PREFATORY NOTE.

The following abstracts of education in the States and Territories are derived from a great variety of sources. First among these come reports of State officials, such as State boards of education and State superintendents of instruction; next, those of county and city superintendents, school com mittees, acting school visitors, and principals of State institutions. From these is derived nearly all the information given respecting elementary and special instruction, city school systems, and normal schools, and much of that relating to secondary schools, as the high schools of the States and cities. What concerns private secondary schools is almost wholly from returns made by the principals of these to the Bureau of Education, supplemented by catalogues and other documents.

For the matter relating to universities, colleges, and scientific and professional schools, dependence is placed on the annual catalogues of these institutions, on occasional circulars issued by them, and on special returns, made usually in the autumnal and winter months, in reply to circulars of inquiry sent them by the Bureau.

In every instance, official authority only ia relied upon for statements distinctly and definitely made, the printed catalogues and reports being chiefly used for this purpose, though sometimes an item of interesting information from other than official sources may be given, with a reference to the quarter from which it is derived. In such cases, however, the effort is always made to verify the statement before it is committed to the press.

The matter derived from the various sources above indicated is formulated, in the abstracts of edu cation for each State, substantially in accordance with the schedule given below.

new and noteworthy.

(b) Administration.

(c) School finances.

(d) Other features of the system.

(a) Administration.

(b) Statistics.

(c) Other particulars.

4. PREPARATION AND QUALIFICATIONS OF TEACHERS. (a) General State requirements.

5. SECONDARY INSTRUCTION

6. SUPERIOR INSTRUCTION..

(b) State normal training.

(c) Other normal instruction.
(d) Teachers' institutes.

(e) Educational journals.

(a) Public high schools.

(b) Other secondary schools.

. (a) Colleges for men or for both sexes.

(b) Colleges and high grade schools for women.

7. SCIENTIFIC AND PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION..........(a) Training in scientific schools and agricultural

8. SPECIAL INSTRUCTION..

9. EDUCATIONAL CONVENTIONS.

10. OBITUARY RECORD.......

11. CHIEF STATE SCHOOL OFFICERS.

colleges.

(b) Training in theology.

(c) Training in law.

(d) Training in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy.

(a) Deaf, dumb, blind, &c.

(b) Industrial and reformatory training.

(c) Instruction in oratory, music, art, &c.

(a) Meetings of State associations.

(b) Special meeting of teachers, school principals.
and superintendents.

..(a) Brief memorials of teachers, superintendents,
and other promoters of education who have
died during the year.

....(a) State superintendents and deputies.

The statistics furnished the Bureau in answer to its circulars of inquiry, for convenience of reference and comparison, are given in tables following these abstracts, while summaries of these statistics may be found under their appropriate heads in the report of the Commissioner preceding. For the general courtesy with which his circulars have been answered, alike by State and city officials, by college presidents and heads of schools, as well as for documents additional to these replies, the Commissioner of Education here tenders his cordial thanks to all concerned.

a The average time of schools for whites is given for 1882-188 as 81.2 days; for colored, as €9.3. The pupils in schools for whites averaged 35 to a teacher, those in schools for colored 41; in 1883-84 pupils in schools for each race averaged one more to a teacher.

b In 1881-'82.

e Eighty-nine dollars and twenty-two cents from the State, with something from private patrons in 1882-183. d In 1880.

(From reports of Hon. H. Clay Armstrong, State superintendent of education, for the two years indicated, the figures for 1883-84 being court cously furnished in advance of publication by his successor, Hon. Solomon Palmer.)

STATE SCHOOL SYSTEM.

GENERAL CONDITION.

In 1882-'83, with only 2,899 more children of school age, there was an increase of 23,085 in the enrolment in public schools and of 12,489 in average attendance. To meet this additional attendance there were 200 more schools, with 153 more teachers, the average pay of teachers being somewhat higher than in the preceding year, partly from an increase of Peabody fund allowance and partly from fuller State receipts of sixteenth section funds, a larger balance from preceding year, and fuller collection of the poll tax; the additional revenue, exclusive of Peabody fund, being $36,101. The funds derived from the State are said by the superintendent to have been in this year, as in others, supplemented by private patrons of the schools, though definite amounts of such additions are not available. Two additional State normal schools were added to the 4 previously established, and, through improved county institutes, fuller discussion of educational methods, and a growth of educational interest among the people, Superintendent Armstrong thought he saw fairer prospects of educational advance for 1883-'84 than ever previously, especially as the legislature had increased by $100,000 its appropriation for the public schools.

The figures for 1883-84 show a fulfilment of this expectation at almost every point: the enrolment in the public schools including almost the whole increase in children of school age, the schools for both races increasing by 394, the teachers in them getting better pay and holding longer school terms, while funds available for schools and the expenditure of these funds for the support of them went, it is believed, beyond those of any previous year. The only thing in which a falling off is shown is in the percentage of average attendance in the schools to the enrolment, a possible result of the lengthening of the school term.

ADMINISTRATION.

For the uniform and efficient administration of the system of public schools there are the following officers: (1) A superintendent of education for the State, chosen by the people for 2-year terms; (2) a county superintendent of education for each county, chosen by the State superintendent for a like term; and (3) a township superintendent of public schools in each township or other school district, appointed by the county superintendent, subject to approval of the State superintendent, also for a 2-year term. As to a board to examine applicants for license to teach in the public schools, see Preparation and Qualifications of Teachers, further on.

The age for instruction in the public schools is 7-21. The teachers that give this instruction must have licenses valid for the time of their engagement; must teach school at least 3 scholastic months of 20 days each, annually; and must, within 5 days from the end of every such quarter, report to their county superintendent certain specified particulars of attendance, studies, time of school, &c. Separate schools for each race are the rule, as well as separate institutes for improvement of the teachers

SCHOOL FINANCES.

The moneys for support of public schools come from the principal of all funds arising from sales of public lands or from other lands or property given by individuals or assigned by the State for this purpose; from estates of persons who, dying intestate, leave no heirs; from an annual poll tax, not to exceed $1.50, to be applied to the support of the public schools in the counties where it is levied; from the proceeds of a sixteenth section trust fund granted by Congress in 1848 for the use of schools; from the surplus revenue fund deposited with the State by the United States under act of 1:36; from license taxes and an optional county tax, both to be retained in the counties where they may be raised; and from an annual State appropriation, which in 1883-84 was increased from $130,000 to $230,000.

ASSISTANCE FROM EXTERNAL SOURCES.

Aid from the Peabody educational fund was received for 1882-'83 to the amount of $2,000 for 10 State scholars in the Normal College, Nashville, Tenn.; $2,000 for 16 scholarships for the year in the State Normal School at Florence; $500 for the Normal School for Colored Teachers, Huntsville; $500 for a like school at Tuskegee; and $1,000 for the city schools of Montgomery.

For 1883-84 the same fund again furnished $2,000 for scholarships, with $100 for teachers' institutes and $2,900 for aid to the State normal schools.

The John F. Slater fund, in the former year, gave $100 to aid in training colored teachers for the public schools, besides $2,000 to help a college for the colored race at Talladega, probably with like intent.

SCHOOL SYSTEMS OF CITIES WITH 7,500 OR MORE INHABITANTS.

ADMINISTRATION.

There is no general law in this State for the organization and administration of the schools of cities. Those in each city have been organized and are governed under special laws, which differ considerably in their provisions. Of the three with populations sufficient for notice here, Mobile has a mixed city and county system, under 9 school commissioners elected by the people and a superintendent of education elected by the commissioners. The commissioners (3 of whom must come from the county and 6 from the city) are liable to a change of one-third biennially; the superintendent holds for 4 years and is ex officio a member and treasurer of the board of school commissioners. Montgomery puts its schools under the management of a city board of education of 6 members, 1 from each ward, elected annually by the city council at its first meeting in January, and subjects them to the supervision of a city superintendent of education, elected by the board. Selma has also a city board of education, of 9 members, for general management, and a city superintendent of schools appointed by the State superintendent.

a Another report makes the enrolment 1,730; the average attendance, 1,402.

In Montgomery, which, prior to October, 1882, did not own a school building nor possess school furniture or apparatus worthy the name, a great advance in free education is reported. The white children of the city had been taught in one large building and two small ones, the latter situated in remote parts of the city and owned by the teachers in charge; the colored pupils, in a building leased by the American Missionary Association, which claimed the privilege of nominating the teachers, although they were paid by the city. The board of education, however, in 1882 secured a transfer of the lease to itself and provided additional school accommodations for both races. During the year that closed October, 1883, principals of large experience and high attainments were secured for the schools of both races, teachers of qualifications proven by examination were employed, and through the impulse thus given a new life was imparted to the schools and the attendance of both races in them was nearly doubled.

In 1883-84 5 schools were reported, the same number as in 1882-'83; but this must mean school buildings, as there were 28 teachers, each, of course, with a class, and probably in most cases in a separate room, which, according to ordinary reckoning, would make 28 schools. The teachers were 18 white and 10 colored, against 14 white and 10 colored the year before. The average pay of teachers for the 165 days the schools were taught was $170, the whites receiving considerably more than the colored. Selma in both years reported 1 school for white and 1 for colored pupils; but as there were 10 teachers in the former and 7 in the latter we must here reckon 17 schools. The average pay of teachers for the 170 days of school is given as $133, considerably less than in Montgomery, the whites here, also, receiving much more than the colored.

KINDERGÄRTEN.

At the Judson Female Institute, Marion, a Kindergarten department was carried on in 1882-83, with the usual occupations and apparatus, under 2 teachers, who had 26 pupils in a 35-week term. Another was at Austin College, Stevenson; a third at the Alabama Normal School for Girls, Livingston. For any others that may be reported, see Table V of the appendix.