and must watch the rocks and breakers and the winds and clouds of public opinion and ascertain the drift of his course. The educational journals give him the trend of education elsewhere. He has to direct his own labors and the labors of all his teachers toward making their schools strong in the community. First, the teachers must do good work, and second they must make the community feel that it is good work. To neglect public opinion in a representative government is to rebel against it and court defeat and discomfiture. The teachers must not do anything except what they conscientionsly believe to be right. But it is their duty to show to their clients, the people, the grounds of their convictions and the efficiency of their work. The efficient superintendent therefore sets into working order these educative influences to support the one great work of education in the school system, namely, an educative influence for the members of the school board leading toward correct insight and the adoption of wise measures; second, an educative influence resulting in the acquisition of good methods, a growth in personal self-control, and, besides these, progressive studies in literature, art, and science; third, for the community an enlightened public opinion, which knows what the schools are actually doing and can intelligently explain their merits and defects, and tell what changes are desirable for onward progress. CONSTITUTION AND POWERS OF CITY SCHOOL BOARDS. The plans that have been devised for the treatment of matters of organization have not all been equally successful in meeting the conditions incident to rapid urban growth, and there is a general inquiry for means of betterment and a demand for data concerning the organization of other systems. The structure of the city school system is determined as a rule by the respective State legislatures, though in some cases that power has been delegated to the general government of the city. In Chapter I, pp. 3-78, are set forth the legal provisions concerning the systems of 23 cities selected to show the principal types of organi zation that exist in this country. A discussion of these types precedes the detailed description, and at the end of the chapter is a convenient epitome, in tabular form, of the laws mentioned. SECONDARY SCHOOLS. In diagram No. 6 and the accompanying table (p. XXIX) a condensed statement of the progress of secondary instruction for twenty-five years is given and illustrated graphically. Up to 1887 the number of secondary pupils (in ninth to twelfth years of course of study) in private academies and preparatory schools exceeded those in the public high schools. In 1895 the public high schools enrolled 350,099, while the private academies and preparatory schools enrolled only 118,347. these were all pupils in the secondary course of study. In 1871, and for nearly twenty years thereafter, such schools reported their entire enrollment as secondary pupils, although the larger proportion were really pursuing elementary studies. In 1887 the Bureau of Education began to collect information as to the actual numbers in each of the several branches of secondary study, such as algebra, Latin, physical geography, geometry, general history, natural philosophy (or physics), chemistry, French, Greek, etc. By 1890 it became possible to separate completely the secondary from the elementary pupils. The statistician has accordingly revised the returns of enrollment for the years 1871 to 1889 on the basis of the data furnished since 1890. Before 1890 the public high schools outside of cities were not tabulated. Since that date those in rural districts have been included, and, as will be seen in the diagram and table, the increase for that year appears to be 77,000 instead of a normal increase of 10,000 or 20,000. The number of pupils in secondary studies now amounts to about 7 persons in each 1,000 inhabitants, not counting the secondary pupils that are enrolled in elementary schools, which may amount to one-tenth of the entire number. It is important to observe that more than onesixth of these students are preparing for college. One-half are studying Latin and one-twentieth are studying Greek. DIAGRAM 6.--Showing the number of secondary students in public and private high schools. NOTE.-In connection with this diagram, see the accompanying table and explanation, p. xxix. 1891-92 1892-93 1893-94 Number of secondary students in public and private high schools. a From 1871 to 1887 this Bureau did not ask principals of private high schools and academies to report the number of students pursuing each secondary study. Prior to 1890 the number of students reported by a large number of these private schools included the total number in attendance. the elementary pupils as well as the secondary students. For the past six years the two classes of students have been reported separately. Taking the reports from 1890 to 1895 as a basis, the number of secondary students in private high schools from 1871 to 1889 has been carefully estimated for each year. b Previous to 1890 only the pupils in public city high schools are given. From 1890 onward all pub. lic high schools are included. |