receive religious training in accordance with the belief of the parents of such children, either by allowing religious services to be held in the institution or by arranging for attendance at public service elsewhere.

§ 5. It shall be the duty of any truant officer or agent of such board of education to petition, and any reputable citizens of the city may petition, the county or circuit court of the county, to inquire into the case of any child of compulsory school age who is not attending school, and who has been guilty of habitual truancy, or of persistent violation of the rules of the public school, and the petition shall also state the names, if known, of the father and mother of such child, or the survivor of them; and if neither father nor mother of such child is living, or can not be found in the county, or if their names can not be ascertained, then the name of the guardian if there be one known; and if there be a parent living whose name can be ascertained, or a guardian, the petition shall show whether or not the father or mother or guardian consents to the commitment of such child to such parental or truant school. Such petition shall be verified by oath upon the belief of the petitioner, and upon being filed the judge of the county or circuit court shall have such child named in the petition brought before him for the purpose of determining the application in said petition contained. But no child shall be committed to such school who has ever been convicted of any offense punishable by confinement in any penal institution.

§ 6. Upon the filing of such petition the clerk of the court shall issue a writ to the sheriff of the county directing him to bring such child before the court, and if the court shall find that the material facts set forth in the petition are true, and if, in the opinion of the court, such child is a fit person to be committed to such parental or truant school, an order shall be entered that such child be committed to such parental or truant school, to be kept there until he or she arrives at the age of fourteen years unless sooner discharged in the manner hereinafter set forth. Before the hearing aforesaid notice in writing shall be given to the parent or guardian of such child, if known, of the proceedings about to be instituted, that he or she may appear and resist the same if they so desire.

§ 7. It shall be the duty of the parent or guardian of any child committed to this school to provide suitable clothing upon his or her entry into such school and from time to time.thereafter as it may be needed, upon notice in writing from the superintendent or other. proper officer of the school. In case any parent or guardian shall refuse or neglect to furnish such clothing, the same may be provided by the board of education, and such board may have an action against such parent or guadian of said child to recover the costs of such clothing with 10 per cent additional thereto.

§ 8. The board of education of such city shall have power to establish rules and regulations under which children committed to such parental or truant school may be allowed to return home upon parole, but to remain while upon parole in the legal custody and under the control of the officers and agents of such school, and subject

at any time to be taken back within the enclosure of such school by the superintendent or any authorized officer of said school except as hereinafter provided; and full power to enforce such rules and regu lations to retake any such child so upon parole is hereby conferred upon said board of education. No child shall be released upon parole in less than four weeks from the time of his or her commitment, nor thereafter until the superintendent of such parental or truant school shall have become satisfied from the conduct of such child that, if paroled, he or she will attend regularly the public or private school to which he or she may be sent by his or her parents or guardian, and shall so certify to the board of education.

§ 9. It shall be the duty of the principal or other person having charge of the school to which such child so released on parole may be sent to report at least once each month to the superintendent of the parental or truant school, stating whether or not such child attends school regularly and obeys the rules and requirements of said school; and if such child so released upon parole shall be regular in his or her attendance at school and his or her conduct as a pupil shall be satisfactory for a period of one year from the date which he or she was released on parole, he or she shall then be finally discharged from the parental or truant school, and shall not be recommitted thereto except on petition as herein before provided.

§ 10. In case any child released from said school upon parole, as herein before provided, shall violate the conditions of his or her parole at any time within one year thereafter, he or she shall upon the order of the board of education, as herein before provided, be taken back to such parental or truant school and shall not be again released upon parole within the period of three months from the date of such re-entering; and if he or she shall violate the conditions of a second parole he or she shall be recommitted to such parental or truant school and shall not be released therefrom on parole until he or she shall remain in said school at least one year.

§ 11. In any case where a child is found to be incorrigible and his or her influence in such school to be detrimental to the interests of the other pupils, the board of education may authorize the superintendent or any officer of the school to represent these facts to the circuit or county court by petition, and the court shall have authority to commit said child to some juvenile reformatory.

§ 12. Boards of education in cities having a population of over 25,000 and less than 100,000 may establish, maintain and operate a parental or truant school for the purposes hereinafter specified, and in case of the establishment of such a school, the boards of ed ucation shall have like power in their respective cities as is here before [herein before] expressed: Provided, that no board of trustees or board of education under this section shall put this law into effect until submitted to a vote of the people and adopted by a majority vote at some general election.

APPROVED April 24, 1899.

GIVING CERTAIN CITIES WITH SPECIAL SCHOOL CHARTERS THE GOVERNMENT OF SCHOOLS IN ANNEXED TERRITORY.

AN ACT giving cities organized under special charters and having the government of public schools under such charters, the government of public schools in any territory annexed to said cities, with the right to levy and assess taxes for school purposes against the property in said territory so annexed.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That in all cities in this State, having a population of less than twenty thousand, and incorporated under any special law, whose public or common schools within the corporate limits of said city are governed by virtue of such special acts, where any territory has, been heretofore, or may hereafter be annexed to said city for general corporate purposes, such territory so annexed shall be included in, and shall be subject to the control and government of said cities for school purposes upon petition signed by a majority of the legal voters in the territory to be annexed as fully and to the same extent as if the said territory were originally within the corporate limits of said city as created by such special acts, and said territory, when so annexed, shall thereby become disconnected from any school district to which, prior to such annexation, it may have been connected or belonged.

§ 2. All cities referred to in section 1 of this act shall have the right to levy, assess and collect taxes for school purposes in the territory so annexed, in the same manner, and as fully and to the same extent as the said cities may now have said right over the territory comprised within the original corporate limits of said cities. APPROVED April 12, 1899.

BOARDS OF TRUSTEES, DIRECTORS OR MANAGERS OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO ELECT THEIR PRESIDENTS.

AN ACT to provide that the board of trustees, directors or managers, or the senate, of any college, seminary, academy or other educational institution, incorporated under any general or special law of this State, solely for educational purposes and possessing no capital stock, may elect its own presiding officer.

SECTION 1. Be it enated by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That the board of trustees, directors or managers, or the senate, of any college, seminary, academy or other educational institution, incorporated under any general or special law of this State, solely for educational purposes, and possessing no capital stock, may elect its own presiding officer for such term as the board or senate may determine, the provisions of any special charter to the contrary notwithstanding.

§ 2. WHEREAS, an emergency exists, therefore this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

APPROVED April 12, 1899.

CORPORATIONS AUTHORIZED TO CONFER DEGREES.

AN ACT to amend section 2 of "An act concerning corporations," approved April 18, 1872, in force July 1, 1872, as amended by act approved June 17, 1893, in force July 1, 1893.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That section 2 of "An act concerning corporations," approved April 18, 1872, in force July 1, 1872, as amended by act approved June 17, 1893, in force July 1, 1893, be and the same is hereby amended so that the same shall read as follows:

§ 2. Whenever any number of persons, not less than three nor more than seven, shall propose to form a corporation under this act, they shall make a statement to that effect, under their hands and duly acknowledged before some officer in the manner provided for the acknowledgments of deeds, setting forth the name of the proposed corporation, the object for which it is to be formed, its capital stock, the number of shares of which stock shall consist, the location of its principal office and the duration of the corporation, not exceeding, however, ninety-nine years, which statement shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall thereupon issue to such persons a license as commissioners to open books for subscription to the capital stock of said corporation at such times and places as they may determine; but no license shall be issued to two companies having the same name: Provided, that the Attorney General may file a bill in chancery in the name of the People of the State of Illinois against any corporation authorized to confer degrees, diplomas or other certificate or certificates of qualification in the science of medicine, pharmacy or dentistry which conducts a fraudulent business, or abuses, misuses or violates the terms of its charter, in any court having jurisdiction of the corporation and subject matter of such bill, for an injunction to restrain said corporation from conducting its business fraudulently, or abusing, misusing or violating the terms of its charter, and also for the dissolution of said corporation, and thereupon it shall be the duty of the court in which said bill is filed to grant such injunction and to hear and determine the same as in other cases in chancery. And, provided further, that this act shall apply to schools, colleges, or universities which now or may hereafter be licensed in this State, notwithstanding any provisions that may exist in their charters.

APPROVED April 21, 1899.

[Containing acts establishing State Normal Schools, providing for County Normal Schools and providing for State Scholarships in the University of Illinois.]

ILLINOIS STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY, NORMAL.

AN ACT for the establishment and maintenance of a Normal University.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That C. B. Denio, of JoDaviess county, Simeon Wright, of Lee county, Daniel Wilkins, of McLean county, C. E. Hovey, of Peoria county, George B. Rex, of Pike county, Samuel W. Moulton, of Shelby county, John Gillespie, of Jasper county, George Bunsen, of St. Clair county, Wesley Sloan, of Pope county, Ninian W. Edwards, of Sangamon county, John Eden, of Moultrie county, Flavel Mosley, of Cook county, William H. Wells, of Cook county, Albert R. Shannon, of White county, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, ex-officio, with their associates, who shall be elected as herein provided, and their successors are hereby created a body corporate and politic, to be styled "The Board of Education of the State of Illinois," and by that name and style shall have perpetual succession, and have power to contract and be contracted with, to sue and be sued, to plead and be impleaded, to acquire, hold and convey real and personal property; to have and use a common seal, and to alter the same at pleasure; to make and establish by-laws and alter or repeal the same as they shall deem necessary for the government of the normal university hereby authorized to be established, or any of its departments, officers, students or employés, not in conflict with the constitution and laws of this State or of the United States; and to have and exercise all powers, and be subject to all duties usual and incident to trustees of corporations.

§ 2. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, by virtue of his office, shall be a member and secretary of said board, and shall report to the Legislature at its regular sessions the condition and expenditures of said normal university, and communicate such further information as the said board of education or the Legislature may direct.

§ 3. No member of the board of education shall receive any compensation for attendance on the meetings of the board, except his necessary traveling expenses; which shall be paid in the same manner as the instructors employed in the said normal university shall be paid. At all the stated and other meetings of the board, called by the president or secretary, or any five members of the board, five members shall constitute a quorum, provided all shall have been duly notified.

§ 4. The objects of the said normal university shall be to qualify teachers for the common schools of this State, by imparting instruction in the art of teaching, and all branches of study which pertain to a common school education; in the elements of the natural sciences, including agricultural chemistry, animal and vegetable physiology; in the fundamental laws of the United States and of the