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Building committees may still be obliged to resort to architects for working plans and specifications for some of the buildings, but they will be found useful as exhibiting well approved plans for good school-houses. They might be generally adopted with much advantage, and thus prevent the erection of the ill contrived, inconvenient and unhealthful houses too often erected in our districts.

VISITING INSPECTORS' REPORTS.

In the blanks prepared for the annual reports of the school inspectors for 1863, the attention of Visiting Inspectors was asked especially to the following topics, and a space left for their reports thereon:

"1st. The condition of school houses, and their sufficiency in size and convenience; kind and condition of school apparatus, outline maps, &c.;

"2d. Condition and usefulness of township or district libraries. Are the books well selected and much read? What can be done to improve the libraries?

"3d. General condition and progress of the schools, as seen, in the good order, morals and behavior, thoroughness in scholarship, and in punctual and regular attendance."

From many of the townships no response was returned; the visitors either having nothing to reply, or lacking time or inclination for the task. From a considerable majority, however, reports were made; some meagre and without any value, but many written with evident care and thoughtfulness, and containing facts and suggestions of much interest and value. An endless variety and hopeless discrepancy of opinions were presented, and conclusions the most opposite were drawn from facts common and familiar. The following extracts exhibit some of the most striking and characteristic of the reports under the several heads:

1st. The condition of school houses, &c. From Allegan county the inspectors in a township of eight districts, say: "The houses in Nos. 1 and 2 are good frame houses, comfortable, and

large enough for their respective schools. The other districts have log houses, not suitable for a winter school; but districts 5 and 8 have contracted for frame houses, to be finished the present year, at a cost of $350 each." Another says: "Five of the eight school houses in this township are not less than 24 by 32 feet, with from ten to twelve feet between floors; therefore, good country school houses." Another representing four large districts, says: "The school houses have been hitherto in a poor condition, but are improving every year."

An inspector in Barry county, speaking for seven districts, says: "Some of the houses are good, and some of them miserable log huts, totally unfit for school purposes." Another pronounces five of the eight houses "very small and poorly located." A third writes: "Of the nine school houses in town, but two are frame, which are nearly new and in good condition, amply sufficient in size, and very convenient. The other seven are the usual log houses." In a township with ten districts and 509 children, the inspector says: "The school houses are all new, or nearly so; and with one or two exceptions, are of good size, and convenient in arrangement."

In Berrien county, an inspector says, three houses are large enough, two are tolerably convenient, and one very inconvenient. Another district with no house, is preparing to build. Another inspector says: "The school houses of Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5 are large commodious frame buildings, well fitted up with desks, benches, &c., and are well ventilated. No. 5 has a log building, properly fitted up, and of sufficient size for present wants. In No. 6 they intend building this fall." An inspector says of a district having 81 children: "Its school house is not worth anything."

An inspector in Branch county describes the school houses there: "No. 1 has a good house, large and commodious; No. 2, very small and bad; No. 3, large, very cold and poor; No. 4, they have no house, but intend to build next spring; No. 5, a new house; No. 6, they have sold the old house and voted money to build a new one; No. 7, rather poor."

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An inspector in Calhoun county says: "There are ten districts in the township. Six of the school houses are creditable structures, well arranged internally; the others are worthless."

In Cass county an inspector, in a township with eight districts, writes: "We find school houses in poor condition, with rare exceptions, insufficient in convenience, kind and condition." Another reports "a variety of school houses-some very good, and sufficiently accommodate the pupils; others are kept barely tolerable during the school terms."

An inspector in Clinton Co. reports: "Districts 5, 8 and 9 have good one story frame houses, very pleasantly situated. The. people take pride in having them kept clean and comfortable. No. 7 has no house. The school is kept in an old dilapidated building which will not shelter the scholars from the storm. No. 10 has a thing made of logs which they call a school house. It is unhealthy and unpleasant. No. 6 has a large two story frame school house. It is getting old, but is large and quite pleasant."

From a town with nine districts, in Eaton county, the inspector says: "All of the school houses are not in good condition. Three are getting dilapidated and should be replaced with new." Another says: "The houses in general are sufficiently large, but in bad repair." One writes thus: "There are three frame houses; two of which are good in size and comfort, the other small and uncomfortable. The other two are of logs, one of which is more fit for a stable than a school house."

From a town in Genesee county an inspector writes: "There are nine school houses in this town. Six of them are fair houses. One is a nice house, well and finely built. The pupils sit facing the back end of the house-stove in the front endblackboard, hard finish, across the back end-four ventilators, blinds, weights and pullies to the windows. Yard, one acre of land well fenced. Three of the houses are small and inconvenient." In a town with nine districts the inspector says: "The condition of the school houses is wretched. They are totally unfit for the purposes indicated in their erection. Most

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of them are nothing but logs, cobbled up and in a dilapidated condition."

In Gratiot county one inspector says: "Some of the districts have good houses, and the schools in them are very well -conducted, while others are very deficient for comfort and convenience."

In Hillsdale county, an inspector writes: "Most of the houses are in good condition, sufficient in size for the scholars in each district,, (will seat from forty to fifty at desks) and not one but where the teacher can step to the side of any scholar without disturbing his seat mate." Another, in one of the richest towns, with eleven districts, says: "School housesone good, two or three passable, balance poor; none as convenient as they should be.

From Ionia county an inspector reports: "The school houses (seven) are mostly rude log cabins; and those that take upon themselves the aristocratic name of frame are, upon the whole, worse than the log cabins; i. e. too much ventilation, and too much music from swinging clapboads, creaking doors and shaking window casements." In a town with ten districts, an inspector says: "Our school houses are generally small and inconvenient-but four of them frame houses. But they are raising money in three districts for the purpose of building new ones of which we shall not be ashamed."

In Jackson county, an inspector in a town with eleven districts, says: "Five of our houses are good, of good size and convenient. All others are in a bad state. But some of them are striving to build anew." Another reports: "Our nine school houses are very deficient in regard to size and convenience."

The visiting inspector in the township of Brady, Kalamazoo county, makes the following report: "We have but four good school houses in the township. But two houses in the seven districts are large enough to accommodate the scholars of the districts in which they are located; and improperly situated and constructed. One of those I allude to faces the east, the

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other west. Wrong in two respects: 1st. Pupils should be seated from the direct light; therefore, face the north. 2d. Facing the north is the proper position for the pupil in studying geography, as now taught. Another great objection in the construction of school houses is, the wall from the shoulders of the sitter, to and including the ceiling, is made tight by masonry, while the remaining portion of the wall down to the floor, built of lumber in the form of ceiling, becomes open by shrinking, admitting streams of cold air directly on the feet and body of the children, rendering them uneasy, and they are calling upon the teacher for permission to hover near the fire more or less of the time-of course a source of disorder."

In Kent county an inspector says: "Our school houses rank very fair in size, comfort and eonvenience, with two or three exceptions; and means are being taken to materially improve these. We shall report no school house valued at 'ten dollars" next year." The foregoing is a rich town, with ten districts.

In Lenawee county, the inspector in a township with thirteen districts, and over a thousand dollars two mill tax, writes: "Our school houses are poor indeed, small and inconvenient, and should be rebuilt soon."

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Apparatus, Outline Maps, &c. The inspectors' reports in regard to outline maps and school apparatus, are far from encouraging. They show that while a few districts possess a tolerable supply of apparatus, &c., well cared for and properly used, in a large number of districts the supply is meager, and the maps, &c., are in a ruinous condition; while many are entirely destitute of these important instruments of instruction.

Libraries. It is in regard to the libraries that the largest. discrepancies of statements and opinion appear. A reference to the remarks already made in this report, on the subject of the libraries, will afford some clue to this great diversity of opinions as to the comparative value of the township and district system. The lamentable condition of this department of our educational system, as shown in these reports, certainly calls for some speedy and effective remedy. In the extracts

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