ing a home, and till now, finding none. F to the Governor and Council of the Ter transferred to Commissioners; then assign intendent of Public Instruction; but nowhave been, on the organization of the Stat to a State Land Office.

The early Legislation of our State show who laid the foundations of our institution larged views-often so broad as to appea and yet, time has shown them to be so, pecting too speedy results. But this err the cause of many failures with individual barrassment to the State, had a tendenc results they had expected too soon.

Five years after the complete organizat government-five years of defeated hopes of air built castles-when bankruptcy had sands who thought themselves rich-when a State enterprise, was stamped upon our of Internal Improvements, and partial fa embarrassment were attendant upon our stitutions, we see in imagination, a prophe the midst of a disappointed and discourag claiming that:

In fifteen years our strap railroads sha by private enterprise, with heavy rail, a State an annual income of over $100,000;

A canal shall be built without expense 'which large vessels may sail into Lake Supe ing business commenced, the ultimate magi a prophet's vision may not safely limit;

The taxable property of the State, from $ be assessed at $150,000,000; our annual spe $4,200, shall increase to $133,000; our p 250,000, shall become nearly 800,000; our

rst, it was given ritory; by them ed to the Super-where it should e government

vs that the men s entertained enr extravagantonly in their exor, while it was s, and much emy to hasten the

ion of our State and dissipation prostrated thoun total failure as magnificent plan ailure and great - Educational Inet standing up in ged people, pro

all be completed and yield to the

to the State, by erior, and a minnitude of which,

$29,000,000, shall ecific taxes, from

population, from School children,

from 65,000, shall number over 200,000; the amount raised annually from all sources, for Primary Schools, from $86,000, shall swell to more than $600,000; our School Fund, from $359,820, shall be, $1,613,000; our University Fund, from $137,000, shall be $503.000; there shall be a Normal School with 500 pupils and a fund of $73,000; our University, with 25 students and 4 Professors, shall have 450 students and 18 Professors;

Nearly one hundred thousand dollars shall have been expended in establishing an Agricultural College, whose one hundred students would be doubled, but for want of accommodations;

There shall be a House of Correction for juvenile offenders, which united humanity will regard as the school of schools for the prevention of crime, and the salvation of youthful offenders;

There shall be an Asylum for the deaf and dumb, and the blind, whose eminent success will bear witness to the liberal humanity of the State; and

An Asylum for the insane shall be founded, on a scale commensurate with the woes of that unfortunate class of our fellow-beings.

Had such a prophecy been made in 1842, the prophet would hardly have found more believers-inclined though the people were, to expect great things-than did the prophets of ancient days; yet, in half of one generation of time, has all come to pass!

Advancing another period of five years-from 1842 to 1847--we find that the entire sum expended in the latter year for Common Schools, was,.

Interest on the School Fund..

Mill-tax,.

Total School Fund,..

Children between the ages of 4 and 18,.
Volumes in township libraries,.

2

$130,531 75

31,250 54

7,368 75

$573,931 49

.108,130

43,926

The legal sources of the means for the sup at that time, were as follows:

1st. The interest of the School Fund.

2nd. A tax of one mill upon the dollar property in the State.

3rd. The voters in any township might, meeting, vote a tax not exceeding fifty e scholar between four and eighteen years of 4th. Districts might vote a district tax school-houses, not exceeding two hundred year, where there were not more than thirty not exceeding three hundred dollars, where more than fifty scholars. Districts might vo sary" tax for repairs and

payment of legal debts.

furnishing the hou

Districts with m

6th. The proceeds of all fines for any bre nal laws in the several counties, were to be the townships therein, for the benefit of libr

It was found that in many instances the complied with by township officers. The pr did not always find their way into the fund and in many cases Supervisors refused to ass tax." The Superintendent of Public Inst Ira Mayhew, in 1845, procured the publicati and these defects were in general remedie children in 1845, 20,756 did not attend schoo

During the previous years, a want of well q ers was greatly felt; not so much that there we who were qualified according to former stand necessity was perceived of raising the stand cation; and by none more so, probably, than ers themselves. Several local Educational S

pport of Schools

of all taxable

at their annual ents for every age.

x for building dollars in one scholars; and there were not ote any "neces ase, and for the more than fifty -s for the pur

each of the pe
distributed to

raries.

laws were not roceeds of fines for libraries, sess the "millCruction, Hon. on of the law, ed. Of 90,000 1.

qualified teachere not enough dards, but the ard of qualifiby the teach

Societies were

.

formed; but these, while they served to, awaken in the minds of the people an interest on the subject of education, were little adapted to the purpose of qualifying teachers. The Superintendent of Public Instruction devoted a large portion of the year, 1846, to personal effort with the people. He visited every organized county in the State, save four, organizing societies, and arousing the minds of the masses, as a necessary preliminary to a successful effort for organizations of the teachers for their own improvement.

The first society of this kind was the "Lenawee County Teachers' Association." This Society is still in existence. The first "Teachers' Institute," organized under that name, was in Jackson County.

The Superintendent hoped much from the organization of Teachers' Institutes; and strongly recommended aid from the Legislature in their behalf, as being better adapted to the immediate wants of education than a State Normal School would be; though (to quote from his Report,) he "deemed a Normal School indispensable to the perfection of any system of National Education." The State Legisla latures, however, saw fit to leave the enterprise to the teachers themselves, to bear the expense, till after the Normal School was established.

The Superintendent also, in 1845, '46 and '47, devoted much time to the subject of Union Schools, and in persuading the people of the great advantage which might be derived therefrom. It required much persuasion, argument, and information, at first, to interest the people in the plan of Union Schools, which has since become so prominent a feature in our Primary School System.

Making another advance of five years from the period. last considered, to 1852, we find the legal provisions for the support of Schools slightly changed, as follows:

1st. The interest of the School Fund.

mills in 1851, and changed ba

3d. The districts (not the towns, as befo

a tax of one dollar per scholar.

4th. The same as in 1847, above.

5th. The rate bill.

6th. The proceeds of fines, &c.

The whole amount raised in the State for

Schools, in 1852, was about...

Interest of the School Fund..

The sales in this year were about five th less than the average for the previous eight 1853 they increased four fold; and in 1854 1 amounting in the two years to $519,801 88.

This was about equal to all the sales of since the lands were offered, excepting the the sales from 1853 to 1857, inclusive, were all previous sales from the beginning.

From these extensive sales, the amoun rapidly increased, till from thirty-four cents 1851, it reached fifty-three cents in 1857; bu year the sales amounted to but a little mo thousand dollars-not keeping pace with th population-and the amount, the present yea fifty cents per scholar. The sale of the lands upon the financial prosperity of the State necessity show a wide difference between yea cial activity, like 1853 and '54, and a year of 1857. The increase of population is more uni affected by these causes.