now, go without schools for years: offer a similar stimulus to the libraries and every district would maintain one as certainly as it does its school.

It is on the testimony not of the multitude of districts which never had, or never properly maintained, good libraries, but of the few that have thoroughly tried and proved them, that the evidence of their usefulness rests. It is certain that our best and most enterprising districts are universally in favor of libraries, and count them as important, if not indispensable, adjuncts of their schools. It is possible that we may need to wait for the growth of a wiser and more intelligent public sentiment to support them universally; but the day will certainly come when the district library will be considered as necessary an agency of public instruction as the district school. Wise men will not long continue to neglect the aid of literature-one of the mightiest and surest and cheapest teaching forces in the world. The great writers will be allowed to assume their rightful place among the great teachers of mankind.

AMENDMENTS OF THE LIBRARY LAW.

Two important amendments concerning libraries were enacted at the last session of the Legislature. The first made it obligatory upon the school officers to expend their library money each year, and to purchase books, under the State contract, when not otherwise ordered by the district or township; the second allowed districts to expend their surplus funds for libraries, after having maintained a free school eight months in the year.

Two other amendments are very much needed; first, to require the districts, instead of the townships, to set apart some portion of the two mill tax to be appropriated for the support of the library; and second, to create a State library fund, analagous to the State school fund, either from a collection of all the fine moneys into such a general fund, or from some other source, the proceeds of which shall be annually apportioned to the districts maintaining district libraries, on condition of their

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raising a similar amount for the purchase of books. Such a law would incite every district to a steady effort in the support of libraries, and make libraries a permanent and potential part of our school machinery.

I have been induced to renew this discussion of the library interests by the pressing and painful conviction that, without speedy and energetic action, these valuable and important instruments of education will utterly disappear from large numbers of the districts.

STATE TEACHERS' INSTITUTES.

Eleven Teachers' Institutes were held during the year, under State patronage, as follows, viz:

Spring Series-At Hastings, beginning March 23d; at Jonesville, March 30th; at Ionia, March 30th; at Grand Rapids, April 6th; at Utica, April 6th; and at Brighton, April 13th.

Autumn Series.-At Detroit, beginning August 31st; at Dowagiac, August 31st; at Galesburg, September 7th; at Sturgis, September 14th; at Maple Rapids, September 21st.

The average attendance at the Institutes of the spring series was larger than at any former series ever held in the State. The attendance at those of the autumn series was considerably less. The highest interest was manifest in all the exercises, and both teachers and school officers expressed much gratification with the work done. There can be no doubt of the eminent public utility of these agencies for the training of teachers.

The records not being at hand, the exact number of teachers taught in the several Institutes cannot be given. The total number was over fifteen hundred.

Public thanks are due to the generous efforts of local committees and citizens to provide needful accommodations for the large bodies of teachers that have been assembled at the several Institutes held. Without such aid it would be impracticable to carry on these enterprizes with any considerable success; and this generous and gratuitous help, so freely rendered by the people to the school system, demands the gratitude of

the State. It is hoped that the local advantages often derived from the presence of the Institutes, will in a considerable measure, compensate for the local expenditures made by the people to sustain them.

It is evident that the work of training teachers must go on as long as our school system stands. The great and vital want of the system is that of a sufficiency of well trained and skillful teachers. And when it is reflected that we introduce annually from 1,000 to 2,000 new recruits into the service, it will be seen how vitally important it is that we shall maintain in full vigor, our teachers' classes and institutes.

It would add something to the efficiency, and secure the still wider utility of the Institutes, if a more general and active cooperation of the township and district school officers were given to them. They should aid to secure the attendance, if practicable, of all the teachers in the vicinity, and I earnestly recommend that teachers actually engaged in schools, be allowed to dismiss their schools, and required, if necessary, to attend the Institutes held in their neighborhood. Their increased efficiency will more than compensate for the small loss of time incurred.

EDUCATIONAL FUNDS.

The condition of the School funds is eminently prosperous and gratifying. Large payments have been made by the holders. of the school lands, and unusually large sales have been affected of new lands.

The principal of the primary school fund amounted, the 30th day of November, 1862, to... .$1,679,136 66

The sales of lands for the year 1863, amounted to. 61,594 43 Amount of forfeitures,....

Total am❜t of fund, Nov. 30, 1863,....

$8,559 21

$1,732,171 88

The income of the fund for the year was $121,118 94. The increase over the income of the preceding year was $5,990 03. The amount apportioned to the schools for the year ($130,

978 50) was considerably more than the income, embracing a balance from the preceding year, not received in season for the apportionment of that year. The apportionment amounted to 50 cents for each scholar enrolled in the school census, but it will be readily seen that with the large annual increase of children, this rate may not continue, though, with the accumulation of moneys from the sales of swamp lands now decided to be due to the primary school fund, the same rate may be reached the next year.

Although the laws of 1857 and 1858 devoted to the primary schools a portion of the proceeds of the sales of swamp lands, no moneys have ever been apportioned from this source to the schools. The conflicting provisions of the two laws, and the additional confusion occasioned by the numerous grants of swamp lands to roads, had rendered it difficult to decide upon the amounts due under the grant. Grave and important questions had arisen to perplex the minds of the officers charged with the administration of the laws, and on consultation it was deemed advisable to submit the entire case to the Supreme Court of the State-which was done on an application of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for a mandamus upon the Auditor General for the payment of moneys due the schools from the swamp land fund. The decision of the Court was rendered the 5th day of December, 1863. By this decision it was settled that "no appropriation attached under the laws of 1857 to anything but the proceeds of lands when actually sold; and the State was not thereby precluded from making any provision which might be deemed expedient concerning future sales;" "that the law of 1858 did not therefore impair any constitutional right of the school fund, and that no more than 50 per cent. can be claimed on sales since made." By the law of 1857, 75 per cent. of the entire proceeds of the sales was given to the school fund, the expenses of sales being subtracted therefrom. Under the law of 1858 this amount was reduced to 50 per cent. of the net proceeds of sales. It cannot be ascertained at this present writing how much has accrued to the

school fund under these two grants; but as the policy of "swamp land roads" was introduced speedily after the sales commenced, and almost entirely suspended such sales, the amounts realized from this source will prove comparatively small and unimportant.

The income of the University fund for the year ending Nov. 30, 1862, was $38,063 31.

The income of the Normal School fund, for the same fiscal year,

The inspection of the schools, under our present system, is very irregular, and, there is reason to fear, in most cases, very ineffective. Of the 693 townships reporting, 160 report no visits made to the schools; 156 report a part of the schools visited, while only 377, or a little more than one-half of the whole number, report all the schools visited during the year. The comments made by the visiting Inspectors, in the annual reports, show evidences in some instances, of close observation and a discriminating judgment; but in very many cases the sweeping censures, or unqualified encomiums, pronounced upon all the schools equally, excite the suspicion that the visits made were both very cursory and very useless, and that the visiting officer was but poorly fitted for the delicate and important work committed to him.

A wise and thorough inspection of the schools is absolutely essential to their safety and success. In no other way can they be assured against the presence of incompetent, or idle and unfaithful teachers, and guarded against the mistakes of inexperienced or careless ones. The visit of an intelligent Inspector, who fully comprehends his work, may be of incalculable value in correcting evils, encouraging good, suggesting improvements, and exciting both teacher and pupils to greater