WILLIAM C. WHITFORD.

WILLIAM CLARK WHITFORD, the eleventh president of the Wisconsin State Teachers' Association, was born in West Edmeston, Otsego County, N. Y., May 5th, 1828. His parents belong to the New England stock, his father's family having emigrated from Massachusetts, and his mother's from Rhode Island. Although reared in a newly settled country, and enjoying very limited advantages for obtaining even a common school education, they took a deep interest in the intellectual and religious training of their children.

Mr. Whitford worked on the farm in summer, and attended a district school in winter, until he was seventeen years of age, when he entered Brookfield Academy, N. Y., in which he remained a large share of the time for three years. At twenty, he taught a term of school in a most successful manner in the district where he had always resided in his boyhood. He then became a student in DeRuyter Institute, N. Y., and there completed his preparation to enter the senior class at Union College, in 1850.

He was compelled, on account of sickness, to leave the college before the close of his first term of attendance, but he returned and graduated in 1853. In the meantime he assisted in teaching in Milton Academy, Wis., one term, and had the charge of Union Academy, at Shiloh, N. J., for two years. He spent a summer in Madison County, N. Y., in making an elaborate map of portions of the county, to be published in Philadelphia. Resolving to engage in the work of the gospel ministry, he pursued a full course of study at Union Theological Seminary, New York City. He thereupon settled in 1856, as pastor of the Seventh-day Baptist Church, of Milton, Wisconsin. This position he held for three years; and under his labors the church more than doubled both its membership and its working power. In the last year of his ministry here, he took the oversight of the Academy, which was converted into a college in 1867, principally through his efforts.

The school has performed most thorough work under his administration, and enjoys a wide popularity. The attendance of students, some years, has reached over four hundred. It has given special attention to preparing both young men and ladies to teach in the public schools of the country, and has supplied as many as a hundred, some seasons. During the rebellion, three hundred and eleven students of the institution served in the Union army. Since the school became a college, it has numbered, each year, not less than seventy members in the regular college classes.

Mr. Whitford has taken a deep interest in the educational affairs of Wisconsin. He has often been called to lecture before teachers' institutes and lyceums on prominent questions of education. He has prepared several valuable papers for the State Teachers' Association, and among them, a careful history of the early educational movements in the State, which has been published by the State Historical Society. He has acted as a prominent member of the local organizations for improving the schools in the section where he resides, and was chosen President of the State Teachers' Association, for 1865. He represented his assembly district in the legislature of the State in 1868, and was chairman of the committee on education. Here he performed excellent work in the defense of the system of county superintendency of schools, and the introduction of some changes into the educational policy of the State. In 1867, he was appointed by the Governor, one of the regents of the State Normal School.

AMERICAN SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION.

Cotemporaneous Account-1796.

EXTRACTS FROM REV. W. WINTERBOTHAM'S VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. LONDON, 1796.

VERMONT.

MUCH can not be said in favor of the present state of literature in this State; but their prospects in this regard are good. In every charter of a town, provision is made for schools, by reserving a certain quantity of land solely for their support. The assembly of this State, in their October session in 1791, passed an act for the establishment of a college in the town of Burlington, on lake Champlain, on the south side of Onion River, and appointed ten trustees. General Ira Allen, one of the trustees, on certain conditions has offered lands, &c., to the amount of four thousand pounds towards this establishment.

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

The old laws of New Hampshire required every town of one hundred families to keep a grammar school; by which was meant a school in which the learned languages should be taught, and youth might be prepared for admission to a university. The same preceptor was obliged to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, unless the town was of sufficient ability to keep two or more schools, one of which was called a grammar school by way of distinction.

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Several instances occur in the public records, as far back as the year 1722, just at the beginning of an Indian war, that the frontier towns petitioned the assembly for a special act to exempt them from the obligation to maintain a grammar school during the war. indulgence was granted them, but only on this condition, "that they should keep a school for reading, writing and arithmetic;" to which all towns of fifty families were obliged. In latter times the conduct of the same towns has been very different. During the late war with Britain, not only those, but many other towns, large and opulent, and far removed from any danger by the enemy, were for a great part of the time destitute of any public schools, not only without applying to the legislature for permission, but contrary to the express requirements of law, and notwithstanding courts of justice were frequently holden, and grand jurors solemnly sworn and charged to present all breaches of law, and the want of schools in particular. This negligence was one among many evidences of

a most unhappy prostration of morals during that period; it afforded a melancholy prospect to the friends of science and of virtue, and excited some generous and philanthropic persons to devise other methods of education.

Among these, John Philips, Esq., of Exeter, was the first to distinguish himself, by founding and endowing a seminary of learning in that town; which, in the year 1781, was by an act of assembly incorporated by the name of "Philips's Exeter Academy." It is placed under the inspection of a board of trustees, and is governed by a preceptor and an assistant. In this academy are taught the learned languages, the principles of geography, astronomy, mathematics, and logic, besides writing, music, composition, oratory, and virtue. The fund belonging to this institution is valued at nearly ten thousand pounds. About one-fifth part of this fund, lying in lands, is at present unproductive, but the actual income amounts to four hundred and eighty pounds per annum.

Since the establishment of this academy several others have been erected; one of which is at New Ipswich; it was incorporated in 1789; its fund is about one thousand pounds; the number of students is generally between forty and fifty; the price of tuition is one shilling per week, and of boarding five shillings.

There is another academy at Atkinson, founded by Nathaniel Peabody, Esq., and incorporated by the general court in the year 1790. The preceptor has been chiefly supported by Mr. Peabody; and he has endowed the academy with a donation of one thousand acres of land.

Similar institutions have been begun at Amherst, at Charlestown, and at Concord; which though at present in a state of infancy, yet afford a pleasing prospect of the increase of literature in various parts of the State.

A law has been lately made, which enforces the maintenance of schools by a peculiar sanction; the select men of the several towns are liable to have the same sum distrained out of their estates, which would be sufficient to support a school during the whole time in which they neglect to make that provision. This law is so recent that no judgment can as yet be formed of its operation. It shows, however, that the legislature are attentive to this most important branch of their duty, the education of the rising generation.

As a farther evidence of the progress of science, social libraries are established in several towns in this State; and in the year 1791 a medical society was incorporated by an act of Assembly. The president of the State being a gentleman of the faculty, is at the head of this society.

By an article in the constitution of the State, it is declared to be "the duty of legislators and magistrates to cherish the interest of literature and the sciences, and all seminaries and public schools; to encourage private and public institutions, rewards, and immuninities for the promotion of agriculture, arts, sciences, commerce, trades, manufactures, and the natural history of the country; to countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity and general

benevolence, public and private charity, industry and economy, honesty and punctuality, sincerity, sobriety, and all social affections and generous sentiments among the people." As far as public rulers conform to this article, they promote, in the most effectual manner, the true interest and prosperity of their country.

The establishment of Dartmouth College in the western border of the State, has proved a great benefit to the new settlements, and to the neighboring State of Vermont. During the late war, like all other seminaries of literature, it lay under discouragement; but since the peace it is in a more flourishing situation.

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Its landed interest amounts to about eighty thousand acres, of which twelve hundred lie contiguous, and are capable of the best improvement. Twelve thousand acres are situate in Vermont. tract of eight miles square beyond the northern line of Stuart town, was granted by the Assembly of New Hampshire in 1789, and in the act by which this grant was made, "the president and council of the State for the time being are incorporated with the trustees of the college, so far as to act with them in regard to the expenditures and application of this grant, and of all others which have been or may be hereafter made by New Hampshire."

The revenue of the college arising from the lands, amounts to one hundred and forty pounds per annum. By contracts already made it will amount in four years to four hundred and fifty; and in twelve years to six hundred and fifty pounds. The income arising from tuition money is about six hundred pounds per annum more.

The first building erected for the accommodation of the students was a few years since burned. A lottery was granted by the State for raising the sum of seven hundred pounds, which has been applied to the erection of a new building, much more convenient than the former; it was constructed of wood, and stands in an elevated situation, about half a mile eastward of Connecticut river in the township of Hanover, commanding an extensive and pleasant prospect to the west. It is one hundred and fifty feet long, fifty feet wide, and thirty-six feet high, and contains thirty-six chambers for students. The number of students who were graduated in the first nineteen years, amounts to two hundred and fifty-two, among whom were two Indians. In the year 1790, the number of undergraduates was about one hundred and fifty.

The students are divided into four classes. The freshmen study the learned languages, the rules of speaking and writing, and the elements of mathematics.

The sophomores attend to the languages, geography, logic, and mathematics.

The junior sophisters, beside the languages, enter on natural and moral philosophy and composition.

The senior class compose in English and Latin; study metaphysics, the elements of natural and political law.

The principal books used by the students are Lowth's English Grammar, Perry's Dictionary, Pike's Arithmetic, Guthrie's Geography, Ward's Mathematics, Atkinson's Epitome, Hammond's Algebra, Martin's and Enfield's Natural Philosophy, Ferguson's As

tronomy, Locke's Essay, Montesquieu's Spirit of Laws, and Burlemaqui's Natural and Political Law.

Besides these studies, lectures are read to the scholars in theology and ecclesiastical history.

There is an examination of each class once in the year, and those who are not found qualified for their standing are put into a lower class.

The annual commencement is held on the fourth Wednesday in August. There are two vacations, one following commencement and continuing six weeks and two days; the other beginning on the fourth Monday in February, and continuing five weeks and five days.

MASSACHUSETTS,

According to the laws of this Commonwealth, every town having fifty householders or upwards, is to be provided with one or more schoolmasters, to teach children and youth to read and write, and instruct them in the English language, arithmetic, orthography, and decent behavior; and where any town has two hundred families, there is also to be a grammar school set up therein, and some discreet person, well instructed in the Latin, Greek, and English languages, procured to keep the same, and be suitably paid by the inhabitants. The penalty for neglect of schools in towns of fifty families is ten pounds-one hundred families, twenty pounds-one hundred and fifty families, thirty pounds.

These laws respecting schools are not so well regarded in many parts of the State, as the wise purposes which they were intended to answer, and the happiness of the people require.

In Boston there are seven public schools, supported wholly at the expense of the town, and in which the children of every class of citizens freely associate. In the Latin grammar school the rudiments of the Latin and Greek languages are taught, and boys qualified for the universities; into this school none are admitted till ten years of age, having been previously well instructed in English grammar. In the three English grammar schools, the children of both sexes, from seven to fourteen years of age, are instructed in spelling, accenting and reading the English language, both prose and verse, with propriety, also in English grammar and composition, together with the rudiments of geography; in the other three the same children are taught writing and arithmetic. These schools are attended alternately, and each of them is furnished with an usher or assistant. The masters of these schools have each a salary of six hundred and fifty-six and two-thirds dollars per annum, payable quarterly.

They are all under the immediate care of a committee of twentyone citizens, for the time being, chosen annually, whose duty it is "to visit the schools at least once in three months, to examine the scholars in the various branches in which they are taught, to devise the best methods for the instruction and government of the schools, to give such advice to the masters as they shall think expedient, and by all proper methods to excite in children a laudable ambition to