those States an intermediate position between that of the State superintendent and the town superintendent or committee.

Having in a former report expressed the opinion that some system of intermediate supervision, either that of county superintendents or district agents, is indispensable to the successful working of our school system, I need not repeat what I then said, and will only remark further, that I regarded the extra appropriation with deep interest as a first step in the road of progress in the right direction.

The fact appearing, however, that other appropriations would nearly absorb that portion of the income of the school fund to which all were charged, it was not judged wise to attempt much in this direction. Late in the year, a single agent, Geo. A. Walton, Esq., was employed to visit the towns west of the Connecticut River during the winter months, his engagement terminating on the first of April. Mr. Walton commenced his labors soon after the Teachers' Institute in December, and has been actively and successfully engaged in his new field.

With regard to the first mentioned object for which the appropriation was asked, more has been accomplished.

Early in the year the sub-committee to whom the school committee of Boston had committed the subject of Art Education, opened a correspondence with gentlemen in England, with the object of procuring a gentleman having the requisite qualifications to organize classes and conduct the department of Drawing in the Boston schools, on the same general plan that music is so successfully taught in them.

The correspondence resulted in an invitation to Walter Smith, Esq., the head master of the School of Art in Leeds, to accept the position. In June last Mr. Smith visited this country with the view of examining the ground personally before deciding the question of removal. Mr. Smith brought the most ample proofs, not only of distinguished ability as an educator in his favorite department, but also, of having been equally distinguished for his skilful and successful endeavors in organizing schools of art in numerous cities in England, a branch of service second in importance to no other with us.

After a full conference with Mr. Smith by the executive com. mittee of the Board, in which he fully explained his views as to the best methods of organizing and carrying forward the work in

hand, the committee were satisfied of the expediency of procuring his services for the Commonwealth for such portion of his time as should be agreed upon with the Boston committee.

The agreement was made, subject to the approval of the Board, to pay two-fifths of Mr. Smith's salary, and his actual traveling expenses, for a like proportion of his time to be spent in the service of the Commonwealth.

Having accepted the joint service thus tendered to him, Mr. Smith returned to England and made immediate dispositions for his final departure. He was also charged with the duty of procuring such models of art, drawings, casts, etc., as would be needed for use in his visits to the cities and towns, and in the Normal Schools. For this purpose he was authorized to expend five hundred dollars, which was appropriated by the Board from the income of the Todd Fund.

Having procured by purchase, and by the gift of generous friends of art culture in England, a valuable collection of models, etc., suited to his purpose, Mr. Smith returned to Massachusetts early in the autumn and commenced his work. He gave interesting lectures and teaching exercises in the Teachers' Institutes, and has since been engaged in visiting and giving instruction in those cities and towns required by the statute of 1870 to maintain adult classes in mechanical drawing. In this service he is greatly aided by the collection of models above named. These have been labelled and catalogued, and, to secure safety and dispatch in their transportation and arrangement for use, are placed under the charge of a curator, who is a competent teacher of drawing, and in this way also does good service in supplementing the labors of Mr. Smith.

At the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Teachers' Associa-, tion in October last, Mr. Smith delivered a very interesting and valuable address on "Art Education, and the teaching of Drawing in the Public Schools." This address was listened to with profound interest by a large body of the leading teachers from every section of the Commonwealth, and was published in the "Massachusetts Teacher" for November. It has also been printed by the Board in pamphlet form, and with it two valuable papers by Prof. Thompson, which were printed by the Board in 1870.

In November a circular was issued by the Secretary of the

Board, and sent to the school committee of each town and city in the Commonwealth, announcing the entrance of Mr. Smith upon his duties as State Director of Art Education and giving information as to his methods of procedure, and the means of securing his personal aid and advice in all matters pertaining to his department. This address and circular will be found in the Appendix to this Report, to which reference is respectfully invited.

It has given me great pleasure to learn that the teaching exercises and more popular lectures of the Art Director are everywhere received with a high degree of approbation. New interest is awakened and large numbers are flocking to the classes wherever they are established. Flourishing classes have been formed in all but two or three of the towns and cities which are required by law to establish them. The chief obstacle in the way of forming these classes lies in the difficulty of procuring competent teachers. So fast as this obstacle can be removed I see no good reason why the law should not be extended in its scope so as to embrace all our towns having more than five thousand inhabitants. In addition to the work already alluded to, the "objective point" of the efforts of the Board and of the Art Director will doubtless be the preparation, as rapidly as possible, of competent teachers, both for the Public Schools and for special classes. To this end it will be the duty of Mr. Smith, as soon as he can be released from the more immediate calls of the towns while the evening classes are in session, to spend as much effort as possible in the Normal Schools, with the view of giving the utmost efficiency to the instruction in drawing given in them; for on these schools we must mainly rely for efficient aid in its general introduction as a branch of study into the Common Schools.

Something can be done, as heretofore, in the Teachers' Institutes. Still more, however, might be expected from special normal classes, to be opened at central points, at such periods of the year as would best accommodate the teachers of the vicinity. A special appropriation to be used by the Board in maintaining such classes to a limited extent for the purpose of experiment, at least, would be of signal advantage.

And here it gives me pleasure to point to an experiment in proof of the feasibility of establishing such special classes. In July last, in response to a circular* issued by Mr. Marble, Superintendent

For the Circular, see Appendix.

of Public Instruction in Worcester, a normal class of twentythree was opened in the rooms of the Worcester Free Institute, and taught by the professors of the Institute, for three weeks, two lessons each day. The pupils paid a fee of ten dollars each for tuition, the use of the rooms being generously granted by the trustees free of charge.

Professor Thompson, of the Worcester Free Institute, says, in a note to myself: "The class is not as large as it would have been at any time except just at the close of the (school) year, in hot weather, when most people rest and travel. That the class was as large as it was argues the need of it." If, as was the case in founding the Normal Schools, wealthy citizens or manufacturing corporations would make liberal appropriations, to be supplemented by the State, for the establishment of schools for instruction in Art and its applications to the industries pursued by them, such an impulse could not fail to be given to the work so auspiciously begun as would insure the emancipation of these industries from their present dependence on foreign artisans, and at the same time, by the coöperation of the State, and in connection with the other instrumentalities which I have named, furnish an ample supply of teachers to meet the demand of the Commonwealth.

It is the view which I have of the vital relations of this subject, alike with a true progress in general education and the higher success in our industrial pursuits, which has led me to describe so much in detail the steps taken during the past year, and which impels me to express the hope that having "put the hand to the plough " we shall not look back till something has been accomplished worthy of the importance of the subject, and of the acknowledged sagacity and intelligence for which the public acts of the Commonwealth are so generally distinguished.

SCHOOL FUnd.

I give herewith the annual report of the Commissioners of the Fund to the legislature, which shows the transactions of the fund during the year 1871, the amount of the principal January 1, 1872, and the income for the year then closing:

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The undersigned, Commissioners of the Massachusetts School Fund, in compliance with the 53d chapter of the Acts of 1866, have the honor to submit the following Report of the condition and amount of said fund January 1, 1872, together with the receipts and payments during the year 1871:—

bonds, 5 per cent.,

Total Fund, January 1, 1872,

The fund is invested as follows:

Boston & Albany Railroad stock (10,787 shares), $1,095,235 75

United States 5-20 bonds, 6 per cent.,

State of Maine bonds, 6 per cent.,

30,000 00

9,600 00

25,000 00

39,000 00