office of the town clerk and such child has not attended school in this State. Any parent or guardian who shall sign any certificate that his child or ward is more than 14 years of age when in fact such child or ward is under 14 years of age shall be fined not more than $60.

No child under 14 years of age who has resided in the United States nine months shall be employed to labor unless such child shall have attended a day school in which instruction has been regularly and thoroughly given in the branches of education required in the public schools during at least twelve weeks or sixty full school days of the twelve months next preceding any month in which such child shall be so employed nor unless six weeks at least of this attendance have been consecutive. Any person who shall employ a child contrary to the provisions of this section shall be fined not more than $60.

No person over 14 and under 16 years of age who can not read and write shall be employed in any town where evening schools are established unless he can produce, every school month of twenty days, a certificate from the teacher of an evening school showing that he has attended such school twenty consecutive evenings in current school year, and is a regular attendant. Any person who shall employ a child contrary to the provisions of this act shall be fined not more than $50.

It shall be the duty of every parent, or other person having control of a child under 14 years of age, to furnish the employer of such child a certificate signed by the teacher, school visitor, or committee of the school which the child attended, showing that the child has attended school as required by the preceding section. The employer of any such child shall require such certificate, shall keep it at his place of business during the time the child is in his employment, and shall show the same when demanded, during the usual business hours, to any school visitor of the town where the child is employed, or to the secretary or agent of the State board of education. Said certificate shall be evidence that the child has attended school as the law requires.

Any parent, or any person having control of a child, who, with intent to evade the provisions of this chapter, shall make any false statement concerning the age of such child, or the time such child has resided in the United States, or shall instruct such child to make any such false statement, shall be fined not more than $7 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days.

The school visitors in every town shall, once or more in every year, examine into the situation of the children employed in all its manufacturing establishments. and ascertain whether all the provisions of this chapter are duly observed, and report all violations thereof to one of the grand jurors of the town.

The selectmen, in every town, shall inspect the conduct of the heads of families, and if they find any who neglect the education of the children under their care, may admonish them to attend to their duty; and if they continue negligent, whereby the children grow rude, stubborn, and unruly, they shall, with the advice of a justice of the peace, take such children from those who have the charge of them, and bind them out to some proper master or to some charitable institution or society incorporated in this State for the care and instruction of such children, males till 21, and females till 18 years of age, that they may be properly educated and brought up in some lawful calling.

Each city and town may make regulations concerning habitual truants from school, and children between the ages of 7 and 16 years wandering about its streets or public places, having no lawful occupation, nor attending school, and growing up in ignorance; and such by-laws, also, respecting such children, as shall conduce to their welfare and to public order, imposing suitable penalties, not exceeeding $20 for any one breach thereof; but no such town by-laws shall be valid until approved by the superior court in any county.

Any boy arrested thrice for truancy, if not immediately returned to school, shall be taken before a judge of the criminal or police court or any justice of the peace, and if it appear that the boy is idle, vicious, and truant, he may be committed to a reformatory institution. Upon the request of the parent or guardian of any girl between 8 to 16 years of age a warrant may be issued for her arrest, and the facts appearing against her, she may be sent to a reformatory institution for girls. Public schools shall be maintained for at least thirty-six weeks in every school district, and no town shall receive any money from the State treasury for any district unless the school therein has been kept during the time herein required, but no school need be maintained in any district in which the average attendance of persons at the school in said district during the preceding year, ending the 31st day of August, was less than eight. And said schools shall be open to all children over 4 years of age in the respective districts, without discrimination on account of race or color.

Character of instruction.-In the public schools shall be taught, by teachers found duly qualified by the school visitors or other legally qualified body, reading,

spelling, writing, English grammar, geography, and arithmetic, and such other studies, including training in manual arts and the principles of vocal and instrumental music, as may be prescribed by the board of school visitors.

In addition to the schools required by law in every town, any town may establish and maintain schools of a higher grade within its limits, and for such purpose purchase, receive, hold, and convey any property; build and repair schoolhouses; lay taxes, and make contracts and adopt regulations for the management of such schools.

Any town or school district may establish and maintain a kindergarten school, which any child over 3 and under 7 years of age, residing in such town or school district, may attend.

Every town may, and towns of 10,000 or more shall establish and maintain, in addition to the schools required by law, public evening schools for the instruction of persons over 14 years of age in such studies as may be prescribed by the board of school authorities of such town. Any town of fewer than 10,000 may establish such evening schools. [The pecuniary assistance given by State to evening schools is given under Finance.]

Text-books.-Any town, at its annual meeting, may direct its school visitors, or board of education, or town committee, to purchase at the expense of said town the text-books and other school supplies used in the public schools of said town, and said text-books and supplies shall be loaned to the pupils of said public schools free of charge, subject to such rules and regulations as the school visitors or the board of education or town committee may prescribe.

Buildings.-No district shall be entitled to receive any money from the State or town unless it has a schoolhouse and outbuildings satisfactory to the board of school visitors.

No new schoolhouse shall be built except according to a plan approved by the board of school visitors and by the building committee of such district, nor at an expense exceeding the sum which the district may appropriate therefor.

The vote of two-thirds of those present and voting at a meeting of the district shall be necessary to fix or change the site of a schoolhouse; but if such two-thirds vote can not be obtained in favor of any site, the school visitors of any town adjoining the town or either of the towns in which such district is, on application of the district, shall, after conferring with the school visitors of the town or towns in which such district is situated, fix the site, and make return to the town clerk of the town in which such site is to be, and shall receive a reasonable compensation for their services from said district.

Any school district may take land which has been fixed upon as a site, or addition to a site, of a schoolhouse for a public school, and which is necessary for such purposes, and for necessary out buildings and convenient accommodations for its schools, upon paying to the owner just compensation.

Any person willfully injuring a schoolhouse or its appurtenances shall be fined $20 or imprisoned ninety days, or both. Any person who shall enter a place of instruction with criminal intent shall be imprisoned not more than four years. No schoolhouse premises may be inclosed with barbed wire, nor, under penalty of $25-$100, display the flag or emblem of any foreign nation.

4. FINANCES.

Funds (permanent and special).-Taxation.

School fund of Connecticut.-The fund called the school fund shall remain a perpetual fund, the interest of which shall be inviolably appropriated to the support and encouragement of the public or common schools throughout the State, and for the equal benefit of all the people thereof. The value and amount of the fund shall, as soon as practicable, be ascertained in such manner as the general assembly may prescribe, be published, and recorded in the comptroller's office; and no law shall ever be made authorizing said fund to be diverted to any other use than the encouragement and support of public or common schools among the several school societies as justice and equity shall require. (Constitution of Connecticut.)

The income of the school fund which, after deducting all expenses attending its management, shall remain in the treasury on the 28th day of February in each year, and also $1.50 for every person between 4 and 16 years of age belonging to any school district, as ascertained from the last returns of the school visitors, shall annually, as soon as may be after said day, be divided and distributed by the comptroller among the several towns in proportion to the number of persons in each between the ages of 4 and 16 years, as ascertained from said returns; and he shall transmit the amount distributed to each town to its treasurer, on the application of its school visitors or of its school committee, if such town constitute but one

school district; but no such money shall be transmitted to any town until the comptroller shall have received from its school visitors or committee a certificate signed by them or their chairman and secretary, and substantially in the following form:

We, the school visitors of the town of -, certify that the schools in said town have been kept for the period required by law during the year ending the 31st day of August last, by teachers duly examined and approved, and have been visited according to law; and that all moneys drawn from the public treasury by said town for said year appropriated to schooling have been faithfully applied and expended in paying for teachers' wages, and for no other purpose whatever.

Dated at

this day of, A. D.

To the COMPTROLLER.

School Visitors.

Whenever it shall be found that the amount of income from the school fund is not sufficient to make a distribution of 75 cents for each enumerated child 4 to 16 years of age, it shall be the duty of the comptroller, upon the written request of the commissioner of the school fund, to draw upon the treasurer to an amount sufficient to make good the deficiency in the income of the school fund to meet the distribution of not less than 75 cents per capita required by law.

Town deposit fund.-The money received from the United States in pursuance of the act of Congress of 1836 shall be or remain deposited with the several towns which have received or shall agree to receive it, on the terms hereinafter specified, in the proportion established by law; and the treasurer shall deliver it to the agents of such towns as have not received it, on receiving receipts therefor signed by such agents and a certified copy of the vote of the town to receive its proportion of said money on the terms and conditions herein specified and appointing an agent to receive the same.

The condition on which any town shall receive its share of the said money shall be that it shall keep the money as a deposit in trust for the State, and account for the same when called for; and that until called for it shall appropriate the entire income thereof annually for the support of public schools therein.

Taxation. The school visitors and selectmen in each town shall meet as a joint board in June annually and prepare a statement of the estimated cost of maintaining the public schools in the town, and shall immediately notify the committees of the several school districts of the amounts so fixed. They, as a joint board, shall also report the same fact to the town in annual meeting, and in October shall fix the amounts necessary to pay the teachers, for fuel and other incidental expenses of the schools in the town, and shall notify the districts of the several amounts so fixed. All taxes imposed by any school district shall be levied on the real estate situated therein and the ratable personal property of those persons who belong to said district at the time of laying such tax, and upon any manufacturing or mechanical business subject to taxation. This paragraph shall not apply to towns which have consolidated their school districts the estimates of school expenses of which are prepared by the town school committee and reported to the town meeting.

Local school authorities of places maintaining evening schools shall certify to the comptroller the average number of evening scholars, and the comptroller shall draw his order on the State treasurer to the sum of $2.25 for each scholar certified, provided the school has had sessions and the authorities have reported progress and condition to State board.

NEW YORK.

1. ORGANIZATION OF THE SYSTEM.

State superintendent of public instruction.-Deputy superintendent of public instruction.-Assistant superintendent of public instruction.-School commissioners.-District trustees and board of education.-Superintendent.-Attendance (truant) officers.

State superintendent of public instruction.-The State superintendent shall be elected by joint ballot of the senate and assembly on the second Wednesday of February next preceding the expiration of the term of the then incumbent of said office, and on the second Wednesday of February next after the occurrence of any vacancy in the office. The superintendent's office shall be in the capitol, and maintained at the expense of the State. His salary shall be $5,000 a year, payable monthly by the treasurer, on the warrant of the comptroller.

He may appoint clerks and employees, but the compensation of such clerks and

employees shall not exceed in the aggregate the sum annually appropriated by the legislature therefor, and shall be payable monthly by the treasurer, on the warrant of the comptroller and the certificate of the superintendent.

The seal of the superintendent, of which a description and impression are now on file in the office of the secretary of state, shall continue to be his official seal, and, when necessary, may be renewed from time to time. Copies of all papers deposited or filed in the superintendent's office, and of all acts, orders, and decisions made by him, and of the drafts or machine copies of his official letters, may be authenticated under the said seal, and when so authenticated shall be evidence equally with and in like manner as the original.

The superintendent shall be ex officio a trustee of Cornell University and of the New York State Asylum for Idiots, and a regent of the University of the State of New York. He shall also have general supervision over the State normal schools; and he shall provide for the education of the Indian children of the State, as required by this act. Beginning October, 1895, he shall. in cities of 10,000 or more, biennially have taken a census of persons 4-16, of illiterates 12-21, and of nonattendants at public schools because attending private schools or forced to work. So often as he can, he shall visit such of the common schools of the State as he shall see fit and inquire into their course of instruction, management, and discipline, and advise and encourage the pupils, teachers, and officers thereof. may appoint persons to perform this duty without remuneration.

He

He shall annually submit to the legislature a report containing a statement of the condition of the common schools of the State and of all other schools and institutions under his supervision and subject to his visitation as superintendent, estimates and accounts of expenditures of the school moneys, and a statement of the apportionment of school moneys made by him, all such matters relating to his office, and all such plans and suggestions for the improvement of the schools and the advancement of public instruction as he may deem expedient.

He may grant on examination a certificate of qualification to teach, and may revoke the same. While unrevoked, such certificate shall be conclusive evidence that the person to whom it was granted is qualified by moral character, learning, and ability to teach any common school in the State, and shall be considered a legal license to teach without further examination. He may issue a certificate, without examination, to any graduate of a college or university who has had three years' experience as a teacher, and may revoke the same for cause; he may indorse a diploma issued by a State normal school or a certificate issued by a State superintendent or State board of education in any other State, which indorsement shall confer upon the holder thereof the same privileges conferred by law upon the holders of diplomas or certificates issued by State normal schools or by the State superintendent in this State; and he may issue temporary licenses to teach, limited to any school commissioner district or school district, for a period not exceeding six months. Upon cause shown, he may annul any certificate of qualification granted to a teacher by a school commissioner or diploma issued by a State normal school, and he may reconsider and reverse his action in any such matter. He shall prepare and keep in his office alphabetical lists of all persons who have received, or shall receive, certificates of qualification from himself, or diplomas of the State normal schools, with the dates thereof, and shall note any action regarding certificates or diplomas held by them thereon. He may remove a school commissioner or withhold any State money from a district for violation or neglect of duty. He shall prepare suitable registers, blanks, forms, instructions, etc., and transmit them to the persons for whom they are intended.

Deputy superintendent of public instruction.—The State superintendent shall appoint a deputy, who shall receive an annual salary of $4,000, payable monthly by the treasurer on the warrant of the comptroller; and in case of a vacancy in the office of superintendent the deputy may perform all the duties of the office until the day herein before fixed for the commencement of the term of said office. In case the office of both superintendent and deputy shall be vacant, the governor shall appoint some person to perform the duties of the office until the superintendent shall be elected and his term of office commence, as herein before provided. Assistant State superintendents.-See under Schools-Attendance. School commissioner.—A school commissioner for each school district shall be elected by the electors of the school commissioner districts every three years, a resident of the county of either sex being eligible. In case of vacancy, the office is filled by the county judge or, if there be no judge, by the State superintendent. His salary shall be $1,000, payable from the free-school fund, but the board of supervisors of the county may increase his salary by a majority vote, the increase to be raised by local taxation. He shall be allowed $200 for his expenses, to be also raised by taxation. He is removable by the State superintendent. His duties are: 1. To ascertain whether the boundaries of the school districts within his district

are definitely and plainly described in the records of the proper town clerks, and when found defective, indefinite, or disputed, to cause the saine to be amended at the expense of the district or districts affected.

2. To examine all the schools and school districts within his district as often in each year as shall be practicable; to inquire into all matters relating to the management, the course of study and mode of instruction, and the text-books and discipline of such schools, and the condition of the schoolhouses, sites, outbuildings and appendages, and of the district generally; to examine the district libraries; to advise with and counsel the trustees and other officers of the district in relation to their duties, and particularly in respect to the construction, warming, and ventilation of schoolhouses and the improving and adorning of the school grounds connected therewith, and to recommend to the trustees and teachers the proper studies, discipline, and management of the schools and the course of instruction to be pursued.

3. Upon such examination to direct the trustees to make any alteration or repair on the schoolhouse or outbuildings necessary for the health or comfort of the pupils, not to exceed the sum of $200, unless an additional sum shall be voted by the district. He may also direct the trustee to make any alterations or repairs to school furniture when it is unfit for use or to be repaired and to provide sufficient furniture, not to exceed the sum of $100. He may also direct the trustees to abate any nuisance in or upon the premises. provided the same can be done at an expense not exceeding $25.

4. By an order under his hand, reciting the reason or reasons, to condemn a schoolhouse if he deems it wholly unfit for use and not worth repairing, and to deliver the order to the trustees, or one of them, and transmit a copy to the superintendent of public instruction. Such order, if no time for its taking effect be stated in it, shall take effect immediately. He shall also state what sum, not exceeding $800, will, in his opinion, be necessary to erect a schoolhouse capable of accommodating the children of the district. Immediately upon the receipt of said order the trustee or trustees of such district shall call a special meeting of the inhabitants of said district for the purpose of considering the question of building a schoolhouse therein. Such meeting shall have power to determine the size of said schoolhouse, the material to be used in its erection, and to vote a tax to build the same; but such meeting shall have no power to reduce the estimate made by the commissioner aforesaid by more than 25 per cent of such estimate. And where no tax for building such house shall have been voted by such district within thirty days from the time of holding the first meeting to consider the question, then it shall be the duty of the trustee or trustees of such district to contract for the building of a schoolhouse capable of accommodating the children of the district, and to levy a tax to pay for the same, not to exceed the sum estimated as necessary by the commissioner, and which shall not be less than such estimated sum by more than 25 per cent thereof. But such estimated sum may be increased by a vote of the inhabitants at any school meeting subsequently called and held according to law.

5. To examine, under such rules and regulations as have been or may be prescribed by the State superintendent, persons proposing to teach common schools within his district and not possessing the superintendent's certificate of qualification or a diploma of the State normal school, and to inquire into their moral fitness and capacity, and, if he find them qualified, to grant them certificates of qualification in the forms which are or may be prescribed by the superintendent. 6. To examine any charge affecting the moral character of any teacher within his district, first giving such teacher reasonable notice of the charge, and an opportunity to defend himself therefrom; and if he find the charge sustained, to annul the teacher's certificate, by whomsoever granted, and to declare him unfit to teach; and if the teacher held a certificate of the superintendent, or a diploma of the State normal school, to notify the superintendent forthwith of such annulment and declaration.

7. And, generally, to use his utmost influence and most strenuous exertions to promote sound education, elevate the character and qualifications of teachers, improve the means of instruction, and advance the interest of the schools under his supervision.

The commissioner may administer oaths relating to the public school affairs, and by direction of the State superintendent may subpoena witnesses. An appeal from his action may be carried to the State superintendent.

District trustees and board of education.-Each school commissioner subdivides the territory of his district into school districts, and the inhabitants of each subdivision entitled to vote shall elect by ballot one or three trustees-one retiring annually-a district clerk, and a district collector, and, if the district so determine,