions. If more
than twelve of said jurors in attendan-ce shall be found
qualified to serve as jurors, tihe officer in attendance, and
200
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
who issued the summons or venire for such jury, shall strike
from the list of jurors a number suflcient to reduce the
number of jurors in attendantce to) twelve; and in case less
than twelve of the number so summoned as jurors shall attend, the Sheriff or Coinstable shal suimon a sufi,ielnt
number of freeholders to make up thie nuLmber of twelve;
and the,o4icer issuing' the surmons or venire for suchll julry, Attach ment may
may issue an attachment for ny person summnoned as ar, issue to en $ ~~~~~~~~~~fo)rce obedijuror w'ho shall fail to at,.ent, iad may enforce obedience e.~ to proto such summons, venire or attachrmenit, as Courts of
Record or Justice's Courts are authorized to do in civil
cases.
Sec. 155. The twelve persons selected as the jury shallIJurytobe
- sworn.
be duly sworn by the Judge, Commissioner or Justice in
attendance, faithfully and impartially to inquire, ascertain
and determine, the just compensation to be made for the
real estate required by such School District for such site,
and the necessity for using the same in the manner proposed by such School District, and the persons thus sworn
shall constitute the jury in such case. Subpoenas for wit-.Subpafor
witnesses.
nesses may be issued, and their attendance compelled by
such Circuit Judge, Commissioner or Justice, in the same
m a n n e r as may be done by the Circuit Court or by a Just i ce's Court in civil cases. The jury may visit a nd examine Jury to deo termine nothe premrises, and from such examination and such other cesitfgLor
taking Landt
evidence a,s may be presented before them, shall ascertain and com ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~pensation
and determine the necessity for using such real estate in therefore
the minanner and for the purpose pbroposed by such School
Diistrict, and the just compensation to be made therefor;
and if such jury shall find that it is necessary that such
real estate shall be used in the manner or fori the purpose
proposed by- such School District, they shall signi a certificate in wri-itijg, stating that it is necessary that said real
estate (describing it) should be used as a site for a Schoolhouse for such District, also stating the sum to be paid by
26
201
i
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
such School District as the just compensation for the same.
Cout to The said Circuit Judge, Circuit Court Commissioner, or
make Certificate. Justice of the Peace, shall sign and attach to, and endorse
upon the certificate thus subscribed by the said jurors, a
certificate stating the time when, and the place where the
said jury assembled, that they were by him duly sworn as
herein required, and that they subscribed the said certifi cate; he shall also state in such certificate who appeared
for the respective parties on such hearing and inquiry, and
shall deliver such certificate to the Director, or to any mem ber of the District Board of such School District.
Judgment; Sec. 156. Upon filing such certificates in the Circuit
collection
thereof. Court of the county where such real estate is situated,
such Court shall, if it finds all the proceedings regular,
render judgment for the sum specified in the certificate
signed by such jury, against such School District, which
judgment shall be collected and paid in the manner as
other judgments against School Districts are collected and
paid.
Whenowner Sec. 157. In case the owner of such real estate shall be
is unknown,
etc., Money unknown, insane, non compos rmentis, or an infant, or cannot
to be deposiCted with be found within such county, it shall be lawful for the said
Treasurer. School District to deposit the amount of such judgment
with the County Treasurer of such county, for the use of
the person or persons entitled thereto; and it shall be the
duty of such County Treasurer to receive such money, and
at the time of receiving it to give a receipt or certificate
to the person depositing the same with him, stating the
time when such deposit was made, and for what purpose;
and such County Treasurer and his sureties shall be liable
on his bond, for any money which shall come into his hands
under the provisions of this act, in case he shall refuse to
pay or account for the same as herein required: Provided,
How tobe That no such money shall be drawn from such County
drawn f rom
Cofty. Treasurer, except upon an order of the Circuit Court,
Treasurer.!
202
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
Circuit Court Commissioner, or Judge of Probate, as here inafter provided.
Sec. 158. Upon satisfactory evidence being presented On payment
Court may
to the Circuit Court of the county where such real estate decree that
Title be
lies, that such judgment, or the sum ascertained and deter- SCted in ~ S ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~chool Dismined by the jury as the just compensation to be paid bytrict
such District for such site, has been paid, or that the
amount thereof has been deposited according to the provisions of the preceding section, such Court shall, by an
order or decree, adjudge and determine, that the title in
fee of such real estate shall, from the time of making such
payment or deposit, forever thereafter be vested in such
School District and its assigns; a copy of which decree,
certified by the clerk of said county, shall be recorded in
the office of the Register of Deeds of such county, and the
title of such real estate shall thenceforth, from the time of
making such payment or deposit, be vested forever thereafter in such School District and its assigns in fee.
Sec. 159. Such School District may, at any time after Whenies trict to take
making the payment or deposit hereinbefore required, possession.
enter upon, and take possession of such real estate, for the
use of said District.
Sec. 160. In case the jury hereinbefore provided for WahenoJ
cannot
shall not agree, another jury may be summoned in the cagreepro may be adsame manner, and the same proceedings may be had, ex-journed, and
new Jury
cept that no further notice of the proceedings shall be snmmone.
necessary; but instead of such notice, the Judge, Commissioner, or Justice, may adjourn the proceedings to such
time as he shall think reasonable, not exceeding thirty
days, and shall make the process to summon a jury returnable at such time and place as the said proceedings shall
be adjourned to; such proceedings may be adjourned from Adjourn.
ments not to
time to time by the said Judge, or Commissioner, or Jus- exeed
three
tice, on the application of either party, and for good cause, months'
to be shown by the party applying for such adjournment,
203
~IIRIMARY SC$OO1O LAW.
unless the othei p-artv shall consent to suchl adjournrent;
but such adjournmenits shall not in all exceed three months.
'District Sec. 161. The District Boarl of'a.7ny School District shall
-B,Dard ln.
.f~~~~~~~~~~roixt aofnttii, to be pri
of Tuitif,aT fi, e power to fix the amoune of tuition to be paid by lonr,iP.,;r eres~idenat scholars otte ndn g a of: thei SCoeloel il said Discertai
ier.a,~ lrict; aad ill cass,- wh-tere there shall -eO a Unioen School in
any such Distri-t, to biec paid b:; scolaars atltt, ieding such
Yo i'E -l.,. TUnion School and to make and eIlforce suitable bv- ws
for ScIhoo.. t' I,
and regulationis for the governiment and managenient of'
such Union School, anid fIr t-he preservation of the plop erty of such District. Suchl District Board sha-l l o have
power to regulate and classify the studies, anid prescribe
the books to be used in suchl School.
How bound- Sec. 162. No alteration shall be made in the boundaries
aries of Dujtrictatered. of any School District having a Union School, without the
written consent of a majority of the District Board of such
District.
)Ditricts Sec. 163. Any School District having more than three
having
tree bu~n- hundred children, between the ages of four and eighteen
dred chiltdren befour years, residing in such District, shall have power and an_tween fouryer,rsd
and eighteed yearl,, thority to borrow money to pay for a site for a Union
may borrow
Ioner. Scho ol-house, to erect buildings thereon, and to furnish
the same, by a vote of two-thirds of the qualified voters of
said District present at any annual mneeting, and by a like
Limitati,on vote at any other regular meeting: Provided, That the
F amout. times of holding such meetings shall not be less than five
days, nor more than six months apart, and that the whole
debt of any such District, at any one time, for money thus
borrowed, shall not exceed fifteen thousand dollars.
How Mon(y [iSec. 164. The Circuit Judge, Judge of Probate, or Cirdeposited
with count cuit Court Commissioner of any county where any money
Treasurer
'maybe has been deposited with the Couanty Treasurer of such
,drawn freo bs'
coun-ty, as hereinbefore provided, hell, upon the written
application of any person or persons entitled to such
money, and upon receiving satisfactory evidence of the
right of such applicant to the money thus deposited, make
:204
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
an order, directing the County Treasurer to pay thiie money
thus deposited wvith him to said applicant; and it shall be
the dutv of sach County Treasurer, on t.e presentati,)in of
such ocrder, wlith the receipt of the person named therein
endorsed on s-id order, and duly acknowled~-ed in the
same r manner'as coivey ances of real est.at.e are required
to be -eckTowlledge, to) pay the same; and. such ordej, w ith
the receipt of the applicant-r or person inl whose fGvori t,he
samie shall be drawn, shal, in all Courts and places, be
presuimptive evidence in favor of such County Treasurer,
to exonerate him from all liability to any person or per'sons
for said money thus paid him.
Sec. 165. Circuit Judges, Circuit Court Commissioners, co,oIlpPfona and Justices of the Peace, for arny services rendered under cr's andaJ~u
..e "rovtslons on pro teedlugs- to
the Frovisions of t'his Aet, sb1al be entitled to the same,b. ~te
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sn a. fn..,., 1 le~~~~~~~~~~~~or Schiool i nsb i an. compeins'a.tioi., as for similar services in. other spe-, o,.
e,ia-l Jurors, Cfonstables and Sheriffi, shall be
entitled +to the same ffees s for like services in civil cases
in the Circuit Court.
Sec. 166. In case any Circuiit Judge, Circuit Court Com-WhOJdg,e
or Jus,tice
r, o ~~~~~~~~~~c SUM ~~~~~~~~unable to at-,
missioner, C Justice of,the Peace, wNvho shall issue cl s- a mten t at
3ns o- vettire ifr a j ury,:hall he unable to attend t) any ierm)a,y finof the subsequent pro )eedings in such- case, any other"'"
Circuit Court Commiissioner or Justice of thie Peace may
attend and finish such proceedings.
Sec-. 167. Whenever any School District shall have voted beo,em a~r
be issued 16r
to borrow aty sum of't money, the District Board of such LMloaneYd
I; Lea-ned.
District is hereby authorized to issue the bonds of such
District in such form, and executed in such manner by the
Moderator and Director of such District, antd in such sums,
* not lss than fifty dollars, as such District Board shall
direct, and with such rate of interest, not exceeding tenlnterest
' thereon.
per centuni per annum, and payable at such time or times
as the said District shall have directed.
Sec. 168. Whenever any money shall have been bor-Dist,.itmy
fraise Tax to
rowed by any School District, the taxable inhabitants of pay Loan.
205
PRIMARY SCHOOL LAW.
such District are hereby authorized, at any regular meet ing of such District, to impose a tax on the taxable prop erty in such District for the purpose of paying the
principal thus borrowed, or any part thereof, and the
interest thereon, to be levied and collected as other School
District taxes are collected.
Slupe,rin- -bi ntuto
tendent an- Sec. 169. The Superintendent of Public Instruction
thorized to -
thubseribet is authorized to subscribe for one copy of the Michifor Journal
of Educa- gan Journal of Education, a periodical published under
Uon for
Disthfct. the direction of the Michigan State Teachers' Association,
for each School District in this State, to be sent by mail,
the postage being prepaid by the publisher, to the Direc tors of the said Districts, the price of such subscription to
be sixty cents a year for each copy, and such subscription
to begin with the January number of the present year.(')
Laws rela- Sec. 170. All general laws relating to public instruction
ting to Pubic Instruc- which shall hereafter be passed in this State, and all gention to be
published in eral notifications or instructions issuing from the DepartJournal.
ment of Public Instruction, shall, when directed by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction, be published in said
Journal of Education, free of charge to the State.
certificate Sec. 171. Upon making such subscription, the Superinof Superintendent to tendent of Public Instruction shall make and deliver to
be delivered
tpublisher. the publisher of said Journal of Education, quarterly, his
certificate in writing, stating the number of copies so sub scribed for and sent as aforesaid, and the amount due there for at the time of making such certificate; and the Auditor
General, on presentation to him of such certificate, shall
draw his warrant upon the State Treasurer for the amount
named in said certificate, and said Treasurer is directed to
pay the amount of the said warrant to the holder there of, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise
appropriated.
(1) Sections 169, 170 and 171 were passed Feb. 14, 1857. [Compiled Laws, p. 760.]
206
LIBRARIES ANDSLYCEUMS.
Sec. 172. Any seven or more proprietors of a Library Meetingof
proprietors
may form themselves into a Corporation, under such cor- profaormior
porate name as they' may adopt, for the purpose of en- ho~wced.
largirg, regulating and using such Library; and for that
purpose any Justice of the Peace may, on the application
of five or more of the proprietors, issue his warrant to
one of them, directirg him to call a meeting of the pro prietors at the time and place expressed in the warrant,
for the purpose of forming such Corporation; and such
meeting shall be called by posting up a notice containing
the substance of such warrant, in at least two public
places in the township where such Library is kept, at least
seven days before the time of meeting.(1)
Sec. 173. Any seven or more of the proprietors of such Proprietorg
may choose
Library, met in pursuance of such notice, may choose a officers.
President, a Clerk, a Librarian, Collector, Treasurer, and
such other officers as they may deem necessary; and they
may also determine upon the mode of calling future meetings of the proprietors; and the proceedings of such first
meeting, containing a specification of the corporate name
adopted by such proprietors, shall be certified by the Clerk
of such Corporation, and recorded by the County Clerk of
the county within which the same is formed, who shall be
entitled to receive seventy-five cents for recording the
same.
Sec. 174. When such proprietors shall be organized as Powers and
privileges of
a Corporation in the manner hereinbefore provided, they corporation.
(1) Sections 172 to 177, inclusive, from Compiled Laws, pp. 568 to 570
I
I,iBRARIES AND LYCEUMS.
shall have all the powers and privileges, and be subject to
all the duties of a Corporation, according to the provisions
of chapter fifty-five,(i) so ftr as such provisions shall be ap plicable in such case, and nrot inconsistent with the provi sions of this chapter.
tgondl of Collector ancd Sec. 175. The Treasurer and Collector shall give bond
eser. to such Corporation, with sufficient sureties, to the satis faction of the President, for the faiithful discharge of their
duties.
Certofipow- Sec. 176. The said proprietors may raise such sums of
poration. money, by assessment on the shares, as they shall judge
necessary for the purpose of preserving, enlarging and
using the Library; and the shares may be transferred ac cording to such regulations as they may prescribe, and
such Corporation may hold real and personal estate to any
amount not exceeding five thousand dollars, in addition to
the value of their books.
Lyceums ~,
how organ- Sec. 177. Any fifteen or more persons, in any township
ired..
ed OR couutv within this Stiah,te. who shaIl, by writing, associate
for the purpose of mental improvement, and the promotion
of Education, may forra themselves into a Corporation by
the name of "The Lyceum of,"7 (the name of the
place where the meetings of the Corporation are to be
holden,) by calling their first meeting and beirng organized
in like manner as is provided in this chapter, ini the case
of Library Corporations; and every Lyceum, upon be coming a Corporation as aforesaid, shall have, during the
pleasure of the Legislature, all the like rights, powers and
privileges, as the proprietors of such Libraris, and may
hold real and personal estate, not exceeding six thousand
dollars.
(1) Chapter 72, Conmpiled Lawvs
208
TEACHERS' ASSOCIATIONS.
Sec. 178. Any fifteen or more Teachers, or other persons Fift,,e, or
.,,re Teachresiding in this State, who shall associate for the purposeer me,0ay
form Cowpoof promoting Education and Science, and improvements rauom.
in the theory and practice of Teaching, may form themselves into a Corporation, under such name as they may
choose, providing they shall have published, in some news- Notic to be
paper printed at Lansing, or in the county in which such rpi.
Association is to be located, for at least one month previous, a notice of the time, place and purpose of the meeting for such Association, and shall file in the office of the
Secretary of State a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws
of said Association.(l)
Sec. 179. Such Association may hold and possess real May hola
Real and
and personal property to the amount of five thousand dol- Peorspoera
Pioperty.
lars; but the funds or property thereof shall not be used strictio
for any other purpose than the legitimate business of theupo u'
Association in securing the objects of its Corporation.
Sec. 180. Upon becoming a Corporation, as hereinbefore Privlege s
' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~an~d liabili.provided, they shall have all the powers and privileges, tio~ fC)r p ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~potation.
and be subject to all the dutiesof a Corporation, according to the provisions of chapter fifty-five of the Revised
Statutes(') of this State, so far as such provisions shall be
applicable in such case, and not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
(1) Sections 178, 179 and 180, passed Feb. 12, 1855. [Compiled Laws, p. 671.]'
(2) Chapter 73, Compiled Laws.
27
TEAaCHERS' INSTITUTES.
Whn Su- Sec. 181. Whenever reasonable assurance shall be given
lerintendout to appoit a na to the Superintendent of Public Instruction that a number
,make
r,nCenr not less than fifty, or in counties containing a population of
ate. less than twelve thousand inhabitants, whenever twenty five Teachers of Common Schools shall desire to assemble
for the purpose of forming a Teachers' Institute, and to re main in session for a period of not less than ten working
days, said Superintendent is authorized to appoint a time
and place for holding such Institute, to make suitable ar rangements therefor, and to give due notice thereof.(')
Money for Sec. 182. For the purpose of defraying the expenses of
expenx,
ete~ how to
be aw1, rooms, fires, lights, attendance, or other necessary charges,
and to what
a.tW. ht and for procuring Teachers and Lecturers for said Institute,
the Auditor General shall, upon the certificate of the Su perintendent of Public Instruction, that he has made ar rangements for holding such Institute, draw his warrant
upon the State Treasurer for such sum as said Superinten dent shall deem necessary for conducting such Institute,
which sum shall not exceed two hundred dollars for any
one Institute, and shall be paid out of the general fund.
Superin- Sec. 183. Said Superintendent, in case of inability pertident may
appomitgat- sonally to conduct any Institute, or to make thy necessary
able persons
to make ar-ara eesfo
uemert- arsrangements fior holding the same, is authorized to appoint
fthe some suitable person or persons for that purpose: Provimitation ded, That not more than eighteen hundred dollars shall be
as to Moneys
thatay be drawn from the Treasury in any one year, to meet the pro visions of this act.
(1) Sections 181. 182 and 183, passed reb. 10, 1855. [Compiled:Laws, p.[[769.]
,,
r
STATE NORMAL S CHOOL.
An Act to Consolidate and Amend the Laws Relative to
the Establishment of a State Normal School.
[Compiled Laws, p. 715.]
Scetion 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep ts A-,
eontract~ at'
resentatives of the State of MicMhgan, That all acts done and ro&o
F~luc&on
contracts made by and with the Board of Education under"~
and by virtue of "An Act to establish a State Normal
School," approved March twenty-eighth, eighteen hundred, P- -
p, 22M.
and forty-nine, and the Act supplementary thereto, ap proved March thirty-first, eighteen hundred and forty-nine,
be and they are hereby ratified and confirmed.
Sec. 2. That a State Normal School be established andmalteho;ol
continued at Ypsilanti, in the county of Washtenaw, upon shhed. estab the site selected by said Board of Education, the exclusive
purposes of which shall be the instruction of persons, both
male and female, in the art of teaching, and in all the various branches that pertain to a good common school education. Also to give instruction in the mechanic arts, and ts ldeIgn.
in the arts of husbandry and agricultural chemistry; in
the fundamental laws of the United States, and in what
regards the rights and duties of citizens.
Sec. 3. The said Normal School shall be under the dire- To Ia
direction of
tion of a Board of Education, and shall be governed and Boa,do,fd Iucation.
supported as herein provided. Said Board shall provide Boarldto
provide for
for the erection of suitable buildings on the site selected erectionof
as soon as the title thereto is vested in them in fee, and
the means in their hands for that purpose are sufficient
and they may appoint a suitable person to superintend the
erection of said buildings.
10
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
St.e Boar Sec. 4. There shall be elected at the general election in
efPducation
the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, three
members of a State Board of Education. one for two years,
one for four years, and one for six years; and at each suc ceeding biennial election there shall be elected one member
of such Board, who shall hold his office for six years. The
Superintendent of Public Instruction shall be ex-ofcio a
member and Secretary of such Board. The Board shall
have the general supervision of the State Normal School,
and their duties shall be prescribed by law.(1)
rowedrsofd Sec. 5. Said Board of Education shall have power to apBord of Ed -
-cti~m point a Principal and assistant to take charge of said
School, and such other Teachers and officers as may be re quired in said School, and fix the salary of each, and pre scribe their several duties. They shall also have power to
remove either the Principal, assistant, or Teachers, and to
appoint others in their stead. They shall prescribe the
various books to be used in said School, and shall make all
the regulations and by-laws necessary for the good govern ment and management of the same.
Serenm.n Sec. 6. Said Board shall also establish an experimental
talSchool to
bee,tablish- School in connection with the Normal School, and shall
ed.m
make all the regulations necessary to govern and support
the same, and may, in their discretion, admit pupils free of
charge for tuition.
fowers and Sec. 7. Said Board shall have power, and it shall be their
duties of
Board to duty, from time to time, as the means at their disposal may
provide
grounds, warrant, to provide suitable grounds and buildings, implebuildings,
etc., for in- ments of husbandry and mechanical tools, either by purstrmetion in
A~g~r,turse' chase or lease, for the purpose of more effectually and exand'MeehanicArt. perimentally carrying out the provisions of the second
section of this act, "To Give Instruction in the Mechanic
Arts, and in the Arts of Husbandry and Agricultural
Chemistry."
(1) The original Section 4 of this Act has been superceded by Section 9, Article thim, of
the Constitution-which is hese given in its stead. The Constitution also somewhat catm
yenes some of the details of other Sections of the Act.
212
4
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
Sec. 8. As soon as said Normal School is prepared tot to be
,iven when
receive pupils. the Superintendent of Public Instruction Slool
ready for
shall give notice of the fact to each County Clerk in thePrpa.
State, and shall publish said notice in a, newspaper published
in each Senatorial district.
Sec. 9. The Board of Education shall ordain such rules R.loe and
Regulations
and regulations for the admission of pupils to said School for admi of Pupil].
as they shall deem necessary and proper. Every applicant
for admission shall undergo an examination in such manner
as may be prescribed by the Board; and if it shall appear
that the applicant is not a person of good moral character.
or will not make an apt and good Teacher, such applicant
shall be rejected. The Board of Education may, in their -i]rttoinPa
pils to pa%y
discretion, require any applicant for admission to said Toi9teeureee
Tuition feea,
School-other than such as shall, prior to such admission,
sign and file with said Board a declaration of intention to
follow the business of teaching Primary Schools in this
State-to pay, or secure to be paid, such fees for tuition as
to said Board shall seem reasonable.
Sec. 10. Any person may be admitted a pupil of said'Pupills to
sign declar
School who shall pass a satisfactory examination: Provided, ation of in tention to
That the applicant shall, before admission, sign a declara- become
Teacher,,
tion of intention to follow the business of teaching Primary
Schools in this State: And provided, further, That pupils But may b,
adlmitted
may be admitted without signing such declaration of inten- without.
tion, on such terms as the Normal School Board may prescribe; and that each county shall be entitled to send rtioofrP
pils from
pupils in the ratio of the Representatives in the State eachr
County,.
legislature to which it may be entitled, not to exceed suich
number as the Board may prescribe.
Sec. 11. After said School shall have commenced its first Boa
Visitors;
term, and at least once in each year thereafter, it shall be how'apvisited by three suitable persons, not members, to be ap-poiute4
pointed by the Board of Education, who shall examine
thoroughly into the affairs of the School, and report to the
Superintendent of Public Instruction their views with re
213
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
gard to its condition, success and usefulness, and any other
matters they may judge expedient. Such Visitors shall be
appointed annual]y.
.ftperin- Sec. 12. It shall be the duty of the Superintendent of
tendent of
Pblic In- Public Instruction, once at least in each term, to visit said
struction to
visit Scheol, School; and he shall annually make to the Legislature a
and make
r full and detailed report of the doings of the Board of Edu cation, and of all their expenditures, and the moneys re ceived for tuition, and the prospects, progress and useful ness of said School, including so much of the reports of said
Visitors as he may deem advisable.
Leatures. Sec. 13. Lectures on chemistry, comparative anatomy,
astronomy, the mechanic arts, agricultural chemistry, and
on any other science, or any branch of literature that the
Board of Education may direct, may be delivered to those
attending said School, in such manner, and on such terms
and conditions as the Board of Education may prescribe.
-mn Ap Seo. 14. As soon as any person has attended said institu11on of PaP. tion twenty-two weeks, said person may be examined in the
studies required by the Board, in such manner as may be
CorUfleate prescribed; and if it shall appear that said person possesses
the learning and other qualifications necessary to teach
a good Common School, said person shall receive a certifi cate to that effect from the Principal, to be approved by
the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Board may Sec. 15. The Board of Education shall have the power
reeeite Dontio and and authority to demand and receive the sum or sums doSubscripSons. hated and subscribed by the citizens of Ypsilanti and its
vicinity, in such manner as said Board may prescribe, and
Hobwtoap apply the same to the erection and completi6n of the ne th,p. appl
cessary buildings, the purchase of the necessary books,
apparatus, furniture and fixtures, and for various other in cidental expenses to be incurred by said Board in pursu ance of the provisions of this act; and if any surplus shall
remain, to apply the same in defraying the expenses of
conducting sail School. And any deficit which may arise
214
4
STATE NORMAL SCHlOOL.
in the erection and completion of said buildings and pur-Deficit i
erection of
chases aforesaid, shall be paid out of the principal to be btlding,w
etc; howr
received on the sale of lands hereinafter mentioned, not to paid
exceed the sum of ten thousand dollars. Such sum shall
be paid from time to time on the warrant of the Auditor
General, to be drawn in pursuance of the certificate of the
Superintendent of Building, or Secretary of the Board, and
countersigned by the President of the Board of Education;
and no such certificate shall be issued until work shall be
done, or services rendered, or buildings erected, or books,
apparatus, fixtures, or furniture purchased for the Normal
School, under the direction of the Board of Education, entitling the applicant to such certificate, according to a contract or agreement with said Board for that purpose, or for
services and expenses of the Board or some member thereof,
in connection with the selection of the site, or the erection
of the Normal School buildings, or the improvement of the
grounds.
Sec. 16. The ten sections of Salt Spring lands, located s49, p. lo.
by the Board of Education under the provisions of sections
fifteen and sixteen of "An Act to establish a State Normal
School," approved March twenty-eight, eighteen hundred
and forty-nine, together with the fifteen sections of Salt
Spring lands located under the provisions of section sixteen of said Act, and all such lands as may be granted by
Congress, or received or set apart (in any manner,) in lieu
of any portion of said land to which the title may prove
insufficient, and all donations, in land or otherwise, to the
State in trust, or to the Board of Education for the suppaort
of a Normal School, shall constitute a fund, to be called whatI,n
toconstitute
the Normal School Endowment Fund, and shall be reserved tEnUdowmluat
Fund.
from sale until the same shall be appraised. The minimum Minimum
price of
price of said lands shall be four dollars per acre; and it La"~,,a
how sold..
shall be the duty of the officer authorized to sell said lands,
to cause the same to be appraised as soon as practicable,
in the manner provided for the appraisal of other lands.
215
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
None of msaid lands shall be sold for less than the minimum
price fixed by law. It shall not be necessary to appraise
any of said lands which have heretofore been appraised
under existing provisions of law; and the proceeds of sales
of any of said lands heretofore appraised and sold, shall
constitute a part of the fund herein provided. After such
appraisal, such land shall be and remain subject to sale at
the State Land Office, as is now, or shall be hereafter pro vided by law; and the principal shall be and remain a
perpetual fund for the use of said institution (except as
herein provided.) The instalments of principal paid by
the purchasers, shall be paid into the State Treasury; and
the interest thereon from the time of its receipt, or from
the time of the preceding computation of interest, as the
same [case] may be, shall be computed by the Auditor Gen eral and State Treasurer, at the close of each fiscal year, at
the rate of six per cent. per annum, and together with all
interest paid by purchasers of any portion of said lands,
shall be passed to the credit of the Normal School interest
fund, to be drawn therefrom upon the warrant of the Au ditor General, issued in pursuance of a certificate of the
Board of Education, signed by their Secretary and coun tersigned by their President, that the money is due and
payable to the Principal of the Normal School, or his
assistants, or the Teachers or officers employed, or to the
members of the Board, or the Board of Visitors, as herein
authorized, or for necessary incidental exp enses in the
support or maintenance of said School, or some of its de partments.
aunddsder Sec. 17. Said funds shall be under the direcftion and contontrol of
ard of trol of the Board of Education, subject to the provisions
]Uuoation.
herein contained. The Treasurer of said Board shall pay
out of tho proper fund all orders or drafts for moneys to
be expended under the provisions of this act. Such or ders or drafts to be drawn by the Auditor General, on the
certificate of the Secretary, countersigned by the Presi
21(V
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
dent of the Board. No such certificates shall be given,
except upon accounts audited and allowed by the Board at
a regular meeting.
Sec. 18. The services, and all necessary traveling and xprgee~of
Bo,a, d of EA-~
other expenses, already or hereafter to be incurred by any uistior ands;
,_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Visitors;
member of the Board of Education, or the Board of Visit- how ai.
ors, shall be paid on the proper certificate out of any funds
belonging to said Institution in the hands of the Treasurer,
until the erection and completion of the necessary build ings. The Principal, Assistants, Teachers and other offi-Insroffietors
cers employed in said School, shall be paid out of the Nor- how paid.
mal School Interest Fund and from receipts for tuition;
and the services and expenses of the Board of Education,
after the erection of the necessary buildings, and other
expenses incident to said Institution, shall be paid for out
of the Normal School Interest Fund, in the same manner,
as near as may be, as is required in regard to moneys drawn
for the payment of the Principal or other Teachers. The PaYofmem bers andl
members of the Board of Education and the Visitors, shall Visitors.
be entitled to two dollars per day for their actual services,
and to their necessary traveling and other expenses.
Sec. 19. For the purpose of rendering more efficient,",e] od
of Educa,
their organization, and to enable them the more fully to tion,, tobe
body Corpo
carry into effect the provisions herein contained, the mem- rate; their
I-'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~powers, ete,
bers of the Board of Education, now holding their offices
under the provisions of "An Act to establish a State Normal School," approved March 28th, 1849, and their successors in office, are hereby constituted a body politic and
corporate, by the name of "The Board of Education," for
the purposes herein contemplated, and subject to such
modifications as may be made thereto, and in that name
shall have perpetual succession, and shall be, and they are
hereby empowered to purchase, have, hold, possess and
enjoy to themselves and their successors, lands, tenements,
hereditaments, goods, chattels and effects of every kind,
28
217'
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
and the same to grant, alien, sell, invest and dispose of, to
sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded in all Courts in
this State, to have and to use a common seal, and the same
to change, alter and renew at pleasure, and to make such
by-laws and regulations as they may deem proper for the
well ordering and government of said Corporation and the
transaction of its business: Provided, The same be not
repugnant to the Constitution or laws of this State or of
the United States.
T&oaub- Sec. 20. Said Corporation shall be subject to the projftt to pro,
sons of visions of chapter fifty-five of the Revised Statutes of
]hap. 55 of
R1eyi.ed
st, of 1846, so far as the same can apply, and are not inconsistent
oi46apter73,, with the provisions of this act. They shall have power to
()0mpiled
,ws. transact all necessary business at any meeting, a quorum
being present; and meetings may be called in such man ner as their by-laws may provide, and a quorum shall con,
Piwt Meet sist of a majority of the members. The first meeting uning when
aw.n der this act may be held at such time and place as may be
directed by the Secretary, and no publication of notice
thereof shall be necessary; and the attendance of a quo rum shall render valid the proceedings of such meeting.
Process All pro(ess against said Corporation shall be served on the
spainst
Bo,rd; how President or Secretary thereof.
served.
cstain en- Sec. 21. Sections four, fifteen and sixteen of "An Act to
actments
rpeald.57 establish a State Normal School," approved March 28tb,
1849, p.- 157.
1849, p 221. 1849, and all of the provisions of said act, and the act
supplementary thereto, which are inconsistent with the
provisions of this act, are hereby repealed.
gislature Sec. 22. This act shall take effect and be in force from
may alter,
etc., th, and after its pkssage, and the Legislature may at any time
Act.
alter, amend or repeal the same by a vote of two-thirds of
the members present in each House.
1'plomas Sec. 23. The Board of Instruction of the State Norma1
may be
ranted to School are authorized to grant to graduates of said Insti*om Nor. tution Diplomas, which, when signed by the members of
the State Board of Education, shall be regarded as evm
218
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
denco that such graduates have completed the prescribed
course of study in said Institution.(')
Sec. 24. Each Diploma so conferred shall be accom-DiPlomsto
be accompanied by a certificate, signed by the Board of Instruction, patieodabY
Ce, tiffcate,
which, when recorded in the office of the Clerk of any whih,bshl
s,erve a,, Cer
township in this State, shall serve the holder as a certifi-qalifica
cate of qualification to teach in any Primary School of said to Teach.
township, until the same shall be amended [annulled] by
the School Inspectors of such township under the provisions of law for annulling certificates.
(1) Sections 23 and 24 passed Feb. 1S, 1857. [Compiled Laws, p. 722.]
219
THE UNIVERSITY OF MAICIIIGAN.
An Act to Provide for the Government of the State
University.
[Compiled Laws, p. 711.]
University SECTIONI 1. The People of the State of iv[chigan enact,
continued That the institution established in this State, and known as
the University of Michigan, is continued under the name
and style heretofore used.
it objects. Sec. 2. The University shall provide the inhabitants of
this State with the means of acquiring a thorough knowl edge of the various branches of Literature, Science and
Arts.(')
Governme~ntS Th
vested in Sec. 3. The government of the University is vested in
Boa,d of
Regents. the Board of Regents.
Regents to Sec. 4. The Board of Regents shall constitute the body
be a body
CrporatYe. corporate, with the right as such of suing and being sued,
of making and using a common seal, and altering the
same.
rgents to Sec. 5. The Regents shall have power to enact ordinanmake ByLaews, etc., ces, by-laws and regulations for the government of the
elect President, Preo- University; to elect a President, to fix, increase and reduce
ifessoneS, etc.
and fix sala- the regular number of Professors and Tutors, and to apries.
point the same, and to determine the amount of their
salaries: Provided, That there shall always be at least one
Professor of Hiomeopathy in the department of Medicine.
Ma.y remove Sec. 6. They shall have power to remove the President,
Preident, and any Professor or Tutor, when the interest of the UniProfe sso rs,
etc. versity shall require it.
(1) See note to Section 13.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN.
Sec. 7. They shall have power to appoint a Secretary, lhyeaPypo~I
.other OfflLibrarian, Treasurer, Steward, and such other officers as cpescr,ibd
the interests of the institution may require, who shall hold their coom pensation.
their offices at the pleasure of the board, and receive such
compensation as the board may prescribe.
Sec. 8. The University shall consist of at least three de- of hett de partments
University
partments to consist
1. A department of Literature, Science and the Arts;
2. A department of Law;
3. A department of Medicine;
4. Such other departments may be added as the Regents
shall deem necessary, and the state of the University fund
shall allow.
Sec. 9. The Regents shall provide for the arrangement Regents to
prescribe
and selection of a course or courses of study in the Uni- course of
Study for
Studeut,
versity, for such students as may not desire to pursue the who do not
desire to
usual collegiate course, in the department of literature, pursue Col legiate
science and the arts, embracing the ancient languages, and cogLe.
to provide for the admission of such students without previous examination as to their attainments in said languages,
and for granting such certificates at the expiratiom of such
course or term of such students, as may be appropriate to
their respcctive attainments.
Sec. 10. The Regents shall make provision for keeping To maike
provision
a set of meteorological tables at the University, after the for Meteoro
logical Ta.
forms adopted and furnished by the Smithsonian Institu-bles.
tion, the record of which shall be transmitted with their
report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who
shall embody the same into his report.
Sec. 11. The immediate government of the several de el"odl:
rection of
partments shall be entrusted to the President and the re- kstituti.
spective faculties; but the Regents shall have power to
regulate the course of instruction, and prescribe, under the
advice of the Professorship, the books and authorities to be
used in the several departments; and also to confer such
221
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN,
degrees and grant such diplomas as are usually conferred
and granted by other similar institutions.
Admion Sec. 12. The fee of admission to the regular University
Fees.
course in the department of literature, science and the arts,
shall not exceed ten dollars, but such course or courses of
instruction as may be arranged under the provisions of seeWhat Students admit- tion nine of this act, shall be open without fee to the citi,
ted without
rbeo. zeus of this State.
Univo be opersity Sec. 13. The University shall be open to all persons
to be open
s state~resident of this State, without charge of.tuition, under the
without
charge,t regulations prescribed by the Regents; and to all other
persons under such regulations and restrictions as the
Board may prescribe.(l)
Moneys to Sec. 14. The moneys received from such source shall be
whom tpaid,
an paid to the Treasurer, and so much thereof as shall be
necessary for the purpose, shall be expended by the Re gents in keeping the University buildings in good condition
and repair, and the balance shall be appropriated for the
increase of the library.
Aonual Re- Sec. 15. The Board of Regents shall make an exhibit of
port of Re-;
nts. the affairs of the University, in each year, to the Superin tendent of Public Instruction, setting forth the condition
of the University and its branches; the amount of receipts
and expenditures; the number of Professors, Tutors and
other officers, and the compensation of each; the number
of students in the several departments, and in the different
classes; the books of instruction used; an estimate of the
expenses for the ensuing year; a full transcript of the
journal of their proceedings for the year; together with
such other information and suggestions as they may deem
important, or the Superintendent of Public Instruction
may require to embody in his report.
Bdinbegs Sec. 16. From the increase arising from the interest of
may be
i cdfr~ the University fund the Board of Regents may erect, from
University -
(1) For the views of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as to the rights of" persons' 7
to admission to the Univer,ity, see his Report for 1857, pp. 27 to 34
222
UNIVERSITY OF MIOHIGAN.
time to time, such buildings as are necessary for the uses
i the University, on the grounds set apart for the same;
but no such buildings shall be erected until provision shall
be made for the payment of the existing indebtedness of
the University, nor until one branch of the University
shall be established in each judicial circuit of the State.
Sec. 17. The Board of Regents shall have power to ex- Inteir. ef
.Fu nd; how
pend so much of the interest arising from the University expended.
fund, as may be necessary for the improving and orna* menting of the University grounds, for the purchase of
philosophical, chemical, meteorological, and other appara tw, and to keep the same in good condition.
Sec. 18. As soon as the income of the University inter-Boa,d f
gents may
ast fund will admit, it shall be the duty of the Board ofeBuatbCl
Branches
Regents to organize and establish branches of the Univer sity, one at least in each judicial circuit or district of the
State, and to establish all needful rules and regulations for
the government of the same. They shall not give to any
such branch the right of conferring degrees, nor appro priate a sum exceeding fifteen hundred dollars, in any one
year, for the support of any such branch.
Sec. 19. The Regents may establish and organize at m.
branch or branches, by the creation of a Trusteeship for
the local management of the same, or they may in their
discretion select for a branch, under the restrictions afore aid, any chartered literary institution in the State.
Sec. 20. The meetings of the Board may be called in Meetrd.of
auch manner as the Regents shall prescribe; five of them
shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business,
and a less number may adjourn from time to time.
Sec. 21. A Board of Visitors, to consist of three persons, Board of
Visitors
hall be appointed biennially at the commencement of the appoini.
collegiate year, by the Superintendent of Public Instruc -ion. It shall be their duty to make a personal examina tion into the state and condition of the University in all
it departments and branches, once at least in each year,
223
THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
An Act for the Establishment of a State Agricultural
.School.
[Compiled Laiws, p. 23.]
Section 1. Tle People of the State of Mictigan enaetci, s,o,o
loh, Ication for
That the President and Executive Committee of the Michi- School.
gan State Agricultural Society be, and are hereby author ized to select, subject to the approval of the State Board
of Education, a location and site for a State Agricultural
School, within ten miles of Lansing; and subject to such Farm,be
purchased.
approval, contract for and purchase for the State of Michi-
gan such lands, not less than five hundred acres, nor more
than one thousand acres, in one body, for the purpose of
an experimental farm and site for such Agricultural School:
Provided, That the amount to be paid for such farm and
site shall not exceed fifteen dollars per acre, and that the
conveyance or conveyances be made to the State of
'Michigan.
Sec. 2. That there is hereby appropriated twenty-twos 5t spimg
Lands asp
sections of salt spring lands, or the money arising from the rforprcated
for purchase
sale thereof, referred to in article thirteen, section eleven, oef eLtnd Of
e~ ectio~ of
of the Constitution of the State of Michigan, for the pur-t-ci,dilgs,
chase of land for such site and location, and the preparation thereof, the erection of buildings, the purchase of
furniture, apparatus, library and implements, payment of
Professors and Teachers, and other necessary expenses, to
be incurred in the establishment and successful operation
of said School; which sum shall be drawn from the State
-Treasury on the presentation of the proper certificates of
29
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
the Board of Education to the Auditor General, and on his
warrant to the State Treasurer; but not to exceed in the
whole amount the sum of fifty-six thousand, three hundred
and twenty dollars, the minimum price of said twenty-two
sections, unless the whole proceeds of the sales of said
sections shall exceed that sum, and then not to exceed the
amount of such proceeds.(1)
On execd- Sec. 3. Upon the execution and delivery to the Secretary
tion and
approval of of State of the proper conveyance or conveyances of the
conveyance,
Genierl'to land, the purchase of which is provided for in the first seedrwnt tow-pay tion of this act, and the certificate of the Attorney Genfor sme eral that he has examined the title to the same, and finds
it unencumbered, and that the conveyance or conveyances
are executed in due form, and a certificate from the Presi dent and Secretary of the Board of Education, that the
same is in accordance with the contract or contracts for
the purchase of the same, and that the location has been
approved by them, the Auditor General shall draw his
warrant or warrants on the State Treasurer for the amount
of such purchase, in favor of the party or parties to whom
such sum or sums shall be due, payable out of said salt
spring lands, or money accruing from the sale of the same;
and the said certificates in this section mentioned, shall be
filed and preserved in the 6ffice of the Secretary of State.
Arcullturl Sec. 4. Upon the purchase of such location and site,
Colle,ge to be
etabished, there shall be established on such site, under the direction
its pnrpose
anddesign. and supervision of the State Board of Education, an Agri cultural School, by the name and style of the Agricultural
College of the State of Michigan, and the chief purpose
and design of which shall be, to improve and teach the
science and practice of Agriculture.
Sec. 5. The course of instruction in said Collegeshall
(1) As amended by " An Act making an Appropriation for the State Agricultui alS bool, and
to amend the Act entitled,' An Act for the Establishment of a State Agricultural School, Ap.
proved Febnuary twelfth, eighteen hundred and fifty-five,/' approved February 16, 1867,
Laws of 1857, p. 385.
226
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
the Board of Education to the Auditor General, and on his
warrant to the State Treasurer; but not to exceed in the
whole amount the sum of fifty-six thousand, three hundred
and twenty dollars, the minimum price of'said twently-two
sections, unless the whole proceeds of the sales of said
sections shall exceed that sum, and then not to exceed the
amount of such proceeds.(')
On exed- Sec. 3. Upon the execution and delivery to the Secretary
tion and
approval of of State of the proper conveyance or conveyances of the
conveyance,
Auditalto land, the purchase of which is provided for in the first secGeneral to
draw Warrant to pay tion of this act, and the certificate of the Attorney Gen forme eral that he has examined the title to the same, and finds
it unencumbered, and that the conveyance or conveyances
are executed in due form, and a certificate from the Presi dent and Secretary of the Board of Education, that the
same is in accordance with the contract or contracts for
the purchase of the same, and that the location has been
approved by them, the Auditor General shall draw his
warrant or warrants on the State Treasurer for the amount
of such purchase, in favor of the party or parties to whom
such sum or sums shall be due, payable out of said salt
spring lands, or money accruing from the sale of the same;
and the said certificates ill this section mentioned, shall be
filed and preserved in the office of the Secretary of State.
icaultl Sec. 4. Upon the purchase of such location and site,
College to be
estabished, there shall be established on such site, under the direction
its purpose
anddesign. and supervision of the State Board of Education, an Agri cultural School, by the name and style of the Agricultural
College of the State of Mtichigan, and the chief purpose
and design of which shall be, to improve and teach the
science and practice of Agriculture.
Sec. 5. The course of instruction in said College shall
(1) As amended by "An Act making an Appropriation for the State Agrieultui al S hool, and
to amend the Act entitled, An Act for the Establishment of a State Agricultural School, Ap.
proved February twelfth, ei'ghteen hundred and fifty-five,' approved February 16, 1857,
LIaws of 1857, p. 385.
226
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
nclude the following branches of education, viz: An coureofI-.
structiom
English and scientific course, natural philosophy, chemis try, botany, animal and vegetable anatomy and physiology,
geology, mineralogy, meteorology, entomology, veterinary
art, mensuration, leveling and political economy, with book keeping and the mechanic arts, which are directly con nectgd with Agriculture, and such others as the Board of
Education may from time to time see fit to prescribe, hav ing reference to the objects specified in the previous sec tion; and the said Board may establish such professorships, Pr~oor.
and employ such Professors and Teachers, to be called the
Board of Instruction of said College, for the instruction
aforesaid, as they may judge best for such object: Provi-
ded, The sum paid such Professors and Teachers, for the Impelo
tion of Pro-.
first year after said College shall go into operation, shallfeaors.
not exceed the sum of five thousand dollars, and for the
next year, not exceeding the sum of six thousand dollars,
and for any years thereafter, such a sum as the State Board
of Education may deem necessary, for the successful operation of the Institution. Tuition in said Institution shall Pupils ad
Tuition.
be forever free to pupils from this State, and any number
of pupils may be admitted who shall apply from any part
of this State: Provided, That in case more pupils apply
than can be accommodated or taught, then said Board shall
adopt some equitable plan, giving to each county a number according to the ratio of population, as it shall appear
from the census last taken; and in that case, those from
each county shall be admitted in the order in which they
shall apply, until the quota of such county be full.
Sec. 6. There shall be two scholastic terms in each year, Terme of
School.
the first term commencing on the first Wednesday in April,
and ending on the last Wednesday in October; the second i t
Pupils not t$~
term commencing the first Wednesday in December, and be receivd
for less than
ending on the last Wednesday in February; and' no pupiltcermt'e'
ceptbyse
shall be received for less than one term, uniless by special cia. Prspermission from the Board of Instruction.
. 227
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
on,Br or Sec. 7. The Board of Education, upon consultation with
labor,
tdy, etc. the Board of Instruction, shall, from time to time, fix and
establish rules as to the number of hours which shall be
devoted to manual labor and to study, which may be dif ferent in different terms or seasons; but during the first
. term in such year, the time devoted to labor shall not be
less than three, nor more than four hours each day; and
no student or pupil of said College shall be exempt from
such labor, except in case of sickness or other infirmity.
Bautd of Sec. 8. The Board of Education shall appoint one of the
Education to
aprpoinOffi- Professors in said College to be the President thereof, and
Iege. one to be its Secretary, and one to be its Treasurer; and
tib~ish the Board of Instruction may establish such rules and reguRules and
rgt'oation, lations from time to time, for the government of said Col lege and instruction therein, as they may deem proper in
any matter not regulated by the Board of Education; and
the rules and regulations adopted by such Board of Instruc tion, shall remain in full force until altered by said Board
of Education. And said Board of Instruction shall have
power, subject to the approval of the Board of Education,
to establish by-laws for the government- and discipline of
the pupils of said College, in regard to conduct and behav ior, and to affix such pecuniary penalties as they may
deem proper, and to prescribe the causes for expulsion or
dismissal of any such pupil, which by-laws shall have the
force of law, unless altered, modified or repealed by the
To f.o- Board of Education or the Legislature; and the Board of
pens~aiion
ter laborn of Education shall fix the compensation to be credited or paid
for the labor performed by pupils, under the provisions of
section seven of this act.
ntier of Sec. 9. The President of said Board of Instruction shal
President.
preside at all meetings of said Board, except in case of
sickness or absence; in which case the Board may elect
one of their number President pro tempore; and it shall be
the duty of the President to see that all the regulations
established by this act. by the Board of Education, and by
228
AlGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
the Board of Instruction, in regard to the government and
instruction in said College, be enforced.
Sec. 10. The Secretary of said Board of nstruction shall Dteo0s
' 8~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ecretiry.v
record all the pr,oceedings of said Board, adI All regulations
and by-la;s - f;s e govern met - 0 said Col,';e, {ld shall
publish the s?,,e ancl furniila a cory thei eof t,o the Gover nor of this St, to each mem e o)f the Bo, C'ld;f Educa tion, to the County Clerik. h o'.uny, aT'd to t1:e Clerk
of each organized t;;r' sr iLi t1t1hi S,-'I-I shall also
keep a full r.: d i mpro mnt anDd experiments
made on said h ( 1.;.. t;nd e..isult. lIe sh-all also
keep a careful a(cce,,unt with eich:ield, in connection with
a plan of the farming!,nds o f rm exhibiting the position
of each, in whichi hi1l1 e slhown the inuner adri cost of
preparing the %,2 the kind of:-cop, time of plant ti g or
sowing, the after condition, the time and manner of har;
vesting, the labor devoted to each process, and its cost
price, with the cost of preparing the matured crop for mar ket, and the price for which it was sold, and of such other
matters as the Board of Education and of Instruction, or
either of them, mnay require of him-n and he shall furnish a
copy thereof at the end of each term to the President of
the Board of Educati.oni and the said record shall, at all,
reasonable hours, be open to tlie inspection of any citizens
of this State.
Sec. 11. The Treasurer shall eee and keep all moneys Dtie, of
anrising from the sale of products oft' thle farm, and from finesTle'
and penalties that may be imposed and shall give bonds
in such sum as the Board of Education may requir,re. Ile
'shall pay over all moneys upon the warrant of' the President, countersigned by the Secretary, on account of such
contingent expenses of the institution as may arise. ie
shall render annTually, in the month of December, to the
Board of Education, and as often as required by said Board,
a full and true account of all moneys received and disbursed by him; stating for what received and paid, and
22'a,
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
shall produce vouchers for such payments. The surplus
money, if any remain in his hands at the time of rendering
such account, shall, if required by said Board, be paid over
to the State Treasurer, to be placed to the credit of said
institution.
;orflo Sec. 12. After said College shall have commenced its
ed.aPp first term, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall
appoint Visitors for the same, who shall perform the like
Thei.duties duties required of such Visitors by law, in reference to the
State Normal School.(')
(1) For An Act making appropriations for the School for 1857 and 1858, see ILaws of 1857,
p 385.
230
"INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING."'
An Act to Provide for the Incorporation of Institutions
of Learning.
[Compiled Laws, p. 564.]
Section 1. The People of thie State of Mic7higan enact,?ow maybe
ineorpora.
That any number of persons not less than five, may become ted
a Corporation for the purpose of founding and establishing
a College, Seminary, Academy, or other Institution of
Learning, by complying with the provisions of this Act.
,When stock, legacies, bequests or donations, to the amount
of thirty thousand dollars for any such College, or five thousand dollars for any such Seminary, Academy, or other Institution of Learning, so intended to be founded and established, shall be in good faith subscribed or given, and
twenty per cent. thereon actually paid in, as herein
required, such persons may elect Trustees for such College, Seminary, Academy, or other Institution of Learning;
and thereupon said Trustees shall severally, subscribe Article sof
associalion~
articles of association, in which shall be set forth the name, what to?s
forth and
character, and object of the Corporation, the amount of wheretobe
offiled.
capital stock so subscribed, bequeathed, donated or given,
and the amount paid in; thenames and place of residence
of the Trustees; the length of time they shall continue in
office, not to exceed thirty years; the manner in which
their successors shall be elected, who shall not be less than
five, nor more than thirty-five, and the place where such
College or other Institution is to be located. Said articles
of association, when subscribed as aforesaid, may be filed
in the office of the Secretary of State; but such articles
INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING.
shall not be so filed until there is annexed thereto an
affidavit, made by at least three of such Trustees, that the
amount of stock required by this sectionii has boien in good
faith subscribed, and that twenty per cent. thereon has
been paid in; and thereupon ri- persons who have sub scribed said articles, w,'ith su,cha other persons as may from
time'to time become donors to such Institution, or if said
Powerst of articles of association so declare, the Trustees elected as
c~orporation.
herein provided, shall be a body corporate and politic,
capable of suing and being sued, andre may have a common
seal, which they may make and alter at pleasure, and be
capable in law of receiving by gift, subscription, bequest,
will, donation or devise, and of purchasing, holding and
conveying any real estate or personal property whatever,
for the purpose of founding, establishing and conducting
any such College, Seminary, Academy, or other Institution
of Learning.
Certified co- Sec. 2. A copy of any such articles of association filed
py of Artidles anad ffie in pursuance of this Act, with a copy of the affidavit andavit ma~deeidence. nexed thereto, and certified by the Secretary of State to
be a copy, shall, in all Courts and places, be presumptive
evidence of the incorporation of such Institution, and of
all the facts therein stated.
Additional Sec. 3. The Trustees of any College or Seminary incorpowers of
College or porated under the provisions of this Act, besides the genSeminary
incorpora. eral powers and privileges of a Corporation, shall have
ted under
this act. power:
power:
1. To elect their own chairman or clerk;
2. Upon the death, resignation, or other vacancy in the
office of any Trustee, to elect another in his place;
3. To declare vacant the seat of any Trustee who shall
absent himself from five successive meetings of the Board;
4. To take and hold, by gift, grant, or devise, any real
or personal property, the annual income,.. or revenue of
which shall not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars;
5. To sell, mortgage, let, or otherwise use such property,
232
INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING.
in such manner as they shall deem most conducive to the
educational interests of such Corporation;
6. To direct and prescribe the course of stu(y d dis
cipline to be observed in the College, S -vinear or Acad emy: P;ecv1ede(l, That no religions;l tesxt w;tIevc VCi!. be
required of any pupil in such Institution
7. To appoinpit a President, Professors, Tutors, and -ncfl
other officers and ageits as +.ey mBy deem n 7c-c.;T, who
shall hold their offices during thb otre p lea'snre To l tJ,-c t., c n gs;
8. To grant siuch literary honor,s as are lsua1y gra,ted
by any such College, or similar Institutiorns in the United
States, and in testimony thereof to give suitable Diplormas,
under their seal, and the signatures of such officers of the
Institution as they may deem expedient: Provided, That
the course of study pursued in such College be, in all
respects, as thorough and comprehensive as is usually
pursuedl in similar Institutions in the United States;
9. To ascertain anid fix the salaries of the President,
Professors, and other officers and agents;
10. And to make all ordinances and by-laws necessary
and proper to carry into effect the foregoing powers.
Sec. 4. Every Diploma grated by such Trustees, shall Effeet of Di
entitle the possessor to all the immunities which, by usage
or statute, are allowed to possessors of similar Diplomas
granted by any similar Institution in the United States.
Sec. 5. The Trustees of any Academy incorporated under Additional
powers of
the provisions of this Act, besides the general powers and Trusteesofl
Acadlemy in-.
privileges of a Corporation, shall have power: corporate und0er thig
1. To take and hold, by gift, grant, subscription, bequest, act.
or devise, any property, personal or real, the annual income
or revenue of which shall not exceed four thousand dollars;
2. To sell, mortgage, let, or otherwise use and dispose
of such property for the benefit of such Academy;
3. To direct and prescribe the course of study and discipline in such Academy;
30
2ag,
iNSTITUTiONS OF LEARNING.
4. To appoint a Treasurer, Clerk, Principal, andL such
other officers and agents as they shall deem necessary,
who shall hold their offices during the pleasure of the
Trustees;
5. To ascertain and fix the salaries of all the officers of
the Academy;
6. To make all ordinances and by-laws necessary to carry
into effect the foregoing powers.
Gorporation See. 6. Any institution incorporated under the provisions
subject to
Vsitati. of this Act, shall be always subject to the visitation and
anad Examtion. examination of the Superintendent of Public Instruction,
and also to a Board of Visitors (three in number,) to be
annually appointed by said Superintendent; and said Vis itors shall report to said Superintendent as soon after an
examination as practicable.
undsa, how Sec. 7. The Trustees of any institution incorporated
to be apbed. under the provisions of this act, shall apply all funds and
property belonging thereto, according to their best judg ment, to the promotion of its objects and interests: Pro vided, That any gift, bequest or donation to such institu tion for any specific object, shall be faithfully applied to
the object specified by such donor.
Officers may See. 8. The Trustees of any institution incorporated
be required
togivebond, under the provisions of this act, may require the Treasuetc.,
rer, and all other officers and agents, before entering upon
the duties of their respective offices, to give bonds and
securities in such sums as they may deem proper and suf ficient.
Trustees to Sec. 9. Such Trustees shall be required, on or before the
report to Superinten- first day of December, annually, to report to the Superindent of Public Icstruc- tendent of Public Instruction. a statement of the name of
each Trustee, Officer, Teacher and student of such Institu tion, with a statement of its property, the amount of stock
subscribed, donated and bequeathed, and the amount actu ally paid in, and such other information as will tend to ex hibit its condition and operations. And said Trustees
234
I
INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING.
shall be severally and jointly liable for all the labor per- Liability of
Trustees for
formed for the Corporation; but no execution shall issue labor per formed.
against any Trustee, till an execution against the Corpora- i5onstc. A
15 &eC. 7.
tion shall have been returned unsatisfied, in whole or in
part; and no such Trustee shall be thus liable, unless suit
for the collection of such debt shall have been brought
against said Corporation within one year after such debt
shall have become due.
Sec. 10. Service of legal process on any such Corpora-l ow service
ofpr essto
tion, may be made on any one of the Trustees thereof, if be de on
such Trustee be in the county in which the Institution is corporation.
located; but if not, then by leaving a copy of such process
with any officer in the employ thereof, at its principal place
of business.
Sec. 11. Any Institution of Learning nowv in existence E.tingi stitutions3
in this State,whether incorporated or not, shall be entitled inay become
incorporao
to all the benefits of this act, by complying with the pro-ted under
this act.
visions of thisact; and may, by a vote of the majority of
such Corporation or unincorporated Company or Association, to be taken according to the act of incorporation, bylaws, or other legal regulations thereof, determine to avail
itself of the provisions of this act, and to take and assume
corporate name and powers thereunder, and may, by a like
vote, transfer to such Corporation formed under this act,Rights, pow.
~ ~ e ~ ~~~~~~~~rs and iI&.
all its property, both real, personal and mixed; and there-b:litiesof
such new
upon said Corlporation, to whicli such property is so trans- corporati~n.
ferred, shl, take the same in the same manner, to the same
extent, anid with the like effect as the same was previously
owned and held by the Corporation, Company or Association so transferring the same, and niav, in its own corporate
name, sue for and collect all debts, dues, demands, subscriptions, devises and bequests thereof. The said Corporation
so taking such p-toperty as aforesaid, shall take the same
subject to all liens, trusts, and limitations, both legal and
equitable, to which the same was subject before such transfer, and shall also be liable for all the debts and obliga
235
INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING.
tions of such previous Corporation, Company or Associa tion, and shall pay the same to the full extent 6f the value
~ ntio of such property at the time of so taking the same.
Restriction
uponrpowaers Sec. 12. Nothing in tbhis act shall be construed as grant of corpora in g banking powers, or a:s allowing the business of broker age, or any other powers not usually granted to, or exer cised by institutions for educational purposes.
Sec. 13. It shall be he duty of the President of the
Board of Trustees of every organized Academy, or Literary
or Collegiate Institution, heretofore incorporated or here after to be incorporated, to cause to be made out by the
I'epcrp to be
a de o Su- principal Instructor, or other proper officer, and forwarded,
Superin.
tendlent of by mail or otherwise, to the oftice of the Superintendent of
Public In —
ut Public Instruction, between the first and fifteenth days of
December, in each year, a report, setting forth the amount
and estimated value of real estate owned by the Corpora tion, the amount of other funds and endowments, and the
yearly income from all sources, the number of Instructors,
Contentso
CReport." the number of students in the different classes, the studies
pursued, and the books used, the course of instruction, the
terms of tuition, and such other matters as may be specially
requested by said Superintendent, or as may be deemed
proper by the President or Principal of such Academies or
Institutes, to enable the Superintendent of Public Instruc tion to lay before the Legislature a fair and full exhibit of
the affairs and condition of said Institutions.(1)
(1) Section 13, passed Marcb 4, 1839. [Compiled IawE, p. 7t8.]
236
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, 1
Lansin?g, Mich., Nov. 6th, 1858. f
The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in obedience
to Chapter 56, Section 2, of the Revised Statutes, [Compiled Laws, Chapter 74, Section 3,] has prepared Notes
on the foregoing Laws, with Forms and instructions for
conducting proceedings under them, and has caused the
same to be printed, together with other laws now in force
relating to Education. These laws, as here printed, will
be found to differ in several Sections from the Revised
Statutes, and in a few instances from the Compiled Laws,
being here printed as amended from time to time. These
amendments have become so numerous, that the Revised
Statutes of 1846 are no longer a safe guide for School
Officers.
The words "the purchase of," which were omitted in
the eighth line of Section 23, Chapter 78, of the Compiled
Laws, are here inserted, between the words "for" and
"globes;" and the words "the purpose of" have been
omitted in the next line, to correspond with the enrolled
copy of the Revised Statutes, in the office of the Sec;etary
of State, passed and approved May 18th, 1846. For a like
reason, the word "reserving" has been stricken out of
Section 59, and "securing" has been inserted in its stead.
The word "five" has likewise been stricken out of Section
22, and "four" has been inserted in its place. The;last
correction specified is made in the Compiled Laws. But
by mistake, the word which is printed "first," in Section
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
11 of the same Chapter of the Compiled L'ws, should have
been "last." This correction is here made. A few other
typographical errors have also been corrected. But these
corrections have generally been stated in notes appended
to the sections where they occur.
In printing this edition of the Primary School Laws, the
sections of the recent enactments have been consecutively
numbered, and appended to those of Chapter seventy-eight
of the Compiled Laws. But a foot note in each instance
shows when the sections inserted were enacted, and where
they may be found.
Questions frequently arise in the administration of the
School Law which cannot be satisfactorily settled in the
districts and townships in which they originate. The Superintendent is, hence, frequently called upon to give his
opinion in relation to the true meaning and proper construction of the School Law. This has given rise to at very
extensive and laborious correspondence. And yet, hundreds of letters of inquiry, have often too long remained
unanswered, for the want of clerical assistance to perform
the necessary business of this office. In the publication of
this edition of the School Law, the Superintendent has endeavored to anticipate and ans~,er such questions as most
commonly arise, and he hopes the following NOTES will not
only save the trouble and expense of a correspondence
hitherto deemed necessary, but, what is frequently an object of greater importance and solicitude, obviate a tedious
delay, and facilitate the dispatch of business. It is thought
they may also be instrumental in inducing greater uniformity in the administration of the School Law, and save
many a School District from dissentions which frequently
terminate in their disorganization.
IRA MAYHEW,
Superintencient of Putblic Instruction.
238
NOTES, ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
NOTE A.
[See Setions 5,, 7, 11, 12, 13,.130 and 149 ]
WHELl A DISTRICT IS ORGANIZED-WIIAT BUSINESS M&Y BE
TRANSACTED AT TfE FIR,lST MEIETING OF A DIST.TRICT.
The filowi,g 3questionis are frequently asked at this
office'
1st. Can a District alt its first meeting for organization,
having elected its ofli.ers, proceed to the transaction of
other business.,s a.t unali or special meetings?
It connot.
In- case the ofmfcers elected at the first meeting of a School
District after its formnation, are present, and certify their
acceptance of the offices to which they have been respectively chosen, the District may be considered duly organ.
ized. If, however, the officers chosen are not present, or
being p.rese-lit, do (ot file with the Director certificates of
,aceeptance, the District is not organized. InL neither case
does the law contemeplate the transaction of other business
at the first meeting. Officers may be elected at the first
meeting of a District, anId at annual meetings, but not at
special meetings. Anv lawfil business may be transacted
at an annual meeting, But all business to be done at special meetings mnust be set forth in the notices calling the
same. In case two, at least, of the officers elected at the
first meeting of a School District, file their certificate of
acceptance with the Director, within ten days from the
time of their election. the District is duly organized. A
special meeting may then be called, as in other cases, for
The transaction of any lawful business. Otherwise it will
be necessary to commence proceedings anew, according to
the provisions of section 7.
2d. MIay District officers be elected by a plurality vote?
They may be so elected.
As far as the Constitution or Laws of-, our State make
specific provision inrelation to the election,of State, county,
or town officers. it isby a plurality of votes.
2.3 9
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
Section 3, of Article 5, of the Constitution, ill providing
for the election of Governor and Lieut. Governor, says,
"The person having the highest number of votes shall be
elected."
Sections 7 and 52, of Chapter 6, and section 45, of Chapter 12, of the Compiled Laws, provide that all officers
elected at general and township elections, shall be chosen by
a plurality vote, the person having the greatest number of
votes being elected. As this is the only manner of electing
officers known to our laws, it may be inferred that all officers shall be elected in like manner.
3d. Who are eligible to hold office in a School District?
All qualified voters. No other conclusion can be drawn
from sections two, five and fifteen.
4th. Who are qualified voters?
Section 15 provides that "every white male inhabitant
of the age of twenty-one years, residing in the District, and
liable to pay a School District tax(') therein, shall be entitled to vote at any District meeting." Section 147 further
provides that the words "qualified voters," as here used,
"shall be taken and construed to mean and include all taxable persons residing in the District, of the age of twentyone years, and who have resided therein for the period of
three months next preceding the time of voting," without
any restriction on account of nationality or sex.
5th. May a Director file his acceptance of office with
himself? HIe may.
Sections 5 and 28 seem to contemplate that the incoming
officers shall file their acceptance with the outgoing Director. But if, from the absence of the old Director, or
from other cause, the books and papers of the office come
into the hands of the Director elect within ten days, on
filing his acceptance within that time, the design of the
law will be fully met, and he may properly be regarded as
a qualified officer.
(I) For liabiIity to taxation, see Compiled Lawg, pp. 287 to 291,
240
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
6th. Can an annual District meeting be legally held in
case the Director omits to give the notice required by sections 13 and 50?
It can be legally held.
The time of holding the annual meeting is fixed by law.
The neglect of the Director to give notice may sul)ject him
to a fine, but it cannot deprive the inhabitants of the District of the exercise of a legal right. They may lawfully
meet at the usual time and place of holding meetings, and
transact all necessary business. See sections 11, 13, 14
and 50.
NOTE B.
[See Sections 19, 20, 22, 150 and 151.]
SITE FOR SCHOOL-HOUSE-WHAT AMOUNT MAY BE RAISED FOR
BUILDING A SCHOOL-HOUSE.
Section 19 provides that a site for a School-house may
be established, or changed, by a vote of two-thirds of the
voters present at any regular meeting. In case no site
can be thus established, Section 20 authorizes the School
Inspectors to locate a site, which shall be subject to alteration only by the Inspectors.
Section 150 provides that Districts containing more than
three hundred children within the legal ages, may establish any number of sites they may deem necessary, not
exceeding five; and that in case two-thirds of the voters
cannot agree upon a site, a majority shall have power to
instruct the District Board to locate a site.
Section 151, and Sections following, provide for determining the price of a site in case of a disagreement between
the owner thereof and the District.
Although but $200 can be raised in any one year in
a District where there are not more than thirty scholars
between the ages of four and eighteen years, and but $300
where there are but fifty scholars between those ages, yet
31
241
B NOTES ON TLE S " ti)OL LAW.
a more valuable house may be built, provided the District
desire it, by raising these sums ann uaally, until a sufficient
amount is collected.
In case the number of scholars in the District between
the ages of four and eighteen years, exceeds.fifty, there
is no limitation to the tax for purchasing or building a
School-house. The qualified voters of a School District
may, in such cases, raise for that purpose any sum which,
in their judgment, may be necessary. Section 163 empowerr Districts having more than three hundred children
within the legal ages to loan money ifor the purpose of
purchasing sites and building School-houses, in certain
cases.
NOTE C.
[,e b tions 21, 25, 26 aOd 80 ]
A SCHOOL 5IONTH-A SCHOOL DAY —POWER OF SPECIAL
MEETN GS.
There is a great diversity of opiniion and practice in
relation to the word "month," when applied to Schools.
In some cases a School is taught five days in a week for
four weeks, making twenty days for a month. More commonly, however, the School is taught four weeks for a
month, allowving the Teacher to dismiss the School Saturday afternoon, or all day every other Saturday, without
losing time, which gives twenty-two working days to a
month. Ia other instances, the School is taught twenty-six
working days for a month.
The following is the law on this subject, with the construction of this Department: [See Compiled Laws, Chapter 1, Section 3, Subdivision 10:] "In the construction of
the statutes of this State, the following rules shall be observed, unless such construction shall be inconsistent
with the manifest intent of the Legislature, that is to
say: * * * - 10. The word'month' shall
242
NOTES- ON THE SCHTOOL LAW.
be construedit() ean a. calendar month," &c. This gives,
on an average,gf four tnd one-thirid weeks, or twenty-six
days. for a inonth, exclusive of Sundays.
FroS a lo1ng established and time-onoi)ed nsage, how ever, School nmay be dismissed every Saturday afterlnoon, or
all day every other Saturday, where the latter custom pre vails, wNithout the Teaclher's losing time. A School may
also be omitted, without loss of time, on days ordinarily
observed as holidays, embracing the 4th of July, New
Year's, Christmas, and days appointed by the Chief Mag istrate for public thanksgiving.
According to Section 80, no District is entitled to draw
public money unless a School has been taught therein
three months by a qualified Teacher, during the School
year last closed. at the timne of each annual distribution of
School moneys.
In the absence of specific legislation, c ommon usage has
established the custom of teaching School six hours a day,
commencing at nine o'clock in the morning, and at or about
one o'clock in the afternoon. This, then, may be considered as constituting a school-day, in the absence of a specific agreement between the Teacher and the School District. It is competent, however, for School Districts to
vary these hours, and to contract with their Teachers,
accordingly.
The opinion of this Department has been repeatedly solicited concerning the validity of instructions given by a
special meeting in relation to the length of time a School
shall be taught, the employment of a male or female
Teacher, or both, and the application of the public money
to the winter or summer School, or to both, when no instructions had been given at the annual meeting.
From the specific language of section 25, the Superintendent entertains the opinion that whenever these matters are not determined at the annual meeting, the District
Board has sole power, and that it is their duty to deter
243
NOTES ON THE SCiOOL LAW.
mine them. A special meeting may advise or recommend,
but not direct. The Superintendent will add: If the
winter and summer Schools are t.augbt about the same
length of time —say four o(r five months each-and a
Teacher is employed in the wivnter for $1; a month, and in
the summer for $2 a week, (which is $8 67 per month,) an
equitable division would, in ordinary cases, give two-thirds
of the public money to the winter School, aid one-third to
the summer School.
Any and all business that may lawfully come before an
annual meeting, may be transacted at special meetings,
provided proper notice has been given, except such as is
specifically restricted by law to annal meetings. (See
Sections 5, 24 and 25.)
NOTE D.
[See Sections 28, 66, 67 an,A 95,7
WHEN A DISTRICT LOSES ITS ORGANIZATION —WHEN VACiAN CIES OCCUR —HOW SUPPLIED.
The opinion of this Department is frequently solicited
in relation to the proper construction of section 28. The
Superintendent entertains the opinion that if a District:is
properly organized, it does not lose its organizationl by
neglecting to hold one annual meeting. In such cases, the
District Officers hold over a second term, and are the legal
officers of the District for two years from the time of theirelection, but not to exceed ten days thereafter, without
being again elected or appointed.
In case ten days elapse after the time for holding the
secondI annual meeting of a School District, without an
election of officers, the District loses its organization. A
new organization can then be had, only in accordance with
the provisions of the first five sections of the Primary
School Law.
244
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
The occurrence of any of the following events will cre ate a vacancy in a School District office:
1. The death of the incumbent;
2. Hlis resignation;
3. His removal from office;
4. His removal from the District;
5. His conviction of any infamous crime;
6. His election or appointment being declared void by a
competent tribunal;
7. His neglect to file his acceptance of office, or to give
or renew any official bond, according to law. (Compiled
Laws, Chap. 11, Sec. 3, p. 219.)
Section 66 authorizes the District Board to fill, by appoinLtment, any vacancy that shall occur in their number,
and makes it their duty to do so within ten days after its
occurrence. Either two members of the Board may fill
any vacancy that shall occur by the legal inability of the
third to discharge the duties of his office.
In case the District Board do not supply any vacancy
within ten days after its occurrence, Section 95 further
provides that the School Inspectors shall fill the same by
appointment. (See Forms Nos. 15 and 16.)
IRREGULARITIES.
An irregularity in the manner of electing District Officers does not render their official acts void; and where a
District Officer fails to file his acceptance of office, or
where an Assessor fails to give bonds, his acts are not
hence illegal.
A person who has been elected at a District meeting to
any office, and who has the general reputation of being
such officer, is an officer;n.fact, although he may not be
an offi er by right; and all his acts, so far as the District
and third persons are concerned in them, are legal and
binding.
If the meeting at which a person was elected was not
245
NOTES ON THE SCIHOOL LAW.
strictly legal; or if an officer fails to file his acceptanice of
office according to law; or if an Asessor fails to give bonds,;
or, if such persons are elected as are iinc(apable of holding
such office, as minors, non-residcleats, &c., such want of
compliance with law, or irregularity, does not render their
official acts illegal, although it be established that the
holding of such office is illegal. If an officer fails to comply
with the requirements of law, he is liable to its penalties;
and if an acting officer holds an office by an illegal tenure,
his right to hold said (:ffice may be determined by an appeal to the proper tribunal; but no person would be justified in withholding a District tax, becaLusie o some irregularity in the election of officers who leviedI it, or of the
Assessor who is collecting it.
In a decision of the Supreme Court of New York,
(5 Wendell, p. 234,) after citing many castes involving the
above principle, the Court said:
"It will be observed that these cases do not go upon
the ground that the claim by an indiviidual to be a, public
officer, and by acting as suh, is merely prt,ica facza evidence that he is an officer de jure, (of right,) but the principle they establish is this: that an individual coming into
office by color of an election or atppointment, is an officer
de facto, (in fact,) acld his acts in relatioh to tlhe public, or
third persons, are valid, until he is removed, although it
be conceded that his election or appointmnleit 3was illegal."
Another case was decided as follows:
" In the case of Tru?stees and Col.ecto)s-s of School J stycts, general reputation of their being such oficers, and
proof of their acting as such, is primaf(,eta. sufficient, without producing evidence of their election, especially where
there is evidence of their acting under color of an election." (7 Wendell PRep., p. 341.)
246
'NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
NOTE E.
[,ee Sctions S 49 and 65).
SCHOOL-HOUSES, RELIGIOUS MEETINGS, REPAIRS, ETC.
Questions like the f)lIlowiin' are, oftten asked:
1st. 3May School-houses be used for religious wvorship,
Simday school;;, tfemper,ance metings, etc,, when there is
a respectable minority of the District opposed?
2d. Have a portion of the inhabitants of a District the
right to nse a fo-lse key. or brek a lock to obtain possession of a Sch)ool-house?
The reply has been substantially as follows:
1st. The Director of a School District and the District
Board have the care and cuistody of the School-house, according to Sectio,s 48 anid 65. Bit they have the custody
of it only for the purposes speclfied in the act fronm which
they 4erive their auithority, viz: for Common School purposes. They have strictly no mnore right to allow it to be
used for religious neetings, than the Trustees of a religious society have to allow the church or meeting-house
to be used for School purposes. There wvould be no impropriety in a!owiug ech to be used for both purposes, if
there were no objetiov. on the part o' thle Distfrict or
members of the society.
In couintry neighborhoods anld stl villages, where there
are no meetinghouses and the c'tizens of a D,strict consent to the occuvncy of thel Schiool-house for the purposes
named in the first qnestion ibove, I can see no impropriety
in its being thu-s used. Tie objejct. o-f SLunday schools is so
nearly identical wit, hat of' C)r-ommon Schools, that -t
would seem hardly proper to close the School-h.oise against
them. But vwhen controversiecs g()row out of the occupancy
of a School-house for other purposes than those contemplated by law, it is the duty of ihe District Board to confine its use strictly to legitim ste objicts. The law has
determined thle p)rposes for vwhich a School-hoise may be
247
NOTES ON TIIE SCHOOL i,AW.
used. It may be otherwise used only hy general consent.
It should not be opened on a ma jority vote, or even on a
two-thirds vote, for any purpose that is likely to distract
the Distriict or breed dissensions.
2d. Every School-house should be furnished with a lock
and key, and be kept locked whenever it is not occupied.
No person is justifiable in breaking a lock, or otherwiso
forcibly obtaining possession of a School-house.
These views are in unison with the decisions of the
School Department in New York and other States, and if
properly heeded, will, doubtless, in many cases obviate serious difficulties.
Secjion-s 48 and 49 make it the duty of the Director to
provide the necessary appendages for the School-house,
a.nd keep the same in good repair during the time a School
shall be taught therein. They also make it his duty to
keep an accurate account of all expenses incurred by him
as Director, and present the same for allowance to the
qualified voters of the District, at a regular meeting.
They further provide that the armoun-t of such account, as
allowed by the meeting, shall be assessed and collected in
the same manner as other District taxes. These provisions, however good, are nevertheless defective, unless
supplemental action is taken on the part of the District.
There may arise cases, and do Inot un-frequently, in which
it becomes necessary for the Director to advance money,
and lay out of the use of the same mioi-e than a year. The
duties of the Director are onierous, and it is unjust to require himu to advance money. MIany Districts have hence
very appropriately anticipated the probable expense it
would be necessary to incur for repairs, and have voted a
tax to cover the same, at the annual meeting. This tax is
collected early in the winter, and placed at the disposal of
the Director, who, at the end of the year, is required to
account therefor. The propriety of the general adoption
of this course is comimended to whom it may concern.
248
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL L,AW.
NOTE F.
[See Sections 71, 75, 86.91 and 138 ]
ALTERATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS- DIVISION OF DISTRICT
PROPERPTY-APPORTIONM3ENT OF SCHOOL MONEYS - DRAW IN'G BOOKS.
School Inspectors, by examnining Section 71 alone, sometimes proceed to district a township, and to alter the
boundaries of Districts already established, without giving any notice thereof. Great dissatisfaction is frequently
and justly the result of such a course. The School Inspectors may not be able to please every person residing
in Districts they are required to establish. This, indeed,
might often be incompatible with the conscientious discharge of their official duty. They should, nevertheless,
do what they reasonably can to harmonize conflicting interests; and in order to do this, they must give aggrieved
individuals, and all others interested, a reasonable opportunity for a hearing. This they may do by giving the
notice required by Sections 86 and 91, which should invariablv be done.
The Superintendent would caultionr Inspectors against
subdividing Districts any farther thian becomes actually
necessary to accormmodate thle citizens of a township.
Large and populous Districts are able to build good Schoolhouses, and emplov well qualified Teachers; while small
and feeble Districts sometimes feel compelled to occupy
unsutitable houses, and to depend uponi the services of incornmpetent Teachers. It is better to go a mile and a half,
or even two miles, if need be, to reach a good School, than
to reside within half a mnile of an indifferent one. But
where the citizens of a neighborlhood are so situated as to
be practically unable to avail themselves of the advantages of any exisiting School District, and wislh to be set off,
and can be without detriment to the rights of others, the
Inspectors should pay a due regard to their wishes.
32
249
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
Section 71 provides that no land shali b taxed for building a School-hlouse, unless sors l portion of ever y legal subdivision of said l.and shall be wii tw ad h,Jf milesof
,-lsaid Sichool-house site.
The smallest "legal subdivision" of lad is onie-fourth
of a quarter section, or frty acre,s.
Section 75 provides -that whe-n a new District is formed,
wholly or in part, from one or more Districts possessed of
a School-house, or entitled to other property, it shall be
the duty of the Inspectors, at the time of forming such
new District, to aiscertain and determine the amount ijustly
due to it from any District out of wvhich Jt may have been
wholly or in part formed, as the proportion to vwhich such
new District is entitled of the value of the School-house
and other property belonging to the former District att the
time of such division.
The mode of ascertaining the oamount due to said new
District, and of collecting and paying over the same, i8
pointed out in the three followvhftlg sections, to wit: 76, 77
and 78. But as the firequent inquiries m-ade of this Departuiert indicate at- imperife,t undrystanding of the subject, an effort is h-re mnade to eluid(ate it.
Absolute justice cannot alw,ays be done in case of the
division of Distr iccts. The I,:iw see to montemnplate'that
when a part of a District, posessed of a School-house, cr
owning other property, is set off a(nd a,ttached t,o another
District owning a, Shoo-ihouse, or other property, the
interest received is an equivalent for the interest left, although one house may be more valuable than the other.
But in case the old District has a School-house, r other
property, wvhich it retains, Tand the part set off goes to a
new District which has no such property, it is the intention of the law to remunerate that part of the old Ditrict thus set off, for the interest it hlad in a School-house
it leaves, to associate itself with a new District possessing
no such property. This remuneration is reached on this
250
NOTES ON THIE SClOOL LAW.
wise: Let A. B. represent the District possessed of a
School-house, and let C. represent an adjacent unorganized
territory owning no School-house. The Inspectors set off
that portion of the former District epresented by B., and
unite it with the previously unorganized tterritory C., and
form a n-ew District, represented by B. C., possessing no
School-house, or other property. The sections referred to
make it the duty of the Inspectors to decide what the
School-house owned by the original District A. B., is worth,
and the value of the interest B. had in the same, after the
payment of atny debts the original District A. B. may have
owed. The District A., which retains the School-house,
owes the new District B. C. for interest left by B. This
amount is assessed by the Supervisor oil the District A.,
and when collected it is paid to the Assessor of the new
District B. C. This amount the new District B. C. reeeives as an equivalent for what B. relinquishes in the old
District A. B. This amount is retained biy the new District B. C., until they require more money for building a
School-house, ocr for other District purposes. The amount,
then, lwhich the n-ew District B. C. received from A., is to
be lIaced to the cred(it of the property represelted by B.,
'En redlction of what would otherwise ave be(-en.a tax
thereo. Thus, District A. pays the inew District B. C.
for the interest B. had in their School-house, anid when
B. C. raises a District tax, C. remunerates B: for tie money
receivect o)f I. in reduction of the amount thamt would
othe,rwise hal,ve been a tax upon B.
A neglect on ahe part of the Board of Scl1ooI Inspectors
to determine t'he amiounit due to a tnew District at the title
of making the division, does not invalidate the proceeding, nor render void the claim of the new District upon
41t3 old. The claim of the new District upon the old
should be pro7ided for at the time of makinig the division.
But if neglected then, it should be estim.ated and deter
251
:NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
mined by the Inspectors making the division, at the earli est pr(.cticable period thereafter.
The principle here illustrated applies in the division of
taxes under the provisions of Section 138.
The following embrace the substance of a large number
of questions that have been forwarded to this office from
time to tine:
1st. When a regularly organized School District, in
which a School has been taught the time required by law,
is divided so late in the school year, as not to allow time
for a Sc'hool to be taught three months before the expiration of the year, does the part set off lose its School money
for the ensuing year?
2d. If the division takes place after the annual report is
made, and before the School money is received, does the
original District receive all the public money, or is the
part set off entitled to a portion of it?
3di. Is the part set off entitled to draw books from the
Township Library, before the beginning of a new School
year; or, il other words, until after the Director makes
his ad')~d report to the School Inspectors? or can the
origirnal District claim and receive, to the end of the year,
all the boots it would have been entitled to, had there
been lo d!ivision?
Tlie op)inion of the Superintendent, iii relation to these
several questions, is as follows:
1st. Whenever a School District is divided, each of the
Distric(ts fo)rmed from it has a right, in making its annual
re[)ortt, t,o emhbrace the time a School was taught between
the c()rort,encemenrt of the School year, and the time the
divisiono uas made, and to add thereto thie time a School
has been taught in said District subsequently to the
divisi(,-. If each District, reckon,ing t:mc thus, is enabled
to rep rt, A School taught three months or more, by qualfied Teachers, each is entitled to draw public money. But
if either District, reckoning time thus, is unable to report
'252
NOTES ON THu SCHOOL LAW.
a School taught three months by qualified Teacher, said
District is not entitled to draw public money.
2d. In the distribution of School moneys to said Districts, the same sum should be apportioned to the two,
that the original District would have been entitled to
receive had there been no division. This sum should be
divided between them according to the rules of justice and
equity. If the division of a District takes place immediately after the commrnencement of a School year, and before
a School has been opened, the public money should, be apportioned to the new Districts in proportion to the number
of scholars within the legal ages residing in each of them
at the time of the division. But if the division is made at
the close of the winter School, and two thirds (more or
less) of the public money has been apportioned to said
School, in which both of the Districts were entitled to
share equitably, the remaining one,third should be apportioned in proportion to the number of children within the
legal ages, in the Districts at the time the division is
made.
3d. Whenever a District is divided, the part set off,
when duly organizeld, is entitled to draw books from the
Township Library at the time for quarterly distribution
among the Districts of the township, provided the Director
files with the Township Librarian a statement of the number o scholars within his District at the time the division
was made. The Director of the other District should do
the same. The original District has no advantage over
the one set off in relation to the use of the Library, nor jn
any other respect.
253,;
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW,
NOTE G.
[Se~ Sect o. u74,]
VISITING SCHOOLS.
Section 74 real,es it the imperative duty of the Board of
School Inspectors to "appoint one of their nuniber to visit
each7 School in thle townshi) having a, qualified Teacher, at
least ONCE in eachi School terrm in which a School is taught,
who shall inquire into the condition of such Schools, examine the scholars, and give such advice to both Teachers
and pupils as he may think beneficial."
Hitherto, in the majority of cases, so far as this Departmenit has the means of knowing, no visitor has been appointed. Moreover, the majority of the Schools in the
State have not been visited officially by the School Inspectors, once a year, according to the reports received at this
office.
If the citizens of townships throughout the State would,
at their annual township meeting, select good practical
men for School Inspectors —the men best qualified to discharge the duties of the office, without any regard to personal or political considerations-and if the Inspectors
would be faithful in the discharge of this duty, there can
be but little reason to doubt that the Schools of the State
would advance twenty user cent. in excellence, each of the
next three years.
The Inspectors should, at their first meeting every year,
appoint the best and most practical and efficient member
of the Board, a VISITOR; and he should visit every Scho
ONCE at least, as the law directs. It would be well for Inspectors to invite the citizens of Districts, so far as praoticable, and especially District Boards, to accompany them
in their visits.
The visiting of Schools is very commonly neglected from
the mistaken impression that Inspectors are not entitled
to pay while engaged in the discharge of this duty. But
2f54I
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
section 91, limitii'g the mceetidgs of the Board of Inspectors at the expense of the township to s,ix, has exclusive
reference to iieetJ'cys o0 the ~oaz This is a service not
contemplatedi.,i that limitation. School Inspectors engaged
in visiting Schools are entitled to pay for their services as
when engaged in the discharge of' other official duties.
[See Compiled Laws, Title 5, Chapter 12, Sections 95
and 96.]
NOTE H.
(See Sectiom:4 81, 82, 83, 84,139 and 146.)
FRACTIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
Section 81 has, in very many cases, been disregarded,
and much perplexity and not a little inaccuracy has resulted from the organization of Fractional Districts. These
difficulties might be almost entirely obviated by complying
with the requisition of the law relating to them. If a
township can be conveniently districted without, fractional
Districts should not be formed. But, according to section
81, " whenever it shall become necessary to form a District
from two or more adjoining townships, the Inspectors, or a
majority of them, of each of such adjoining townships, may
form such District, and direct which township Clerk shall
make and deliver the notice of the formation of the same
to a taxable inhabitant thereof, and may regulate and alter
such District as circumstances shall render necessary. The
Director of such District shall make an annual report to
the Clerk of the towship in which the School-house is situated." In this report he should embrace all the children
within the legal ages residing in the District, without regard to the township in which they live; and none of them
should be embraced in a regular report to any township in
which the School-house is not situated.
Mark the following particulars:
1. In the formation of a fractional School District, the
255
NOTES ON:T THE SCHOOL LAW.
concurrence of a majority of the Inspectors from each of all
the townships from which it is formed, is necessary. Suppose it is contemplated to form a fractional District embracing a portion of the territory of three townships, and
suppose all of the Inspectors from two of the townships,
and one from the third, were in favor of its formation,
(making 7-9ths of all the Inspectors from the three towns,)
said District could not be formed. A District might be
established from the two towns whose Inspectors approve
of it. But if a majority of the Inspectors of any township,
a portion of whose territory it is desirable should be embraced in a fractional District, are opposed to it, said territory must be omitted, unless the consent of said maiority
can be obtained.
2. Whenever and wherever a fractional District exists,
said District cannot be dissolved, nor its boundaries be in
any way modified, without the consent of a majority of the
School Inspectors of each township from which the District
is in part formed. The propriety of avoiding their organization, when it can be done without special inconvenience,
is hence manifest.
3. Section 81 makes it the duty of the Director of a
fractional District, to make his annual report "to the Clerk
of the township in which the School-house is situated."
No full report should be made by the Director to the
Clerk of any other township than the one in which the
School-}oz,se is situated, and if such report be made, it
should be rejected by the Township Clerk. The report
of the number of children within the legal ages,provided
for by section 82, is of no use when the operation of section
115 is suspended by the Inspectors as provided for in section 146. But (see Sec. 82,) in addition thereto 4. It is the duty of the Director to "report to the Clerk
of each township in which the District is in part situated,
the number of children between the ages of four and eighteen years in that part of the District lying in such town
256
NO7.4S I)Y THE SCHOOL LAW.
ship, and books shall be drawn from the library of each
township for the use of such District; but the District shall
have access to but one isuch library at the same time, and
the said Inspectors shall etablish the order in which books
shall be drawn fromr each township library." Hence arises
another inconvenience connected with Fractional Districts.
They are entitled to draw books from the libraries of both
or all of the townships in which they are in part situated,
and hence have access to A greater number of books. it is
true; but still, they are not, according to the provisions of
the section under consideration, (82,) entitled to draw so
many books at a time as single Districts of the same size.
Suppose a District is situated in part, in each of three townships, having in the township A. 40 scholars between the
ages of four and eigl~ een years, and in the townships B.
and C. each 20, making 80 in all. The year the District
draws books fro-t township A., they are entitled to receive
but one-half (40 is I of 80) of their equitable quota of books;
and the years they draw from townships B. and C. but
one-fourth (20 is I of 80) their equitable proportion. Whatever might have been the?,tenCt,ion of the Legislature, this
is the only constrictcn the language of the section will
warrant.
Some School Inspectors will not allow books drawn from
their Township Library uo circulate in those parts of Fractional Districts situated in other townships. The statutes
of the State provide that the Libraries of each of the several townships in which a Fractional District is in part
situated, may circutlate t[hro.tyhoutt said District; and this
provision Inspectors consent to whenever they form a Fractional District. The only wr y of restricting the circulation of Township Libraries to the townships to which they
belong, (in harmony with existing provisions of law,) is, to
dispense with Fractior,nal Dis5tricts.
5. For the manner of raisinL taxes for building Schoolhouses and other piroposes, see section 84.
33
257
NOTES ON THE SCIIOOL LAW.
6. In thile formation f a new township flom one or
more towns, if the'ounndrli) line passes through an organized Sclool District, said District is not hence dissolved,
but it becomes a Fractional District, subject to.the joint
action of the Inspectors of both townvrships, as other Fractional Districts.
7. Joint Boards of Inspectors may attach to a Fractional
District any person who may wish to be attached. They
may also fill vacancies in such Fractional Districts.
8. The law does not provide specially for notices of
meetings of joint Boards; but it would seem to be wise to
pursue the same course the law requires of whole Districts, as far as it can be done, where the law has made no
provisions.
PTOViSiOlIS.
9. Fractional Districts have the same powers as whole
Districts, and their proceedings are the same in all cases,
where the law does not direct otherwise.
10. A Fractional District nma) be formed out of two
adjoining towunships, In twvo adjoining counties.
11. For t,he manner of apportioning the income of the
Primary School Fund, and monevs raised in the township,
see section 139. The public money is distributed to the
townships to which the annual report is made.
NOTE I.
[ ee Section 92.]
UNION SCHOOLS.
Section 92 contemplates the establishment- of what
are commonly known as " Union Schlools," and which may
be made to combine all the advantages of the ordinary
Primary or Common School, the Acadamy for young gentlemen, and the Seminary for young ladies.
When two or more Districts are united in a Union District, all the property and liabilities of each are assumed
by the new District thus formed.
258
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
For the Superintendent's views in relation to the utility
of these Schools, course of study, and plans for Schoolhouses, wvarmilng, veintilation,, &c. see his Report, recently
published: page 47 to 69, ineltusive, and Part III, of this
volume.
NOTE J.
[See ctions: 9i,9, 8,106, 10D, 140 143,144 andl 145.]
MiLL TAX-TAX OF ONE DOLLAR A SCHOLAR-OTHER TAXES DUTIES OF THE SUPERVISOR, TREASURER AND CLERK.
The mill tax specified in section 107, has hitherto been
unassessed, in many instances. Supervisors have some times excused themselves by saying it was not the wish
of the citizens of their township that the tax should
be assessed. It is made the imperative duty of the Su pervisor to assess this tax, and a neglect or refusal to do
so, renders him liable, as in other cases, for neglect of of ficial duty.
By an amendment to section 140, in 1848, " the qualified
voters of any School District may, by vote at their annual
District meeting," raise a tax, on the taxable property in
the District, as high as one dollar per scholar in the District. Under the previous law, but fifty cents per scholar
could be raised, and that only at a township meeting, and
to apply to every District in the township. Now, each
District acts for itself, and may raise the means for educating its youth without asking the concurrence of other, and
perhaps less enterprising Districts.
It is earnestly recommended to all the Districts of the
State to avail themselves of this provision of law, and to
do what thev can toward rendering the instruction afforded
in our Common Schools asfree to all classes of children as
the air we breathe.
In case the taxes required to be assessed by Section 106,
are not reported to the Supervisor within the time speci
259
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
fled in Section 56, it will be lawful and proper for him to
make the assessment, if the amount is reported to him by
the District Board at any time before he makes out his as
sessment roll.
And when the mill tax has been assessed and collected,
it has often been erroneously applied, and especially in
the case of fractional Districts. These Districts have
sometimes drawls theirf~ul proporttior of the mill tax from
one township, and then drawn an additional sum from other
townships in which they have been in part situated; and
in other cases they have been deprived of their just dues.
No uniform usage seerms to have prevailed in its apportionment. The following exposition is therefore givens
which it is hoped will lead to a uniform, equitable, and legal mode of apportioning the mill tax, which already
amounts to considerably more than $100,000 a year.
1. Section 106 makes it the duty of the Supervisor to
assess certain taxes that have been voted by Sch7ool Di.tricts. But Section 107 makes it his duty to assess upon
the taxable property of his township, one mill on each
dollar of the wtliuation thereof, without any vote. Twentyfive dollars of the mill tax is to be applied to the purchase
of books for the Township Library, and the remainder
thereof is to be apportioned to the several School Districts,
of the township bfor the support of Schools therein, as explained below.
Section 144 makles it the duty of the Supervisor, on the
delivery of the warrant for the collection of taxes to the
Township Treasuirer, to deliver to said Treasurer a written
statement, certified by him, of the amount of the mill tax
levied upon any property lying within the boundaries of a
fractional School District, a part of which is situated within
his township, and the returns of which are made to the
Clerk of another township in which the School-house s situated; and the said Township Treasurer is requiredto pay
to the Treasurer of the township in which the School
260
NOTES ON THE SGiHO0L LAW.
Alouse is situated, the amount of th,e taxes so levied, and
certified to him by the Supervisor, for tL-e use of such frac tional School District.
2. Section 145 makes it the duty of each Treasurer of
town-lhLip, to the Clerk of which thle returns of any frac tiontl School District shall be made, to apply to the Treas urer of any other township in which any part of such
fractional District shall be situated, for any money raised
thereon; and all moneys so received, said Treasurer must
certify to the Township Clerk. There is thus brought
into the treasury of each and every town,ship, all the mill
tax raised upon the property of all the whole Districts of
each township, and upon all the property of all fractional
Districts whose School-houscs are it tti towvnship; and no
Treasurer holds any money raised fromnt a fraction of a Dis trict whose School-house is in another townshlip. Sections
98 and 110 contemplate that the Treasurer shall notify the
Township Clerk of the amount to be thus apportioned.
3. Section 98 then makes it the duty of the Township
Clerk to apportion all such moneys among the several Districts in his township entitled to the same, in proportion
to the number of children residing in the several Districts
between the ages of four and eighteen years, as shall appear from the annual reports of Directors of School Districts, and in the same manner that Primary School Interest moneys are apportioned. It is apparent,, henlce, that
fractiozcl Districts are to be considered in every respect
the same as whole Districts. And, iprateically, for School
purposes, each township is treated as thoiugh it embraced
all the territory of all fractional Districts whose Schoolhouses are in the township, and none of the territory of any
District whose School-house is in anothler township.
It is proper here to remark that the statutes relating to
fractional School Districts are somewhat confused, and perhaps contradictory. It is evident that the idea of the law
has somewhat changed in relation to them, since the publi
261
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
cation of the Revised Statutes of 1846. Several sections
have since that time been modified. Some have been repealed. Two were added in February, 1850, and four were
added in June of the same year. These six added sections
have been numbered 141, 142,143, 144, 145 and 146, in the
order of their enactment; and other sections have since
been added.
It is a principle of law that whenever later enactments
seem to conflict with the provisions of previous statutes,
said statutes must be so interpreted as to harmonize with
the later enactments. Thus, the latter clause of Section
139, enacted in 1846, must be so interpreted a's to harmonize with the evident idea of Sections 144 and 145, these
having been enacted in 1850. And especially will this be
apparent, when we bear in mind that Section 140, as originally passed, provided for a township tax to be apportioned
among the Districts of the township, whole and fractional,
which tax might be voted in some townships and not in
others; and that this Section has since been repealed, and
with it, essentially, the latter clause of Section 189, (embraced in brackets,) upon which it depended. When Section 140 stood, as originally enacted, the ends of justice required the application of the preceding clause in its
apportionment. But Section 140, as it now stands, provides that eachct District, whether whole or fractional, may
vote a Di:strict tax for the support of Schools in the District. Said clause is now not only unnecessary, but it is
incompatible with the manifest intent of Sections since
enacted. It is hence to be regarded as voicd.
NOTE K.
[See Sections 51, 52, 73, 107, 114, 116, 118 and 131.]
TOWNSHIP LIBRARIES.
Section 114 provides that "a Township Library shall be
established in each organized township in this State."
262
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
Township officers, chargoed with the assessment of taxes
for Township Libraries, and with the application of the
same and other moneys required by law to be appropriated
to the purchase of said Libraries, and not otherwise, have
sometimes taken the responsibility, contrary to the express
provisions of the Constitution and statutes of the State,
to apply those moneys to meet current county and town ship expenses. This, I am informed, has been done for the
purpose of establishing the reputation of conducting'an
economical administration, and of thereby securing the
continuance of their places t!
It is not the prerogative of any man or set of men,to
say whether they will have a Library established in their
township or not. The Section referred to requires their
establishment; and Sections 107 and 116 provide that cer tain moneys "shall be applied to the purchase of books for
the Township Library, and for no other purpose."
Article 13, Section 12 of the Constitution of the State
also expressly provides that "all fines assessed and collected in the several counties and townships for any breach
of the penal laws, shall be exclusively applied to the s-pport of such Libraries."
Boards of Supervisors have, in several instances that have
come to my knowledge, applied these moneys to other
purposes. They are individually liable to forfeit one
hundred dollars for each such offence. [See Compiled
Laws, p. 197, Sec. 31.]
The reports of the Superintendent for past years clearly
show that wherever Township Libraries have been established and properly maintained, they have been productive
of incalculable good.
A misapprehension seems to have arisen in the minds of
many persons, (and some School officers charged with the
purchase and care of Township Libraries,) in relation to
the design of their establishment. The phraseology of
Sections 52, 114 and 117, has evidently, a tendency to mis
263
NOTES ON ThE SOROOiL L1,W.
lead. It was never the deS ignl of' the Legislature to
have the Township Libraries dist,iLu ted, indiscriminately,
among the children of the towuLips between the ages of
four and eighteen years. (ad to no otllers, as has been, in
some instances, practiced.
It is the design of our'To,\vishii) Libraries to furnish
profitable and instructive reading to ill persons who have
access to them.
The great majority of the children of the State between
the ages of four and ten years, cannot perhaps, read ordinary Library books with eitheri interest or profit. For
such these Libraries were never designed. But young
persons over cigiteecu yeah' of ant -..n.members of families
that are entitled to draw books belonging to Township
Libraries —(as well as younger ones who are able to read
understandingly,) should be encouraged to avail themselves
of the privilege of these Libraries, until they contract the
habit of reading; and the character of our Libraries should
be such as to afford readers generally, entertaining, instructive, and profitable employment. Then, and not till
then, will the design of their estalbuishmenat be fully met.
INCREASE OF TOWNSHIP LIBRARIES.
Section 107 of the Primary School Law provides that
$25 of the mill tax, whichL is riaised every year, shall be
applied to the purchase of books fir tLe Township Library.
Section 114 provides that the clear proceeds of fines,
penalties, etc., be also applied to thie Ipurchase of books
for the TownTship Library, and Boi, no othe(r purpose. The
amount o~ Library money arisin-g fiomn these two sources
often exceeds $50 a year.
The School Inspectors are cli::rerged with the application
of these moneys in the purchase of books for the Library,
which imposes upon them a difficult and important duty.
They may consult the lists recommended pursuant to provisions of law by this Department, and other lists. But
'0"64
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.'V
they must decide for themselvs what thevy wil have, and
make the purchase.
The Su)erintendent would counsel thIe Il-spectors to
purchase chie,fly standard works; and ~henr they have an
opportunity of doing so (advantageously, they may anticipate mo)neys to come into their hands, and give their warrant on the Township Treasurer therefor, in payment of
books so purchased.
The following, and other similar qaestions, have been
repeatedly proposed to the Superintendent'
1st. "Are the School Inspeetors liable for dividing the
Library money among the Districts, to be used for School
purposes, after the township has voted it to be done?"
2d. "When the town has voted to have the Township
Library divided aming -the School Districts, what is the
duty of the School Inspectors?
Mly reply has uniformly been substantially as follows:
1st. The School Inlspectors are liable to'any aggrieved
party for appropriating the Library money to any other
purpose than the purchase of a Township Library. A
vote of the annual township meeting to have the Inspectors disregard the Con_stitution and Statutes of the State
affords no sufficient reason for their doing so. They should
obey the law of the State while it remains lawv, and keep
inviolate their official oaths.
2d. In case the citizens of a townvi vote to have their
Tow-insi,p Library divided among the School Districts of
the towllnshlip, it is the duty of the School Inspectors to do
just as though no such vote had been taken,- iz: to dis
charge their duty according to law, —and they are amenable to any aggrieved person or persons if they neglect or
refuse to do so.
But old and damaged books, and books that are deemed
unsuitable forthe Township Library, in case such have at
any time beenepurchased, may be disposed of in the dis
34
265
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
cretion of the Inspectors, and the proceeds thereof be applied to the purchase of new books.
The Superintendent, in pursuance of the requirements
of chapter 74, section 3, of the Compiled Laws, recommends the following
RULES FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF TOWNSHIP LIBRARIES.
1. Duties of Librarian.
1. The Township Librarian shall keep a catalogue of al
the books belonging to the Township Library, in a blank
book to be provided for that purpose, and he shall be a
countable to the township for their safe keeping. In said
book he shall enter in a legible hand, the title and numnber
of each book belonging to the Library, with such additions
as may from time to time be made thereto.
2. Hie shall label each book belonging to the Township
Library, before it is drawn therefrom, thus:
"Lansing Tow&nship Library. No.
"This book is returnable to the Director the last Saturday of every month. The drawer is responsible for aH
damages done to it while in his possession."
The preceding label should, if practicable, be neaty
printed, and snugly pasted on the inner side of the cover.
Where "Lansing" is used, the name of the township to
which the Library belongs should be inserted. The number of the several voluLmes should be filled with a pen,
commencing with No. 1.
3. Section 51 provides that "the Director shall draw
from the Township Library, the proportion of books to
which the District may be entitled, and returi the same
to the Township Library at the expiration of every three
months." The times for drawing books from the Township Library, and returning the same, shall be the first
Saturday of January, April, July and October, between
the hours of 12 M. and 3 o'clock P. M.
According to section 115, the books of the Township
266
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
Library are to be distributed by the Township Librarian
among the several Districts of the township, in proportion
to the number of children in each, between the ages of
four and eilghteen years, as the same shall appear by the
last report of the Director thereof. [See Note H11., 4th
particular.] But all maps, charts, engravings and lexicons,
belonging to the Library shall remain therein, and at all
proper times be open to inspection by the citizens of the
township.
4. The Librarian shall, in a book to be provided for that
purpose, charge every Director with the books he may
draw from the Township Library, by their nurabers; and
m like manner credit the same when they shall be returned.
5. He shall make a written report to the School Inspectors, between the 25th and 31st days of MAarch in each
year, setting forth the number of books in the Library,
and their condition. The report shall also state what books
have been added to the Library during the year; what
books have been lost, if any; what injured; and what
amount of fines have been imposed and collected; together with such other particulars as the Inspectors shall direct; which report shall be placed on file with the papers
of their office.
2. Directors to Draw Books.
1. No person, except Directors of School Districts, shall
tb permitted to draw books from the Township Library.;
nor shall they be entitled to draw at any other times than
specified above. Nevertheless the Librarian may allow
Directors who have not drawn books for any quarter, 4o
receive them at other times.
2. None but inhabitants of School Districts shall be entitled to draw books from the Directors; and rio Director
shall loan a book to any person who is not a resident of his
District.
3. No person shall be permitted to draw more than one
267
NOTES ON THE SCH OOL LAW,
book at a time, unless there are bocokl e()o,,gih in the library
to accommodate all personl tho-et are entitled to drawv therefrom. And in no case shall any) personi be permitted to
dra-w, at one time, more than one book for himself, and one
for each member of his family thllt is able to read.
4. The library shall be op'lt for drlwiLg and returning
books, every Saturday, (except those days when the Director returns books to the township library, and draws anew,)
from 12 o'clock, M., until 2 o'clock, P. Ai., unless the Director, with the consent of the D;i,trict Board, shall change
the time, in which case he shall gi.ve due notice thereof.
The Director may, at his discretioe, allowv personsentitled
to receive books, to draw tlhenm (at otlher times as may suit
the convenience of the parties. But all books, whenever
drawn, shall be returned to the Director the last Saturday
of every month.
5. Different persons wishing aily book or books shall be
entitled to draw the same according to the priority of their
application.
3. Fines andc Daiiages.
1. For every volume retained beyond the time established by these rules, a fine of five cents shall be imposed
for the first day, and a fine of ten cents i)er week thereafter
until the book shall be retuarned.
2. For turning down leaves, teiaring, greasing, or in any
way mutilating or injuring books beyond their natural
wear, the Director is authorized to impose a fine of not less
than five cents, nor more than twenty, for each and every
offence. No person, against whom fines stand unpaid, shall
be entitled to draw books. But any person dissatisfied
with fines imposed by a Director, shall be entitled to appeal to the Township Librarian, whose decision shall be
final.
3. Any person losing a book belonging to the Township
Library, shall pay therefor not less than the first cost of the
268
NOTES ON TESS SCHOOL LAW.
same, and not more themr twice that amount, to be determined by the Director; or, if lost by a Director, to be determined by the Librarian; and if lost by a Librarian, to
be determined by the Board of School Inspectors.
4. All fines received by Directors shall be paid to the
Township Librarian, who shall pay the same into the township treasuLry for the benefit of the township library.
SUSPENSION OF SECTION 115.
Whenever the School Itnspectors suspend the operation
of Section'115, [and 51,] as provided for in Section 146,
the citizens of the township draw books directly from the
Township Library, under such rules as shall be established
by the Board of School Inspectors.
In case the Inspectors of one of the townships in which
a fractional Distri-ct is situated, suspend the operation of
Section 115, all the citizens of said township draw books
directly from the Township Library, under rules established by the School Inspectors; and the fraction of any
District situated in the township in which the Section is
not suspended, draw books from the Library of their own
township, and lot from th. township in which the operation of Section 115 is suspcnded.
NOTE L.
(See Sections 117 and 118.)
DISTRI C T LIBRARIES.
For the Superintendenit's views in relation to District
libraries, and rules for their government, the reader w1l
please see that portion of the rules recommended for the
government of township libraries, [Note K.] that relates to
the duty of Directors.
The law originally contenmplated District Libraries; but
at the present time there are no legal provisions for their
increase. The Superintendent is of the opinion that Dis
269
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
trict Libraries would be more acceptable and useful than
TownIslip Libraries now are, and especially in the oldeTr
and more densely settled portions of the State.
NOTE M.
(See Sections 41, 54, 72, 80, 81, 97, 98, 119 and 139.)
INCOME OF THE SCHOOL FUND-ITS DISTRIBUTION-WHO MAY
PARTICIPATE IN IT-WEEN TO BE APPLIED.
Section 119 makes the interest of the Primary School
Fund distributable on the first Monday of May, or as soon
thereafter as is practicable, in each year. It has not usually been "practicable" to do this till some weeks later
than the first Monday of May, in consequence of the interest from purchasers of Primary School lands not being received at that time.
The question, "Are children under four and over eighteen
years of age, entitled to attend Primary Schools and participate in the avails of the School Fund?'" has been frequently proposed to the Superintendent, from various part
of the State.
In the opinion of this Department, all children and persons residing in School Districts, having a desire and capacity to receive instruction, are entitled to enjoy'the same
and equal privileges. These ages are not fixed upon for
the purpose of determining who may attend school, and
who may not; but for the purpose of establishing an equitable data for the distribution of the income of the School
Fund.
It is the evident design of our SCHOOL SYSTEM, the foundation of which is laid in the thirteenth Article of the
Constitution, to furnish the means of obtaining a good
English Education, not only to all children between the
ages of four and eighteen years, but to all persons residing
within the State, who are desirous of receiving instruction
-married and single, old and young. And I may here
270
1IOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
add-one of the most gratifying scenes I have ever witnessed, was a yercan(dmiothter attendinbg a Primary School in
this State, and receiving instruction firon an assistant pupil
in learning to read the English language.
The majority of children under four years of age are
doubtless better off at home than in School. Still, there
may be cases where it is proper to send them. There are
also many young men over eighteen, and, in some cases,
married persons of both sexes, who desire to attend School
for the purpose of receiving instruction in branches ordinarily taught in our Primary Schools. In such cases it is
the opinion of this Department that they should be allowed
to attend School on the same terms as children between
the ages of four and eighteen. But should idiots or insane
persons between those ages-or any other individuals incapable of learning, and especially disorderly persons who
will not comply with good and wholesome rules-disturb
any School, it would be right to exclude them; and it is
proper for the District officers, in all such cases, to render
the Teacher any assistance he may need.
There must needs be some equitable basis for the apportionment of the School fund. The object of Section 119 is
to fix this basis, and not to determine who may participate
in the avails of said fund.
The School money received into Districts from year to
year, should be applied for the support of Schools taught
by qualified Teachers, and no others, during the year next
ensuing the date of the report upon which the money is
drawn.
The following, and similar questions, have frequently
been proposed to the Superintendent:
1st. " Have the taxable inhabitants of a School District
a legal right to receive children from without the District
into their families to board and attend School?"
2d. " Hiave Districts a legal right, at an annual or spe
271
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
cial meetitig, to pass a resolution and enforce the same, to
exclude scholars from without the district, from School?"
3d. " Have the District Board authority to expel such
scholars from School, provided they are in all respects
obedient to the rules thereof?"'
The following is the substaT)ce of replies to such interrogatories:
1st. Tax-,ible inhabitants of such Districts have not the
right to take children from without their Districts, into
their families to board and send to School.
2d. Any District has the right, at an annual or special
meeting, to pass a resolution excluding from their School
all children that dlo not reside within the District. Children should never be sent from one District into another,
to attend School, without the consent of the District Board
where they thus attend. Moreover, the District Board
should not allow such children to attend School, without
the consent of the District, in case the question has ever
come up for consideration at an annual or special meeting,
and action has been taken thereon.
A District may admit children from other Districts to
the privileges of its School on such conditions as it may
prescribe. But should it permit such children to attend
its Schoo], without imposing any conditions upon them,
they would stand on the same footing in relation to the
rate bill, and the public moneys, as resident children.
The children of one organized District, by going into
another District to board and attend School therein, do
not by this means become residents of said District. [See
Constitution of Mich., Art. 7, Sec. 5.]
In apportioning the Primary School interest money by
the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the townships,
and in apportioning the same, and also the moneys raised
by the mill tax, by the Township Clerk to the Districts,
those Districts only are to be embraced that have maintained a School taught by a qualified Teacher, at least
272
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
three months during the preceding year, as shall appear
from their report.
The same rule is to be observed in the apportionment
of all moneys accruing from fines, etc., under the provisions of Section 116.
Section 72 provides that persons residing in a township
and not in any organized District, may, at their request,
be attached to an organized District. In such cases, their
children have a right to attend any Primary School that
may be taught therein. They cannot, howevwr, in any
ease, claim the privilege of sending from one orga-rTin
District into another. Nor can they-claim the privilege
specified in Section 72, without the official sanction of the
School Inspectors.
3d. In case children who are not residents of the District where they attend School, are sent without the consent of thle District, as above, the District Board may
direct them to leave, and they have no right to remain.
The following question has often been asked:
"Is it the duty of the Director to report the colored
children of his District between the ages of four and
eighteen years, and are such children entitled to the privileges of the School?"
Section 41 makes it the duty of the Director to take the
census of his District, and section 54 makes it his duty to
make a report, at the end of the School year, setting forth,
among other particulars, "The whole number of children
belonging to the District, between the ages of four ani
eighteen years, according to the census taken as aforesaid."
This census should embrace all the resident (hildren of
the District, including the children of Americans and Foreigners, of Colored persons and Indians, (if such reside
within the bounsdaries of the District*) all of whom have,
under the general provisions of the Statutes of'this State,
a right to attend the Prima,,ry or Common Schools of the
35
273
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
Statc, adid to participate equally in the avails of the School
fud.c Th,y only exception to this rule is when a specia
act of the Legislature has been passed, for a city or village,
as it case of colored persons in the city of Detroit.
To the question, whether persons having children betw.een the ages of four and eighteen years, and sending
them to school, are individually entitled to the money their
children draw, and can have the same apply on their tuitioln, or whether public money is to be applied equally in
paying the tuition of all children attending School, who
are residents of the District, the reply has been: The
public money drawn into a District, is to be applied equally, ill reduction of the tuition of all residents of the District attending School, without regard to their ages.
In taking the census the Directors of School Districts
have sometimes embraced children under sentence of law
in the House of Correction for juvenile offenders, and in
county jails. This usage is unjust, and in clear violation
of the Constitution and laws of the State.
NOTE N.
[See Section 137.]
RTIGHTS OF PERSONS PAYING TAXES IN A DISTRICT WHER
THEY DO NOT RESIDE.
Persons paying taxes in a District in which they do not
reside, are entitled to send their children to School in said
District, if their residence is in no organized District, or
if the qualified voters of the District in which they reside
have voted at a regular meeting to have no School for the
year; and they will thus be entitled to all the privileges
of residents of the District to whose School they send, except the right of voting.
274:
I t
NOTES ON THE 3SCHOOL LAW,
NOTE 0.
(See Seetions 39, 60, 81, S5, 8E,, 8.88a (, 0, 92, 13i and 139.)
EMPLOYMENT AND EXAMINATION OF TEACHERS-STUDIES.
The following question has, in some instances, arisen:
In case neither the Moderator nor the Assessor can unite
with the Director in the employment of a teacher, can the
former two employ a teacher without the consent of the
Director-?
The statutes of this State very appropriately assign to
each member of the District Board specific duties; and
neither can lawfully discharge the duties of another. Section 39 makes it the duty of the Director, "by and with
the advice and consent of the Moderator and Assessor, or
one of them, to contract with and hire qualified teachers,
for and in the name of the District." Teachers may be
employed in this manner, and in no other. The Moderator
and Assessor are not authorized by law to employ a teacher.
In case the Director cannot act in concert with one, at least,
of the other officers of the District, in the employment of a
teacher, the Superintendent has, in a few instances, suggested the propriety of his resignation. This will give
the District Board an opportunity of appointing a Director
in accordance with the provisions of section 66, with whom
they may be able to harmonize their views.
But the contract between the teacher and the Director,
who acts as an agent of the District Board, and of the District. does not necessarily imply that the teacher employed
is the choice of the Director. if the Director and either of
the other officers agree in action, a teacher may be emploved without the consent of the other. So, if both the
Mloderator and Assessor agree in the employment of a
teacher, and neither of them can unite with the Director in
the employment of the teacher of his choice, it then becomes the duty of the Director to employ the teacher approved by both of the other officers, and in case he refuses
275
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
to do so, he is subject to a penalty of ten dollars for such
refusal. LSee Section 131.] In case a District has four
additional Trustees, as provided for in section 92, the concurreince of at least two of these becomes necessary in
order to the employment of a teacher. Any other construction of the statutes than that here given might prevent the employment of a teacher wlio was the choice of
the other six members of an enlarged District Board, in
case the Director entertained a different view. A case precisely like this has recently come to the knowledge of this
Department, in which the Director very properly resigned.
Hfe might have employed the teacher, howvever, without
impropriety, after having recorded his vote at a meeting
of the District Board as opposed to his employment, as he
had done. The teacher would then have been employed
on the responsibility of the other six members of the
Board, he being only an agent of the Board and District.
In single Districts where it is customary to mrainAtain a
summer School three or four months, and a winter Scltool
for about the same length of time, and commencing late in
October, or early in November, the prevailing usage has
been for the District officers elected at each annual meeting to hire the teachers employed in the District during
the year next ensuing. And there seems to be mruct propriety in this arrangement, under such circumstances; and
any custom, thus established, should not be departed from,
except from urgent necessity, unless under instructions
from a District meeting. And especially should niot an
outgoi.ng Board employ a teacher to commence his School
after their term of office expires, uniless they do s, puIrsuant to an expressed wish of the District at a regular imeeting. In case this rule is disregarded, and a teacher is thus
employed by an outgoing Board, contrary to usage, and
without instructions, they transcend their,uthority, and
become themselves personally responsible for their acts,
while the incoming B{a'd aitve at liberty to contract with
278-.
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
the s,me or another teacher, as they judge will best pro mote the interests of the District whose agents they are.
But in larger and more populous Districts in which
Schools are maintained throughout the year, with the ex ception of spring, and summer or fall vacations, the usage
is,iot improperly varied. And especially is this so when
it is desirable to commence the winter School before the
time o'f holding the annual meeting, and where the District
hes previously enlarged its Board by adding thereto four
Trustees, as provided for in section 92, three of whom
always hold over for the year next ensuing. But even
then, unless there is known to be great unanimity of feel ing among thle inhabitants of the District, the better way
is to obtain an expression of their wishes on the subject at
a regula,r District meeting called, if need be, for that
purpose.
1i, many townshipsof the State, School Inspectors have
inot been accustomed properly to discharge their duty in
the examination of teachers.' In some instances a certificate hlas been given by a single Inspector. In other cases
one Ils[)ector has been requested to examine candidates
without any meeting of the B)ard, and in case he approves
them, he has, by request of the other members of the
Board, signed their names to a certificate; when they
themselves, have, perhaps, never so much as seen the cancid,t,-! And I might add: In not a few instances that have
come to my knowledge, certificates have been granted
without any examination!I This is, (at least,) a neglecLof
duty for which Inspectors are liable to forfeit ten dollars.
It should be understood by School Inspectors, by School
Teachers, and by Directors, that Teachers who obtain their
certificates in titis manner, are not what the statutes of the
Spate r'(o- gnize as " qu'4ii led Teachrs." A D)ist-it ca-nnot draw public money unless it has maintained a
School three months atleast, taught by "qualified Teach
277
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
ers." Neither is a District authorized to pay public money
to a Teacher w-ho has only a certificate obtained as specified above. Moreover, the School Inspectors are liable to
be fined for granting such a certificate. The provisions of
the Sections referred to at the head of this note, should be
strictly complied with. The days specified in the statutes
for the examination of Teachers, are "the second Saturday
of April, and the first Saturday in November in each year."
No Teacher can lawfully demand, or reasonably expect an
examination at any other time. Neither can the Inspectors be allowed a compensation from the township for examinations on other days. They may decline examining
Teachers on other days, and I can see no impropriety in
their doing so, if the candidates might have been in attend.
ance on the days specified in the statutes; or they may
examine on other days at their discretion, without charge;
or they may receive from the applicant or his employers,
a reasonable remuneration for their services. It should
be borne in mind, also, that no portion of the public money
drawn into a School District, can lawfully be paid to a
Teacher who has only a certificate as above. The follow
ing particulars cannot be too carefully observed:
1st. The Clerk of the Board of School Inspectors should
give the notice required by law of the semi-annual meetings for the examination of Teachers. [See Section 86.]
2d. The examination should be public, LSee Section 88,]
and the entire Board of School Inspectors should be pres ent at the appointed time and place, and ready to enter
upon tire examination. Every Teacher desiring a certifi cate should also be present. This will give that promi nence and publicity to examinations which their import ance requires, and which the statutes of the State contem plate. It would also afford Directors and others an oppor tunity'of attending examinations, and of becoming ae quainted with the qualifications of different applicants for
Schools. Moreover, Inspectors, Teachers and citizens
278
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
might enter unitedly upon arrangements for the improvement of the Schools of the township, and for the promotion of the cause of popular education, by means of
educational societies, Teachers' associations anda School
celebrations.
Ad. In the examination of Teachers for fractional Districts., the provisions of Sections 81 and 89 should be complied with.
It is the office of the Primary School to offer to all our
youth, facilities for obtaining a good common English education, such as is necessary to qualify them to know, enjoy,
arid discharge their rights, privileges, and obligations, as
citizens of a free State. The education which it aims to
supply, is an elementary one, merely, but symmetrical in
its proportions, and as extended as circumstances will permit, its instructions being conducted, under a Constitutional requirement, in the English language.
In the country, where the sparseness of the population
is such that it is impracticable to embrace more than;from
forty to sixty children, within the legal ages, in a School
District, because of the amount of territory that would be
required, and the distance to which children in the remote
portions of the Districts would be removed from the Schoolhouse, the course of study cannot be so extended, nor can
the classification of pupils be so perfect, as in villages, and
densely populated communities, where from three to five
or eight hundred children may be embraced within the
limits of a single District. But in both instances, alike,
the first, and the prominent object in arranging a course of
study, must be the fitting of youth who frequent these
Schools for the discharge of the duties of life.
In determining what particular studies shall be embraced
in a course of study proper for a Primary School, reference
must be had to its design, as here stated, and to the circumstances of particular townships and Districts, the
:, 7 I -i
NOIES ONT TilE SCHOOL LAW.
School Insp,ectors, and the Districts, or the respective Distict Boards being the ji-dges.
This subject will be again referred to in Part III. of this
volume, iwhich see.
NOTE P.
[ See Sections 29, 53, 61, 63 Lnd 64.]
!HOW MONEYS BELONGING TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHOULD BE
DRAWN, APPLIED:aND RECORDED.:
There is a great irregularity in the manner of drawing
moneys belonging to School Districts frcom the hands of
both the Assessor and Township Treasurer, and of paying
them out when dr,awn. The Diriector, for example, often
daws public moneys from the Treasurer for the payment
of teachers, without even the knowledge of the Assessor.
The Moderator, also, frequently draws and applies moneys
m like manner, in meeting expenlses incurred in behalf of
the District. This promiscuous drawin, and applying of
moneys belonging to School Districts, is unauthorized by
law, and highly improper.
1st. All moneys raised bv tax in School Districts, for
buildig School-houses, repairs, etc., anil all moneys raised
on the scholar for School purposes, ae lodg,ed by law in
the bands of the Township Ti-easuier. TLe milIltax, also,
is collected by him, and the Primary Slchool Interest
imoneys descecd from the State Treasury to the Districtg
trouag h",m. These moneys can be ](iwo'fily drawn f(om
le Township Treasury, only on the warr.rnt of the Director countersignted by the Moderator. Such warrants
sould state the fund from which they are to be paid, so
280
NOTES ON THE SCHIOOL I,AW.
as to enable the Treasurer to charge the Districts accor dingly.
2d. Whiile moneys belonging to a School Dist;rict remain
in the hands of the Township Treasurer, warrants may be
drawn on him payable to the order of' "qualified teachers"
for "public moneys" due them from the District; or payable to a contractor for building a School-house, to be paid
from a fund raised for that purpose; and in a like manner
for other purposes. But there is no provision of law for
the drawing of any such moneys by the Moderator or Director, to be paid,,by them, or either of them, to third
parties.
3d. In the course of procedure as above indicated, the
Township Treasurer becomes, practically, the Treasurer
of the District, as well as of tLe township; and to an extent that will often be oppressive and unjust; for each
School District is provided with a treasurer in the person
of its Assessor, who is required before entering upon duty
to give bonds for the faithful application of all moneys
that may come into his hands by virtue of his office. To
avoid this injustice to the Township Treasurer, as well as
for the better preservation of a detailed record of the proceedings of the District Board, it is proper for the Director to draw his warrant on the Township Treasurer, payable to the order of the Assessor, for moneys in his hands
belongiig, to the District, which warrant, when countersigi,ed l-"y'the Moderator, will be paid( by the Treasurer on
pr-ese-itation.
4rh. Any a,l4 allmonieys received by the Assessor should
be charged by him to the several fJnds to which they be1)in-g, in a book provided for that purpose. No moneys
should be paid out bv the;Assessor, except on the order of
th..!)'... by.1. I —...
whenever moneys are paid, the particular fund from which
they are paidshoutld be credited with the amount so paid,
281
36
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
after the manner indicated below. Each entry should
show, to whom money has been paid, and on what account;
and especially should all orders presented and paid, be
numbered and referred to by number in entering the account. These orders, thus numbered and placed upon file,
constitute the Assessor's vouchers for the proper application and payment of all moneys that have passed through
his hands.
5th. An account should be kept with all moneys colleeted by the Assessor on rate bills, in the same manner as
with moneys received from the Treasurer. This account
should be charged with the amount collected on the rate
bill, and credited with the amounts paid therefrom. The
manner of keeping all these accounts is sufficiently illustrated in the example referred to, it is hoped, to make the
matter understood even by those who have not been accustomed to keep accounts.
6th. When the accounts of a District are properly kept
as here indicated, and the Assessor keeps a file of all
orders on which moneys have been paid, as his vouchers
Public Moneys. Dr.
.cts.
10. To amount of Mill Tax received of
Township Treasurer,........... 56 50
1. To amount of Primary School In terest Money rec'd of Township
Treasurer,...................... 49 50
Building Fund. Dr.
. ~~~~~~~~~~~2.
To amount received of Township
Treasurer...................4.0
Ii
I
II
282
Al
1858.
March
450
Cts.
10.
0
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
,or the proper application of all funds that have passed
Through his hands, not only are he and his bondsmen proected, but a settlement of his accounts is easily and satisactorily made, and his account book, and his orders
1properly numbered and filed, enable the District Board to
make the report to the annual District meeting required
or them by Section 63, "of all moneys of the District received by them, or any of them, during the preceding year,
A-tnd of the disbursements made by them, with the items of
Zuch receipts and disbursements."
:Tth. But in case the Assessor fails to give the bond required by Section 66, for double the amount of moneys to
ome into his hands, with sureties approved by the Moderator and Director, all moneys belonging to the District
:m5ust remain in the township treasury till required for use,
Ken they may be drawn out on proper warrants made
payable to the parties entitled to them. In such case the
report of the District Board required by Section 63, may
be made from the records of the Director properly kept
Public M[oneys. Cr.
15. t
1858. Ctr,.
MIarch 25. By amount paid John Brown, a
"qualified Teacher," on order
No. 1,...................... 45 00
Au'.P 7P. By amount paid Susan AlMien, a
"qualified Teacher," on order
No. 5....................... 27,50
Buildiing Fund. Cr:
By amount paid H. Allen, builder,
on order No. 2...............
By amountipaid HE. Allen, on order
No. 3,....................... 0
By amount paid M. O. Brown, for
painting School-house, on order
No. 4....................eI
283
I
i 8.
-l,arch
cts.
15.
160
150
0
.ipril
1.
0
T
,,,une
3.
60 00
NOTES ON THRE SCHOOL LAW.
NOTE Q.
[Slee Sections 96, 102 and 103.]
MAP OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
The Township Clerk is required to make a ma'p of the
Districts and parts of Districts in his towvnship, and file
one copy of the same in his office, and one with the Super visor; and whenever any changes are made in the boundaries of Districts, he is required to file a new map as
above, within one month thereafter; but his omission to
do so will not affect the validity of any other proceedings
The defect may be supplied bv a record of the order of
the Ilspe(,tors making suchl alteration.
Thec omission to make the mt.,'s required by the Seetions referred to at the head of this Note, anid to keep on
file a full record of all proceedings of single and joint
Boards of School Inspectors, olten leads to great embar
rassments in School Districts, enge[,lering not unfrequeiitly, vexatious law suits. Thie duty in question, then,
becomes one of the most inport('nt oies required of the
Board of School Inspectors.
NOTE R.
DIVISION OF COUNTIES AND TOWNSHIPS.
Where a CountLy Clerk shall receive fromn the Superirtendeit t.he notice of the amount of Public( MonIey apportioned to the townships of his co.unty, provided for by
Sec. 7 on pdge 161 of this volumje; ando where said county
shall have teerl divided after thie annual reports were
made.'(ll t:'e.bfore said notices were receive(], he should
immedi'tt*Vy give notice to the clerk of each county into
'whit q,, t o)rtion of said county sh..l l-,.ve been incorpo
rated, advi iil1g himn of the ainount of saud rnoney apportioned to each township in any such new county, and that
,said money wilt be held by the Treasurer of the original
:284
NOTES ON T]i SCHOOL LAW.
county, subject to the order of the Treasurer of such new
county.
This rule should also be observed by the clerk of any
township that shall have been divided under similar,
aircumsta-nces.
NOTE S.
[See Sections 71, 79, 81, 86, 91 and 92.]
SOXOOL INSPECTORS-THEEIR ELECTION AND PAY —ME]FTSNGrS
OF BOAtD, ETC.
Each organized township, on the first Monday of April,
annually, elects one School Inspector, and the Township
Clerk is School Inspector ex-ofcio. [See Article 11, See tion 1, of the Constitution. Compiled Laws, page 66.]
The same provision for the election, aDnnually, of one
School Inspector, is found in the statute, under the head
"-Township Meetings." [Sec. 8, Compiled Laws, page 228.]
On page 229, Compiled Laws, under the above head, isr
Ihe following:
"Sec. 13. Each School Inspector elected as aforesaid,
shall hold his office for two years, and until his successor
shall be elected and qualified, except when elected to fill a
vacancy, in which c'tse, he shall hold during the unexpired
portion of the regular term: Provided, That where there
shall have been no previous election for School Inspectors
in any township, there shall be two such Inspect,)rs elected,
one for one year, and one for two years, who shall severally hold their office accordingly."
School Inspectors receive a compensation at the rate off
one dollar per day, for the timne spent in the duties of their
office. [See Compiled Laws, Chap. 12, Sec. 95, page 244.]
The l-awv imposes but three meetings uLpon the Bo.lld of
Inspectors each year-two for the purpose of exa.-:[ning
Teachers, and one to make the annual report to the County
Clerk. The whlole number at the expense of tle) town
285'
NOTES ON THE SCHOOL LAW.
ship, cannot exceed six. It is made their duty to dive
the township into School Districts but the time and plac,
of meeting for such purpose, the manner or occasion for
such division, all redivisions or changes in Districts, clas
sification of scholars, or meeting with the Inspectors of
other townships for tho purpose of forming or changing
fractional Districts, are matters subject to their discretion
There is no process pointed out in the law, by which any
number of citizens of a township may lay the Board of Iae
spectors under legal obligation to hold a meeting, or bewhich the Board of one township may make it obligatory
on that of another to meet them to transact business that
mutually interests both townships. It is presumed that no
Board will take advantage of this discretionary power. ti
the neglect of the educational interests of their township
but should they thus fail in their duty, an adequate remedy
may be applied in due time, by the election of more reliable men to fill their places.
286
FORMiS FOR PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE
SCHOOL LAW,
No..
Formn of Notice to be given, by the Clerk of the Board of
School Inspectors to a Taxable Inhabitant of a School
District at the time qof its foration.
(See Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 15 and 129,)
To A. B. of the Township of
SiR-You are hereby notified that the School Inspectors
of the township of, have formed a School District
in said township, numbered and bounded as follows: No.
bounded (here insert the boundary.)
The first meeting of said District will be held at
on the day of A. D. 18, at 6 o'clock, P. M.,
[unless some other hour is designated by the School Inspectors,] and you are hereby instructed to notify every qualified voter of said District, either personally or by leaving
a written notice at his place of residence, of the time and
place of said meeting, at least five days before the time appointed therefor, as above; and after so notifying every
qualified voter within the boundaries above described,you
will endorse on this notice a return, showing such notification, with the date or dates thereof, and deliver the same
to the Chairman of the meeting, to be held at the time and
place above mentioned.
Given under my hand, this day of A.D. 18
Signed: C. D.,
Clerk of t7ie Board of SchIool Inspectors.
FORMS FOR PROCEEDINGS
NO. II.
Fornb of Notice of at meeting of a School Di;striet, o be
left at the resilience of Tttx(able Inhabitants thereof, in ia.e
the person designatedl by the Clerk of the Board of School
nspeetors does not notify themrpersonally.
[ See Seetione 1,!, 15 and 129.]
ToAi. l.:
SIR-The Board of School Inspectors of the township of
have established School District No., of which
you are a resident, and I am instructed by the Clerk of
said Board to notify you that the first meeting of said District will be held at, on the day of, A
D., 18, at o'clock in the noon, for the election of
officers and the transaction of such other business as may
be necessary.
a_ t
(ind) A.. B.,
Thie person (ppointed to give notie.
NO. IH.
Form of ndorsemegit upon Votice received from Clerk of
Board of School In,spectors on the formation of a Shoou
iSstrcet.
[.ee ections 3 and 15.]
I do hereby certify that I notified all the qualified voters
of the within namedSchool District, on or before the
day of, 18,
(Signed,) A. B.,
T}he pes on ) affo/:,ted to give noti{.
288
day
(Signed,
UNDER THE SCHOOL LAW,
NO. IV.
Form of Aceptance of once by Dstrict Officers, to be f7id
with th~e -Director.
[See Sections 5, 130 and 148.]
I do hereby certify my acceptance of the office c
in School District No. of the township'of
Dated this day of, 18.
(Signed,)
NO. V.
Form of Yotiee of Annual Xeetings.
[See Sections 11, 13, 50 and 130.]
Notice is hereby given, that the annual meeting of
School District No., of the township of, for the
election of School District Officers, and for the transaction
of such other business as may lawfully come before it, will
be held at, on Monday, the day of September,
A.D. 18, at o'clock in the noon.
Dated this day of September, 18.
(Signed,), Director.
NO. VI.
Fom of Request to be made by five egal FVoters of Ca -)is tict to the District Boao7r(l for the callinz of a Special
Aeeting.
,;See Section 12.]
To the District Board of School District No., [or to A.
B., &c., oneof the District Board:]
The undersigned, legal voters of School District No.
of the township of request vou, in pursuance of
38
289
A. B.
FORMS FOR PROCEEDINGS
Section 12, of the Primary School Law, to
mee'ing of said District, for the purpose of
Dated this day of I A. D. 18.
(Signed,)'
:iOG) of No tice of fSecia f Meeting8.
[See Sections 12,13 and 50,]
Notice is hereby given to the taxable inhabitants of
School District No., in the township* of, that in
pursuance of a written request of five legal voters of said
District, a special meeting of said District will be held at
, on the day of, A. D., 18, for [here insert the object or objects of the meeting.]
(Signed,) A. B., I)irector.
NO. VII.
Form of Rate Bil ard Warrant.
[See Sections 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 45, 46 and 58.]
Rate Bill, containing the name of each person liable for
Teachers' wages in District No.,in the township of
, for the term ending on the day of, A. D.
18, and the amount for which each person not exempted
* Vary for fractional Districts,
290
call a special
UNDER THE SCHOOL LAW.M
from the payment thereof is so liable. with the fees of the
Assessor thereon.
Names of inhabitants IWholeNo.of Amount of [Assess'rsfees Amount for
sendLing to School. days sent. School bill. X thereon. fIuel.
1$1 05 - _
0 21 $1 25
0 16
0 03 *
0 05 0 50:
0 05
0 21
$0 76 $1 75
$1 04
1 4 16
W 3 13
0 54
1 04
1 1 04
4 16
$15 11
To ithe Assessor of School District No., in the Towvslhip
of
You are hereby commanded to collect from each of the
persons in the annexed rate bill named, the several sums
set opposite their respective names in the last column
thereof. and within sixty days after receiving this warrant,
to pay over the amount so collected by you, (retaining five
per cent. for your fees,) to the order of the Director of
said District, countersigned by the Moderator: and in case
any person therein named, shall neglect or refuse, on demand. to pay the amount set opposite his name as aforesaid, you are to collect the same by distress and sale of the
goods and chattels of such persons wherever found, within
the county or counties in which said District is situated,
having first published said sale at least ten days, by posting up notices thereof in three public places in the towVnship where such property shall be sold.
At the expiration of this warrant, you wvill make a return thereof in writing, with the rate bill attached, to the
Director; stating the amount collected on said rate bill,
the amount uncollected, and the names of persons from
whom collections have not been made.
* In the preceding rate bill those persons who are not rated for fuel, furnished the same ac
cording to the provisions of Section 40. Those who did not furnish their proportion of fuel,
are charged for fuel in the rate bill according to the provisions of the same Section, and five
per cent. for collecting the same. (See Section 45.)
I
291
Whole amlt
to be raised.
James Emerson,
John L. Barney,
William Jones,.
Peter Parley,...
S. C. Goodrich,
Al. Barney,.....
F. Saw-ver,.....
1 104
416,1
. 313
54,1
104
1041
416
1511
$1 09
5 68
3 29
0 57
1 62
1 09
4 37
$17 71
FORMS FOR PROCEEDINGS
Given under our hands this day of
of our Lord, one thou.sanid eight hundred and
A. B., Diriector.
C. D., Mlode(ljatOl.
Remcark 1. In making out the rate bill for a term of
School, the amount of public money to be applied to the
term is first deducted from the amount of the Teacher's
wages, and any balance remaining to be collected, is apportioned to the several persons having sent to School
during the term, in proportion to the number of days sent
by each.
Rtemark 2. Any money received for tuition of children
attending School from without the District, under any rule
established by the District, or by the District Board, is to
be applied like the public money in the reduction of the
Teacher's wages; but Reiemark 3. In case children are received into the District to attend School, without any condition having been
imposed, the persons sending them should be embraced in
the rate bill, and the amount due from them should be collected as in other cases.
Rem(ar7k 4. In case it becomes necessary to enforce a collection, the Assessor should post the following notice in
three public places in the township, at least ten days previous to sale
Foi',, _,f i Yotice of Assessor's Sale.
[See Sections 33, 34 and 46.]
Notice is hereby given, that by virtue of the warrant
annexed to a rate bill for School District No., of the
township of, bearing date the day of, 8,
I have levied on the goods and chattels of, and
shall expose the same for sale at public auction, at the
house of, in the said School District, (or whereever the prioperty may be,) in. the towvnship of and
292
7 iii the year
UNDER THE SCHROOL LAu.I
county of, on the
c.f o'clock, MI.
Given lunder iuy hand at
. thei day of
E. O. B.,
Asse,ss or of scaid District.
/e;,,ter' 5. The following is a proper form for Assessor's
rieturn to accompany the rate bill and warrlant:
Assessor's Retuier of WVarctgi t.
I,, Assessor of School District No., township of, do hereby make this, my return of the annexed warrant, with rate bill attached, aid certify the
amount collected on said rate bill to be the sum of
dollars and cents; the amount uncollected,
dollars and cents; and that the following are the
names of persons from whom collections have not been
made, and the amounts which are uncollected from each
person
NAMES. Dollars. Cents.
Dated this day of, A.D. 18.
(Signed,) A. B., Assessor.
Any sums that cannot be collected by the Assessor me
to be included in the next report of the District Board to
the Supervisor, as provided in Section 57.
For neglect to collect any sum or sums embraced in the
rate bill that are collectable, the Assessor is subject to a
penalty of ten dollars. (See Section 13).)
293
clav o.'
II 8, at the hour
i. 19,
FOR3M8 FOR PROCEEDINGS
NO. VIII.
F&oI}bf ()t act bettweeab -i Pctor a,) TevchZ,
[See Sections 39, 60 and S5.]
It is agreed between A. B., Director of School District
No., in the township of, on the part of said District, and C. D., a qualified Teacher of the township
of, that the said C. D. is to teach the Primary School
of said District for the term of, commencing on
the day of, A. D. 18, for the sum of
per; and that for such services, properly rendered,
the said A. B. is to pay the said C. D. the amount of his
wages as ascertained by this memorandum, on or before
the day of, A.D. 18.
In witness whereof the said parties have hereunto set
their names this day of A. D. 18.
A. B., Dir ector',
C. D., Teagce?',
This contract is approved by
E. F.,;Iodeclrator,
G. H., A,8sessor.
Remtark 1. The Teacher should be furnished with a copy
of this contract, and a duplicate should be filed with the
Director.
?RemarDk 2. The wages should be specified per week or
month. The latter is preferable. [See Note C.]
Remarn}k 3. Section 60 expressly provides that no School
moneys apportioned to any District, shall be appropriated
to any other use than the payment of Teachers' vwages,
and that no part thereof shall be paid to any Teacher who
has not received a certificate from the School Inspectors
before comi,m.encing the Sch7ool. [See Form No. 17.]
Remacrk 4. In case of enlarged District Boards, the approval of at least two of the four Trustees is necessary in
the employment of Teachers, in addition to the approval
of the 5[oderator or Assessor.
204
UNDER THE SCHOOL LAW.
The concurrence essential in the employment of Teachers
is stated at length in Note 0., which see.
NO. IX.
Form of Encorseme,7tfor the Etnso of Ec<'rant.
'See Section 4,.]
We do hereby extend the time for the collection of the
annexed rate bill, thirty days, [any shorter'period may be
specified,] beyond the time named in the annexed [within]
warrant.
Dated this day of,18
A. B., D)irector,
C. D., ilo(perator.
N\O. X.
Fom of Order up)on Asses8sor for jfozeys to be d7isbtrsed by
School Districts.
FSee Sections 29 and 53 ]
Assessor of Schoo7 ]is,trit, Toz sz7i) of
Pay to the order of the s-lm of dollars,
out of any moneys in your hl.ds belonging to the aforesaid
School District.
Dated this day ofA A. D 18
Aid B., Director.
Noa.-The above order must be counteri ned by the M1oderator
NO. XI.
Fawn of Tfctrrant, oz T2'owvnsAip TIreasurer for.loneys
be73o0,g~n to Sch,oo7 -Distriets.
rSee Sections 29, 53 and 109.]
Treasurer of the Townstip of
Pay to the order of? the sum of dollars,
out of [here insert the particular funds] in your hands, be.
295
FORMS FOR PROCEEDINGS
longing to School District No., of said township.
Dated at,this day of A.D.18
A. B., Directoro
cbTE,.-The above warrant must be countersigned by thle 3,oderator.
NO. XII.
Fose; cfl R&eIort by tie D)istrict Boarc e
[See Sections 56, 57, 58,1106 and 1
SupeUvisor of the Towns7t of
The undersigned, District Board for
I in said township, do hereby cert
ing taxes have! been voted in said
School year last closed, viz:
[Hiere specify the amount of each
purpose to which it is appropriated:
taxes imposed by the District Board, E
tal of the whole,] which you will asse
property of said District, as the law d
Dated at, this day of
A. D. 18.
A. B., Moderator,
C. D., Director,
E. F., Assessor.
NO. XIII.
Forrlb of Ass88e88or'8 Bon,d.
[See Sections 61 and 62.]
Know. all men by these presents, That we, A. B., [the
Assessor of School District No., in the township of
,] C. D. and E. F., [his sureties,] are held and
firmly bound unto the said District, in the sum of [here
insert a sumi of double the amount to come into the Assessor's hands,] to be paid to the said District; for the paynment of which sum well and truly to be made, we bind
296
UNDER TIlE SCHOOL LAW.
ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators, jointly
and severally, firmly by these presents
The condition of this obligation is such, that if A. B.,
Assessor of said District, shall faithfully apply all moneys
that shall come into his hands by virtue of his office, then
this obligation shall be void otherwise of full force and
virtuxe.
Sealed with our Seals. and dated this day
of A.D. 18
A. B., [L. s.]
C. D., [L. s.]
E. F., [L. s.]
Signed, sealed and delivered in!
presence of i
s,e auk$. This bond should be endo
'Y e approve the within bond."
[Signed."
G. H., Moderator,
I. IK., Director.
NO. XIV.
Fo~rm0 of Bond to be given by tte C]air,)-ict- of t~te Board of
School ~Tnspector,.
[See Sections 68, 69 and 0.
Knrow all men by these presents, that we, A. B., [the
chairman'of the Board of School Inspectors of the township of,] and C. D. and E. F., [his sureties,]-are
held. and firmly bound unto the said township, in the sum
of, [here insert the sum of doubl3e the armouint to come into
said chairman's hands, as nearly as th3e same can be ascertained,] for the payment of whlich sumi well and truly
to be made to the said township, wve bind ourselves, our
heirs, executors and administrators, jointly and severally,
firmly by these presents.
38
297
..,.,
F OR31MS FOR PROCEEDINGS
The condition of this obligation is such, that if A. B.,
chairman of the Board of School Inspectors, shall faithfully
appropriate all moneys that may come into his hands by
virtue of his office, then this obligation shall be void, otherwise of full force and virtue.
Sealed with our seals, and dated this day of,
A.D., 18.
A. B., [L. 8S.]
C. D., [L. s.]
E. F., [L. S.]
Signed, sealed and delivered in
presence of
Renmark'. This bond shouald be given before any moneys
come into his hands, and should be endorsed as follows:
" I approve the within bond."
[Signedl,] G. IH., Towns7hip Clek.
NO. XV.
For,;I of -Ap oine ~ o/Diserict -ce Dsct Boar.
[See Section 6e.]
The undersigned, memnbers of the District Board of
School District No., in the township of, do
hereby appoint A. B., Di,reieor of said District, to fill the
vacancy created by the remioval, [resignation or death, as
the case may be,] of C. D., the late incumbent.
Dated this day of, A.D. 18
E. F., -loderator.
G. H., Asso.
Revmrk 1. The wiords in italics in the above form should
be varied to suit the case.
Begmrk7 2. The Director shouLld record any appointment
that may be made, and persons appointed to office should
file with the Director a certificate of acceptance, according
to the provisions of Section 5. [See Form No. 4.]
298
UNDER THE SCHOOL LAW.
N0. XVI.
_Fc/rv~? ~ tlv23o^v~/m of District O#ers, by School In apectors.
[See Section 95.]
The undersigned, School Inspectors for the township
do hereby appoint 0. P., A8ssessor of School Districr No., ill said township, to fill the vacancy created
by the cdecat of Q. RP,., the late incumbent.
Dated this day of. A. D. 18.
A. B.,
C. D.,
E. F.,
School Inspector s.
:-t See te remIks folowing the plre-e-'g- Fo.r
I NO. XYII.
Eu.: f Ufeirttyc(te to e iven by Sc7bool e Inector to Qua
/ed Te,ach,ers8.
.-ee Section. 39, S6, 87, 88, 89 and 90.]
The undersigned, Inspectors of Primary Schools for the
tow!nshZip of, in the county it, having persona.iy examined A. B. at a regular meeting of the Board,
called f,r that purpose, and having ascertained his [or her]
qualifications in respect to moral character, learning, a(nd
abi-ity to instruct a Primary School, DO HEREBY CERTIFY,
th,at he For she] is duly qualified for that service, and acor idngly he [or she] is hereby liceised to teach Primary
schools in said township for twao years from the date
hereof, unless thi certificate shall, before that time, be
annulled according to law,
, A.D. 18.
C. D.,
E. F.,
G. H.
school Ifnsectors.
;.e 99- -mn.rk fel'.wo.,, g Form No. 8.
299
day of
FORMS FOR PROCEEDINGS
NO. XVIII.
Form-" of notice of JIeetiny of IJ)eotorl fof;
of Se /oo TecareA,e.
[See Sectioi 86.,
Notice is hereby given, that for the purpose of making
an examination of all persons who may offer themselves as
candidates for Teachers of the Primary Schools of this
township, the Board of School Inspectors thereof will meet
[here insert the time and place of meeting.]
Dated this day of,18.
A. B., Tovnsil) Clergy.
Remarkl 1. Whenever the Inspectors deem it necessary
to re-examine any Teacher, they shall serve the following
.0.
notice upon him, according to the provisions of Section 90
Form qf -Yotice for 2&e-examination.
To A. B.:
SIR,-You are hereby notified that the undersigned.
School Inspectors for the township of, will hold a
meeting at on the day of, at o'clock,
M. You will please appear before them at the time
and place aforesaid, for re-examination. It is our purpose
to annul your certificate if you are found deficient in the
qualifications requisite for a Primary School Teacher.
This notice should be dated and signed in the same manner as the above Certificate.
Remark 2. In case it be found necessary to annul the
Teacher's certificate, it shall be sufficient for that purpose
for the Clerk of the Board of School Inspectors to make
the usual record of their proceedings: Provided, the
Teacher appears before them and gives up his certificates,
which it is his duty to do. Otherwise, in addition to said
record, the Inspectors shall cause the following notice to
be posted up in three public places in the township, or to
be inserted in a newspaper of the township, if there be
one:
300
UNDER THE SCHOOL LAW.
"The undersigned, School Inspectors for the township
of, having this day re-examined A. B., a Primary
School Teacher in said township, alndl regarding him incompetent to discharge the duties of his office, we hereby
give notice that his certificate is annulled according to the
provisions of law."
h- Th,is notice should be dated and signed in the same manner as the preceding one.
NO0. XIX.
For1, of Uertiieate to be given to the -Director of a SchooI
Dist8rict by the Boar( of School nspeetors when they es tclbli8h thie Site.
[see Sections 19 and 20.]
The inhabitants of District No., in the township
of, having failed, at a legal meeting, to establish
a site for a School-house, the Board of School Inspectors
hereby certify, that they have determined that the said
site shall be as follovws: [Describe as -in the deed.]
Given uinder our hands this day of, A. D. 18
A. B.,
C. D.,
E. F.,
Sch7ool Inspectors.
NO. XX.
Ai,r i? of a fDeed.
See Section 59.]
Knowv all men by these presents, That A. B. and C.-.,
his wife, of the township of,in the county of,
and State of Michigan, party of the first part, for and in
consideration of the sum of dollars, to them paid by
the District Board of School District No., of the township, county and State aforesaid, the receipt whereof is
hereby acknowledgedl, do hereby grant, bargain, sell and
301
0
FORMS FOR PROCEEDINGS
convey to School District No. the party of the second
part, and their assigns, forever, the following described
parcel of land, namely:
[Here insert description.]
Together with all the privileges and appurtenances
thereunto belonging, to have and to hold the same to the
said party of the second part, and their assigns, forever
And the said party of the first part, for themselves,-their
heirs, executors and administrators, do covenant, grant,
bargain and agree, to and with the said party of the second
part, and their assigns, that at the time of the ensealing
and delivery of these. presents, they were well seized of
the premises above conveyed, as of a good, sure, perfect,
absolute and indefeasible estate of inheritance in the law,
in fee simple, and that the said lands and premises are free
from all encumbrances whatever; and that the above bargained premises, in the quiet and peaceable possession of
the said party of second part, and their assigns, against all
and every person or persons lawfully claiming or to claim
the whole or any part thereof, they will forever warrant
and defend.
In witness whereof, the said A. B. and C. D., his wife,
party of the first part, have hereunto set their hands and
seals, this day of A. D. 18.
A. B., [SEAL.]
C. D., [SEAL.]
Signed, sealed and delivered in)
presence of H. I.,
J. K.
Remark. In order to protect the District in its title to
a site, the deed thereof must be recorded in the Register's
ofiice.
It wll readily be seen how the preceding form shoul,l be varied, in case the person
gi a deed is unmarried.
302
UNDER THEASCHOOL LAW,
NO. XXI.
Fo[e Se of ct e.e]
[Se SeCtion 5;.]
Know all men by these presents, that A. B., of the township of,in the county of, and State of
Michigan, of the first part, for the consideration herein
mentioned, does hereby lease unto School District No.,
in the township, county and State aforesaid, party of the
second part, and their assigns, the following parcel of land,
to-wit: [here insert description;] with all the privileges
and appurtenances thereunto belonging; to have and to
hold the same for and during the term of years from
the day of, A. D. 18. And the said party of
the second part, for themselves and their assigns, do covenant and agree to pay the said party of the first part, for
the said premises, the annual rent of dollars.
In testimony whereof, the said parties have hereunto set
their hands and seals, this day of, A. D. 18
A. B., [SEAL.]
Lessor.
C. D.,)
E. F.,
G.H.
District Boarid of School District Y o f.
township.
Signed and sealed in the presence)
of I. J.,
K.L.
Remark. A Lease, like a Deed, must be recorded in the
Register's office, in order to protect the District in its title
to a site.
J Thc Lessor will probably want a copy of the lease. If so, a duplicate should be mnade
and,igned as above, and placed on file with the Director, to be delivered with other papers
of his office to his successor.
303
[SEAL.]
of the aforesaid
F' ORMS FOR PROCEEDINGS
P.
i i Whole District.
O Fractional I).strict.
T Number of Children in the District between the ages of four and
eighteen years.
i
Whole number of Children that have attended School during the
year.
C Number of months a School has been taught during the year by
qualified Teachers.
Name of each Qualified Teacher.
(See Note relating to' Qualified Teschers.")
O Number of months a School has been taught by each Teacher.
' Total amount OL wages paid to each Teacher.
Amount of public money received from Township Treasurer.
1C
e
tb
. 0
C4-.Q *,>
COI
Z
;aN
(ZO
Whole amount of money raised by tax upon property in the District.
II
__l
[x$
I
(See Section 140.) 0r'
Sr 00
Sr
0a
i
I
304
UNDER THE SCHOOL LAW.
NOTES TO FORM NO. XXII.
Fractional Districts, No. 2.-A FULL REPORT from a FRACTIONAL DISTRICT should be made O.NLY to the INSPECTORS
OF THE TOWNSHIP IN WHICH THE SCHOOL-HOUSE IS SITUATED.
(See Section 81.)
A SEPARATE REPORT should be made to the Clerkl of each
of the other townships in which the District is IN PART
situated, giving merely the number of children between the ages of four and eighteen years, residing in that
part of the District situated within each of said townships. This latter report is required by Section 82,
and constitutes the basis upon which books are drawn from
the Township Library in accordance with the provisions
of Sections 82 and 115, but ceases to be of any practical
utility where the operations of the latter Section are suspended in accordance with the provisions of Section 144.
Qualified Teachters, No. 6.-A "Qualified Teacher," within
the meaning of the statutes, is one who holds a certificate
from the School Inspectors, in accordance with the provisions of Section 85 of the School Law. - District Boards
should see that all Teachers they employ possess such a
certificate BEFORE BEGINNING TO TEACE A SCHOOL. Otherwise, they can neither pay them public money, nor receive
any on account of their teaching. (See Sections 60 and 80.)
39
305
FORMS FOR PROCEEDINGS
Whole Distrin,ts.
t Fractional Di-tricts.
O'm m O
Number of Children in each District between the ages of four and
eighteen years.
Whole number of Children that have attended School during the
year.
_ ~~~~~~f
Number of months a School has been taught in each District by
qualified Teachers.
Number of qualified male Teachers that have been employed in each
District.
_._~
Number of qualified female Tea chers that have been employed in
each District.
Total amount of wages paid to Teachers in each District.
ct
q
--
CL 110
f,:
10
-I.
C.
* PID
(Z'
Amount of Public Money received from Township Trersurer in each
District.
Whole amount of money raised by tax upon property in each
Distri;t.
To build School house.
To repair School-house.
0;. L o
P vC
'. _
El r_ m0
- On the scholar, to pay Teachers' wages.
For all other purposes.
505
Amount raised by rate bill.
Number of Volumes in the Township Library.
Amount of mill tax raised in the towoship.
[See Sections 107,142 and 143.]
Amount of fines, penalties, etc., received of County Treasurer for the
purchase of books for Township Library.
[See Section 116 ]
i
il
0
I
i
i
i
i
i
II
i
I
I
306
0 VI
Cl.
-7
. OC)
UNDER THE SCHOOL LAW.
Annual Reports.
Great pains have been taken in the preparation of the
preceding forms for the Annual Reports of Directors
and School Inspectors. It is made the duty of these offioers to make full returns. In some instances the reports
have hardly shown more than the number of children between the ages of four and eighteen years.
To facilitate the work of making these reports, and to
obviate any occasion for mistakes, the corresponding heads
in the several forms are designated by the same number.
No. 11 should embrace the total amount of taxes upon
property, raised by the districts for School purposes, excepting that specified in No. 16. The money raised by
townships will be reported under head No. 18.
[See notes J. and K.; also notes appended to the tables
in the Superintendent's Report.]
NO. XXIV.
Fn of Warrant on the Townshitp Tamrer for Liary
.Moneys.
[See Sections 107, 109 and 118:3
To Uw Treasuer of the Township of oun y of
Nich..:
Pay to the order of, the sum of dollars,
from any Library moneys now in your hands, or to come
into your hands, the same being for Library Books pwchased for the Library of said township.
Dated at, this day of 18
A. B.,
c. D.,
EP. F.,
Township Board of Scwol Inspector.
r e folbrm of this warrant may be varied to nut the cihcva at Ge ae.
307
3 EL r X: I I S.
THB PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM;
SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE;
SCHOOL FURNITURE;
SCHOOL APPARATUS;
SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS
WARMING AND VENTILATION;
SCHOOL AND LITERARY Boos.
i
N
I
THiE PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
ORIGINAL DESIGN.
The original legal provisions for the support and man.
agement of the Primary Schools of Michigan were of a
general character, and made no distinction between the
different circumstances of the most sparsely populated
settlements and the growing towns or villages. At the
time of the passage of the first Primary School law by the
Territorial government, and even when the State Constitution was adopted, and the first State School law enacted,
there were very few villages large enough to furnish more
scholars than could be accommodated in a single School.
house. Had it been otherwise, it is probable that the
legislation would have been the same; for the reason that
the defects of the system, copied from older States, had
not been considered, and no remedy was of course sought.
The legislation seemed only to provide for, or to anticipate
for the future, single Districts, to include no more territory
than would furnish scholars sufficient for a single School.
house, and one Teacher. This was probably the only system adapted to the necessities of sparsely settled sections,
where to obtain the required number of scholars for a
School, some must travel perhaps two miles, with bad roads,
to reach a common centre.
The only system thus adapted to the necessities of the
case in the country, was given also to the towns; and in
many instances, the small villages, with the territory immediately adjacent, furnished no more than enough scholars
for a single District. While this state of things continued
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
it was all that could be done; but in three or four years,
perhaps, the increase of population was such, that one
Schoolhouse was not large enough; and the first, and
probably the only thought was, to divide the District and
build another house; naturally leaving the old one badly
located, in reference to its new relations. But soon a
swarming of both hives was necessary, and another division was made, and a third District created. Thus in
many villages there were created, in a very few years, two,
three, and four School Districts, with as many enclosures
dignified with the name of Schoolhouses, within pistol
shot of each other, and most of them badly located.
One section of the village, perhaps, had a School eight
months in the year, another six, and another three-or
none at all. Each acted independently of the others, as
Districts; one may have had what was called a good School,
(good by comparison,) and another, a wretchedly poor oneand sometimes the only rivalry seemed to be, to prove
which could have the most objectionable School appliances,
and the worst management, and acquire the reputation of
sustaining the name of a School with the least expense.
In some instances it may be, a District might be found,
where a few citizens of enlarged and liberal views, were
able to infuse a similar spirit into the hearts of their neighbors, and in their District a Schoolhouse was built and
furnished in a style that was the delight of the children,
and the pride of its patrons; while the children of an adjoining District-the every-day playmates, out of School,
of the favored ones-were required to assemble at the
miserable hovel, built with less taste, and attended to with
less care, than was the horse-barn of many of the fathers
of the injured pupils. Two lads might leave home from
opposite sides of the street, walk together for a time, and
one turn one way to his pleasant School, with joyous associations, while the other went another way to his School,
812
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
envious of his fellow, and disgusted and disheartened by
1~e prospect before him.
Under such circumstances, the children often felt that
they were paying a dear price for their education, inasmuch as it was at the expense of all pleasant enjoyment,
and by doing continual penance. Their oppressed hearts
told them that their parents were doing them a serious
wrong, in thus degrading them, while' their friends were
provided with an elegant building, a popular Teacher, and
everything to make their School pleasant and desirable.
THE MAIN DIFFICULTY.
But the above were not the only, or the greatest evils
of the system. The District in which the most enterprise
was shown, was yet sadly deficient in the highest means of
success. There was a radical defect in the system, which
oould be but partially removed in a small District School,
with a single Teacher.
A man with but one mind, or but two hands, can hardly
be expected to do half a dozen things at the same time,
and do all well. If half a dozen things must be done at
the same time, and in the best possible manner, the first
suggestion of any mind would be, that at least three (if
not six) persons should be employed. But if the place
where the work is to be done is so small that but one person can occupy it, then he alone must do the best he can,
and labor with such success as he may. This is the diffliculty in the single-District School. There are several
things to be accomplished, and there is room for but one
laborer.
There are several things to be done, or several grades
of labor, in the Primary School. They all relate to the
same subject, but comprise a variety in action, scarcely
less than will be found in the manufacture of the Teacher's
desk, from the time the tree is cut in the forest, till it reeives the last application of varnish from the hand of the
40
Si&
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
finisher. Teaching a child his letters is as unlike teaching
Algebra, as sawing the lumber for the desk is unlike putting the lock upon the drawer. And if one Teacher is
required to do both, including all the intermediate branches,
perhaps ten or twelve in number, can he be expected to
labor otherwise than under most serious obstacles to success? Difficulties in the government of a School similar
to those in teaching, will be found where all ages are
brought together. The child of six years not only should
be taught by a standard different from the one adapted to
the youth of sixteen, but he should be governed by a different rule. And this it is extremely difficult to do, in a
School of promiscuous ages. Mlany a little one has been
almost martyrized by rules made for the larger scholars.
Suppose a Director orders three dozen desks for his
Schoolhouse and the manufacturer has them in different
stages of progress. He divides them into six classes, according to the amount of work that has been done upon
each. In the morning he commences his labor by working
half an hour upon the class just commenced; then he
works half an hour upon a class that was commenced yesterday; then half an hour upon a class ready to be put together-and so on, till the last thirty minutes before noon
are spent upon those which are thereby completed. In
the afternoon he goes through the same varieties. What
would be thought of such a mechanic's judgment? His
folly wvould be as deplorable as is the necessity of an analogous course in the best classification that can be made in
a single-District School. In the latter case, however, the
Teacher can do no better. Hle divides the material upon
which he works-the knowledges which he is manufacturing-into several classes, according to their state of advancement, and appropriates a few minutes to each in rotation; and while he is attending to one class, the others
are to a greater or less extent, losing the time. This is a
graded School, in the lowest sense; so low that the term is
314
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
inapplicable; and the divisions are by common consent
called "classes." Yet to this necessity is the Teacher in
the single-District School shut up.
Under this system every District must secure a Teacher
competent in every branch of study to be pursued; and
the inevitable result was, that in most Schools, only the
common elementary branches could be taught, whatever
the number in the District who might wish to take deeper
draughts at the fountain of knowledge. Yet this system
has until recently, been generally pursued from generation
to generation; and the youth who wished for more than
the mere elements of an education in School, has been
subjected to the expense of leaving the paternal roof to
obtain it. The great portion could not do this, and thousands have thus outgrown the Primary School, and gone
througli life, vainly dreaming of realms of knowledge to
which they might never attain.
Thousands of our fellow citizens now in middle life, as
well as of more advanced age, obtained what was called "a
good Common School education," and yet never studied
anything more than Reading, Writing,. Grammar, Arithmatic and Geography. Their subsequent education has
been only self directed, and though an active mind must
progress, with what immense loss has it been! Many a
young man in the country has gone through with these
studies, and at the age of fifteen he knew all that his instructor could teach him; and thus situated, with a bare
foundation laid, and his soul paL ting for a higher flight, he
found no one to point out his course, to direct him to higher studies-muich less to instruct him in them!
Many a man it is not doubted, will in these remarks see
his history written. With buoyant spirit he took the hand
of his guide in the path of knowledge. From the humility
and ignorance of childhood, up the base of the hill of science he rose. At every step, new beauties met his eye,
new aspirations thrilled his soul, fatigue was forgotten,
315
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
imagination foretold his triumph, and he dreamed of no
barrier that he could not easily surmount, to prevent his
standing ere long upon the hill-top, where he could take in
the almost boundless view of all knowledge! But alas!
in the midst of his high hopes and brilliant anticipations,
his guide informed him that he had accompanied him as
far as he had ever been —as far as he had strength to go,
and he must pause in his journey, or seek another guide.
He could neither guide him farther, or direct him what
path to pursue, in an effort to go alone. His circumstances
did not allow of his finding a competent guide; his prospect
was blighted, and he has since been wandering in the wilderness of knowledge, with comparatively slight progress,
vainly longing to stand upon the summit of the mount,
where he may hold converse with the mysteries of that existence which he dimly sees and strangely feel,s! I
The great portion of Primary Sc.hools in the lanId could
not secure Teachers for any other than the, lower branches
pursued; and many who were employed, were incompetent
even in those. The wages usually paid, were not a sufficient inducement for men to qualify themselves for the
work, much less to make it a profession. Poor pay, short
terms, and disgusting Schoolhouses, were not peculiarly
calculated to inspire a love of teaching, in those who were
fitted for it; and the army of Teachers was composed
mainly of young men who could not earn a dollar a day by
labor, and young women who found it their most genteel
means of aiding an indigent family, or of buying their wedding dress. Neither class expected to follow th.p pursuit
for any considerable length of time. Occasionally there
might be one who was considered a sort of professional
Teacher; but in a majority of such instances, probably,
they were those who had failed in other pursuits.
Doubtless those who taught, had some ambition to excel
-but what a standard! They could not go to the necessary expense and time for a thorough preparation, and
316
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
their only model was in the Teachers who had preceded
them. Those they strove to excel by imitating them 1* As
their Teacher "kept the School," so they kept it! And
required as they were, to do a dozen things at once, it is
not strange that the work was poorly done, and that the
pupils made no greater progress in the common branches,
in two years, than they might have made in one, had they
been taught to reason as well as to recite, to think as well
as to remember, and to investigate causes as well as effects.
A soldier who excelled in every martial characteristic,
except that he was repeatedly intoxicated, was asked by
his commander, why he who was a pattern soldier in all
other respects, would persist in degrading himself by that
one bad habit. Touching his hat with overacted politeness, he replied: "Why, Captain, could you expect to find
a man with all the cardinal virtues for seven dollars a
month?" And thus might the Teachers of Common
Schools have asked in former days-and perhaps, sometimes yet: Can you expect all knowledge in a School
Master, for less wages than he can earn by sawing wood?t
Is it a wonder that Common Schools came to be regarded
with no small degree of contempt by all-parents, Teachers and scholars? Is it any wonder that so many attended
School with little or no interest in its exercises-realizing
only the idea of poor Schools for poor scholars?
The whole system was defective, and calculated to perpetuate a race of poor Teachers, half developed scholars,
and uninterested parents. With wages so low that few
were tempted to engage in teaching, save those who ymere
too young, or too incompetent, or too indolent, to enter
* The writer once making an official visit to a School "kept" by a " qualified teacher,"
urged upon him that he might derive advantage from the experience of others, and for this
purpose invite4 him to become a subscriber to a School Journal published in the State. But
he indignantly rejected the proposition, saying, " his own experience had placed him beyond
the reach of improvement I" He excelled only in imitating himself.
t An experienced female Teacher, receiving a visit from a School officer at her School, feeling that an apology was necessary for its appearance, remarked to her visitor: " It ain't muok
they pays me; and it ain't much I teaches their children."
317
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
upon the ordinary pursuits of life, and with Schoolhouses
whose location, architecture, furniture and surroundings,
were often a disgrace to civilized humanity, there was
little to elevate the School to its proper dignity, and make
it a place for the children to love. Yet parents thought
they felt a deep interest in their Schools-and doubtless
they did, in their way. A free people could not be indifferent to the education of their childroe. The fault was
less in them than in the system; which they seemed to
regard as susceptible of but little improvement. Had
they appreciated what their Schools might be, even with
all the inherent evils of the system, great improvements
would have ensued. There was no necessity even in the
country, for farmers to send their sons and daughters to a
Schoolhouse built with less architectural taste than were
their granaries, and with scarcely more regard to the decencies of life, in its appendages, than characterize the
abodes of the lowest tribes of savages! Some may regard
these comparisons as too strong; but we speak only of
what most persons must have many, many times witnessed.
Had Districts remedied these evils-so glaring, so obnoxious, that it is strange they were not sooner seen-and
adopted the plan of paying male Teachers forty or fifty
dollars per month instead of twelve or fifteen, and increased the wages of female Teachers in proportion, a
short time would have witnessed a great improvement.
But they saw not the evil; or seeing it, could imagine no
remedy. And they could hardly be expected to employ
the talent that would command those wages in other pursuits, to teach the many children to read, because a few
wished to pursue a more advanced course. And had they
done so, the vital evils of the single-District system
would have remained untouched, so far as the system was
concerned.
318
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
FOR POPULOUS SETTLEMENTS, A BETTER WAY.
Suppose four Districts, embracing not much more than
a mile square each, as is the case in some of our towns,
each with its School hovel and Teacher, and each with
forty scholars. One has a competent Teacher to instruct
the large scholars, and the smaller ones are neglected.
Another has a female to teach the small children, and the
large ones stay at home, or attend only to make difficulty.
Now let these Districts become one, with a commodious
Schoolhouse near the centre, and the number of scholars
will probably be increased from one hundred and sixty, to
two hundred. Let them be divided into three grades, and
perhaps eighty would come into the Primary Department.
These would be taught by two females, who at whatever
wages might be paid them, would probably accomplish
more than any Teachers of the other sex. The studies of
this Department would be simple, and the Tetacher's success would depend more upon the tact, in which females
excel, than in the talent of more learned men. The next,
or Intermediate Department, might include seventy more
of the whole number, and would require one competent
Teacher, and the payment of as high wages, perhaps, as is
paid to both the female Teachers in the lower Department.
The other, or Hiigh Department, would take the remaining
fifty of the scholars, who would enter it sufficiently advanced to engage in History, Philosophy, Book-keeping,
Algebra, Geometry, or Astronomy. This grade will require a Teacher of still higher attainments, and commanding higher wages. Hle will also be the head of the ot'ier
Departments. If the single Districts before employed a
male Teacher in the winter and a female in the summer,
as is usual, we have now two of each for the year-which
is practically the same thing, and no portion of the children will be at any time excluded from School for the
want of an appropriate Teacher. The wages paid may be
319
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
increased, but probably not more than equal to the increased number of scholars. To furnish instruction to all,
we are no longer required to realize the figure of the poet,
when he talks of
"The ocean being into tempest toss'd,
To waft a feather, or to drown a fly!"
In other words, we are no longer required to employ a
University scholar to teach a portion of our children their
letters, or let the others go untaught. We may thus obtain a full supply of Teachers, by the simple principle of
a "division of labor," and each will labor under the most
advantageous circumstances.
WHAT EYERY VILLAGE AND CITY SHOULD DO.
From the foregoing-which is but a mere glance at the
subject-the remedy, where circumstances will admit of
its application, is readily suggested. Wherever the population is sufficiently dense to furnish within a convenient
distance from a common centre, more scholars than can be
properly instructed by one Teacher, the territory thus included should still comprise but one District, with two or
more School rooms, where the small scholars can occupy
one apartment, and the larger another; each with a Teacher
of qualifications adapted to his or her position. If the
number of children within such bounds requires more than
two Teachers, they should be divided into three grades.
Where the number does not exceed four or five hundred,
several considerations would counsel but one central building, with rooms for the several grades; but when the
children exceed five hundred, it will be better to use the
central house for the Higher Departments alone, and provide for the Primary Department in as many smaller house,
variously located, as the demand may require. The congregating of more than five hundred children of all ages
in one building, is of doubtful policy; and in a place of
five thousand or more inhabitants, it is desirable that the
320
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
small children be not exposed to the bustle, not to say the
danger, and bad moral influences, of the crowded business
streets through which they must pass less or more, to atend the central School. These considerations were at
first a serious objection in the minds of many, to Union
Schools; and it was truly an objection in large villages, if
but one house was contemplated.
The small children will comprise not far from two-fifths
of the whole. With branch Schoolhouses, they will have
a less distance to travel, and will be more directly under
heir parents' eye. The other three-fifths of the scholars
ean meet at the central building without inconvenience,
where they may be divided into as many grades, or sections
of grades, as circumstances may demand. It is still but
one School, with a common interest, a common expense,
controlled by the same officers, and with teachers responsible to one head.
WHAT IS BEING DONE.
There is perhaps no subject upon which public sentiment
has undergone a greater change within the last ten years,
than that of Primary Schools. Villages and cities that
have hardly doubled in population within that time, have
ten to fifteen times the amount of money invested in Schoolhouses that they had, eight or ten years ago. It is doubt
ful whether, ten years since, there were ten Schoolhouses
in all the villages of this State, that would now be pronounced much as respectable in appearance. In this
respect tfie villages were behind the country in enterprise,
taking into account their difference in circumstances. Bat
what a change! Now almost every village of any importce —several of them having become cities in their government-has its Schoolhouse or houses, to attract the
traveller's eye with as much prominence as their churches,
or othe public buildings.
The city of Adrian, eight years since, had not two thou
41
321
0
PRIMARY SCHIOOL SYSTEIM.
sand dollars invested in School property. The value of
her Scioollhouses and grounds is now not far from thirtyfive thousaid dollars. Yet the accomainodations are not
equal to thle watits of her two thousand children, and four
or five tlhous4.:,d dollars per annium it is expected will be ex:
pended fbr two or three years to come. Yet no tax-payer
doubts that, this expenditure has increased the real value
of his property more than equal with the tax lie has paid.
The city ofI Ann Arbor, with twelve hundred and thirtynine children, has within five years, erected a Schoolhouse
one hundred feet in length, costing, with the grounds,
twenty-eight thousand dollars; and her citizens are not
satisfied with that.
The township of Dexter has less than five hundred children; yet the village has a Schoolhouse that cost seven
thousand dollars This expense has been incurred for
about two hundred and fifty children.
The city of Monroe, with twelve hundred and forty-five
children betveen the legal ages, has recently erected a
Schoolhouse at an expense of ten thousanrid dollars.
The v il:ll~ge of Tecumseh has within two years past, completed a Schoolhouse at an expense of fifteen thousand
dollars. The Report for the last year states the number
of children between the legal ages, to be four hundred and
sixty-eighlt; and the number attendnlg School, four huLndred
and twenty'-two.
Seven years ago, the village of Niles, with #,out five
hundred chbldten, had one School, and employed,a Teacher
at fifteen dollars per month-or it would be as Correct to
say that a Teacher was paid that sum, and they had no
School; for the average number in: attendance require
but ten and one-half seats! The name of a Scho,o was
kept up sufficiently to draw their portion of the Interest
funid, and that, probtably, was all that was expen ed. It
seems almost incredible that a place of business enterprise
like Niles, could sink so low in educational affairs. But the
322
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
coitizens of that place resolved to redeem themselves from
their reproach, and Niles has nfow a Schoolhouse one hundred feet it length, standing upon a lot forty by sixteen
rods, or four aicres in size, beautifully ornamcented with
native forest trees-the whole costing about thirty thousand dollars!
The city of Ypsilaniti contains nine hundred and sixtyfour children within th c legal ages. A Schoolhouse that
cost fifteen thousand cdollars was recently burned. Another is aireadv erected, one hundred and twenty feet front,
the center ninety-three, and the wings sevenith. feet deep
-the whole costing forty thousand dollars.
These are examples of the educational spirit that now
animates the citizens in most citie,s and villages in the
State. Several other places might be named, where an
equal or similar enterprize prevails. Every newv movement begets new interest, dignifies the Primary School,
and stimulates all classes in t,he no)le work of Universal
Education.
5C HOOLS IN THE COUNTRY.
As has )een remlked, the Schools in the sparsely settled sections of the State carnLot avatil themselves of the
benefits of the graded system to anyi considerable extent.
This is a misfortune inseparably connected with tLeir posi4ion; I)but that thev cannot do all that is desirablle, is no
reasor whv they,lould not do the very much that is
within their powner, for very- great improvement. Let
Scbohoolhose be located, erected, anrd furnished with taste;
let the un-sight]y-, inconvenient hiovel with all its repulsive
aspects arnd surroundings, give place to a building and accompanriments which, thou,lh on a small scale, thle children
may love and honor, as to them indeed a temple of knowledge-a place where they shall delight to repair-a place
more attractive to them than are the homes of a majority-a
place truly of poetry and flowers-a place of both natural
323
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
and artificial beauty-a place inviting rather than repul
sive to the unsophisticated child, whose love of the beautiful is pure, and one of the strongest elements of his
character. Then, whatever the expense, give them the
best Teacher that can be obtained-not necessarily themost learned, but the one with the best faculty of teaching to others what he himself knows —and all your increased expense shall be returned ten-fold in the more
rapid development of the minds of the children you love.
The first requisite to success in teaching, is to inspire
an interest in the mind of the child. And can this be done
by an arbitrary command —" be interested?" The farmer
can lead his horse to water-but can he make him drink?
So you may compel a child to attend School where he oan
evoke not one pleasant association for his mind to rest
upon, and command him to be interested in study. It ]'
to him a prison; he sighs to be away among the flowers
and fields teeming with beauty and song, or rolling snowballs, and practicing the poet-y of motion with his handsled. What mother would send -her child to learn his
Sabbath School lesson in a goose pasture, on the border of
a green-coated frog pond? Yet such a course would be as
wise as to send him to the Primrary School, with such inconveniences and non-attractions as are often provided.
Give the children a Schoolhouse which they wvill love, and
the number attending it, will be greatly increased, to,
lighten the burden of expense. The improvements in the
Town Schools-the Normal Schol.-Teachers' Associations, and all the attendant influences, with the_general
interest in Primary School Education that has been awakened within the few past years, are fast raising up Teachers with a higher standard of qualification than most
Districts in the country have formerly been able to obtain
But to secure their services, higher wages must be paid
than in former days. The race of twelve-dollars-a-month
School Masters, it is hoped, is about to become extinot.
824
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
Yet all the increased expense of houses and Teachers will
be only real retrenchment, in point of true economy. It
is believed that such improvement might thus be made in
the country Schools, even without grading, that the children would makle greater progress in two years than they
have formerly done in three! I while their enjoyment ia
their duties would be incalculably increased.
A PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW.
The expense of these improvements is unworthy of a
thought, if a just view of the importance of the subject is
taken. Shall the parent toil, and cheerfully expend large
sums, to be often renewed, to clothe his child, so that his
persoa may appear well in society for a few brief years, and
grudge an equatll amount for a permanent endowment of
his intellect, which is to exist forever? Education is very
far from being for this life alonel If we know anything of
the philosophy of the human soul, and its powers, Educeation does not become valueless, or annihilated, when we
step out from this physical prison-when we shake off these
ohains of flesh-and go forth an enfranchised intellect, to
the realities of a higher existence. What we possess, is left
behind; but what we know, is a part of ourselves, inseparable from us, and must inhere in our nature throughout a
now mysterious future State. Education is the training
of the imrmortal nature; and a subject really of no less importaince while in the flesh, than it will be when the flesh
has returne,d to dust. We train dogs and horses-shall we
educate our children with no higher view than he has wjiho
learns his dog to carry his basket?
Is it not to be apprehended that some who wish to edu.
eate their children, have views of the subject but little
higher than this, and are satisfied if they learn barely
enough to pass through life respectably and successfully,
educating them much as the showman does his monkey,
only with reference to his ability to make money? How
PRIMAiRY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
unworthy of a being made "but a little lower than the angels," are such views!* There are perhaps some who
would say-:'while we are in the flesh, we must attend to
the wants of the flesh; and when we go forth upon another
existence, we will prepare for its circumstances as we meet
them." But as well might the student in College spend
all his time while there, in furnishing his room with extravagance and pernicious luxuries, debasing his mind and
ruining his health, and when remonstrated with, reply4 while I occupy this room, I must enjoy it; when I go out
to engage in life's responsibilities, there will be time enough
to prepare for them!"
If wae could take a true view of "The subject, we should
perceive that our moral and intellectual necessities are primary, and our physical wants secondary. Our moral and
intellectual nature is the end, andi material appliances are
the mreans. But men often reverse this order, and make
their imamortal nature the slave of the mortal; they devote all their interest and labor for that which dies, and
are regardless only of that which will ever live!
lien live and toil mainly for their children. They seek
to hoarid up money and lands to leave for their children to
use w en thiey have passed to the home for all. But how
many see to it with proper care, that their children are
rightly educated, and prepared to occupy and enjoy the
inheritance which they leave, or hope to leave them?
Hiow many appear more anxious to leave their children
property and possessions to lose or squander after they
die, than, while they live, to f51l their minds with moral
and intellectual wealth, of which nothing here or tereafter,
can rob them!
A wealthy individual left at his death, a princely sum to
endow a College. Strangers to him became the managers
* A professedly Christian parent being once remonstrated with for not sending his daughter
I, School, said:'C, etia ain't very well, and I'm afraid if I send her to school nowr,,helll
di before aLe git~ to be a woman, and then I shan lose all it costs me."'
826
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
of the fund, and gave the institution a tone according to
their own bias, and used the money in quite a different
manner from what he intended; and his munific,-nt grant
was but little better than thrown away, as he would have
regarded the matter, could he have retutrned to view the
results. His son who inherited his vast estate, saw the
failure, and profited by his father's error. He founded a
College while he lived to superintend its inauguration, and
determine its character. His money was thus used as he
designed; every dollar produced its ic4tended result; and
he saw the benefits he had conferred upon his fellow men.
Which was the wviser 3man? Like the latter, the wise man
will use whatever means are necessary fo)r his children
while he lives, and make the education of their minds and
hearts his gr.eat object; so that,if he leaves them little or
much else, he is sure to give them an inheritance for all
the future of their l)ein.
MUTUAL EXC IA.NGR..
In many cases there might be found a partial remedy
for the Lungraded School in the rural Districts, by an exchange of sehlars betwveen the towns nd the country
Such an excIA~?e wo)uld be m t nu- ly b)eneficial. Men
often send their children-particnlarly their diughtersaway from home, when they know that their (ow. School
is in every respect equal to the one to which their children are sent. Ediieatioun consists not itil the knowledge
of books alone. The person is edicated uit partially, who
has not studied the world outside of home. Such an one
may know much, and the prob'ability is, that he will yet he
a narrow-minded bigot in all things. To become a fullgrown man, he needs to study mien, and learn "'the ways
of the world' outside of his own little world. The astonishing increase of travel in these days, is probably doing
more to overcome the bigotry, and humble the self-conceit
of the people of our land, than all other influences corm
327
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
bined could do, in a time when thousands did not go a
hundred miles fi'om home during their lives. Going abroad
shows men that this is a great world-that possibly their
house is not the only "centre" of it-that there are thousanis of rivers larger than theirs, and thousands of men
who after all, know more than they do-truths which perhaps, they would never have learned so as fully to approoiate, from bo(ks.
The child of the farmer, cut off by cihcumst'nces, from
all save a limited intercourse with the world, needs, more
than all others, the advantages of going away from home;
but this is or-diniarill]]y attended with an exzpense that few
are able to bear, to any extent tha-t wvil p-oduce marked
results. Ti-he end may be gained in some measure, however, without expense, and the lack of a high department in
the coutntry Selchool so fear supplied, by sending his more
advanced c:ildrien to the town to attend a graded Sehool,
and fetering a child from town to boaid in exchange,
which child will also be benefited in various resp c$s. He is
probably more ignorant of the country than the farmer's
child is of the town; and he or she will obtain quite as
much and as useful information, by associating with the
country, as the other will by his intercourse with the town.
Both will learn that there are many more things in the
world than they ever dreamed of under their parental
roof. This need not interfere with the legal exclusiveness
of School Districts, as "a fair exchange is no robbery;i
and it is believed that rio School Board would object to a
measure mutually so beneficial. The youLth from the
country migitt tlhus pursue higher branches of study than
they could in their own ungraded School, and at the same
time have the advantage of observing the lhabits and customs o)f (:th,r pe'opile, of atcquiing that ease of manners
which comes tay association with strangers, and of gaining
that self-reliance which they can never possess while ig,
norant of their fi'ellow}! man. If the School Board in the
, a2g
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
towns object that the exchange would not be equal, as
probably the scholars they would receive, would be older
than those who go into the country, and require more experienced teachers, let them charge ,ty i Ler ed, the single
house generally continues to ie used; but in the rapidly
growk{,). towns, the one house has soon become filled, and
the plan is being changed by tle erection of branchl houses
for the Primary departments. By this division, it becomes
ro less a Union School. They vare controlled by the same
Board, and the same Superintentent or Principal has
charge {-f all as before.
Any silgle District may a3vail. itself of all the advantages
of a Union School, if it has scholftrs enough to require several Teachers. In that case the schola4rs may tl classified
under separate Teachers, and the School becomes thereby
a Gradced School. But single Districts "seldomr contain
scholars in sufficient numbers to a,dopt. this course;hence
a union of Districts as the remi,dy.
The Union School proper is no more than a large graded
Primary School, with as many grades, or departments, as
330
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
the number of scholars and variety of studies may require,
to furnish in the best manner, a good common education
to its pupils, and prepare them morally and intellectualJy,
for the responsibillities of life.
A PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT.
Our State has a University, which after a st;rug,gle of
years in its early history, almost for its very existence, now
~stands upon broad and sure foundations, and is preparing
many of our young men for a commanding influence in society. But in that struggle, the Branches, wlich were
projected to facilitate the preparation of those vt:o l would
wish to enter the University, expired; and in all probability, they will never be revived. A more than substitute
however, has been found, by con,necting wVit)h the Union
Schools, a department with all the advantag es nd, appliances expected in the Branches. This feature of the Primary School, additional to the advantages it has formerly
afforded to the young, is in harmony wivth its design, and
an extension of its benefits. The extent to wlhich the Primary School shall go in its instruction, is decided only by
custom; and it will hardly answer in this age of the world,
for Custom to declare its laws, likt those of the rledes and
Persians, unchangeable, vwhenever an advanci},l, age,,ew
circumstances, and new views, make a modificatiol' desirable. One of the main objects of the Union Secool is to
teach successfully, higher branches than could be taught
in the sin,gle-District School. By what rule then, shlall the
limit of these additional studies be prescribed? AMost evidently, by expediency, and regard to the greatest good of~
the greatest number.
The State has provided a University where our young
men may walk in the highest paths of liter,ature. Its
attempt to afford them facilities for reachi)g its classic
halls proved a failure. Thus the State has acknowledged
an obligation in this matter. The State cannot endow an
331
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
Academry in every county, and private Schools to supply
the want, are too expensive for the masses —a great portion
of thos, who wish for their aid, being persons of limited
means. It were cruel mockery for the State to proclaim a
free University to its youth, and at the same time remind
them that they can reach it only by a heavy preliminary
expense. The Union School has established one depart
ment additional to the highest ordinary advantages of the
old system-why not add another, and meet this great want
in our otherwise admirable educational system, and give
our yoiung men and women all the advantages of the Academy, in their own immediate vicinity?
B,it ot,,e possi'ole objecti0o, it is believed, can be urged
against this plan; and that is not valid, because the asumption is not true in fact. That is, that such a depart
mett would add to the expense of the Primary School
This is on the supposition that whatever one person gains
some other person must lose; but this is not always true.
Two farmers may exchange horses, and both make a good
bargain. Mich more may this be the case, in business
arralgemelts relating solely to moral and intellectual
means.
It is not here proposed or recommended to admit students to this department absolutely free, or subject only to
their share ii* the rate bills. It is probable that a moder
ate tuition should be charged them. They might, pursuant to the provisions of sections 141 and 142 of the School
Law, be charged such tuition as the Boards shall deem
just, and those residing within or without the District be
received on the same terms. The burden of expense in
attendance at a Hfligh School, is not in the tuition, but in
the pn.ment for board, where the student is required to
go from home. Blt hlere, where the greater number would
board at home, a small tuition, and yet more than sufficient
to meet the increased expense of the School, would be a
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PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
very small consideration with those availing themselves of
go great advantages.
By these means, the number of persons who will pursue
the higher branches of science, without reference to a University education, will be greatly increased, an'd thus the
blessings of education be more widely extended, and the
number of competent School Teachers increased. The
Primary School will be dignified in the minds of the young,
and their desire for higher advancement stimulated. Thus
it would seem to be in every way expedient and beneficial
to all parties concerned, to establish such a department
wherever it is called for in our Union Schools, under such
regulations as the several District Boards may determine.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS, AND THEIR APPENDAGES.
The style and expense of Schoolhouses will of course
be in conformity to the taste, ability, and enterprise of the
citizens of the District. There are few Districts in the
town or country, where the ability of the inhabitants is
not sufficient for the fitting up of a building and grounds,
on a scale co extensive with the demand, and in a style
equal to the taste they should cultivate, and the interest
which they should have in the suloject. Wherever the
subject of education is properly appreciated, as much regard will be had to the style of the Schoolhouse, as there
is to that of the church. Our Creator could be worship —
ped by the "great congregation" in a rude structure designed for secular use; and our children may bow at the
shrine of knowledge in a log hovel; but neither is desirae
ble, if it can be avoided. As a man, in view of towering
mountains, the mighty cataract, or an ocean storm, realizes
more sensibly, the majesty and power of his Maker, so the
child in a beautiful Schoolhouse, surrounded by verdant
shade, and blooming flowers, will more fully realize the
dignity of his own nature, and the desirableness of its im —
333"
PRIMAPRY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
provme-,n-,, and be more interested and stimulated in -hi
T'snlouse and all its surroundings aInd furnishing,
shoIld b suli,h as at the same time to please and improve
the't!-,' of tnhe pupils. Who does not lknow the inmense
iDfloL,nc tl,e place he is in, has upon not only the chila's
m'rn0, tbut also upon the minds of men? The man whose
heart is properly educated to pure and elev aed thoughts,
may rs's the influences of such places as are suggestive
of uL,oi't,y ideae, while anrother who perhaps, passes in
promiscutus society for a person of ordin.lry refinement,
will break oi, as it were, with the most degrading and
vu]'.r i 3-uhts and language-perl)aps publish his deep
setlf-deadation upon the walls! A true education should
develop not only the intellect of the child, but every good
quali,ty f c':. acter' so that he may at last stand a perfeet m?, in A-ll his moral, intellectual, and social being.
.And to do this, the Imagination requires cultivation no
less than the Causality and Comparison. Yet is it not
true, that Sc- ols have aimed too exclusively, to store the
m;r V/_'Ii:' Yo':s, -wnile the moral nature has been little regfded, a5id the imagination entirely neglected, and given
o-ve, a prey to every influence that debases it, and through
i t ueg-afs hne whole character! No quality of the mind
is more ative 0or powerful, or exerts a greater infiluence
uponE chiracter, than the imagination; and thousands of
good m'en lsave been led to ruin, only because their imaginatioa ii t2,:trl7 life, was left undirected, uncointrolled. and
uned; cated a
Th., School where our children spend years of the most
impr:3 i)le portion of their life, and where their charaoters are bein formed almost as imperceptibly as the gatheri,'~gf t'+he dew upon the flower, should have attractions
invitin>g to their taste, and elevating to their thoughts.
For the same reason, the child should be kept from all
places and scenes that tend to degrade the mind. The pa
334
PRIAiARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
rent who permits his child to resort to places or scenes
thus degrading, is as truly guilty, as he who sends his
child to a School of crir:Ie. Tihe surest wa- to ruin a
young mani, is to crruptl and debase his imaginai;ionr. That
is the tr<.itor withlin the castle of the heart, thc-t opens the
gates to the eneWm. Who ever sent his child to a circus,
and did rnot find that there, in a single lesson, ihe learned
morec vulgai-ity and debaseimeint of thought, than lie could
unlearn by all couaniteiractng influaences in many weeks?
The beautiful n n ture and art will have a far better
influence for the child's inral purity than will the uncomely and repulsive. The child trained to refinement of
speech and m,anners, wiill be far less subject to the influence of deg,rading thoughts, and less prone to imnproper or
vile conduct,, tLhan if educated a clown in manners at home,
and a blackguard in speech in the streets. Purity of heart
is doubtless often found in the lowest walks of life, and
under the most unfa(vorable circumstances; but it is in
spite of the circumstances, and the purity is less elevated,
and the virtue less ennoblling than they would have been,
in a more favorTab'le position; and there is little doubt that
many a man might trae his moral ruitn, in no small degree,
to the cirust cs of his early life, whose uilpropitious
influences awakened low nv houghts, diminished self respect,
and spoke to the mind ay-(d im,agination only of degradation anid abasermeni.
The sol0l of the1 child holds constant converse with the
material wvorld around him. lis he1art talks to the birds
and flowers, and they speak back to him the language of -
joy anrd beauty. The world is ever discoursing to his vivid
imagirnation, of bs)aut3y, purity, harmonjy, love, and all that
can awaken and strengthlen higli and worthly aspirations in
his soul; or it is suggesting dark thoughts to his lower
nature, and poisoning his imagination, which in turn poisons
all the fountains of his moral being. As the images of material bhings are pictured upon the eye, so their influences
335
PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
are constantly impressing the heart-especially of the
young. How desirable then-how essential —that the
School room and the School shall speak favorably to their
thoughts, cultivate self respect, and whisper ever to the
heart, of propriety of speech and conduct, and make study
pleasant, (and thus successful,) not only for its intrinsic
value, but for its delightful and elevating associationsu
Make all beautiful. Let the architecture speak to them,
thoughts grand and noble. Let the furniture talk to them
of refined manners, and social courtesy. Let trees aud
flowers join their voices in songs of gladness, hope, and
beauty. Let the chrystal fountain rise to gurgle forth its
admonition to activity, and let everything be fitted to unite
in the grand chorus that shall inspire the young hearts
with pleasant, ennobling, elevating, energizing thoughts
and emotions. He who loves his children with a love
worthy of their high nature, will feel that money can hardly
be expended in a better investment.
These considerations have of late, come to be better appreciated perhaps, in the towns than in the country. But
there is no reason why the country Schoolhouse should not
be inaugurated with all the taste that can be displayed in
the towns. That the former is comparatively a small building, is no reason why it may not be beautiful. If it is
small, it can be adorned with the less expense. The location should be select, the grounds capacious, and attended
to with all the care of a flower garden. To say the least,
the whole should be equal in appearance, to the best house
and grounds in the District. Attention should be given to
the roads, in reference to the Schoolhouse, so agsto make it
as easily accessible as the nature of the case will admit.
Who can wonder that in many places, when the children
are "dismissed," they feel as though they were released
from prison I A man may be excusable for not giving his
child a good house to live in-poverty may forbid it. But
no such excuse will justify the use of a hovel in the midst
-336
i[A.RY -SCHOOL SYSTEM.
of a thistle field, for a School. The Schoolhouse is built
by the property in the district; equally for the benefit of
the poor, but not by them; and there is perha'ps, no Dis trict where the aggregate means m:nay not erect,nd f{urnish
a good one wvithout emraarassment.
The Schoolhouse should also be located and constructed
with careful reference to health. Before the introduction
of stoves, there was little danger of scholars suffering for
want of fresh air. The danger tlhen, wal entirely in the
other direction. In the winter there was too much air;
and the children found it necessary,to askl permission to
go to the fire," quite as often as they sought aid in their
studies. On the introduction of stoves, it was found ne cessary, in order to make themn avilIable, to make the room
"tight." Accordingly every crevice was: closed, the plastering-if the house could boast the dignity],of a plastered
wall —was repaired, and the cold air shut out, and the
other extreme reached. Inste:- of freezing the children,
the tendency then was to stupify them, by their breathing
the air over and over, pois,enei both by their lungs, and
by the heated iron of the stove. The art of warming the
room was attain;d; but how to warm'it without detriment
to health, all seemed prof-)indly ignorar:t.
A child will make little progress in stiidy, while uncomfortably seated, while suffering with cold, or stupified by
breathint bad air. All our effirts therefore, for the ediication of the voing, will l(,se a great part of thieir power
unless these evils are avoided, in the'construictioln, furnishing, and warming of our Schoolhouses.
It is believed that the citizens of this State are in a
measure sensible of the importance of the subject here
discussed, and that the suggestions made, will meet the
approbation of all who give them due consideration. Under
the provisions of law which require the SuperiLitendent
of Public IlstruLction to "prepare and cause to be printed
43
337
PRIMARY SCAOOL SYSTEM.
with the Laws relating to Primary Schools, all necessary
forms, regulations and instruments for conducting all proceedings under said laws, with such instructions relative
to the organization and government of said Schools as he
may deem advisable," and believing the work demanded
by the im!portance of the subject. and the increasing public
interest in educatio)n, he has prepared the following plans
for Schoolhouses, furniture, &c., t with such suggestions relative to warming, ventilation, location, and kindred con,siderations, as it is hoped will be of service to those who
would adopt a,l true improvements, and avail themselves
of every possible means to make the education of the
young a leading interest ill the State.
338
SOC OOL ARCH ITE,C;TURE.
In all well directed. efforts of tan enligtened people for
the improvement of their Schools, the location, size, and
construction of the Schoolhouse itself, will claimu and re ceive early attention These local habitations of our
Schools are themselves importanrit gencies in the work of
instruction. And though silenLt, they often speak more
eloquently and persuasively than the living Teacher. Too
much attention, then, cannot be given to the pleasantness
and healthfulness of their location; to the comfort and
convenience of their arrangements; to the facilities for
rendering the School attractive, both as relates to its internal construction and its outward surroundings; to the
furniture of the house itself, to the apparatus employed
to render the instructions o0 the Teacher more attractive
and impressive; and to the means of securing a genial
temperature even during the severity of our winters, and
a pure and healthful atmosphere where numbers are congregated. For no proposition can be more appa.rent than
that, if there is one house in the District mnore pleasantly
located, more comfortably constructed, better warmed, and
more inviriLg in its general appearance, and more elevating in its influence than any other, that house should be
the Schoolhouse.
LOCATIiO)N OF SCHOOLHOUSES.
In 0looking at the location of Schoollhouses throulgh the
country at large, it cannot have escaped the attention of
the ordinary observer, that they are usually loc'ated with
SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE.
little reference to taste, or the health and comiort of Teacher or children. They are generally on one corter of public roads, and sometimnes adjacent to a cooper's shop, or
between a blacksmith's shop andl a saw-mill. Tiley are
not unfrequently placed upon an acute a-ngle, where a road
forks, and sometimes in turning that angle the travel is
chiefly behind the Schdolhouse, leaving it on a small triangle, bounded on all sides by public roads.
At other times the Schoolhouse is situated on a, low and
worthless piece of ground, with a sluggishl stream of wa-ter
in its vicinity, which sometimes even passes under the
Schoollouse. The cormfort and hL-Ithb, even of innocent
and loved children, are thus tacred o the p:-. sim,.,v (of
their parents.
Scholars very generally step from the Schoolhouse directly into the highway. Indeed, Sc~o,lhoulses are fre quently one-half in the highw,y, and the othler half in the
adjacent field, as though they were unrfit for either. This
is still the case, even in sorne of out' principal villages,
though many of them have, within the last few years, nobly
redeemed themselves.
Schoolhouses are sometimes situated i- t,lie middi(e of the
highway, av portion of the t,ravel being onre each side of them.
When Scholars are eng,ged in their recreatioms, they are
exposed to bleak winds and the ircien-ency of the reather
one portion of the year, and to the scorlchiiig rays of the
meridian sun another portion. Mforeover, their recreations
must be conducted in the street, or they trespass upon
their ineighbtors' premises. Such situations canhardly be
expected to exert the most favorable influence upon the
habits and character (of the rising gneration.
We pursue a very different policy iL locating a chLrch;
a court house, or a dwelling. And shwuld we not pursue an
equally wise and liberal pvl;cy in locating the District
Schoolhoi,se?
In thlis State six hundred and fo.rty acres of la,nd in every
340
SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE.
township are appropriated to the support of Primary
Schools. Suppose there are eight School Districts in a
township: This would allowv eighty acres to every School
District. It would seem that when the general governmeit has appropriated elclhty acres to create a fund for the
3support of Schools, that each district might set apartfour
aores —which is but one acre in twenty-as a site for a
Schoolhouse.
Oitce more: one School District usually contains not less
than twenty-five h-unEdred acres of land. Is it asking too
much to set apartfotr acres as a site for a Schoolhouse in
which the Y,in(si of the children of the District shall be cultivated, when twentyf our hurndred and ninety-six acres are
appropriated to clothing and feeding their bodies?
I would rcsectr,iy sug,gest, anid even urge the propriety
of locating the Schoolhouse on a piece of firm ground of
liberal dimensions, and of inclosing the same with a suitable fence. The inclosure should be set out with shade
trees, unless provided with those of nature's own planting,
arid ornamented with shrubs and flowers. Scholars would
thien enjoy their pastime in a pleasant and healthful inelo.
sure, where they have a 7-'iRt to be, protected alike from
the scorching sun and the wintry blast. They need then no
longer be hunted as trespassers upon their neighbors' premises, as they now too frequently are.
IZE OF SCHOOLHOUSES CONSIDERED IN CONNECTION WITH
THE PBILOSOPHY OF RESPIRATION.
Some of our principal cities and villages can now boast
as noble structures for Schoolhouses as can any of the
older States of the Union, as will appear from tile plans and
descriptions of those hereto appended. And the work of
improvement, iii this respect, is perhaps, nowv going on as
rapidly in the State of Michigan, as in any of the older
States. But as yet, in view of what remains to be done, it
can hardly be regarded as more than well begun.
341
SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE.
Within the last fifteen years I have visited half of the
States of the Union for the purpose of becominrg acquainted
with the actual condition of our Common Schools. I have
therefore noticed especially the condition of Schoolhouses.
Although there is a great variety in their dimensions, yet
there are compar,atively few Schoolhouses less than sixteen by eighteen feet on the ground, and fewer still, perhaps, larger than twenty-four by thirty feet, exclusive of
our principal cities and villages. From a large number of
actual measurements, not only in New York and Michigan,
but east of the Hudson River, and west of the Great Lakes,
I conclude that, excliusive of entry and closets, wvhen they
are furnishleld with thoise appeida:,es, Schoollou,ses are not
usually larger than twenty by twen)ty-four feet on the
ground, and seven feet in hight. They are, indeed, more
frequently smaller than larger. SchoolLouses of thl-ese dimensions have a capacity of three thbousatnd three hundred
and sixty cubic feet, and are usually occupied by at least
forty-five scholars in the -winter season. Not unfr equently
sixty or seventy, and occasionally more than ha hind.red
scholars occuply a room of this size.
Now let us proceed to consider what changes are produced upon the vital qualities of air by respiration, and
the quantity henlce, that is essential to mi:.intaic tlhe healthy
respiration of forty-five students three3 hours-the usual
length of a single session, and half of the length of the
two da:ily sessions of School; and often there is little ventilation during the customary recess at noon.
The qouanxtity of ai.r that enters the lungs at each inspiration of an aduLlt, has b,ee variously estimated firom
thirty-two to forty cu 1) inches. To establish more definitely sore data+,.on wNhich a cHlculatio might safely be
base(ld,'I some yers ago con)-u'cte. an exp)erim-elt whereby
I ascertained the medium quantity of air that entered the
lungs of myself and four young men, was tlhirty-six cubic
inches, and that respiration is repeated once in three see
342
SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE.
onds, or twenty times a minute. I also ascertained that
respired air will not sitlport combiestion. And it is a principle well establishe] by science, anl sustained by experiment, that air which will not sutppo)rt combustioz will not
sustain animal life. We hence reach another and a more
important truth, viz., that AIR ON7C RESPIRED WILL NOT
FURTHER SUSTAIN ANIMAL LIFE.
That part of the experiment by which it was ascertained
that respired air will not support combustion, is very simple, and I here give it, with the hope that it may be tried
at least in every Schoolhouse, if not in every fatmily of the
State. It was conducted as follows:
I introduced a lighted taper into an inverted receiver
(glass jar) which contained seven quarts of atmospheric
air, and plaed the mn)ntlth of the receiver into a vessel
of water. Tihe taper burned with its wonted brilliancy
about a minute, and, grofwing dim gradually, became extinct at the expiration of t jhree minutes. I then filled the
receiver with water, and inverting it, placed its mouth
beneath the surface of the same fluid in another vessel.
I next removed the water from the receiver by breathing
into it. Thiis wals done by fillving the lungs withi air, whlch,
after being ret,ainted a short titie in the chest, was exhaled
through a siphon (a bent lead,tube) into the receiver. I
then introduced the lighted taper into the receiver of respired air, by whlich it was imi.ecdiately exlingm,ised. Several persons present then received a qunti.tty of respired
air into their lungs, vwlierenpon the premonitory synmptoms
of apoplexy ennsed. The experiment was conducted with
great care, and several times repeated in the presence of
respectable mTembers of the medical profession, a professor of chemistry, and several literfary gentlemen, to their
entire satiisfaction.
It may be well to nolte the changes that are produced in
the vital qualities of the air in respiration. The chemical
properties of the atmosf here are attributable chiefly to
343
SCHIOOL ARCHLITECOiUFE.
the preseit e cf oxygen. Nitrogen, which constitutes about
four-fif'tls otf' its volume, h.es been supp.~scd to act as a
mere diluent to the ox.gen. ILc'ieae the proportion of
oxygen inl tLe atmosphere, and the vital powers will
speedily suffer from excess of s'tiulus; the ciculation
and respiration become too rapid; and the system generally becomes higlly excited. Dit,LisA the proportion of
oxygen, and the circulation and respiratiou become too
slow; weakness and lassitude ensue; and a sense of heaviness,.-fd uneasiness. pervades tihe entire system. As has
been observed, air loses durinrg each respiration, a portion
of its ox,gn,:rnd g;-.:,s (-n equal qnaantity of caoboalic acid,
which is an at -ive o')Cis.o-. Wr t L'r mixnosd v wit atmoisphleric
air in the ratio of one to foul, it cx:ing'uislies animal life.
It is tl-his gas tha is produced by burning chalrcoal in a
confined portion of co-iinion air. Its eftect upon thle system is well known to every re,der o our newspapers. It
causes dimness of sight, wea'k~ess, dullness, a difficullty of
breatling, and ultimately aj.ople'y nnd death.
Now a sihmpe aritthmetical comptat in will abuindatntly
ati,-f; any p rson wNho is acquainted with the composition
of the atoslphere, the influence of respiration upon its
ftness to sustain arnimal life,,and the quantity of air that
enters the nluns at, eaCL inpia t tht,t School-room of
the preceding dieimensions contains q,Li too lit(le air to
sustain t.'~i-: hiealtlhy res[~iratlnu 0f ie' wnjot-kyy,e scholars
lree htu-:s ti- e usat". lIn t~i of c:i::::h s,: ii:; and frequentvy tihe l)h)lhose i~ imel frt v nit i,d between
thle sesl3 at noon. and s.;.3. c,'o daysi
The r1.:e will plese 3t'l.:J... p'm:ticl;ir'
1. Th &t:f;lt,, air nbJ,e i:tJ d il V prsonl in
three hot,:":, -,,c.,-ci,.g to, is three
thousau,d t:lrc, i hndred and seevntfi vo cubic feet. 2.
Air once r'e, T' i7d rot 1i8:;i.": t 7:',/ life,e. 8. The
344
quires thL-at rooms which atre to Ibco 0cu1)ipid by chiildic"e.D in
tho w~itter I~e,.nac e, voiad v ThoJ0~ r~~ diaii-nlsioiis
of iorcLs L';vc i(Ut1 derb~
that aiii~Vt,' 6"'f/,'~ (14Lic'4 hot] iiayvci th~e
-3mol ui~t o,f fuoel L~cccti t(-, pY(os(orve a comhfortable, teom
1~- is t-,ue, c~i th oitr au, he q-al,,',tit,3 of ~iir
that chlidrenhcbL is soimewhat less tli-.,. I Iih(3v ~~
mated, but 1,;e enaboillt resulting fi-oi bi-c-athing{, illi
pure aii7, jat in cas,c, is gi-e,'or t~(' l,e cacof adults,
wholcon "-;' t'~~~-'.aJ -ii, ieiic,&- less
3U~2,i zi'U ii a I{ s c)'i'ic iiu $chool,;, that the u ~~~~~bcI 17~ (,o~ii of the, iu~lt~ up)~d
lb c~~sidr-tW — ~ l"~vc stu:'~~l loreover,
in n'~> IL~Jcs ai p, ot f Lt- ~i'g ~ ~ch o Ir
A~~ ~ ~~~~~~~~I t tk li i, I2, Fi,g. 3.-Side Elevation
i _ I
~~ Li Li~~~~ Li Li-
L~~~~~~~I i --- LiL
~~~~~~~I- r -
T~~~
*, g z' a -1 - D -
ae 19e~ E-fi
?
P'.
_w__5
Size, 36 by 54 feet. 1cale 12 feet to the inch.
A, entrance for boys to the Hilih School. 0, entrance
for girls to Hiigh School P, entrance for boys to the Primary and Intermediate D)epl.rtme~ts,. Q, entrance'for
girls to the same. D D, doors. WV W, -wilidows. T T,
Teacher',s platform aPd dek. G iT, desk asd seat for two
sch'olrs, a sectio.- of \Ah,ch i1 reotieseDtced at a b. I I,
recitatirn seats. B B, {iac;:So3{:ds. S S, stoves, with airtubes beneath. c v, chimney and venti ator. RP, room for
recitation, library, poaratus, and other purposes.
For an exp anation of the advantages to ba derived-from
the use of air-tubes, see page 374th of this volume.
.
iI A
.... II
i
D
D
...o i_......- D
r~~~~~T
.. -. - -
A
w w
A, entrance for the boys, through the lobby below. a,
entrance for the girls. D D, doors. W W, windows. S
8, stoves. e v, chimney and ventilator. T, Teacher's
platform. R, recitations-room. I I. recit,ation-seats in
principal room. B B, bla!,,l-r)Td.
The use of t,he ttlbes zepeted dotted lines beneat,h the Stoves, is expla,1il( on ( l-t 374th) page of this
volume. A descriptioii o'ale style of ve:o tila.
ting School Stove, with }Tn expia,.!itiOo n of the advantages
to be derived from its use, wiI!:,e found (11 the 375th page.
For the different styles of b!cktboard, see page 418.
mi
F
IX
!
R
0
W
W
W
SCHiOOL ARCHITECTURE.,
Plan No. 4, Fig. 1.-Front Elevation.
__ _.;; —.,
Front Elevation of the Monroe Union Sch"oo'house.
Figure 1 represents the Front Elevation of the Union
Schoolhouse, recently erected in the city of Monroe. A
side elevation of this Schoolhouse is given on the next
page. The ground plans of the several stories of this
building, are represented on the 361st and 362d pages.
This Schoolhouse has been erected by W. IH. Beaman,
Esq., under contract, for something less than ten thousand
dollars. He has kindly furnished the plans from which these
engravings Lhave been prepared.
The plans, originated and matured by John L. Stevens,
Esq.. of 210oroe, have been well carried out by the contractor. Th-'e choolhouse, completed, io a credit to the
educational enterprise of the city, and apears in striking
contrast with its condition fifteen years ago, when the writer first entered upon the discharge of the duties of Su
I
369
SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE.
Plan No. 4 Fig. 2.-ide Elevation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..... _._... i
I. _. _ I
____';1'~~~~~I' a I I i ___
Side Elevation of the Mlonroe Union Schoolhouse.
perintendent.' At that time there was not a public School
building of any kind in the city. Now there are three or
four other respectable Schoolhouses in the city beside this.
A like improvement has been made within this time, in
the Schoolhouses of Ann Arbor, Tecumseh, Jackson and
Niles, and in those of other cities and villages of the State.
On pages 363 to 96o are plans of the Bishop Union
Schoolhouse of Detroit, which is the last Schoolhouse erected, and the best building occupied by the publi Schools
of that city. This Schoolhouse has been namle in honor
of the late Prevsid(lnt of the Board of EducaLti-ion of that
city, as was thli Bar::tow Schoolhouse, erected a few years
ago, ill h1-oLo o1 f of ttc{, la mented Fresi-eot, of the Board.
to0
- C ~~~~~~~~~ N~~P
CD
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cr.
0
14
0
0
t,
0to
0
0
t —.l
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O-A
~~62 ~ SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE.
Plani No. 4, Fig. 1.-7Second Story.
A A-l~l,:" -1~.~((S -eitto~on
D DC~;tros
Plan No. Fig. 6.-TWr& Say.
A~~~~~~~i A ll(J1S C -eItinom;i )-ot
rooms.~~~~~~~~~~~~~i
362
8
a
ok
a
A
The sev rt! Figures of Plan- No. 5, arIe on a scale of 30
feet to tile inch.
Plan No. 5e Pig 2,- -Basement.
Arm t1-1I!; B B- s-Clatss-roons C C —[uel-roons.
(t
I
4
iit
-t
I. - I I: I -II
0
I
i
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I
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II
IJ,
t
11 i
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-- -
., ".,I d,7' C) ta i
--- --— I 0 - -- m
i
p
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0
15
i
II
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E:%
0
u
0 tb 0
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, 17,
It
Scale of 30 feet to an inch.
A A, Hall1,, Clss-roo. D D D D, Recitati.lon-rooms.
C C. Ciotlihes)o-rol. E, Teachers' platiorm.
Drawings c,f tihe Plans of the Bishop Union Schoolhouse, ft'o which this. ( (-eseeas hliave been prepared,
were furnished me by lIessrs. Jordan & Atderso, of Detroit, wlo originated, matured and carried out the plans,
as they likewise did those of the Ypsilanti Union School
house.
The Front Elevattion( of the Yps, lanti Unio Sch(olhouse
appears as a Frontispiece to this volunie. The Ground
Plans of the building are givecn on pages 366 and 367.
A FronTt Elevation of Hillsdale Co-lege has been furnished by the Oficers of that Institution. This noble
structure is represented at the 368,h page of this volume.
i
UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL) YPSILANTIY MICHIG~AN.
Fig. 2.-PLAN OF BASEMENT.
U~~~~~FT IU
AA-Halls.
B B B B-Furnaces.
C-Janitor's Room.
Fig. 3.-PLAN OF FIRST STOP-Y
-AA-ll~s.
B-Chapel, or Hlall for general exercises.
C C C C-Primary Rooms.
D D-Clothes Rooms.
Scale 40 ft. to 1 inch.
I
UNION PUBLIC SCHOt, YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN.
Fig. 4. —EcoN-) STORY PLAN.
1~~~~~~
_:_:
A A A A-Halls.
B B B-Class Room.
C 0C-Recitatioll Roo?.
D-Library.
E-Apparatus Boor:.
F-Clothes Rooms
Fg. 4.-THuID STORY PLA,.
AAAA-Halls.
B B B B-Class Rooms.
C C C-Recitation Rooms.
I) D-Tutors' Rooms.
EE-Clothes Rooms.
Seae 40 ft. to 1 ineh.
i
i
II
4
el ol
-A 11 A
-D
I
27
-E
I
B
-B
.B
A.
C,
.1
B
SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE.
94
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I
I \~1 *~~ }\~{ frII\f:I)~u
t~~~~~~~III I I ~I~I~
3a68
-1
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
1st. Warming by Stoves.-Next in importance to pure
air in a School-room is the maintenance of an even temperature. This is an indispensable condition of health,
comfort, and successful labor. It is one, however, that is
very generally disregarded; or, perhaps I should say, one
that is not often enjoyed.
Schoolhouses are generally warmed by means of stoves,
some of which are in a good condition, and sulpplied with
dry, seasoned wood. The instances, however, in which
such facilities for warmirng exist, are comrparatively few.
It is much more common to see cracked anid broken stoves,
the doors without either hinges or latch, with rusty pipe
of various sizes. Green wood, also, an(] t,hat vlwhich is old
and partially decayed, either drenched with rbain or covered
with snow during inclement weather, is muich more frequently used for fuel than sound, seasoned wood, protected
from the weather by a suitable woodliouse. With this
state of things, it is exceedingly difficult to kindle a fire,
which burns poorly, at best, when built. Fires, moreover,
are frequently built so late, that the house does not become comfortably warm at the time appointed for commenoing School. These neglects are the fruitful source of mucl!
discomfort and disorder. The temperature is fluctuating;
the room is filled with smoke a considerable part of the
time, especially in stormy weather; and the School is liable
to frequent interruptions, in fastening together and tying
up stove-pipe, etc.
This may seem a little like exaggeration. I know full
47
WARMIING AND VENTIIL&ATION.
well there are manJy noble exceptions. But in a large majority of inst4lanes it is believed some of these ijconvenien ces exist; and the most -f tne f coexist much more
frequentily than persons generally are aware of. I speak
more conrfidetly on this subject, iavinig personally visited
several thous-and Schools in;i- ~ and other States of the
Union. Besides I - tave myse maLly timies heard School
officers and patro:, w.ho hite visited their School with me
for the first time in several years, say, " YWe ought to have
some dr?? vood to kindle with; I didii't know it was so
smokyv; e muss get some'ewiw pipe; really, our stove is
getting, dangerou(s," etc. AId soe i the boys have relieved t:il eb arsment of "t"e r preis by saying,'"It
don't smo neat so bad to-day as it does sometimes I "
The rin,cipal reaso-n why th'i stov es in our Schoolhouses
are so c a:1acd a, d biohlne und why vt- p)ipes are so rusty
and~~~~~~~~~~~,ei -No,:e)d.~ or that
a,nd opo it r tne c..cu.as -n -tt gfreen woodor that
which is p;rti ii decaye( a.. (....:.ed with moisture, is
used for (I,''I. - ood, protected from
the inclemeny o i0he weLtrtir oy al siiat,able wood-house.
There are t least three reasons why this is poor policy:
1. It talkes double the amount of wood. A considerable,
portion of the otl,erwise sensible hleat becomnes latent, in
the conversion of ice, snow, and moisture into steam. 2.
The steam thus generated cracks the stove and rusts the
pipe, so that thev will not last one half as long as though
dry wood from a wood-house were uLsed. 3. It is imposs'i
ble to preserve an even temperature. Sometimes it is to
cold, and at other times it is too warm; and this, with
such means of warming, is unavoidable. Scores of Teacl
ers have informed me that, in order to keep their fires
from going out, it was necessary to have their stoves constantly full of wood, and even to lay wood upon the stove,
that a portion of it might,be seasoning while the rest was
burning! Aside from the inconvenience of a fluctuating
370
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
temperature, this is an unseemly and filthy practice, and
one that generates very offensive and injurious gases.
The subject of warming and ventilation is of' late properly enoaging an increased share of public attention. I
have frequently heard the followving and smilar remarks:
"The use of stoves in our Schoolhouses is a great evil;'
"Stoves are unhealthv in our Schoolhouses, or in any other
houses." etc. This idea being somewhat prevalent, and
stoves being generally used in our Schoolhouses, their
influence upon health becomes a proper subject for
consideration.
Combustion, wvhether in a stove or fireplace, consists in
a chemical union of the owyg-en gas of the atmosphere with
oarbore,, the combustible part of the wood or coal used for
fuel. Ca ronic aciu, tLe vit{;ating product of combustion,
does not, however, ordinarily deteriorate the atmosphere
of the room, but, mingling with the smokle, escapes through
the stove-pipe or chimnevy.
The Stove, in point of economy, is fitr superior to the
Open Fireplace as eodinarilv constructed. When the latter is lsecdl. it hais been estimated tha-t nine-tenths of the
he?at evolvd ae 5en th chimne-y, atd onlv one-tenth,l or,
accor dinu to RumfIrd and Frankin, only one -fifteenith, is
radiated i'rom the front of tihe fire into the room. Fourfold more tfuel is required tj warm a room by an 0 Open
Fireplace than w-en a Stove is used. Oxygen is, of
course. consumed in a like proportion, and hence, when
the Open- Fireplace is used, there is necessarily a four-fold
greater ingress of colId air to supply comb!)ustiou than where
a Stove is employed.
But what is of still greater importance, when a Fireplace is used, it is impossible to preserve so uniform a temperature throughout the room as when a Stove is employed.
When a Fireplace is used, the cold air is constantly rushing through every crevice at one end of the room to supply combustion a.t the other end. Hence the scholars in
371
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
one part of the room suffer from cold, while those in the
opposite part are oppressed with heat. The Stove may
be set in a central part of the room, whence the heat will
radiate, sot in one direction merely, but in all directions.
In addition to this, as we have already seen, only onefourth as much air is required to sustain combustion, on
both of which accounts a much more even and uniform
temperature can be maintained throtghout a room where
a Stove is used than where a Fireplace is employed.
Whence, then, has arisen the prevailing opinion that
Stoves are unhealthy? There are two sources of mischief,
either of which furnishes a sufficient, foundation for this
popuilar fllaey. The first has already been rieferred to,
and consists simply in the almost total neglect of proper
ventilation. The other lies in the circumstance that
School-rooms are generally kept to warm. in addition to
the inco)nveniuce of too high a temperatue, t11e aqueous
vapor existing in the atmosphere in its natural ad healthful state is dissip)ated, and the -;:::, tihe room biecomres'too
dry for healthy respiration.
The evil being seen, the remedy is?pp)reit. RPeduce
the temperature of the room to its pro)pec p)oint, and supply the deficiency of aqueous vapor by ilD evaporating
dish partially filled with pure water. If this is not done,
the dry and over-heated air, which is highly absor'bent of
moisture in everything with which it comes in contact,
not only creates a disagreeable sensation of dryness on the
surface ot the body, but in passing over the delicate mem brane of the throat, creates a tickling, induces a cough,
and lays the foundation for pulmonary disease, especially
when ventilation is neglected.
The water in the evaporating dish should be frequently
changed, and kept free from dirt and other impurities
Care also should be taken not to create more moisture
than the air naturally contains, otherwise the effect will be
positively injurious. The evil complained of is attributa
372
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
ble mainly to the maintenance of too high a temperature.
Were a thermometer placed in many of our School-rooms
-and a Schoolhouse should never be without one in every
occupied apartment-instead of indicating a suitable temperature, say sixty-two or sixty-five degrees, or even a
summer temperature, it would not unfrequently rise above
blood heat. The system is thus not only enfeebled and
deranged by breathing an infectious atmosphere, but the
debility thence arising is considerably increased in concquence of too high a temperature. The two caus combined eminently predispose the system to disease.
The change from inhaling a fluid poison at blood heat,
to inhaling the purer air without at the freezing point or
below, is greater than the system can bear with impunity.
A uniform temperature, which is highly important, can be
more easily and more effectually maintained where a stove
is employed, furnished with a damper, and supplied with
dry, hard wood, than where a fireplace is used. In the
former case the draft may be regulated, in the latter it
cannot be.
A great amount of air enters into combustion even
where a stove is used. A still greater quantity enters
into the combustion where a fireplace is employed, in proportion to the increased amount of wood consumed. Much
of the heated air, also, where an open fireplace is used,
mingling with the smoke, passes off through the chimney,
and its place is supplied by an ingress of cold air at the
more distant portions of the room. There is hence not
only a great waste of fuel, but a sacrifice of comfort, health,
and life.
Even where a stove is used there is a constant ingress
of cold air through cracks and defects in the floor, doors,
windows, and walls, which causes it to be colder in the
outer portions of the room than in the central portions
and about the stove. The evil is the same in kind as that
already referred to in speaking of fireplaces, but less in
37:
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
degree. This evil, however, may be almost entirely obviated by a very simple arrangement, which will also do
much to render ventilation at once mere effectual and safe,
especially in very cold and inclement weather. The arrangement is as follows:
Immediately beneath the floor —arnd in case the Schoolhouse is two stories ihigh, between the ceiling and the floor
above-insert a tube from four to six inches in diameter,
according to the size of the rooms, the outer end communicating with the external air by means of an orifice in
the underpinning or wall of the house, and the other, by
means of an angle, passing upward through the floor beneath the stove. This part of the tube should be furnished with a register, so as to admit much or little air, as
may be desirable.
This simple arrangement will reverse the ordinary currents of air in a School-room. The cold air, instead of entering at the crevices in the outer part of the room, where
it is coldest, enters directly beneath the stove, where it is
warmest. It thus moderates the heat immediately about
the stove, and being warmed as it enters, and mingling
with the heated air, establishes currents toward the walls,
and gradually finds its way out at the numerous crevices
through which the cold air previously entered. If these
are not sufficient for the purpose, several ventilators should
be provided in distant parts of the room, as already
suggested.
This simple arrangement, then, provides for the more
even dissemination of heat through all parts of the room,
and thus secures a more uniform temperature, anid, at the
same time, provides a purer air for respiration, contributes
greatly to the comfort and health of the scholars, and fulfills several important conditions which are essential to the
most successful prosecution of their studies, and to the
maintenance and improvement of social and moral, as well
as intellectual and physical health.
374
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
Ventilating SchIool Stoves.-But the best means of warming by stoves, so far as I am advised(, is in the use of
Chilson's Ventilatinrig School Stoves, fo)r wvood." I had
hoped to be ablle in thLis connection to give a c, ut of this
Stove; buit its conutruetior y- be snfficil~~:y untderstood from the follo-wi-:g concise descri,)tioin The Stove
is formed of doub1e p lates, each plate containing a series of half columns whliclAi, wlhen put together, tbrm a
column through whi.h th-te hot air passes rapidly. The
cold air should be taken into t,e room under thie Stove, by
means of tubes communiicating with tihe outer -ir, as indicated in Plans of Schoolhouses Nos. 1 and 3.
AAMDjflJMu$~',:;#~EW%~~;
Patented by Ira Mayhow, Albion, Mich.
Great inconvenience often results from Smoke, not only,
but from rain and melting snow which enters the open tops
of chimneys, and leaches through the accumulatinglsoot
of stove pipes upon books, papers, and the furniture of
School-rooms. More especially is this true in the case of
Stove Chimneys which often do not reach the ground. To
obviate these inconveniences, the tops of chimneys should
be protected. This is the object of the invention here
represented. It excludes storms from chimneys upon
which it is placed. It prevents downward currents of air,
and its construction is such that all winds acting upon it
have a tendency to diminish the windward openings,,and
375
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
by the agency of connecting rods to open the leeward
ones. The effect hence is to promote draft and ventilation.
It also lessons the liability to fires from the burning out of
chimneys, and protects their tops from the wastes of the
weather.
2d. Bytline Use of Furne.-The preceding method of
warming by Stoves has been given, because in small dis tricts the stove has been employed, and will continue to
be used. But this means of warming is by no means de,
sirable.
-In view of the importance of the subject, I deem it proper here to present the most improved methods of heating
known; for no one will question but that the comfort and
health of human beings ought always to be regarded; and
especially during the periods of growth and study. This
',requires, among other things, the maintenance of an equable temperature, during the cold and inclement seasons of
the year; and, so far as practicable, during the excessive
heat of summer. It also requires that the vital qualities
of the air remain unchanged, while maintaining this equable temperature, even during the rigors of a severe winter.
These are conditions of health, as well as of comfort, which
a regard for the latter would lead men generally to observe,
but for the difficulties to be overcome.
We have heretofore remarked that the atmospheric air
is composed, chiefly, of the two gases, nitrogen and oxygen,
united in the ratio of four to one by volume, with exceed ingly small and variable quantities of carbonic acid gas, and aqueous vapor. No other mixture of these, or of any
other gases will sustain healthy respiration. Such are its
constituents when taken into the lungs in the act of breath ing. When expelled from them, however, its composition
is found to be greatly changed. While the quantity of ni trogen remains nearly the same, eight and a half per cent.
of the oxygen, or vital airs has disappeared, and been re
376
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
placed by an equal amount of carbonic acid gas, which is
an active poison. When this gas is mixed with atmospheric air in the ratio of one to four, it is fatal to animal
life, producing almost instant death.
We have seen that about thirty-six cubic inches of air
enter the lungs at each inspiration, and that respiration is
repeated once every three seconds, or twenty times a minute. We have further stated the vital truth that, AIR ONCE
RESPIRED will neither support combustion NOR ANIMAL LIFI.
Moreover, in proportion as air once respired is mingled with
the atmosphere of a room, the vital qualities of the whole
are impaired, and it gradually becomes an active poison.
By making a computation based upon the amount of air
respired by one person in a given time, the number of
children ordinarily attending School, and the size and capacity of the Schoolhouses they occupy, it will be found
that these Schoolhouses are not ordinarily of sufficient capacity to furnish air enough for the respiration of their
occupants three hours, or even for the preservation of their
lives.for tJtis lengt, of time, were it so arranged that they
could breathe all the air once over, without entering upon
its second respiration. But this is not the case. The air
in a room is not all respired once, before a portion of it is
breathed the second, or even the third andfobrtht time.
The atmosphere is not, hen-ce, suddenly changed from a
healthful to an infectious state. Were it so, the change
would be so perceptible as to be distinctlyfelt, and a remedy
would hence be sought. But because the change is gradual, and insidiouLs,-undermining the health of all persons,
and especially of children, who, while engaged in study,
imperatively require pure air as a"'condition of the healthy
development of either body or mind,-it is not therefore
the less fearful in its consequenices. In a room occupied
by one hUndred per8so0ns, THE FIRST HOUR, twenzy-five hundred
cubic feet of air (which is equivalent to tlhe contents of a
room twenty feet square, and six and a fourth feet high)
48
377
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
impart their entire vitality to sustain animal lie, and, ningling wvith the atmosphere of the roomi, proportionately deteriorctae the wIhole mass. This affords sufficient cause for the
fearful inroads maide by disease bydnng the susceptible period of vyouth.
An All-wise Providen1Ce has bene.ficently provitded a
remedy for th'ese e-vils, whle WE 1 t [wel'l thte oen airi; fIor
the carbonic acid whichi is exhaled from thie lung'fs, by its
increase o0 te,p[e~ralue w/c i, the l'U7/s, is rendered specifically lighter than the surrounding atmosphere, andc is
hence borne up, and awavy, to become the food of plants,
which, in turn, absorb t-ls gas, and, retaining the carbon,
and approi)riat-ig it to their own growth, throw off the
oxygen, to mingle with the air, and tLius, again fit it for the
respiration of animals. It is in this mannier, by a beneficent provision of the Creator, that animals and plants are
perpetually interchanging kindly offices.
Situated as we are in civilized life, much study is requisite
to enable us to profit by this beneficent law; for by artificial
arrangements we dwell quite too mnuchwithin doors. By
voluntarily thus incarcerating ourselves we interrupt this
provision of Nature, by wvhich the animal and vegetable
kingdoms minister to each others health and well being.
It is true, by leaving doors open, and raising windows-or,
what is better, by lowering windows from the top-we
may, in part, facilitate these natural arrangements, while
we dwell in houses, and especially during the warm season,
when the evil would be least felt. But during cold
weather, this arrangement, being incompatible with comnfort, if not always with health, is generally disregarded.
A new and a difficult problem is then presented for our
solution; which is, how to maintain a comfortable and equable temperature, during the cold and inclemrent secasons of the
year, without irmpairing the vital qualities of the atmosphere.
In order more fully to comprehend the subject in all its
bearings, and if possible to reach a result in which all may
378
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
rest satisiedel, we wi cons ider lhe adva,ntages and the disadvantages of the vari.t,Us methods of warming to which
we have bIeen al ct-lo()ined, and which, are still in use.
Years ago, the large Open Fireplace was in common
use. It ha(, its advimttages, and its disadvwmt,s.ges So
much heated air passed rapidly up the chimney, t;aet it
proved all efficieat vertti aior. Bat as a means of' warming,
it was less effec tual foi te place madA e vaca nt by the
rapid pas,sage of iie:-)t e(l air up the chimney, had to be
supplied by cold tir entering the doors, windows, and
crevices aron-d the room. Hence it might be said, without exaggeration, "awhile one side was scorching hot, the
other was freezing cold." Certain it was, that when the
heads of children were in an atmosp!lhere above blood heat,
that about their feet wa,,s below thre fraezing point.
The Fireplace has generally been superceded, and especially in Schoolhouses, by the Close Stove, which, it was
claimed, saved half of the wood. Stoves, likewise, have
their advantages, as well as their disadvantages; for, if
less warm air is uselessly carried up the chimney, and less
cold air is hence admitted through the surrounding crevices to supply this loss, ventilation is at the same time less
efficient than where Jyireplaces are used.
More recently Hot-Air Furnaces have been considerably
employed, not only in dwelling-houses, but more especially
in Churches and in our larger Union Schoolhouses. These,
too, have their advantages, and their disadvantages. They
leave the rooms warmed by them free from the care of a
fire in the rooms, both as to noise and litter. They also
serve as ventilators; for, when a room is full of air, it is
evident no more air can be introduced, till that within is
allowed to escape through ventilating tubes, or otherwise. While the heating process thus goes on, ventilation
continues.
But Hiot-Air Furnaces, as heretofore commonly employed,
have been very objectionable. They have generally occur
879
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
pierd a small brick enclosure in the basem,ent. Cold air is
introduced within this brick-work, rand, immediately surrounding the often intensely hot furnace, has its vital
qualities changed before it enters the apartments to be
warmed. The oxygen of the air unites, to some extent,
with the often red-hot furnace with which it comes in conr
tact, forming an oxide of iron, and thus the nitrogen is set
free. The oxygen of the aqueous vapor in the atmom
phere, in like manner combines with the intensely heated
furnace, forming again oxide of iron, and setting the hydrogen of the aqueous vapor free. In these and otlr
ways the natural state of the atmosphere is disturbed, and
its vital qualities are so impaired as to render it unfit for
respiration.
Often, because of the intense heat to which they are
subjected, these furnaces become cracked and broken, and
hence leak smoke and offensive and hurtful gases, which
mingle with the heated air and enter the apartments that
are occupied, and thus annoy and injure those they were
intended to comfort and benefit.
The truth of these remarks, upon these two methods of
heating, I think is fully realized by those who have given
the most attention to the subject. We have seen, in many
instances, in the eastern cities, as well as in the west, the
dry heating air furnace discarded, and a return to the close
stovre. And we have seen, if not a disposition to return to
the large open fireplace, at least a tendency to substitute
the -rate for the stove and furnace. But the grate possesses the same advantages, and is subject to the same objections that have been mentioned as pertaining to the
open fireplace, though neither exists to so great a degree.
As an active ventilator it may advantageously be used in
connection with the ordinaryfurnace.
Of late, Steam Heating Furnaces have been introduced,
to some extent. These are of different kinds. The one
hitherto most in use, traverses with pipes the apartments
38()
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
to be heated, through which pipes live steam is sent. The
heating quality of these is good. The vital proporties of
the air remain unimpaired by this process. But these furnaces possess no ventilating power, and they are further
objectionable, on account of their leaking, and the crackling
noises the pipes emit, while heating and cooling, and with
every variation of temperature.
STEAM HEATING FURNACES.
In concluding what I have to say on the subject of
Warming and Ventilation, I propose to submit what, after
oareful study, I believe to be the best method of warming
and ventilation known to the civilized world. It consists
in the use of Superheated Steam without sensible pressure,
as the agent in warming pure air during its passage
through it in tubes, in the manner described below, which
is sufficiently illustrated by the following diagram. Two
styles of furnace, both involving essentially the same principle, and the same detail of arrangement, have been patented, and are now offered to the public,-the one under
the name of the "Perkins Steam Heater," and the other as
"Bulkley's House Furnace, by Super-heated Steam without
pressure." In my my remarks concerning it I shall employ
the term "Steam Heating Furnace."
The illustration on the following page has been furnished
by lZessrs. Dudley &- Holmes, of Detroit, who have, within
the past year, put the Perkins Steam Heater into the City
Hall in Detroit, and into the new Union Schoolhouse in
Kalamazoo. They have also, within that time, put the
Perkins Heater into several private residences in the State,
all of which, so far as I know, gives satisfaction. The one
in the writer's residence, in Albion, fully realizes all that
is here said in its praise.
381
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o
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ItllstSS ltl
CD hs i h
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CD QIte
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tt j Wd F
lir
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
In the use of this Stea,m Heating Furnace the air is
twar;-~e(1de d(1Yr,iiWj its 2as.ae throught _fpes tat are inserted ii
a c cj/ f ej osteami. These pipes are froni one hundred and
sixt'v7 to tw\o hundred in number, depending upon the size
of the buldilng to be warmed, and should be about three
inches in diameter, and from five to six feet in length. They
thus )0ssess, in the aggregate, a capacity about equal to that
of a tube a yard in diameter. The pure cold air from without, is conveyed to a sutb chamber beloi that in which the
furnace. or stove is situated, an_d traverses these pipes that
pass upward through the steam chamber, to a super chamber above the steam chamber, from which super chamber
the heated air is conveyed by pipes and registers, in the
usual way, to the apartments to be warmed. These
apart'L,ents should be ifrnishvc w;th ample ventilators
leading upwvard, through the roor of the building, to the
open air.
Each room warmed should be furnished with two ventilating registers, both communicating with a ventilating
tube. one near the ceiling, and the other near the floor.
When a room is to be warmed, the heating register should
be op:ened to introduce the warmn air, and the lower ventilating register should be opened to allow the cold air to
pass off, as the warmn air enters and displaces, first, that in
the u.pper part of the room, and afterward that below, till
the entire room is brought to a uniformtemperature. By
leaving these two registers open, the room will be kept
constantly warm, while an active ventilation will be kept
up. The tops of these ventilating tubes should be fur,
nished with caps, for the purpose of excluding storms, and
to prevent a downward current which might otherwise interrupt the ventilation, in case of adverse winds.
The intermediate Steam Heating chamber, of which I
have spoken, is separated from both the sub, and super air
chambers, by horizontal metallic plates.; but these cham
383
WARMING AND YENTILATION.
bers are connected by the tubes already referred to,
which traverse the steam chamber, by means of which the
air is heated in its passage from the sub to the super chamber. The permeating, super-heated steam, surrounding
these pipes, presenting a heating surface of more than 600
square feet, warms the air in its passage through them, to
a comfortable and genial temperature, without affecting its
vital quality, or in any way rendering it unfit for healthy
respiration. Persons occupying buildings thus warmed
and ventilated, may safely dwell wit/iin doors, amid the
severity anid inclemency incident to the winters of this
latitude, with all the physical comfort, safety to health,
and immunity f-i'oi disease, that are experienced by persons dwell:.g in tropical and salubrious climes.
The cost of this mode of heating, which is somewhat
greater than that attending the introduction of the ordinary Furnace, will probably prevent its being generally
employed iln small separate School buildings; but it is
comnmrended to villa-,ges a,',nd cities trat are erecting new
and imnprovecd Unioni Scihoollouses, Church Edifices, and
Public Ha.Ills, in which the health and comfort of their
occupants are more regarded than the expense of heating.
And this. it is believed, will be less, exclusive of the cost
of the Furnace itself, where this method of heating is
adopted, than in any of the ordinary methods of warming.
The excessive heat of our summers may be mnitigated, as
is commonly understood and practiced, by sprinkling floors.
The water thus evaporating renders large quantities of caloric latent, which would otherwise be active, and by this
means the temperature is reduced. In dwelling houses
and School-rooms in which carpets are used, the same result may be reached by hanging wet cloths on lines arranged for that purpose. The evaporation firom these
cloths will produce the same effect upon the temperature
that is secured by sprinkling the floors, and for the same
reason.
384
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
Where the Steam Heater is employed, the temperature
of any room that becomes excessively heated inrthe winter, (should such an event occur,) may be reduced by open.
ing the upper ventilator. Houses thus warmed may'be
thoroughly ventilated, summer or winter, in the same'way.
This arrangement will also mitigate the intensity of the
simmer heat.
CHILSON'S CONE FURNACE.
Of the dry hot-air Furnaces, which some may choose to
employ, I know of none better than Chilson's Cone Furnace, of which a diagram will be hereto appended. This
furnace is designed for coal, and its construction is such
" to more thoroughly economize fuel than any other with
which I have any knowledge; while its extensive surface,
all of which is heated to inearly the same temperature,
without any part of it becoming excessively hot, is less
likely to impair the vital qualities of the air exposed to its
-urface. For the same:reason it is less liable to crack and
eak poisonous gases, than are most Hot-Air Furnaces.
This cut represents an elevation of Chilson's Cone Fur
nace, and a section of the:lrxc work orwith which it is sur 49
385
.0
WARMING AND VENTILATION.
rounded. It shows, also, how the cold air penetrates the
brick work below, and how the air, when warmed, is drawn
off above.
The large central cone, immediately over the fire pot,
retains the gases that are evolved by the burning coal, un
til they are themselves consumed; and the surrounding
cones, leading to the annular chamber, reflect the heat
back, so that comparatively little escapes through the
smoke pipe.
386
SCHOOL FURNITU-RE.
The improvements in School Furniture are all of recent
date. But tasteful and commodious furniture, adapted to
the comfort and wants of children, attractive in its appearance, and elevating in its influence, is even more important
in our Schoolhouses, which are to be occupied by children
during the most susceptible period of their lives, than is
the furniture in our Dwelling Houses and Churches. The
truth of this statement seems but recently to have gained
a lodgment in the public mind. The house of Mr. Ross,
the pioneer in this department in the country, which was
established in 1838, is still manufacturing and sending out
improved School Furniture from the city of Boston. More
recently, similar establishments have been opened in New
York, Buffalo, and other cities.
The cuts which I am enabled here to present, have been
furnished me by establishments in the three cities just
named, and may be regarded as representing specimens of
their work. Nos. 1 to 6 are from the house of W. Chase
& Son, 198 Seventh Street, Buffalo. Nos. 7 to 17 are from
the house of Nathaniel Johnson, 490 Hludson Street, New
York. Nos. 18 to 29 are from the house of Joseph L. Ross,
corner of Hawkins and Ives Streets, Boston, with bransh
houses, 413 Broadway, New York, and 194 Lake Street,
Chicago, where the Miessrs. Chase hlave also a branch.
A simple style of Seats and Desks, entirely of wood, is
represented in Plan No. 3 of Schoolhouses. The styles
of furniture here given are so constructed as to admit of
being taken apart and snugly pckled for transportation:
SCHOOL FURNITURE.
Ne. 1-Chaes P(rtab7le Itiermediate Single,Desk anrl Chair.
Two sizes,oi this style of Desk (are mrnanufactured, with
the hight of the side next the schlolar, 221 and 24 inches.
Primary School Desks of the same'de.ign, and of varying
sizes, are also iuanufactured.
No. 2.-Chase's Portable Inlermediate Double Desk.
Two sizes of the double Desk are also manufactured,
with the hight of the side next the scholar the samie as
No. 1. Priimary Scho-)l Desls of tbe same design, and
of varied sizes, are also manull,ctnre(.
These Dosks h;ave- (::en - l,c; beneath thre top to receive books and "i. d' -, V ironi backls.
388
I
SCHOOL FURNITURE.
ro. 3.-Chase'r Portable Grammar Desk.
Three sizes of this Desk are manufactured, 241, 26 &ad
271 inches high. This arrangement gives each pupil the
benefit of a single Deskl, as does No. 1.
I4;!P!. *IJIP,4/
,;'hools? Seminaries, Acade m]:ies, &e.
This Desk may be placed upon _
a horizontal table, whena more
hight is needed, or ani inclined
surface is desired; and it imay)i
be removed when not require(d o..-l,),1 te Desk, with Cloth
' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Top,,
for use.
The prices of these several grades and styles of School
Furniture are not here given, for they may differ from various causes. Specimens only of the vayr-ieties that are
manufactured are here re(resented. Oi,,) "ge 38(7, I have
given the names?nd address of the jouses that have
kindly furnished thie iacii tes fo-r these illustrations, and
stated which have been furnished y, the em respectively.
School. officers and others dlesiring any of these styles of
furniture, by ope,:iiig a correspon"e:,:c' witi he Houses
manufaicturing the n, will bIe furi-islih.d witlh prices, and
more minute descriptionTi them canii iere ce ivei-.
If iuforma_tion is desi red of' any partici.!tr tye of School
Furniture here given y otsevrving its N\,, aLdl referring
to the 387th page, the reader will see the address of the
MIanuftacturers, from whom the desired iniforination can be
obtailed; for copies of this volume il b)e furnished to
each of the Honses herein referred to.
398
SCHOOL FURNITURE.
No. 24 -Ross' Boston Publio School Teachers' Desk, with Two Drawers.
The Desk here represented is of simyple c'-istruction, but
will be fouiid very convenient, an-d may sometimes be made
to answier all thle 1Lturoses of a more expensive one.
Where articles of' the kinds here described cannot well
be procured from a regulir matnufacturer, those of similar
construction may be procured near hlome, though not alwavs of so goodl a quality, or at so advanttageous rates.
Jill~i i~;: t...
I':i:!!!!; {'
No. 25.-Ross' Teachers' Desk, with Tlee Drawers and Ta, b'e Top.
This style of Teacher's Desk has drawers at the right of
the Teacher, where they are most conveniently reached.
The greater part of the surface of the Table is also at the
Teacher's right, when sitting to it. This mray be used with
or without the small portable Desk represented by No. 23.
399
SCHOOL FURNITURE.
No, e'~( —cess' T~cahe~~'" UPesk, wilih Five Drawers aind Top Desk.
This Deskl affords good facilities for writing in the middle, with spaces for books of reference at the right aid
left. The larger central drawer will also accommodate
maps, large sheets of drawing-paper, and articles that
should neither be broken iior rolled.
. i,'..~.ci.i.e Ie.....J Tabl e Top.'
The prec ui,ts,ig' ll il,tiust-tions repree(,A ttie principal styles of i~m[,oe d Scihoio]-r(); i, Furniture and the
reader's attetotio-,as beeni)c i ecte d t ) esttablis,hments devoted exclusive ly tiv o 0~tAlufat u'ij' ad;!.'i[v,~[Lb the
same. Ti o.ee l'(adufcttr!nI' Houses h:II:e fi'r' qnenii orders'
for'Schooi FIr,itu.ie, not otiy f'i' ou \VorW ste r n ities', but
f rom varous pls.;4 ot Wes,f I-,:i. SIt(":.,:;rd fTi'o, both,
sicdes of i''siSs.
400
SCHOROOL FURNITURE.
I,''~
~'
No. 2 J. —nsss Iproved DXawing Dek.uprted on No. 29.-Ross' Improved Drawing
~tanch.n~. Pattern G. Desk. Pattern ~,.
I concludie these illustrations of improved Sehool Furniture, byinv.itin the reader's attention to two styles of
Drawing Desk. And I amilad to know that the subject
of Drawing is attracting, and deservedly too, an increased
share of public attention. Too much attention can hardly
be given to it, unless to-; the exclusion of other and equally
fundamet?al branches; nor can attention be directed to it
at too early a period of the child's attendance upon School.
"Drawin-g whether of maps, the shape of objects, or
of landscap-es-is admiirably adapted to discipline the sense
of sigh.. Oh.i,dre shouild be encouragred carefully to surTvey a.nd;.,cc r(t.iv to det,cribe the prominent points of a
landscape bos.Jin,tU1e,and in picture. Let them point
-out tP(Le e'evat.ns and d:.):ressions the mowing, the pasture. the w anool, t!nd t,tillage land; the trees, the houses,
and the. r- - sten to their accounts of their plays,
walks and jio, ney,r ale,n. (cf (,y vents of which they hlave
been wit ess.es. In tlese aid all other exercises of the
sense Qof s! $t) cbiden' Sh()u:. be encouraged to be strictly
accurate-:md. whenever it is practicable, the judgment
51
401
SCHOOL FURTNITUEE.
they pronounce, and the descriptions they give, should, if
erroneous, be corrected by the truth. Children can not
fail to be interested in such exercises; and even where
they have been careless and inaccurate observers, they
will soon become more watchful and exact.
"It is by the benign influen.ce of education only, that
the senses can be improved. And still their culture has
been entirely neglected by perhaps the m{jority of parents and Teachers, who in other respects have manifested
a commendable degree of interest in this subject. That
by judicious culture the senses may be educated to activity and accuracy, and be made to send larger aid purer
streams of knowledge to the soul, has been uiia:tp.w(rably
proved by an accumulation of unquestioilble testimony.
Most persons, however, allow the senses to iematin uneducated, except as they may be cultivated by fortuitous circumstances. Eyes have they, hut they see n-ot; ears have
they, but they hear not; neither do they understvnd. It
is not impossible, nor perhaps improbable, that he who
has these two senses properly cultiva'ted will derive more
unalloyed pleasure in spending a brief hour in gazing upon
a beautiful landscape, in examining for the samce length of
time a simple flower, or in listening to the sweet melody
of the linnet as it warbles its song of praise, than those
who have neglected the cultivation of the seDnses experience during their whole lives." —[ e1?-ewj:o2~: ]d;cation,
pp. 191 and 192.
402
SCHOOL APPARATUS.
A gentleman of larfge experience, and of close observation, many years ago remarked at at convention of Oounty
Superintendents of Common Schools, in the State of New
York-It is singular that children learn so MANY things ouof
School, and so80 FEW things, in School. The remark impressed
me, as I doubt not it did other Superintenidents present;
and tw(enty-five years of experience as a Teacher and a
School Officer, have conviiced me that it is no less singular
than true.
It then becomes us to inquire why thi?s is so. If I~mistake not, the reason consists in the fact that a much more
natural method of instruction has ommonily te)ten pursued
out of School, than has hitherto b)een generally practiced
in School. In School,.until within a fewv years,-and in too
many Schools it is still true,-children -ay their A, B, C'8
three times a day, but do not learz them in months. Out
of School they see oljects, become famjiliar with their mes,
and learn their names. In School, many a child has sad
his A, B, C's twenty-six tiies without learning one of them;
while out of School, the same children may have each
learned the names and uses of tweanty-six things the first
time they have seen them.
In this life, the seposes constitute the great medium of
communlicating knowledge to the humnn i-iad; and especially is this trioue of,sight and'he,I.i, Saies then, the
skillful parent or teacher addresses the miiisd of his children' through the s —nse of geae)i'y, le will gre;ttly increase
the interest of his young ea,rnors by a ddressi.ug, also, their
SCHOOL APPARATUS.
sense of sight, through which the strongest impression can
be made upon the mind. Especially is this important
during the first years of a c&lild's instruction, whether at
home or in Sclool.*
Mr. F. C. Brownell, Secretary of the Holbrook School
Apparatus Company, 413 Broadwvay, New York, has kindly
furnished me the following cuts,1 w1ich represent saniples
of an extensive range of simple and ingenious, though
cheap Apparatus for Schools. The various articles here
referred to, together with irproved Apparatus and School
Furniture generallv, myv be obthinec at +he office of the
Secretary, as above. o otf fr George Sbherwvood, President
of the Comnpavny t- 19 t stree Chli,%T: to whom I
have alreadyx referred as supplving orders ftr improved
School Furniture.
4
Several of the tarticles repr eseinted in miniature, in the
foregoing cut, I an e nnble d to illustr-te singly' in the following pages:
* This subject cannot vwee be j-sued t) a greater ex'ten here. In the writer's work on
the LMe,ans and Enr, Of j iverscl A'c-;n an ent-re Chl.ter ef about fifty pages is devoted
to "the education of the five senses," to w-iclh thle reader is referred.
I
-4
404
SCHOOL APPARATUS.
Figui e 1.-Numeral Frame.
fIJ:..0.. 0.lB
rt! o i ~ ti 4l
~~~~~
t??.ee,:aoo..c~~~.e,.e.~ 0@0 -— ~,j_i'
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A skillful Teacher will turn the Numeral Frame to good
account in teaching many things. It was primarily em-'
ployed for teaching small children to count. It may, however, with equal advantage be used as a medium of addressing the minds of children threogh the eye, while we
speak to the outer ear, in illustrating all of the simple, and
som' of the more complex operations upon numbers. By
this means the first less:)ns of chiillren may be rendered
more attrac-tive, and impre-sions thus made upon their
minds will be stronger and more permanent. In the use
of this simple instrument, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, nay be wiell illustrated, as may also
many of the principles of fractions.
It may be turned to admirable accouut in illustrating
our Decimal Currency and decimal fractions. By its use,
also, the square of any single figure may be readily shown.
The roots of all perfect powers expressed by not exceeding two figures, may likewise be readily illustrated by it.
to'
SCIHOOL APPARATUS.
Fig. -Holbrook'is Drawing Slate.
... _,...d
a m It~~~~~"olfrrook'w Apprarcus Co, 1
if X v N~orlk and Checa3o. 71
This, or soniething similar, has already( been irncidentally
referred to. as a( mreans of tLurntig the otherwise idle hours
of children to good account, by affording them. pleasant
employmeljt in writing, drawtrig,,id composition.,. On the
margin of the slite the nianner of holding the pen is indicated. The-re a sre so copies of letters to be vwrit,ten, and
objects to be diwn. Children have soinetir-es, by the aid
of a slate aind pen:cil, made great r eoficieney in learnllig to
read, eintiey'ithv lut, o ooks. Thlis is done by thei.r writing
or printing ot their own readinIg lessons, w-hic}t t,hiey are
sure to u nderstand, and which they somietimres rc,ad with
dramatic effectt.
The followi~g figures for representing Geonetrical Solids, may be rendered more suggestive than is at first
apparent.
The light portionis of the three cubes represe-nted in Fig.
$, show tie'q8,:)aee of the numbers 1, 2 anid 4, to be 1, 4
and 16; whie the cubes tlheimselves as distinctly show
that the c'tabes of thle numbers 1, 2 a-d 4, are 1, 8 anrd 64facts wlhiel, without illustration, are often. diflicult for
children to comtp,rehend.
406
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Fig. 6 -Sphere and Spheroids.
Prolate Sphereid.
I I
v~~r-f — I-A- /, _ - -— 5~~~
Oblate Spheroi,,
Sphere.
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SCHOOL APPARATUS.
A most excellent method of disciplining the sense of
sight, and in such a way as to interest childreni, and secure
to them great practical advantage, by familia:Lrizing them
with distances, while they are learnirngsthe dcfini.tions of
figures in plane geometry, and a meth-od that is adl;,-pted to
the captcity of children during their first yea]rs i- school,
is Riven on the 188th and folowing pages of the w-,iter's
work on the "ileans and End,s of Universal Education,"
which was prepared and published eight years ago, pursuant to a Resolution of the Senate and House of Representatives, adopted in-February, 1819.
Fig. 9.-Carpenter's Theoeren1.
This Figure represenIts to the Eye the truth of what is
popularly known as the Carpenter's Theorem, to wit:
The squaare dcescribed t.?)ot the hypotenuse o- a right-amgIed
trianigle is equal to the sumn of the squares described vpon the
other two sides. Although not a demonstration, it will carry
with it a clear conviction to many minds, and will be of
great service to the student in arithmetic, who is unable
to advance to the study of geometry. It may also awaken
an interest in some minds that will not rest satisfied without mastering the demonstration.
52
409
SCHOOL APPARATUS.
Fig. 10.-Cube Root Block.
The extraction of the cube root caii be more easily and
more satisfactorily explained to most persons unacquainted
with a]gebra or geomnetry, in the use of the block represented by Fig. 10, than in anry other wa.\.
Figures 11 and 12, on the next page, represent the
Terrestrial Globe, and a Hemisphere Globe, both of
which will be found to enhance the interest of the pupil
in the study of geography, and to facilitate his easy aquisition of this important branch of study. Pupils
now often study geography for months, and even for
years, learning definitions, and bounding States and Countries, without knowing for themselves the form of the Earth,
or possessinig any distinct idea of zones, latitude, longitude, etc. A good eight-inch globe, like that represented
at Fig. 11, which will cost from $6 00 to $10'00, in the
hands of a Teacher who is in any degree competent to instruct, will enable him to impart more instruction in relation to zones, latitude and longitude, day and night, the
currents of the ocean, etc., in six days, than has often been
acquired in as many months.
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HCLBRCOOK
:~RAT'U$ CO.
&d CHICA GO
-~~~~ / rY~CI~CA~o
'\j~~~
Fi. 11-Te,,estrial Globes.
Fig. 12.-Hemisphere Globe.
The Hlemisphebre Globe, represented at figutre 12, is also
an important aid iu t,he. stu4y of Geography.
The u-se of Ou-tiiLe 1)s, aud tlie p-,ctice of Mapdra-wing, il be fourtd a subre nfoaalds oLi- reidering the
kliowlelge tacquired of geogra,dphy, disitiut, correct, and
permanen3t, without which, time spent in its study is hardly
better than thrown away.
SCHOOL APPARATUS.
5r
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F g. 13.-The Ttellarian.
The Tellurian, which is represented at Fig. 137 fu.rnishes
better and clear er illustrations than can otherwise be given
of many interesting and important phenomena, among
which are the sucession of day and night; the changes of
the seasons; toe,o varying leingth of days and nights at different seasons of the year; the rising of the Sun north of
east, and its setting north of west, in the Sunmmer, antd its
rising and setting south of these points in the Winter; the
changes of the M1oon; solar and lunar eclipses; spring,
and neap tides; the later daily recurrence of the tides;
the length of days on the 3loon; the appearance of the
Earth to observers on the 3loon; the Harvest Moon; and
the difference between a solar and the siderial year. All
of these, and other phenomenl, may be explained by the
use of the Tellurian, or Season Machine, as it is sometimes
called, with a clearness and simplicity that bring themi'
within the comprehension of children.
412
CZ a
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- paratusCo.,~
.~1rNew York and
SCHOOL APPARATUS.
A!- II'
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Fig. 14.-The Orrery, or Pianetarium,
Some persons may be inclined to regard the suggestions
here given as theoretical, and even visionary, and may
wonder war the Superintendent, in an official document,
does not restrict himself to things practical. Such persons
may regard it the exclusive office of a practical education
to teach the art of increasing material riches-of gathering shining dollars. But I regard that practical which
awakens bright thoughts, which elevates the affections,
which entertains the imagination, which widens and
hightens the range of reflection, and which renders frail
mortals more appreciative and more worthy children of
our ianher in Heaven. Shall we not, tihen, regard that
practi~7 which gives a rational idea of a plurality of
worlds; vwhich teaches that many of the stars of heaven
are worlds like our own, with days, and nights, and changing seasons, and some of them several hundred times
larger than our Earth, and all of them probably inhabited
by rational and intelligent beings; which t.eaches, also,
that other stars are, like our Sun, centers to other Systems,
like our Solar System; and all, it may be, retained in their
position by one common law, which may be taught to
413
SCHOOL APPARATUS.
children; shall we not, I say, regard such teachings
practical?
Or shall we suffer our children to become men arm
women physically, though babes mentally, holding, as some
of their fathers and mothers do, the unworthy opinion
that the stars of Heaven are merely tiny lights for no useful purpose, and only occasionally visible; or that, at best,
they are eye holes through which God looks down to see
what naughty children and wicked men do; himself a great
spy, secreted behind the thick curtain of night?
I need not say, such thoughts are degrading to humanity,
and unworthy of the beneficent Father of us all. We
need, then, the Orrery, represented by Fig. 14, which will
aid us and our children in comprehending the annual revolutions of the sisterhood of planets, and the magnificent
machinery of the Solar System. This instrument, thus
becomes one of the most practical inventions of this, or of
any age. It costs $12 00 to $15 00, according to the style
of manufa(cture.
Section 23, of the Primary School Law, provides that
Districts may raise money by tax for the purchase of
globes, outline maps, and apparatus for illustrating the
principles of astronomy, natural philosophy, agricultural
chemistry, and the mechanic arts.
The Celestial Sphere represents the Earth, (a,) surrounded by the heavens, and indicates the Celestial Meridians, (d, d,) the Equator, (f,) and the Zodiac, (e.) It also
represents the poles of the heavens, which are simply the
poles of the Earth extended. The Zodiac is divided into
twelve equal parts, representing the twelve signs. Its
lower edge is marked with degrees; and on its upper edge
months and days are indicated. The axis (g,) may be inclined to any angle desired, by loosening the thumb-screw,
(c,) as represented at 2 and 3.
By means of this instrument, the real horizon of any
place on the globe may be shown; also the leigths of the
414
SCHOOL APPARATUS.
Fig. 15.-The Celestial Sphere.
days and nights on any part of the earth, and at any season. The time of the rising and setting of the sun, and
the sun's appearance at the Iol(,s, and his place in the
Ecliptic on aiiy day of the year, ma,y likewise be illustrated by it. The Celestial Sphbere may be obtained at a cost
of $8 00 to $12 00.
School offileers antd othels desir(ous of procuring any or
all1 of the article.s of Set,ool Appratus here illustrated,
will find the address of parties through whose agency the
same, and improved articles of kppjaratns generally, may
be obtained, -t the 404't, page of this volulme. They may
416
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lit J r~ffi~oyl~rX Si-~'~ t~t,, 3X1
SATTERLEE'S I'AITI.WNT INKSTANDt
4?;~ttJt >~"
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I
A NEW INVENT I O'N r-OR SO$ OOLS.
,XPLANATION.-The iron piat (a,) with a ccresv-tbrennd on its rim, is he'd seueerely ito tn
desk or table by two common screws. On: tlifs is placed tele glass font (b,) ti contain the ink. The
cap (c,) of Japanned iron, surremuds th.e getss foni:t, i,d s st,rewed or,n th' te basoe-plat, er reivei
at pleasore, by the lever (I.)
F'
aciil of Oha, t, ZT 0,
,t 413 Bro~~way, Nw \ ( I CBwEL c'
*4 " 194 Lake t)~ hQ( i FO rp
lj', C.~tW-IL,SCY
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53
SCHOOL APPARATUS.
PLASTER BLACKBOARD.
As a substitute for the painted board, paint black a portion of the plastered wall, covered with hard finish, (i. e.
plaster of Paris and sand;) or, color the wall by mnixing with
the hard finish, a sufficient quantity of lamp-black, wvet with
alcohol, at the time of putting it on. The hard finish,
colored in this way, can be put on to an old, as well as to
a new surface. Unless the lamp-black is wet with alcohol,
or sour beer, it will not mix uniformly with the hard finish;
and when dry, the surface, instead of being a uniform
black, will present a spotted appearance. The wall should
not be varnished.
The plaster blackboard is pleasanter to work upon than
the painted board. It also sh6ws the work better.
SLATE BLACKBOARD.
In the class-rooms of the American Asylum for the Deaf
and Dumb, and in all similar Institutions, where most of
the instruction is given by writing and drawings on the
blackboard, large slates about three feet wide and four
feet long, are substituted for the blackboard. They cost
from two to three dollars, and are superior to any form of
blackboard, and in a series of years prove more economical.
SHEPHERDIS PATENT SLATE GLOBE.
Drawings with the slate pencil can be made o)n this
Globe as perfectly as on any slate. It is mounted like an
ordinary globe, and is used by pupils studying Geography,
who draw on the Globe the parallels, meridians, and
countries, and write on the horizon the names sf animals,
vegetables, minerals, etc., for each zone or country. The
larger sizes are suitable for class use, while the smaller
sizes may be used by the iupils at their seats.
This Globe is manufactured by the Holbrook Apparatus
Company, in sizes from four to nine inches in diameter,
and at prices from one dollar and fifty cents to six dollars.
418
SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS.
The Primary Schools of our State should all be made
noble Asylums, to which children will cheerfully go, and
in which they will remain with pleasure. Then will their
uplifting influence upon both children and parents b)
everywhere felt. Then, and not till then, will the benefi
cent design of their establishment be fully realized.
The appurtenances to our Schoolhouses should not be
restricted to the narrowest limits possible-to a water-pa
a cup, a broom, and a chair for the Teacher-which ia
more than many Schoolhouses have hitherto been supplied
with.
In addition to all of these, every Schoolhouse should b.
furnished with the following articles:
1. An evaporating dish for the stove, where one isused_
which should be supplied with clean pure water;
2. A thermometer, by which the temperature ~of the
room may be regulated;
3. A clock, by which the time of beginningaand closing
School, and conducting all its exercises, may be governed;
4. A shovel and tongs;
5. An ash-pail and an ash-house. For want of theses
much filth is frequently suffered to accumulate in and
about the Schoolhouse, and not unfrequently the house
itself takes fire and burns down;
6. A wood-house, well supplied with seasoned wood;
7. A well, with provisions not only for drinking, but,for.
the cleanliness of pupils;
S2C H(-OL ARi.kA\GEMIENTs.
8. Anld lBt, tloug,h i,)t least, th3 ample Stho,) yard, of
which we have heietcf re spoken, lshould, in the rear of
the building, be divided b'y a high and close fence. One
portion of it, appropriatey fi-tted up, should be assigned
exclusively for the use of boys, and the other for girls.
Over this entire arraDgement the most perfect neatness,
seclusion, order and propriety should be enforced, and
everything calculated to defile the mind, or wound the
delicacy or the modesty of the most sensitive, should
receive attention in private, and be made a matter of
parental advice and co-operation.
CONFINEMENT OF SMALL CHILDREN.
Small children, whether at home or in the School, should
have short lessons assigned them, and they should be encouraged and stimulated by all suitable means to get them
well. Among other things they should learn to "sit stil."
But here, more especially, "their lessons should be shori:l
Children are young animals as well as immortal beings;
and if we would look properly to the promotion of their
highest and most enduring good, we must see well to it
that we do not overlook or disregard the laws that govern
their animal natures.
The lambs of the flock, and the young of animals generally, delight to skip and pla, anr(t betimes to rest their
weary limbs, and take food and repose.
The same law applies to children. who are but young
human animals. They need, however, like the lambs that
gambol aboi't, the green pasture, both protection and
restraint. Proper regard for this organic law requires that
the smaller children in School be allowed a recess as often,
at least, as once an hour; and that all be allowed and encouraged frequently to change their position.
I fully concur in the opinion expressed by Dr. Caldwell,
whoesays, "It would be infinitely wiser and better to employ suitable persons to superintend the exercises and
420
SCHOOL ARRA NGEMENTS.
amusements of children under seven years of arge, it the
fields, orchards, and mieadows, and point out to thtem the
richer beauties of nature, than to laive tem iln-mmured in
crowded School-rooms, in a state Cf i-nctio), p)ring over
torn books and primers, connirtg words of wihose irleaning
they are ignorant, anid lireathing foul ir.
A change of position calls into action a di,Tre]nt set of
muscles, and relieves those that are exhausted. Tte ob)ject
of exercise is to employ al the muscles of the )body, and
especially to strengthen tlose that are weak. It ought
hence to be frequently varied, and always adapted to the
peculiarities of individuals. And especially is this true in
childhood and early youth.
EXERCISE AND EXPERIMENT ROOM FOR CHILDREN.
A good and substantial room, well fitted up, and properly
warmed in cold weather, in which children may conduct
their sports, under the supervision of a teacher or monitor,
is of the utmost importance; and especially is this true of
all Schools for small children. Such a room is, indeed, for
these, hardly less important than the School-room. It
should be supplied with various kinds of ingenious appliances, and such as are calculated to interest and instruct
children, and to promote the development of their physical
organizations. Among these should be included See-saws,
weights and measures of various kinds, etc., etc. These
are important for both boys and girls; but, as they are
uncommon, it may be well to suggest the proper mode of
using them, and the benefits to be derived therefrom.
The benefits that would result to the health of children,
from the introduction and use of the See-saw, under proper
regulations, are not all of the advantages it would confer.
The See-saw, when employed by children, under proper
supervision, is a means of imparting intellectual, social,
and moral instruction.
For this-purpose a good, smooth, strong plank should be
421
t
SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS.
well hung and properly balanced. The distance from the
flcrum or point of support should be accurately graduated, and marked in feet and inches. Then, knowing the
weight of one scholar, the weights of all the others may
be ascertained by their relative distances from the fulcrum
when they exactly balance.
These interesting experiments may be tried by any child
as soon as he understands the ground rules of arithmetic,
and the simple fact that, for two children to balance, the
product of the weight of one multiplied into his distance
from the fulcrum will exactly equal the product of the
weight of the other into his distance from the fulcrum.
Such simple experiments, when mingled with sports,
and made interesting to young children, serve the double
purpose of attaching them to the School, and of fixing in
their minds the habit of observation and experiment, and
of understanding the why and wherefore, which will be of
incalculable service to them all the way through life.
Weights and Measures serve the same general purpose,
and may be rendered well-nigh as useful as slates and
black-boards. Thousands of children recite every year
the table, "Four gills make a pint, two pints make a quart,
four quarts make a gallon," etc., month in and month out,
without acquiring any distinct idea of what constitutes a
gill or a quart; and even without knowing which of
the two is the greater. But let these measures be once
introduced into the experimental play-room, and let the
child, under the supervision of the Teacher or Monitor,
actually see that four gills make a pint, etc., and he will
lern the table with ten-fold greater pleasure than he otherwise would, and in one-tenth the time.
The same general remark will apply to the other tables
Of weight and measure, to experimental philosophy, and to
nearly every branch of study pursued in the Common
Schools of our country.
During these exercises, it is apparant that while the
422
SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS.
physical and intellectual natures of the child are undergoing appropriate development and growth, its social and
moral natures wvill be best cared for. And especially will
this be true, when the Teacher employed is an amiable and
accomplished female, whom children will soon learn to regard as, next to their own mothers, the best and most
beautiful of Earth.
THE TEACHINGS OF SCHOOLHOUSES.
Cicero somewhere observes that the face of a man will
be tinge'dc by the sun, for whatever purpose he walks
abroad; so, by daily associations, the minds of all persons
a,-e influenced, and their characters permanently affected,
by scenes with which they are familiar; and especially
is this true during the impressive periods of childhood and
youth.
Many persons seem to think that Schoolmasters and
Sohoolmistresses do all the teaching in our Schools. But
it is not so. Fellow-students, neighbors, and citizens teach
by precept and by example; and especially do Sch7ool7ouses teach. And oh! what lessons of degradation, pollution, and ruin they sometimes impart I as he cannot fail
to be convinced who has extensively observed their actual
condition through the country.
I remember to have seen the fond parent accompany his
lovely child of four summers to the School the first day of
its attendance. The child had seen pictures of Schoolhouses in books. Pictures, if not always pretty, usually
please children. It was so in this case. The child, anxious to go to School, talked of the Schoolhouse on the waty.
There arrived, the parent passed his innocent little one
into the care of the teacher, with a few remarks, and was
about to retire, when the child, clinging to him, said, pathetically and energetically, "Pa! pa!! I don't want to
stay in this ugly old house; I am afraid it will fall down
on me; I want to go home to our own pretty parlor."
423
SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS.
But the parent, breaking away from his child, leaves it
in tears, with a sad heart. How cruel to do such violence
to the tender feelings of in.nocent childreIn! And how
baneful the influence! The S,chool., instead of being a
comfortable, pleasant, and (deligltful place, as it should be,
is to the child positively offensive, and the SchoolLouse a
dreary prison. "Just as the twig is benit, the trce''s inclined." The child learns to hate School, to hate instruction, and all that is good. He soon becomes the practiced
truant. In a few years he arrives.at manhood; but, instead of being a blessing to his fmily ant a useful member
of society, he too frequently drags out a wretched life, in
ignorance and penury, dividing it between the poor-house
and jail, and terminating it, peradventure, upon thb gallows.
It needs the pen of a ready writer duly to portray the
influence of neglected Schoolhouses. Parents seem to
have forgotten that, while men sleep, the enemy comes and
sows tares; that if good Schoolhouses do not elevat, neglected ones will pollute their children.
424
SCHOOL AND LIBRARY BOOKS
Recomnmenzded by thze Superinte;dent of Public IZ,struceion., a&s
,guitable.'or use in Pritar,'y Sch:,)ol,, for Tea7?
ers, and for Tow,zs.hip L,ibraries.
The Statutes make it the duty of the Superintendent of
Public Instruction, in printing the School Laws, with
Forms, Regulations and Instructions for conducting proceedings under them, to append thereto a list of such
books as he shall think best adapted to the use of Primary
schools, and a list of b6oks suitable for Township Libraries, with such rules as he may think proper for the government of such Libraries.
The present Superintendent, in printing an edition of
the School Laws in 1847, appended thereto such a list of
books, and rules for the government of Libraries. A
like service was performed by his successor, in 1852.
This delicate and important duty is now again.undertaken.
It is to be borne in mind, however, that this action is only
recommendatory. But in order to increase the value of
the list of books here given, the Superintendent has conferred freely with many competent Teachers, and, so far
as practicable, has aimed to present a list that should
reflect their preferences.
There is a great variety of books in use in the Schools
of nearly every Township in the State. This variety
causes an unnecessary expense to Parents, and is a perplexity to Teachers, preventing, as it too frequently does,
a proper classification of Scholars; it is hence an impediment in the improvement of our Schools, which should be
54
A
SOHOOL BOOKS.
removed as early as practicable. It is NOT gece8ssary to
the removal of the difficulty, that the same series of books
should be uLsed throughout the State. This, indeed, would
be impracticable, if desirable. It might be wvell, however,
for all the Schools of a Township, to use a uniform series
of books; and especially is it essential that a ~21forvm series
of books be -u.sed in every School District.
In arranging the following list of books. the Superintendent has embraced none but what, so far as he has been
able to examine, he thinks well of; and none but what
have received the cordial recommendation of reputable
Teachers who have used them. When a special partiality
is entertained, it is indicated in the connection. This list
may bring to the knowledge of young Teachers, and of
inexperienced School officers, books with which they have
not been familiar. If, then, those they have been accustomed to use have been unsatisfactory, it will afford them
a better opportunity of making a selection with which
they may rest satisfied. When any of the books here
named are in general use in the Schools of a Township, the
Superintendent would not recommend a change. But
when there is not a uniformity, he would advise that a
series be selected and recommended for general use;
either,
1. By a County Educational Society, after being first
examined and recommended by a committee appointed for
that purpose; or, if this is not done,
2. By a Township Educational Society, where one exists,
after being examined and recommended as above; or
finally, if neither of the preceding methods is adopted,
3. By the several School Districts in district meeting
assembled. Districts have, sometimes, at a regular meeting, called for that purpose, appointed a Committee to
report a List of Books for use in their Schools. At an adjourned meeting they have heard the report of the committee, and adopted it. with or without modification, and
426
SOHOOL BOOKS.
passed a resolution to continue the use of the books then
adopted, until they should be changed by a regular meeting of the District, called for that purpose.
Anv committee, by examining the following list of books,
and by considering vwhat are in use in their Schools, can
arrive at the recommendation of the Superintendent in
their particular case.
Rules recommended for the government of Township
Libraries, may bIe found in Note K, of this volume, pp.
266 to 269.
1.-Spellers cband De r,jte, etc.
Sanders' Speller, Definer, and Analyzer;
Town's Spelling and Defining Books;
Webster's Elementary Spelling Book;
McGuffey's Eclectic Spelling Book;
Hiazen's Speller and Definer;
McElligott's Young Analyzer and Analytical Manual;
Lymi's Class Book of Etymology;
Town's Analysis of the English Language.
2.-Readinig Books.
Sanders' Series of School Readers;
Town's Series of School Readers;
Webb's Word MIethod and Normal Readers;
McGuffey's Eclectic Series of School Readers;
Fowle's Dialogues-Sweet's Elocution;
Lovell's Speaakers, and School Dialogues;
The National Series of School Readers;
Magathlin's National Speaker:
Porter's Rhetorical Reader;
Comstock's Phonetic Reader, Speaker, and Elocution;
Clagget's Elocution Made Easy;
Howe's Practical Elocutionist;
Russell's and Goldbury's Series of School Readers;
The Child's Guide-Intelligent Reader;
The Village School Reader.
427
SOHOOL BOOKS.
3.-Arithmetics.
Thomson's Mental, Practical, and Higher Aritbmetic~
[Ten years ago, the writer, after a critical examinat[on
of this Series of Arithmetics, expressed the ot);i)ioR tlat
ini p,)int of excellence it was superior to any otiher c:
with which he was acniuainti.c, wvhich opiioli c. lIt
holds.]
Davies' Elemnentary and University Arithmetic8;
Tracy's Series of Arithmetics;
Perkins's Elementary and Higher Arithmetics;
Greenleaf's Series of Arithmetics;
Robinson's Arithmetical Series;
Stoddard's Intellectual and Written Arithmetics;
Adams's, Emerson's, Ray's, and Smith's Arithmetics.
4.- Geographies.
Cornell's Geographical Series;
Colton and Fitch's Geographical Series;
Monteith and McNally's Geg,raphical Series;
Mitchell's, 1Oney's., aud Smith's Geographies.
5.- -Grammiar and Composition.
Welch's Anralysis of the Engil ii Sentence;
Sill's, Goold Brown's, and Tower's. Grammars;
Wells's [W. H.] School Grammar;
[Ten years ago, after a careful examination (of t —tis wlih
the writer expressed the opinion that it wvas-' the best
School Grammar with which he was acquainted,~wic;
opinion he has not had occasion to change.]
Kirkham's Grammar-Pierce's Grammar;
Frost's Easy Exercises in English Composition;
Parker's Progressive Exercises in English Composition;
Parker's Aids to English Composition;
Tower and Tweed's Grammar of Composition;
Wilson's Elements of Punctuation;
Knighton's Young Composer;
428
A
SCHOOL BOOKS.
Brookfield's First Book in Composition;
CQonilo(iti(n and Rhetoric, by Quackenbos;
Knigito' Etymological SLchiool Grammar.
6.-Philosophies.
First Lessons in Natural Philosophy, by Miss Swift;
Silliman's First Principles of Philosophy;
Olmsted's Rudiments of Nat. Philosophy and Astronomy;
Smith and Coffin's Natural Philosophies;
[The, last three works named are interspersed with practical questions, involving the fundamental principles of the
science, which very much enhances their value.]
Johnston's, Comstock's, and Wells' Philosolphies.
7.-Physical Geograph7ies.
]litch's Outlines of Physical Geography;
Somerville'a Physical Geography;
Warren's Physical Geography.
8. —Book-keeping.
Palmer's, Preston's, Jones', and Fulton A Eastman's;
Winchester's, Northend's, and Crittenden's Book-keeping;
Coehran's Agricultural Book-keeping, with Blanks for
keeping Field Accounts;
[A pioneer and valuable work in its department.]
Mayhew's Book-keeping, by Single and Double Entry,
with;Examples for Practice;
[This work is especially adapted to District Schools. In
its use, the pupil improves his knowledge of Arithmetic
and Penmanship, while learning Accoun.ts. It has been
ten,times as extensively used in the Public Schools of the
City of New York, as any other book, and has been the
only Book-keeping, authorized in the Public Schools of
Brook'i.n, and several other cities.]
9.-Chemistries.
Johnston's Catechism of Agricultural Chemistry and
Geology:i
420
SCHOOL BOOKS.
[This work, by its brevity and simplicity, is admirably
adapted to the capacity of children; and when illustrated
by cheap and simple experiments, as the author recommends, it cannot fail to make a lasting impression on the
juvenile mind.]
Wells's Chemistry-cien ce of Common Things;
Youmans' Class Book of Chemistry;
Silliman's First Principles of Chemistry;
Beck's, Johnson's, Phelps', and Comstock's Chemistries.
10.-Physiologies.
Primary Lessons in Physiology, by Mrs. Jane Taylor;
Griscom's First Lessons in Physiology;
[This work, to which are added brief rules of health, is
worthy of a place in every Common School in our land,
and should be introduced where a more extensive treatise
is not already in use.]
The House I Live in, by Dr. W. A. Alcott;
[This deservedly popular Treatise on Physiology, has
already been productive of incalculable good.]
Cutter's Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene;
Comstock's, Lee's, and Loomis' Physiologies;
Bushnan's Animal and Vegetable Physiology;
Goadby's Vegetable and Animal Physiology;
[This admirable work is by Dr. Goadby, Professor of
Vegetable and Animal Physiology, and Entomology, in the
Michigan Agricultural College.]
11. —4Algebras.
Tower's Intellectual Algebra;
Thomson's, Davies', Perkins', Robinson's, Greenleafs,
and Stoddard & I Henkle's Algebras.
12.-Drawing Boo8s.
Drawing Exercises on Slates for Young Children;
Coe's Drawing Cards, including Lessons in Landscape,
Heads, Animals and Figures;
480
SCHOOL BOOKS.
Easy Lessons in Drawing, by F. W. Otis;
Ruskin's Elements of Drawing;
Chapman's American Drawing Book;
Schuster's Drawing Cards and Books.
13.-Botanies.
Phelps's Botany for Beginners;
Comstock's Young Botanist;
Gray's Botanical Series, in six books;
Green & Congdon's Class Book of Botany;
Torry & Gray's Flora of North America;
Botany of the U.S. Exploring Expedition.
14.-Singing Books.
Bradbury's Singing Bird, for Schools;
Bascom.'s School Harp-The' Musical A, B, C;
Greene's School Melodies —Musical Boquet;
The School Singer, by Bradbury and Sanders;
The Juvenile Choir, by George Kingsley;
The Primary School Song Book, by Mason & Webb,;
The Song Book of the School Room, by Mason & Webb;
The Singer's First and Second Books, by J. & H. Bird;
Edson's Vocal Guide-Pease's Philosophy of Music.
15.-A8stronomies.
Mattison's Elementary and High School Astronomieo
accompanied by sixteen colored Maps-one set of Maps
for a School;
Abbott's Young Astronomer;
Smith's Astronomy;
Olmsted's School Astronomy;
Norton's Natural Philosophy and Astronomy;
Norton's Astronomy, for Colleges and Seminaries;
Bouvier's Familiar Astronomy;
Burritt's Geography of the Heavens.
16.-Science of Government.
Shurtleff's Governmental Instructor;
Sheppard's Constitutional Text-book;
431
SCHOOL BOOKS.
St. Leonard's Book on Property Law;
Montesquieu's Sp-it of Laws;
The Constitution of the United States of America, with
an Alphabetical Analysis; the Declaration of Independence; the prominent political acts of George Washington; electoral votes for all the Presidents and Vice Presi
dents; the Hligh Authorities and Civil Officers of Government, from March 4,1789, to March 3,1847; ChronologiW
Narrative of the several States; and other interesting
matter, with a descriptive account of the State Papers,
Public Documents, and other sources of Political and Statistical Information, at the Seat of Government: by W.
Hickey, Philadelphia; T. C. & P. G. Collins;
[TLhis work wras first prepared and published under a
resolution of the Senate of the United States, passed February 18, 1847.]
Wedgwood's Revised Statutes of the United States;
Young's Science of Goerni-nment;
Story on the Constitution of the United States.
17.-Natural History.
Frostyl Class Book of Nature, for Schools;
Ruschenberger's First Books of Natural History;
Bigland's Natural History of Animals;
Goldsmith's Natural History, abridged for Schools,;
Haskell's and Ackerman's Natural Histories.
18.-School Histories.
Willson's Historical Series, 6 Books;
Willard's Historical Series, 3 Books;
Robbins's, Goodrich's, and Bloss's Histories;
Monteith's, and Quackenbos's History of the U. 8S
Whelpley's Compend of Universal History.
19.-Bhetoric and Bellelettres.
Mills' Outlines of Rhetoric and Belleslettres;
Shawl Outlines of English Literature;
432
SCHOOL BOOKS.
Cleveland's Compendium of English Literature;
English Literature of the 19th Century;.,
Compendium of American Literature
Beauties of Ruskin, by Mrs. L. C. Tathill;
Harrison on the English Language;
Milton's Paradise Lost;
Young's Night Thoughts;
Pollok's Course of Time;
Thomson's Seasons and Cowper's Poems, with Notes by
J. R. Boyd;
Philosophy of Sir William Hamilton, by 0. W. Wight;
Boyd's Elements of Rhetoric and Literary Criticism;
Kame's Elements of Criticism;
The Study of Words, by R. C. Trench, B. D.;
The English Language, by R. C. Trench.
20.-Miscellaneoup.
Dymond's Essays on Morality;
Abercrombie's Intellectual and Moral Science;,
True's Elements of Logic;
Winchester's and Root's Penmanship;
Payson's, Dutton's and Scribuer's Penmanship.
21. —Apparatis.
Cornell's improved Terrestrial Globe, accompanied with
a small book showing the manner of using it;
[The price of this ingenious article, secured to the inventor by patent, is $3 00. By it a great variety of interesting and useful problems, relating to the changes of the
seasons, the lengthening and shortening of the days and
nights, etc., etc., may be readily solved.]
Holbrook's School Apparatus;
[The set embraces a Numerical Frame, a Drawing Slate
for children; Geometrical Solids; A Cube Root Block;
Terrestrial and Hemisphere Globes; The Tellurian, or
Seasons Machine; The Orrery, or Planetarium; The Celestial Sphere; A Slate Globe, etc., all of which, except the
55)
4,33
SCHOOL BOOKS.
last, are illustrated at the 404th to 413th pp. of this-volume, where the address of manufacturers is given. Sets,
less or more complete, may be had for five dollars to thirty-five dollars. Particulars may be learned of parties
whose address is given at the 404th page of this volume.]
Mitchell's Outline Maps, one Set for a School;
[These Maps are an invaluable auxiliary in the study of
Geography. There are twenty-four large Maps in the
series, varying in surface from six to twenty-four square
feet. The entire Set, put up in a portfolio may be obtain ed for fifteen dollars.]
Olney's Elementary Geography and Outline Mips;
[This Set contains seven Maps, varying in size from five
to ten square feet. The Set, put up in portfolio, may be
obtained for five dollars and a half. One Set of Maps is
sufficient for a School.]
Bliss's Geography, and Outline Maps;
[The Maps are eight in number, and vary iL size from
six to twelve square feet.]
Mattison's Astronomy, accompanied by sixteen colored
Maps, each thirty-six by forty.-two inches, designed to
illustrate the Mechanism of the Heavens;
[One Set of the Maps is sufficient for a School. They
are an invaluable auxiliary to the study of Astronomy.
They are put up in two styles; the best, with cloth backs,
and mounted on rollers, is sold for $20 00. The second
quality, without cloth backs, is sold for $15 00. Every
student, pursuing the study, will need a book, the price of
which is, I believe, fifty cents.]
The Normal Chart of the Elementary Sounds of the
English Language. By David P. Page, late Principal of
the New York State Normal School;
[ This Chart is about forty-two by fifty inches, and costs
about two dollars. Salem Town and C. W. Sanders have
each also prepared Charts of Elementary Sounds. One
of these Charts would constitute an important article of
434
SCHOOL BOOKS.
apparatus in any School where the English Language is
spoken.]
Willard's Chronographer of American History;
Willard's Temple of Time;
Henry's Family and School Monitor;
[The the three preceding sheets are mounted on rollers,
and contain each, about six square feet. They are adapted
to the purposes of instruction in families and Schools.]
Fulton's Chirographic Charts, accompanied by a set of
Writing Books and a Key;
[The Charts are eight in number, and each contains
about five square feet. They cannot fail to be useful in
teaching penmanship to classes.]
One Blackboard, at least, is indispensable. This should
extend, when practicable, across the entire end of the
School-room.
[For the best mode of manufacturing blackboards, see
the 418th page of this volume.]
Every School-room should be furnished with the measure
of an inch, foot, yard and rod. If there are not separate
measures provided, the distances should at least be marked
off on the edge of the blackboard. Where such measures
are provided and properly used, even young scholars obtain a better idea of distance, than adults now commonly
do.
Every School-room should be furnished with a clock, by
which all the exercises of the School should be regulated,
and a thermometer to regulate the temperature.
Counters, a numerical frame, drawing tablets, or small
slates, real measures of every kind, linear, superficial,
cubic and liquid; weights, geometrical diagrams, etc.articles which the pupil can see, touch, draw upon his
slate, and experiment with-will prove invaluable helps
in giving children a correct idea of number, form, size,
distance, weight and measurement.
The cardinal points should be accurately painted upon
436
SCHOOL BOOKS.
the ceiling, if a clear idea of them cannot be otherwise
represented. A correct understanding of them is of t he
utmost importance in teaching geography.
Apparatus sufficient for conducting so-me of tihe simple
experiments in natural philosophy and chemistry, would
do much toward creating an interest in those important
branches of study.
22.-Books and Periodical for Teachers.
The'School Teacher's Library," consisting of seven
12 mo. volumes, published by A. S. Barnes & Co., emblraees
the following works:
1. Theory and Practice of Teaching: By David P. Page,
A. M., late Principal of the New York State Normal
School.
2. The Means and Ends of Universal Education: By Ira
Mayhew, A. M., Superintendent of Public Instruction i
Michigan.
3. The Teacher and the Parent: By Charles Northernd
A. M., Superintendent of Public Schools, Danvers, Mass.
4. American Education, its Pr)inciples and Elements: By
Edward Mansfield, Author of "Political Grammar," etc.
5. American Institutions and their Infiuence: By Charles
DeTocqueville; with Notes, by Hon. John C. Spencer.
6. Logic and Utility of Mathematics, with the best methods of Instruction explained and illustrated: By Charles
Davis, L. L. D.
7. Root's School..4mwsement.
T'ebster's Quarto Dictionary; [This contains three times
the matter found in any other Dictionary compiled in this
country. This invaluable work, published by G. & C.
Merriam, Springfield, Mass., has been purchased, under a
provision of law, by half of the School Districts of the
State, and orders for it are still received almost daily. But
it should be in every Township Library, for reference, as
well as in every Schoolhouse. No private Library can be
436
LIBRARY BOOKS.
complete without it, and especially should every Teacher
possess it. It is the best Dictionary, and the most valuable workl for reference, in the English language.]
Goolc Broztn'8 Grammar of English Grammars; [the
most elaborate work on the subject ever published..]
Unconscious Influences, by Rev. IH. Vincent;
Mann's Lectures, Addresses and Reports on Education;
Three Hours' School a Day, by Wm. L. Crandal;
Crandal's Report on the Public School Policy of New
York, Published by Fowler & Wells:
Dr. R. T. Trall's Family Gymnasium;
Use and Abuse of Alcoholic Liquors, by Dr. Carpenter;
Cowdery's Moral Lessons, for Teachers and Schools;
Locke Amisden, or the Schoolmaster.
Periodical. for Teachers.
Every Teacher will find it to his advantage to read reguliarly one good periodical devoted to the interests of Education. Of the many published in the country, I note
the following:
The Michigan Journal of Education, Ann Arbor, Mich;
The Ohio Journal of Education, Columbus, Ohio;
The New York Teacher. Albany, N.Y.;
The American Journal of Education, Hlartford, Coun.
. 23.-Books for Townshdp Libraries.
Township-'Libraries are intended both for children and
adult persons, andatheir object is not only to form a correct
taste in the young, and to aid in their education, but also
to please and instruct] all -~classes of persons, and thus to
afford facilities for rendering all better and happier who
have access to them. They should, therefore, contain
'milk for babes," and those'of tender years, as well as
strong meat for maturer persons, and those who are able to
receive and digest it. We therefore deem it advisable to
place first on the list of books for Libraries such as seem
peculiarly adapted to the capacities of children.
437
LIBRARY BOOKS.
24.-Juvenile Libraries.
The Rollo Books, fourteen in number; the Lucy Books,
,ix in number; and the Jonas Books, six in numbertwenty-six in all-from the fertile pen of the Rev. Jacob
Abbot, who knows well how to write for children, are admirably adapted to a Juvenile Library. They are published, in part, at least, by Clark, Austin & Smith, of New
York. Their titles are as follows:
Bollo Books.
I. Apollo learning to Talk;
2. Rcllo learning to Read;'
3. Rolb at Work:'
4. Rollo at Play;'
5. Rollo at School:'
6. R61llo0s racation:
T. Rollo's Museum'
Lucy Booms.
L. Cousin Lucy's Stories:
2. Lucy's Conversations 2
.Z. fLI"y at Study 3 o
i Lucy at Play;
:5. Lucy on the Mountains:
6. Lucy on the Sea Shore.
This list might be very greatly extended. We add to it
uch as we are able, and such as wie think will subserve
the purpose for which these Libraries atre established.
Sedgwick's Poor Rich Man (and Rich Poor lan;
The Swiss Family Robinson,. 2 vols.;
.Natural History of Insects, 2 vols.;
Son of a Geni-us*
Uncle Phlip'js American Forest;
$Sedgwvick'sl (MiEs C M.) Live and Let tAives;
The Twvin Brother; -Lessons of C "arity
Enmbnry's (Mrs. C. E.) Picttr - oi Early Live
438
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Rollo's Experiments;
Rollo's Travels;
Rollo's Correspondence;
Rollo's Philosophy, Water;
Rollo's Philosophy, Air,;
Rollo's Philosophy, Fire;
Rollo's Philosophy, Sky.
Jonas Books.
~onas's Stories;
Jonas a Judge,
Jonas on a Farm, Winter;
Jornas on a Farm, Summer;
Caleb in Toi,wn:
Caleb in the Country.
,.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
LIBRARY BOOKS.
Taylor's (Jane) Pleasures of Taste, and other Stories;
Sedgwvick's (Miss C. M.) Means and Ends;
Barbauld's (Mrs.) Things by their Right Names;
Ellet's (Mrs. E. P.) Rambles about the Country;
The Little Commodore-the Travels of a Boy;
Our Cousins in Ohio, by Mary Howitt;
Gabriel; A Story of Wichnor Wood, by Mary Howitt;
Willard's Morals for the Young;
Cowdery's Moral Lessons, for Families and Schools;
Live and Learn: a Thousand Mistakes Corrected;
Day's History of Sandford and Merton;
One Step: to What It Will Lead;
Slim Jack, the Circus Boy;
Robert Dawson;
Jane Hudson;
Who shall be Greatest? by Mary Howitt;
Sedgwick's (Miss) Love Token;
Praise and Principle, by Miss M. J. McIntosh.
While the preceding works are generally more espe,
cially adapted to the tastes and capacities of children, so
gradual are the developments from juvenile to adult life
that many of them will be found equally interesting and
instructive to older persons. So, on the other hand, many
of the following will be eagerly sought, and profitably pe
rused, by children, as well as by adults. Indeed, there is
a large amount of reading that seems equally adapted to
persons of all ages; for while the young should become
matures as they advance in age, the'1d should always
oherish and maintain habits of thought that shall render
their associations with the young mutually endearing.
25.-Historical and Geographical.
Mry. <*he,don's History of Michigan;
aero,ines of History, by Mary lEowitt;
Frost's Pictorial Wonders of History;
History of the Bonaparte Family;
439
LIBRARY BOOKS.
McIntosh's Book of Indians; [Holy Land;
Millard's Travels in Egypt, Arabia Petr%a, and the
Balfern's Glimpses of Jesus:
Life in Israel: or, Portraitures of Human Character;
Peabody's History of the United States;
Willson's Outlines of History, Ancient and Modern;
'Willson's American History, Antiquities, etc.;
Ricord's Empire of Rome:
Knighton's Outlines of History;
Hughes' Scripture Geography and History;
Schmitz's Mlanual of Ancient History'
Schmitz's Manual of Ancient Geography'
Smyth's Lectures on Modern History, by Jared Sparks;
Incidents in American History, by J. W. Bair
Tschudi's American Antiquities, from the German;
The Ancient Hebrews, by Abram Mills;
Thirty Years' View, by Thomas H. Benton;
Kohlrausch's History of Germany;
/Russid: Translated from the French of M. DeCustino;
The Exiles of Florida, by Hon. J. R. Giddings;
Memoirs of Washington, by MIrs. C. M. Kirkland;
The Queens of England, by Francis Lancelott, 2 vols.;
Thatcher's Tales of the American Revolultion;
Lockhart's Life of Napoleon Bonaparte. 2 vols.;
Lanman's History of Michigan;
Robertson's History of America:
Ferguson's History of the Roman Republic;
Alliison's History of Europe, 4 vols., 8 vo.:
.Spark's Writings of Washington, 12 vols., 8 vo.;
" Life and Writinrgs of Washington, 1 vol.;
4' Life and Writings of Franklin. 1 vol.;
" Library of American Biography, 10 vols., 12 mo.;
Russell and Jones's Modern Europe;
Murray's Encyclopedia of Geography, 3 vols., 8 mo.;
McCullock's Universal Gazetteer;
Botta's American Revolution, 2 vols., 12 mo.;
440
LIBRARY BOOKS.
DeTocqueville's Democracy in America, 2 vols., 12 mo.;
Goldsmith's Geographical View of the World;
Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Romnai Empire;
Guizot's HiLstory of the English Revolution;
Guizot's History of Civilization in Europe;
Hammond's Political History of Newv York;
;allam's History of the Middle Ages;
Biarnet's Notes on the Northwesternl Territory.
26. Biogra,py, Tirvelsc and Explorations.
Life of Dr. E. K. Kane, ad other Explorers;
Livinigstone's Travels and Explorations in South Africa;
Life and Times of Thomas Jefferson;
Life and Times of Alexander Hamilton;
Sarahl B. Judson, by Fanny Forester
Memnoir Gf Dr. Stoddard. MIissionary to the Nestorians;
Lyells Travels in North America'
Dr. Elder's Life of Dr. E. K. Kane
Dr. E. K. Kane's Arctic Explorations
Amterican BiographicM Serles, including Lives of Capt.
John Smith, Gen. Israel Putna antd B.neciict Arnold
Biograph7 a-id historl otr Northl -ei' can TIdians
Ii of Be,jain Franklin by O. L. Holley
Life- of T~i-.' T. IHoppei. b irs. L. MA. Cthild
Thi Profress Religious Ideas, by 3Irs. L. M. Child
Silii1an's VisiLt to Enrope} 2 vols'., 12 mo.
Tr~,chdi'sQ Tr,aels inr Pet t','oni the Germani
Hlisto;r- o't Peter thle -GiLze. Lby Sarahl Bradford;
The Americans in Japani, Iby Corimnodore Perry;
Fromi Noew Yorkj to Delhi, by Robert C. Mlinturn;
Country Raambles in England;
Louis Napoleon and his Times, by H. W. DePuy;
Life of Joseph Brant, by W. L. Stone, 2 vols.;
Rambles in Iceland, by Pliny Miles;
Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Heroes of'76;
Kossuth and his Generals, by IH. W. DePuy;
56
441
LIBRARY BOOKS.
Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Dr. Chalmers;
Works of Rev. W. E. Channing, D. D., 6 vols.;
Illustrated Biography of all Nations, by C. C. Savage;
Lights and Shades of Missionary Life; or Sketches of
nine years spent in the Region of Lake Superior, by Rev.
J. H. Pitezel;
Bayard Taylor's Travels, seven 12 mo. volumes;
1. Views A-Foot; 4. Central Africt;
2. Eldorado; 5. India, China and Japan;
3. Lands of the Saracan; 6. Northern Travel;
7. Burton's Journey to Mecca anid Medina. with an Introduction by Bayard Taylor:
Irving's Life of Washington, 4 vols., 12 mo.;
Paulding's Life of Washington, 2 vols.;
Life of Washington, by M. DeWitt, with an Introduction by M. Guizot;
Isham's Mud Cabin, travels in Eingland;
Irving's Life of Columbus, 3 vols., 12 mo.
27.-A.gricultural and Horticultural Works.
Norton's Scientific and Practical Agriculture;
Text-book on Agriculture, by Dr. Davis;
The American Farmer's Encyclopedia, a complete Guide
for the Cultivation of every variety of Garden and Field
Crops, by Gouveneur Emerson, of Penn.;
Moore's Rural Hand Book, Four Series;
The Young Gardener's Assistant, by T. Bridgeman;
Stephens's Book of the Farm, by J. S. Sklinner, 2 vols.;
Sheep Husbandry, by Henry S. Randall.
The Flowver Garden, by Joseph Breck; -
Allen's Treatise on the Culture of the Grape;
Down;,::g's Fruits and Fruit Trees of America;
Downing~'s Lindley's Horticulture'
Downingz"s Ladies' Companion to the Flower Garden;
Liebig's Principles of Agricultural Chemistry;
Liebig's Animal Chemistry; [ology;
Liebig's Chemistry, applied to Agriculture and Physi
442
.JJUI,UU Z..-LvU. U-iE;- J-. —J-vJ I......
Dadd's Anatomny and Physiology of the Horse;
Allen's Americin Farn Book;
Allen's Domestic Allimals —The Stable Book;
Gueuon's Treatise on Mlilch Cows;
Youatt and Martin on Cattle;
Barrv's Fruit Garden;
Thaer, Shaw and Johnston's Principles of A-ricLlture;
Elliott's American Fruit Grower's Guide;
Browne's Field Bookl of Man'ires
History of MAorgarn IHorses;
Reemeli>'s Vine Dresser's ainal;
Sorgho a.0!- Impbhtee, (Stugr Plants;)
Wariug' Elemrets of Ag(rlulture;
Fessende's~ Com >ple te Fartmer — and Ruralt Eco,tomlist;
Thie Cr: it Cltire, by Eastwo6d l
Tli,.trg-wei -rt -a it, Culturie, by R. G. Pardee
BridpmeTn' KiTtchoe Gardner's Instructor;.
Fruit; FloNwe f (-. a Ve(etable Gardner's Com,,anion;
Chemi.ni;! IField Let, icres, by Dr. J. A. Stokiardt;
Pc(:Ir C1]ture,'r ThoiL~ts 7. Ficld
P~~tiITh- (tiuttr4JY;~~
P)nultr-.
Th,:, F,,od of'_ii;l, by Dr, R. D. Thomson;
LIBRARY BOOKS.
E>a': r" Implemens. thieir Co)nstrucetion ani Use, by J.J.
Thom.?:~ ~-
PYTra A:.tCtTlC t3 c'ompsisTug' Far}n ilonuses Cottages
and Ou't Bai~di~n~sz bv L. F. Allen'
Boul o' ault ~ Rnral. Economy, by Geolrge Law;
Sm;th a Landscaple Grdeni,g. by L F. Allen;
Hedge-s uid Evergreens, by DLr. J. A..arder;
Brownes' American Poultry Yard;
Munn1's Practical Land Drainer
Farmer-s, Cyclopedia of M3odern Agric;ultuy I- by Dr.Blake;
The Amp:sr,;-ican Gardner, by William Cobbeft~
The F:.re's9t Land Measnbrer, by Jaes Pedder
Sch'. ~ G' ard tnelr's Text Bolo
The Fri t Cu1tivator's IanaLl,1 by ThLomtas Bridgeman;
The Florist' Guide, by Thomas Bridgeman;
The Garde.n: A manual of Horticulture, Fowler & Wells;
The Farmi: A Manfaual of Agric-tlture, Fowler & Wells;
Domestic Animals: Cattle, Horse, aind Sheep Huslbandry;
Fox's T",.,xt Book of Agriculture.
2 8.- l eiscellaneois.
Thie G~een Alountain Boys, a Historical Tale;
The Rangers; or the Tory's Daughter;
.3a-y M[artin, and other Tales of the Greeni Mountains;
Recollections of the Table Talk of Samuel Rogers;
Hypatia; or New Foes with an Old Face;
Wells's, end Peterson's Familiar Science;
Yormoaes' Iand Book of Household Science;
Peace; or the Stolen Will, by May W. Janbrin;
Four Years on the Pacific Coast, by Mrs. Bates;
The Fireman, by D. P. Dana, of the Boston Fire Dep't;
Locke Amsden, or the Schoolmaster;
M -aybew's Means and Ends of UIJniversal Education;
Dr-. Dick's Philosophy of a Future State;
Christian Philosopher;
Philosophy of Religion;
444
LIBRAR'Y BOOKS.
Dr. Dick's Irnmprovemuent of Society
Mora nl mprovement of Man kintd;
Essa,y on Covetoiusie,ss
i' Celestial Scenery;
> "s Sideri:l lHeavecns
Practical Astron )ller
Solar Sor stem with ieflectioins
[These ten volum,es are wortihy of a place ill the Library of every Family and Teacher.]
Washington Irving's Works -Bracebridge Hall,l Tales of
a Traveller, Sketch Book, and others;
Theodore Irving's History of the Conquest of Florida;
Dred: A Tale of the Dismal Swamp, by Mrs. Stowe;
The Home Cyclopedia: A Library of Reference, ineluding History and Chronology, Literature and the Fine
Arts, the Useful Arts, Universal Biography, Geography,
Architecture, &c., &c.;
Illustrated Hydropathic Encyclopedia, by Dr. R. T. Trall;
Encyclopedia Americana: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature, History, Politics, and Biography, 14 vols.;
New American Cyclopedia: A Popular Dictionary of
General Knowledge, by Charles Ripley and Charles A.
Dana;
The Age of Fable, by Thomas Bulfinch;
The Constitution of 3Man, by Dr. George Combe;
Hand Books for Home Improvement, comprising Hlow to
Write, How to Talk, How to Behave, and How to Do
Business;
Things Not Generally Known: A Hanld Book of Facts
in Literature, History and Science, by D. A. Wells;
The Reason Why: many Hundreds of Reasons for
things imperfectly understood
The Family Gymnasium, by R. T. Trall, M. D.;
The Book of Useful Knowledge: 6000 Practical Receipts;
Milledulcia: A Thousand Pleasant Things;
445
LIBRARY BOOKQ.
Men Iand Times of the Revolution, by W. C. Watson;
The Old Farm and the New Farm: A Political Allegory;
True Riches-What Can Woman do?-The Way to
Prosper —Ten Nights in a Bar-room, by T. S. Arthur;
The Three Eras of a Woman's Life, by T. S. Arthur;
Buck's Religious and Entertaining Anecdotes;
Spurgeon's Gems, Brilliant Passages from the author
Ida Norman; or Trials and their Uses, by Mirs. L. Phelps;
Woman's Life and Mission, by Dr. MAonod;
Fuller and Wayland on Domestic Slavery;
Wisdom, Wit and Whims of Ancient Philosophers;
Baldwin's Representative Women of Ancient Times;
Gallery of Portraits, by George Gilfillan;
The Young Ladies' Friend, by Mirs. Farrar;
Parlor Dramas, by William B. Fowle;
Esop's Fables-Baldwin's Book of Fables;
Reminiscences of Coleridge and Southey, by J. Cottle;
The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas A. Kempis;
German Tales of H. Zschokke, by Parkle Godwin;
Thiodolf the Iceland(er, from the German;
Story of a Pocket Bible, illustrated;
Autocracy in Poland and Russia;
Twins and Heart, by Martin F. Tupper;
Knight's Half Hours with the best Authors, 4 vols;
The Age of Chivalry, by Thomas Bulfinch;
Sears's Pictures of Olden True;
Ventilation in'American Dwellings, by Dr. Reid;
Hooker's Human Physiology;
Dwight's Grecian and Roman Mythology;
Lippincott's Pronouncing Gazetteer of the World;
Colton's Atlas of the World, 2 vols.;
The British Poets, Library Edition, 50 vols.;
Humboldt's Travels and Researches;
Mackenzie's Life of Commodore Oliver HI. Perry.;
Bryant's Selections from American Poets;
Halleck's Selections from British Poets;
446
I
LIBRARY BOOKS.
Lives of Distinguished Men of Modern Times:
Dr. Nott's Counsels to Young Men;
Hienry Ward Beecher's Lectures to Young Men;
Reveries of a BTachelor, by Ik Marvel;
The Works of Geo. B. Cheever, and of MIrs. Hemans;
Poems of Longfellow, Bryant, Whittier, Willis, Sigourney;
Dana's Two Years -before the MIast, or Life at Sea;
Liebold's Manuers tnd Customs of the Japanese:
Brewster's Lives of Galileo, Kepler, and Tycho Brahe;
Lossing's Outline History of the Fine Arts;
Lossing's Pictorical Battle Fields of the Revolution:
Scott's Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft;
Moore's Power of the Soul over the Body;
Everett on Practical Education;
Potter's Science applied to the Domestic Arts;
Bits of Blarney, by Dr. R. Sheldon Mackenzie;
The Poets and Poetry of Ireland, by Dr. R. S. Mackenzie;
The Poets and Poetry of Scotland;
Wit and Wisdom of the Rev. Sydney Smith;
History of Immigration to the United States;
History of Music, by George Hogarth;
Seaman's Progress of Nations;
Works of Hion. William H. Seward, 3 vols., 8 vo.;
Baker's Life of Seward, with Selections from his Writings;.
Macauley's Speeches, 2 vols., 12 mo.;
Nature and the SupernatuLral, by Horace Bushnell, D, D.;
Peasant Life in Germany, by Anna C. Johnson;
China, Its Recollections and Superstitions, by Rev. M.
S. Culbertson;
Literary Attractions of the Bible, by L. J. Halsey D. D.
i
447
w
INDEX,
A.
UtOIL,
ALGltICULTURAL COLLEGE........................79, 159
established,.................................. 85
expenses of,.................................. 87
what it has done,.............................. 89
how to be sustained........................ 92-95
law establishing............................. 225
lands appropriated for........................ 225
terms of School in............................ 227
pupils received for not less than one term.......227
duties of President of.........................228
Secretary of........................ 229
" Treasurer of.........................229
visitors to,.................................... 230
APPORTIONMENT, of Primary School fund............. 161
statement of, to Auditor General,................. 161
when Reports are defective,.................... 162
made the next year in certain cases.............. 162
for summer and winter terms.................*169
ASYLUM, for th1e Insane,....................... 135, 159
number of Itsane............................. 136
money loaned to,...........................139
" appropriated for,.................... 140,142
partial destruction of, by fire,..................142
description of,............... 14
farm connected witb..............144
cost of, compared with others,.................152
E:glish opinion of.......................... 153
ASYLUM for thle Deaf and Blind................. 115, 159
first, in America............................117
first appropriation of lands for,in Michigan.....118
cash appropriation for,................... 121
description otf............................ 122, 123
expense of,...............................123,,128
57
INDEX.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PAG~
ASSESSO0R,)f Schoojl Disit.........................170
election or,................................. 165
term of his ofi:-e............................169
to collect moneys and make ret,urn,......... 1 71
form o?' i(-,tice tbo saJle of pr)perty.............. 292
" "4 return of wa-rant,....................293
to be summoted in suit againist District.........192
to def' nt salit against District................ 171
to give borod................................. 177
Di,tr,ct, Board to appoint, in certain cases.......178
eltain raoneys to be paid to,...................181
or Mloderator to approve of hiridg Teacher......185
to certify judgment to Supervisor,...............192
shall forfeit ten dollars for neglect, etc.,.... 193
to sign notice to unknLown owner of land......... 200
example for account of,....................282, 283
formn ot order upon, for moneys................. 295
bond to be given by,....................... 296
APPARATUS, see " School Apparatus."
B.
BOARD OF EDUCATION, election of...................212
first meeting of;..........................27, 218
relation to Normal School, see "Normal School."
a body corporate-how paid,...................217
relation to Agricultural College.......... 226-228
BOARD OF REGENTS, a body corporate................ 220
government of U,niversity vested in,........... 220
make By-laws, elect President, &c.........220, 221
may prescribe course of study.................. 221
annual Report of..............................222
may establish Branches....................... 223
meetings of................................223
BOARD OF VISITORS, to Normal Schoo............... 213
to University,..............................223
to incorporated Schools.......................234
BONDS, by Districts, for money loaned................ 205
form of, for Chairman of School Inspectors,.....297
to be given by Assessor,......................296
C.
OOUNTY CLERK, to transmit Reports to Superintendent, 189
to receive communications from Superintendent,..189
-to apportion moneys,to Townships............... 189
450
t,
INDEX.
rAA.
COUNTY TREASURER to receive School funds, &c..................... 191
to hold money in certain cases,................202
to pay on order of Circuit Court,...........202, 204
CRALLE.GE, to voters............................ 167
when challege may be made.................... 167
CENSUS, taken within certain time.................. 172
D.
DIRECTOR, election of............................ 165
his term of office,............................169
to be Clerk of District and keep records.......... 171
record of, to be evidence......................165
to hire Teacher, with consent, &c.,........... 172, 185
to defend suit in certain cases,................... 171
to estimate for fuel, &c.,.....................172
to take census and furnish same to Teacher,......172
to ascertain amount due for tuition............. 173
to make out rate bill..........................173
may, with MAoderator, extend time,.........173
to have charge of Schoolhouse, &c.........173, 178
to present account for allowance,...............174
to draw orders on Assessor...................... 174
to draw warrant on Treasurer................... 174
to require bond of Assessor................... 177
to make Report to Township Clerk.......175, 182
to make annual Report........................182
to draw books hfrom Township Library,...... 190, 253
to distribute books of District library,..........190
to -orfeit ten dollars for neglect, &c,...........193
to file acceptance of certain officers.............. 198
-to sign notice to unknown owner of land,........ 200
certificate of Court made to.....................202
with Moderator, to execute bonds,................205
may file acceptance with himself............... 240
form of his contract with Teacher............. 294
certificate to, relative to site...............30
annual Report.......................... 304
DISTRICT BOARD.................................. 175
when to determine time School to be taught,......169
may purchase books, and exempt from tuition,....176
to buy or hire site for Schoolhouse,..............176
to apply School moneys....................... 177
to report to annual meeting...................177
to have custody of District property,............. 178
to fill vacancies,............... I........... 178
4.*!J
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louE- oz CORr-~TlOX,.................I........... 97
p-b1ic action u pon,...,..................102-104
location and plan of,............................ 105
admitlaDce sought t o..........................11
exr?,!) o;l.......................... 105, 112
I.
iNTERE ET,Of Priniary Scl.ool Fund,.................. 14
deficiency in........1 r16, 19,; 41, 54
JXbNE, See'ASylumi for Insain."
'I[tCORPORATED INSTITUTIIONS OF LEARNINlG ho9(w i or -po~rte d................... *..231
op,v' L, o.......................... 232- 2 34
uoJbJet to vsita tio,,......................... 234
lhnds of; how (applied,..........................234
Truistees t rei,)ort to Sup't of Public Ins't'n,.23., 236
i} i. *Sit; of Trustees,.... v235
existing I stittikors ulay become incorporated,...235
',ric t,, tL' oif pow,....... t....2368
J.
J u; or- fix compen,ation for site.,...................199
dtr.in necessity for taking land.............. 201
-.qev, m- y be suimmoned if di,..g'ree............. 203
comipesation to,............................ 205
L.
IfRAuY, general law fo r,......................2 2 07
District Library......................190, 269
INDEX.
LIBRARY, Township Library..................159, 189
Inspectors to appropriate money to.............. 180
monies collected for, upon Treasurer's bond,.....179
Township Clerk to be Librarian,................. 187
twenty-five dollars of mill tax for...............188
books drawn by Director, quarterly........174, 190
fines, &c., applied to........................... 190
damage to books of,..............................191
how books drawn if District is divided,........... 252
School Inspectors may suspend certain law,.....197
notes upon,................... 257,262-269
Library and School books,............... 425-447
Spellers and Definers..........................427
Reading Books............................... 427
Arithmetics - Geographies,..................... 428
Grammar and Composition,....................428
Philosophies-Physical Geographies........... 429
Book-keeping-Chemistries,...................429
Physiologies —Algebras-Drawing Books........430
Botanies-Singing Books.......................431
Astronomies —Science of Government,............431
Natural History-School Histories............... 432
Rhetoric and Belleslettres,..................... 432
Miscellaneous, School —Apparatus............. 483
Books and Periodicals for Teachers............ 486
Books for Township Libraries................. 437
Juvenile Books............................... 438
Historical and Geographical.................. 439
Biography, Travels, and Explorations,...........441
Agricultural and Horticultural,...............442
Miscellaneous................................ 444
LYCEUIIS, general law for organizing,................. 208
M.
MAP, of School Districts....................... 187, 284
MEETIN'G, number Inspectors may hold,.............184
of Board of Education,..................... 27, 218
of friends of University at Detroit............ 65, 72
of Board of Regents........................ 228
Religiouls meetings..........................274
(see "School IMeeting.")
MIcHIAG-A, territory organized...................... 1
an Agricultural State,......................... 79
MILL TAX,............................188, 259, 260
454
]PAL~;,
i0'3ODERATOR, of School Distrct,,......A..1 i70
election of,..................................165
te.m of office,..............-69
to sign wa-rranit to colleet rt e ill,........ 73 290
to make rep-airs................................ 173
Assessor's bond lodged with,......... 177
with Director to require bonl of Ase r..........177
with Director iiiy' extetnd time (orl rat;ll.I 173, 295
with Director to execute bonds of' D:.t......205
shall forfeit ten dolIars for -neglect., C..........193:
N.
NORMAL SCH0OOL.................................. 2O
establishment of.............................. 26
location of................................... 27
appropriations for,.......................... 26-29
endowment fund of.......................... 29
receipts and expenditures of................... 29
consolidated laws of,.........................211
design of.....................................211
under direction of Board of Education......... 211
diplomas granted by,............................ 218
NoTICE, taxable inhabitant to serve............. 164, 255
return of, by taxable inhabitant,................. 164
of Sup't of Public Ins't'n to Co. Clerk,.....161, 284
new, on failure to organize District,..........165
of District, meetings,...........................166
meeting not illegal for want of............ 166, 241
of sale by Assessor....................... 171, 173
to furnish felJ, &c..............................172
Director to give notice of meetings,...............174
ot metetinrigs of Inspectors,.................183, 278
of mraeetings to alter Districts,..................184
of Co. Treasurer, of School moneys apportioned,..191
penalty for neglect to serve notice............... 193
to ow-vner -; f certain land....................... 199
when owner of land is unknown,................20(1
to org'anize Libraries,.......................... 207
of Teachers' Associations....................... 2C9
to be given( of opening Normal School,.........213
of tie to (raw b13oos from Librarry...........268
form of; to ta,xAble inhabitant,................. 287
for first mneetiing of District................ 281
endorsement, rpon notice by taxable inhabi tant................................. 288
. 4
'I . , ) 7
-11
1IN)E X.
INDEX.
PAGE.
NOTICE, form for anjnual meetings of District,........ 289
for special " "................290
for Assessor' sae,.........................292
for meeting of Inspectors to examine TeacLers,300
0.
OATH, for voters at School meetings,.... I......... 167
false, declared perjuary,.......................167
OFFICERs, may be removed by Townsbip Boards,.....194
compensation of,........................... 205
P
PENALTY, for dist.rbing School meetings,......... 170
for making false oath......................... 167
for neglecting to serve notice,................. 193
for e3eg'ect ot' District Officers,.................193
School Iutspe'ctors......................193
Township Clerk...........................194
County Clerk,............................194
Supervisor,...........................196
PRIMARY S-hOOLS, and their funds,.................. 1
laws relatiog t),..............................164
income of fund to be apportioned to,............161
rates of apportionment, whien report defective...162
interest on fund, how computed................ 162
PRJMARY SCHOOL SYsTrM, original design............ 311
the main difficulty in............................313
a better, lfor populous settlemerits..............319
:vhat cities ai'd vllag,Ces sthouIld do.............320
what is beinig done.........................321
what may be done in the country.............. 323
philoso1lhicatl view,..........................325
excha,iige oi' schol.:rs............................ 327
prepacir rty dlepat.t.........................331
buildings utid appendas....................... 333
RATE BILL, certain expeses met by..............168
warra.nt for collection of, signed by AModerator,.. 170
colletio)n of, by (distir, cs.......................170
unfurnished fuel nluded iL..................172
Director to make out, with warrant................ 173
contents of warrant.....................173
renewal of warrant to collect..................173
for graduated tuition,.....................196
466
R.
1852, 1...... _
fre2,......................................... 157
freog,...w*...,...... 157
otrs to lete nmie length cf............... 169
to be visited by I.)ecto,.......... 180, 254
ta?x Districts y ra or....................196
who may attend,.............................271
in the country...........................323
$C,0OOL APPARxTUS,...............................3..403
NuLmeral- Freti.............................. 05
Holbroolk's D awin' Slaate,,. t06
iulo1eroo p D1;......................4()(
Cubes....... 407
Cone, Pyra i d(, Pri'ms, &c.,.....-....408
Carpen1ters Tsieoirem,................9.........49
C rbe-rO(-t block,.............,..410
C3!obes...........................4.. 411
TelOin r1.....................................413
Or reo r y,.....................413
:c0At t2.tSLtgZ...................................415
?bOO iAospiAio. Ci~:NtS,...........................417
,~,_~:'~~.. t lb,..................418
~OHOOL A~~ns~G'.~:~,mN~S,."419
Confilnemieit of;mf2.1 chlLdreD,.................. 420
Exei- cise and experiment room,.................421
C:oSfL A...C.I..EC ifT'.' " * *..n 339
CloloT" BooKSi, "ibrcr.
I,HOOL DITRICT, organizaqtion] of;............164, 179
corporate powers of.......................... 165
when presumed to be legally organized,..166, 198, 239
58
IFDEX.
SCHOOL DISTRICT, certain persons may e attached t1'.. I79
disposal of property in forminif n1'e,,.......... 1 80. 250
suit against, howv cominoeit-1 1d...................... 92
no execution to isse.1............... 92
jcdgimenrt against, hovw cot(................. 202
uLstices of the Peace to'lv\l':..illr -i,ctic.:,......... 192
provis;io- for UJ-on....184
officers of................... 169
fund of, Ahen in. twvo,..195
title of l,nd vested i.n......................... 203
alteration of.................................. 49
restriction ii chiangii,g (boundaries of',............204
mray borrow money in certain cases.........204
niav vote tax 1tor loan in certain cases...........205
law,s and forms to be print,ed for...............11
to take possession of ite.......................203
what may be done at fir..etin,..... of 239
when organizatioi is lost......................244
how re-organized,............................ 244
fractional.............................. 182, 195
notes on fractional,................ 255-258, 2'1. 305
SCHOOL FUNDS, froml SchI1Oo lands,................. t7, 19
deficiency in...............................1.19
from certain sources............................ 20
expended in 1857.............................. 13
benefit of............................ 21
Cornstitutional provisions relating to,............. 157
dra.-wn upon order of Director................... 174
Assessor to give bond for.......................177
Board to apply and report upon,................177
apportionment of........................161,252
interest of, to be distribuLted,.......181, 186, 191,519
payable to Co. Treas., on Anud. General's warrant.. 191
how apportioned to District in two towns....... 195
noteis on............................170, 280..2(&-.283
SCHOOL FURNITUR,E..
Ch,as's single Desk and C'f ir.................
doubie Desk..............................388
griammar Desk...........................389
hgci S'cfhool double Desk and Chirs........388
ieacher~s Desks,................9
New Yor'c rniarv Sh -oDesk ad Chairs,....39
Ink-vwell,....................................389
Single gr,imma-r Desk and Chairs,................391t
New York Pub'ic School Desk and Chairs........9. 9
458
INDEX.
PA04
SCHOOL FURNITURE, Double Desk, with falls and Chairs,.392
Plans of Seats,..............................393
Usher's Desk................................. 394
Teacher's Desk,......................... 394, 395
Excelsior Ladies' College Desk.................. 395
iRloss's Union Primary School Desks and Chairs,.. 396
glrammar School Desks and Chairs........... 397
ink-wells, and portable Desk................ 298
Teachers' Desks....................... 399, 400
Hartford School Desk......................... 416
SCHOOLHOUSES, limitation of tax for,..................168
tax for repairs of.............................168
voters to designate site of;......................198
when Inspectors to determine site of,..L...167
when District Board to fix site of,...............198
District Board to hire or purchase site of,........ 176
compensation for site of,.....................199
notes on-preliminary remarks,...............237
amount that may be raised for,................. 241
religious meetings in......................... 247
repairs of; &c.,........................... 173, 248
location of................................. 339
size of-philosophy of respiration,........... 341, 350
ventilation of.................................349
size and construction of........................ 350
country,...................................... 351
in cities and villages,........................... 352
plans fobr,................................. 354-367
and their appendages,..........................333-337
SCHOOL INSPECTORS, Township Board of,.............178
Chairman to be Treasurer......................179
to give bond,.............................179
bond of Chairman filed with Township Clerk,....179
Board of, to form School Districts,...........164, 179
Clerk to sue bond and pay money to Library,.....179
restricted in altering boundaries................. 185
when to establish site.....................167
may attach persons living out of District....... 179
to receive tld appropriate Library money,... 180, 265
one of' to visit Schools.................... 180, 254
to dii3de what is due i'ew District, in division,....180
to make statement to Township Treasurer,.......197
to report to Township Clerk,..................181
to examine Teachers' record..................181
in forming Districts from two or more townships,..182
459
<)Ot:E-lifictjt t,, T 01.....299
..................... 300
agntia! iReport to County Clerk........... 306
$OH0OOL LANJ)~ ~,rmltedT Ly Congress,'1
a mouVL Lt, os,.................................... 19
law fo sd: tf, in.I8.............. $
relief to prhaeof......................... 5
areuoit I Ioof sl es....f.............................. 14
receipts upon, nn, CQoud~id ior.'.-....16-19
C0P0oL LAws of 1827........................ 2
,-,' io brc...16 4
2.forri.8 oi rlee(sli0be..........................61
and,,/r:,s to buer:pri.l16,te6,............1961
notes tp,,-................................. 237
foris 0~ procreed.!s ude,4*. 287
. hSC,HOOL _'i:l 9.........................1661 6
p~o entiecs to.16169, 196
power of voters i tcl iAll.................. 166, 242
n otice of.............16
weni not ilegaIl...........................6, 241
1o ro lerv~ ] )~t~'0 O; i i1t!gf. 193b*l*s***@*vP*ze )X24
who ertitl d to vo le at......... 1o.66, 197, 240
ot~ers at, ma,ry be challen.ed,........167
may adjourn.................................167
p- enalty+v for disturbl-ig,..........................170
fo) r-not servi~n- ti::e of;......e........... 193
9ir;et Cie o; *e* **....................**....*.*.171
to give ntj +"ice, of.......................... 174
-ice-rs of,................................... 169
form of notice for first......................... 288
notice for annual,..2.4.r......28 9
SINDE.
CHOOL MEETING, form of notice for special,..... 290
form of request for special,.....................289
SCHOOL MONEYS. ec "School Fnads."
SCHOOL NIMONTI, aid School-d ty,.................. 242-244
SCHOOL PROPERTY, S~ sal f.................... 169
division of.................................. 249
SUPERVISOR, to asses5 a certai-n tax,..................181
to isess miill tax, and other ta xes............. 188
to certify to Tow"nship Tfeasurer,...............188
liability bir 10r t;%~.-.i. m il -,x, 19~
to ilake, tat( me: t to T,)Nst.Y ~Lipi Treastrerr.......197
S-PERc1TENDE"ST C't Public Instruction.., 158
duti of........................... I.......... 160
maf subscribe br Journrat of Eiducatiot.........206
to delisver bhooks, &c., to successor,..............163
to aupoi (t 1n.titntes..........................210
inemiber alid (ecrctar' of Board of Education,....212
to visit Normal Scto(o.,...................... 214
to) appoint visitors to Nti.rta} School,............. 223
to Agricultural College.................... 230
to I.corporrated Institutions............... 234
StPUEINTENDENT of ConirnoIn Schools,................. 2
-TAT. LAND OFFICE established......................
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, see' NoriA, Scrhlool.S"
TOVE,S.................. 369
T.
TAXES, specific,................................... 20
for buildir,g Schoolhouses,....................13, 168
for repairng Schoolhouse........................ 168
for fuel, &c.,.................................163
statement of, by District Board.................177
proviso concerning, for bnul.ing Schoolhouse, 179, 250
amoulnt of, how certified, &'.,.................182
one mill on the dollar,.....................18, 259
Supervisor to make statement of,...........188, 197
to pay judgment-how assessed, &c............. 193
persons paying, may s,en3d to School in certain
cases,................................. 195,274
voters may raise, for support of Schools,........196
Supervisor neglecting to assess-penalty........196
in fractional Districts,......................... 197
District may raise, to pay loan..,..........205
4;61
INDEX.
PAGE.
TAXES, of District retaining Schoolhouse............. 181
for globes, maps, apparatus, and repairs.......... 168
to be certified by Township Clerk in certain cases, 187
notes upon.............................. 259-262
TAXATION........................................129
TEACHERS, examination of,..........................183
qualifications of,........................... 183
examination of, public,....................... 183
where examined in certain cases................. 184
may be re-examined,........................ 184
record of, to be examined,....................181
employment of.......................... 172, 185
Institutes, general law for,...................210
Associations, general law for...................209
pupils in Normal School,declare intention to become,213
not es upon examination and employment of, 275-280,305
form of Director's contract with,...............294
TUITION, poor persons exempt from................176
may be graduated by Board..................... 196
District Board fix, in certain cases,..................204
certain pupils in Normal School to pay,......... 213
in Agricultural College,......................227
TRUST FUNDS, their character,...................... 44
interest upon,............................... 88
TOwNSBIP TREASURER, duties of,.................. 197
to held jnoneys subject to proper order,......... 189
to apply to County Treasurer for moneys,.......189
to apportion certain muoneys.................... 194
form of warrant upon, for Library moneys,......307
' ~ " " ~for money of District.....295
TOwNSn-hIP CLERK, Inspectors report to............... 181
to give notice of meeting of Inspectors,........183
to be Clerk of Board of School Inspectors,.......186
to apportion School moneys....................186
to keep reports and papers..................... 187
to receive communications from Superintendent,..187
penalty for neglect to transmit report..........194
to make map of Districts....................... 187
to certify certain taxes.........................187
to be Township Librarian,....................... 187
U.
UNIVERSITY of Michigan........................ 33, 220
first President of;...........................48
A2
INDEX.
PAGE.
UNsvFRsIrTY of Michigai, grant of lands for.......... 34
ibr-cttes of............................... 37,223
loan by State for............................ 38, 43
plan ifor paying loan of,........................... 44
history of loan,..........................48-53
faculty of, in 1842........................... 40
finds unaccounted for,.................41, 54, 57
deficiency in lands of,.................... 56
amount of fund of.............................. 57
Board of Regents of................... 47, 158, 220
Observtory,.............................64, 78
depa.rtments of,........................... 221
:,.mission fees to,.......................... 222
immediate government of......................221
buildings erected from interest of fund.........222
interest fund of, how expended................ 223
department of Natui'ral History in..............224
r-,' ZS,,T Y LANDS, first sales of..................... 39
sold to 1843.................................. 40
1848,............................ 54
1848 after deducting forfeitures............. 58
(tlcres unsold,................................. 59
acres unselected..............................56
at Toledo................................. 59-64
UNION ScHooLs.............................. 11, 329
law to establish................................184
District Board maiy makle by-laws for,.... 201 assume liabilities of bldDi tricts................258
notes upon,..................................258
Monroe Union Schoolhouse,...................359
Bishop Union Schoolhouse, Detroit.,..............363
Ypsilanti Union School................ Frontispiece.
V
VYAPx(cY, School Inspectors may fill, in District Board,
....1..................................5, 258
District Board to fill,.......................... 178
in District Offices,.................... 178, 245
VEqTILATION, warming and......................... 369
ventilating Tube..............................374
ventilatidng School Stoves,.................... 375
Mayhew's Chimney Cap,................... 375
Perkins's Steam-heater,...................... 382
463
10
INDEX.
PAW.
VOTERS, power of, at School meetings,...............167
may direct purchase for site.................... 168
may determine time School shall be taught,.....169
may direct sale of pToperty..................... 169
may direct in regard to suit,......................169
~IsITORs, to Normal School,......................... 223
to Agricultural College,....................... 230
to incorporated Instimtutions of Learning,...........234
to Normal School, how paid.................... 217
VISITING SCHOOLS,.......................24...........2
WARRANT, for collecting rate-bill,................173,291
contents of-renewal of....................... 173
Township To easurer to pay upon,............... 189
Assessor's return, form of,..........................29
WARMING AND VENTILATION........... 6
464
.1