schools, under the patronage of the State, do this work, it will be well. done. Left to individual enterprise, it may not be so certain that the "weeding out" will be as carefully done as public interest demands.

Of the academies, etc., which do not receive any thing from the State, twenty-three have reported for the year 1875, as against twenty-one for 1874. 2,212 students are reported in attendance for 1875, and 1,956 for 1874; an increased attendance of 256 students in 1875 over the attendance of 1874.

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.

Table XXIX. shows abstracts of reports received from colleges and universities. Twenty-five reported to this office in 1874, twenty-four reported in 1875. Twenty-five reported 235 regular instructors in 1874, twenty-four reported 215 regular instructors in 1875. Twenty-four reported 6,178 students in attendance in 1874, twenty-three reported 5,402 in 1875; twenty-two reported 3,148 students in regular course in 1874, twenty-two reported 3,063 in 1875; twenty-two reported 445 students who graduated in regular course in 1874, twenty-one reported 357 in 1875; twenty-one reported 6,163 whole number of graduates in 1874, twentyone reported 6,488 in 1875; eighteen reported a yearly income of $386,090 in 1874, twenty reported a yearly income of $239,675 in 1875.

INSTITUTE FUND.

Fully one-half of the Institute Fund reports made to this office are unreliable and must be returned for correction, thus occasioning a great amount of extra labor and correspondence. The irregularity consists almost invariably in carrying forward the balance remaining at the close of the preceding school year. In nearly every instance it is reported less than it should be, and in very many cases entirely omitted. I trust greater care will be exercised by the officers having this important fund in charge.

Examiners' Reports.-Considerable embarrassment results to this office from a want of promptness in the preparation and transmissinn of the quarterly and annual reports required from the city, or local, and county examiners. Vexatious inaccuracies arise from the manner in which traveling expenses are allowed and reported. In many instances it appears as though it were the invariable rule to allow the third of the fees in every quarter, however large the amount collected. This amount, after being allowed, is often not drawn at the close of the quarter, and in some instances not for two or three quarters, whereas it is evidently the intent of the law that there shall be quarterly settlements and closing of

accounts between the examiners and auditors or treasurers. I suggest that at the close of the quarter the auditor issue the order to the examiners, and that they, at the same time, draw the amount, in order that the institute fund actually subject to draft may always appear reliably cor

rect.

Very frequently the annual report, which should be a correct transcript or summary of the quarterly reports, contains an amount of traveling expenses different from what was reported to this office at the close of the quarter. Again, the Institute Fund report often shows that the traveling expenses allowed by the auditor have not been claimed, and hence a larger institute fund is reported than is really available. The blanks in use are so simple, and the data required so easily obtained, that scarcely any allowance can be expected for defective reports. I recommend that the examiners draw their traveling expenses promptly on the close of every quarter, and thus remove a source of great annoyance to the school department of the State.

TEACHERS' INSTITUTES.

During the months of July and August the Commissioner of Schools spent nearly all his time in attending and lecturing before county teachers' institutes. Each judicial district has been visited by the Commissioner, as required by law, and he has taken such time to visit institutes and schools as could be spared from other official business. There can be no doubt that much good could be done, and the Commissioner could be prepared to make a much more intelligent report of the actual condition of the schools, if he were given a larger fund for traveling expenses, enabling him to visit during the year many of the schools, at least the representative schools, and to see them under the teachers' management as they are every day. Writing up the condition of the schools of the State, in the office of the School Department, from such statistical information as can be obtained through school officers, and from such ideas of the teachers and their work as may be deduced from meeting a part of the teachers of ten or a dozen counties, and meeting them in their holiday attire at county institutes, and hearing only the theorizing of the instructors, is much the same as writing up the fighting condition of an army would be, the writer being always at the seat of goverment, knowing nothing of the battles fought, or the mode of conducting the war, except what he can learn through the reports of officers at the front, and having seen only portions of the grand army-a few companies when on dress parade at the capital.

The Commissioner of Schools is required by law to visit each judicial district once a year. If his visits be thus limited, and if his traveling

fund be so small that he can visit little more than each judicial district, and then if he meet the teachers only "on dress parade" at county institutes, the knowledge obtained of the real work done in the schools will be exceedingly limited. For the want of a sufficient traveling fund the Commissioner has been compelled to decline many requests to visit county associations and to lecture before institutes. He regrets exceedingly that necessity has compelled him to decline so many of these invitations. Regrets this because he has felt that to meet the teachers of the several counties of Ohio, and to learn something of their interest in the work they have engaged to do, and of their ability to do that work as it should be done, is a duty he owes, as a representative of the School Department, to the State and to himself, in that he should be able to acquit himself creditably in representing to the public the condition of the schools.

The county institute is the chief if not only means, within reach of the country teacher, for that professional training that is a requisite to successful teaching. The preparation for work and the progress that is made by the city teachers, in the weekly or monthly meetings held for mutual improvement and instruction, and the unanimity of effort that can be reached through these meetings, can be partially obtained by the country teachers only in these yearly meetings of the county teachers' associations. Much good may be done at these meetings, and much good has been done, but nothing like the profit that could be derived by the teachers, if the meetings were more frequently held, and if the teachers attended them with a view to energetic and earnest personal participation in the work done. That county teachers' institute which simply brings together a number of teachers who passively sit through the week, listening indifferently to the instruction or theorizing of one or more lecturers, who may have established reputations in graded school work, is at least of doubtful worth. If the lecturer is a mere theorist-if he has not practiced his theory or seen it practiced successfully in ungraded schoolsthe institute so attended and so instructed is a farce to all but him who "puts money in his purse." The instruction given at county institutes should be practical-it should meet as nearly as possible the requirements of the teachers and of the locality. The wants of the locality in the matter of teaching should be known, and, if possible, supplied. Modes and methods of teaching, entirely impractical in the country ungraded schools or inexpedient because of public sentiment or of the unavoidable condition of the schools, are too often presented by instructors at teachs' institutes, to the disgust or dismay of the more intelligent teachers and to the enlightenment of none.

The county teachers' institute should be a meeting of the teachers of

the county for mutual improvement. All of the teachers should participate in the exercises of the session. It should be a meeting of teachers affording an opportunity to each teacher present, which should be used, for speaking of personal success and the probable mode of securing that success, and of personal failure, if there has been failure, and the probable cause or causes of such failure. The hopes, the aspirations, the troubles, the cares, the difficulties, the pleasures, of the profession, as developed in the every-day work of the speakers or writers, should be talked or written and discussed by the teachers of the association-they who have taught in the county and know something of the school wants of the country can best do this work.

The instructors employed by county associations should be persons of intelligence and culture and common sense, and of experience in the work concerning which they are to give instruction.

In the present condition of the law making provision for country schools, these yearly meetings of county associations are quite a necessity, and although they, in some instances, might be so organized and managed as to do more good than is done, even with impractical and inexpedient instruction and very noticeable indifference on the part of members attending, they do much good. Some good seed is scattered, and although a part of it falls on stony ground, other part-and it is believed a larger part-falls on good ground and bears fruit an hundred fold.

The Commissioner of Schools is pleased to say that, with one or two exceptions, the county teachers' institutes he has visited since he came into the office have been well attended by the teachers of the respective counties, and have had able, experienced, and practical instructors. Many of the teachers he has met have indicated, by their active participation in the work of their meetings, the possession of that energy and earnestness that is the assurance of success.

The 18,000 teachers of the country need only that intelligent management or supervision that is given to the 4,000 teachers of the cities and villages. When they are given this, then the schools of the country will be as efficient as the schools of the cities now are. Much excellent though often latent native capacity to teach is possessed by many of the teachers of our country schools. This capacity needs only development and training. In spite of the absence of such means as should exist in every county of the State for the professional training of teachers, many of the teachers of the country schools have developed and strengthened the natural ability they have possessed, and have made for themselves honorable records in their professional work.

EXAMINATION OF TEACHERS.

Superintendents A. J. Rickoff and John Hancock and Prof. T. C. Mendenhall having, as early as March, 1875, sent in to the Commissioner of Schools their resignations as members of the State Board of Examiners, the vacancies occasioned by such resignations were filled by the appointment of Superintendents H. B. Furness, of Tiflin, J. B. Peaslee, of Cincinnati, and Alston Ellis, of Hamilton. These gentlemen each accepted the appointment, and pursuant to a request made by the Commissioner, they met in his office on the 24th day of April, 1875, and, after organizing, prepared and adopted rules governing their future action. The following is the report of the Secretary of the State Board of Examiners made to this office:

REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF EXAMINERS,

HON. C. S. SMART, State Commissioner of Common Schools:

DEAR SIR: So much of the following report as relates to the organization of the State Board of Examiners, and the examination of applicants for life certificates, is taken from the records of the Board now in my possession. The latter portion of the report is made up of comments and suggestions for which no one is responsible but myself.

Meeting for Organization.—The members of the State Board of Examiners met in the office of the State School Commissioner, at Columbus, on Saturday, April 24, 1875. The following organization was effected: President, John B. Peaslee, of Cincinnati; Secretary, Alston Ellis, of Hamilton; Treasurer, H. B. Furness, of Tiffin. After deliberation, it was decided to hold three meetings of the Board annually, at any one of which applicants may be examined. The following places and times were selected for holding the meetings: Put-in-Bay, July 2 and 3, 1875; Columbus, August 20 and 21, 1875, and Cincinnati, December 30 and 31, 1875.

Under existing regulations applicants are required to pass a creditable examination in each of the following subjects: Theory and Practice of Teaching, Reading, Orthography, Penmanship, Arithmetic, Geography, Grammar, United States History, General History, Zoology, Botany, Natural Philosophy, Algebra, Geometry, Constitution of the United States, Physiology, English and American Literature, and Music or Drawing,

Provision will be made at each examination, enabling applicants to take any or all of the additional branches included in the following list: Mineralogy and Geology, Logic, Rhetoric, Political Economy, Mental Philosophy, Trigonometry, Surveying, Latin, Greek, Chemistry, and Astronomy.

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Applicants wishing to pass an examination in branches other than those enumerated in the above lists, must notify the Secretary of the Board of the branches upon which an examination is desired, at least four weeks prior to the day of examination.

Applicants must take all the required branches at one examination.

Rejected applicants presenting themselves for reëxamination are regarded as new applicants, and are required to undergo examination in all subjects upon which examination is necessary.

In addition to the above applicants are required:

1. To have five years' experience as teachers.