13. Institutions for Orphans.

14. Schools of Industry, or institutions for truant, idle, or neglected children, before they have been convicted of crime.

15. Reform Schools, or institutions for young criminals.

16. Houses of Refuge, for adult criminals.

17. Secondary Education, including a, institutions preparatory to college, and

b, institutions preparatory to special schools of agriculture, engineering, trade, navigation, &c.

18. Colleges and Universities.

19 Schools of Theology, Law, and Medicine.

20. Military and Naval Schools.

21. Supplementary Education, including adult schools, evening schools, courses of popular lectures, debating classes, mechanic institutes, &c.

22. Libraries, with hints for the purchase, arrangement, catalogueing, drawing, and preservation of books, especially in libraries designed for popular use. 23. Institutions for the Deaf and Dumb, Blind, and Idiots.

24. Societies for the Encouragement of Science, the Arts, and Education.

25. Schools and Academies of Art, Public Museums and Galleries.

26. Public Gardens, and other arrangements for popular recreation.

27. Educational Tracts, or a series of short essays on topics of immediate practical importance to teachers and school officers.

ers.

28. Educational Biography, or the lives of distinguished educators and teach

29. Educational Benefactors, or an account of the founders and benefactors of educational and scientific institutions.

30. Self-Education; or hints for self-formation, with examples of the pursuit of knowledge under difficulties.

31. Home Education; with illustrations drawn from the Family Training of different countries.

32. Educational Nomenclature and Index; or an explanation of words and terms used in describing systems and institutions of education in different countries, with reference to the books where every educational subject of importance is discussed and treated of.

The Commissioner has no partiality for this classification of subjects, nor does he wish to restrict the inquiries or contributions of others to them. The series embraces, in his judgment, the most important institutions and agencies by which the education of the country is secured; and the careful preparation of a special document on each, giving its present condition and the suggestions of experienced and thoughtful men, on, the improvement of the same, will in the end greatly abridge the correspondence of the Department, and "promote the cause of education throughout the country."

The plan of publication alluded to (B) in the above Circular, is as follows:

1. The publication of such special documents or reports, in connection with the Annual Report of the Commissioner, as Congress shall authorize to be printed, to be circulated in the usual way, or as is suggested in paragraphs (4 and 5,) below.

2, The printing of such special documents, so far as shall be authorized by Congress, in the same way as special documents are now prepared and printed in the different departments.

3, The printing of special reports or documents by the Commis

sioner, on any of the subjects enumerated above,*(A,) as they shall be prepared, to the extent (not to exceed a specified number of copies) and manner as shall be approved by the Congressional Committee on Printing, to be distributed as suggested below.

4. Authority to furnish any person interested in the circulation of a particular document, with any number of copies, at the cost of press-work and paper.

5. The distribution by mail of single copies of any document to any State, incorporated or school library, or to any editor or school officer who shall apply for the same.

6. An exchange with any publisher, or others, for an equivalent contribution to the Library or Cabinet of the Department.

WORK DONE OR IN PROGRESS.

Having laid out the plan, by which to collect the fullest and latest information-legislative, administrative, and statistical-"to show the condition and progress of education in the several States and Territories, and of diffusing such information respecting the organization and management of schools and school systems, and methods of teaching as shall aid the people of the United States in the establishment and maintenance of efficient school systems, and otherwise promote the cause of education throughout the country," the Commissioner has labored diligently, with such force as he was authorized to employ, and such coöperation as he could enlist, to accomplish as early and thoroughly as practicable, the specific work assigned him to do, and at the same time to inaugurate measures by which the larger and wider results contemplated should, in a reasonable time, be realized.

1. National Land Grants for Educational Purposes.

In pursuance of the requirement of the Act establishing the Department, that "in the first Report made by the Commissioner, there shall be presented a statement of the several grants of land made by Congress to promote education, and the manner in which these several trusts have been managed, the amount of funds arising therefrom, and the annual proceeds as far as the same can be determined," the first step taken after organizing the Department, was to authorize and direct the chief clerk to begin at once an investigation into the history of these grants, and to ascertain what material, printed or otherwise, was to be found in Washington. Application was made, through the Secretary of the Interior, to the Commissioner of the General Land Office, and letters were addressed to the Governors of the several States and Territories, to the State officer

or board having charge of the sales, and the investment and management of the proceeds, to Superintendents of Public Schools, and Presidents of Colleges and other institutions founded or aided by the income of these proceeds-for such printed documents or statistics as would enable the Commissioner to present the results of this beneficent policy of the National Government, both for its historical importance, and for the guidance of States which have. systems and institutions yet to establish or develop on the basis of these grants. But from all these official sources of information, and from special efforts made in a few of the States, the requisite material has not been gathered within the year, to enable him to comply in a satisfactory manner with the requirements of the law, except in respect to "the public lands donated to the several States to provide Colleges for the benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic arts." As a full account of the legislation of such States as had accepted the conditions of the grant, and of the institutions which had been organized under such legislation, was the most satisfactory answer which could be made to letters of inquiry from States and institutions which had not yet acted, the information was printed as soon as collected, and edited, in Official Circular, No. VI, and the Supplement. To the report on Colleges of Agriculture and the Mechanic arts, will be added a notice of similar institutions not aided by the national grants, together with a comprehensive survey of the whole field of realistic and special scientific education in the principal States of Europe-much of the material for which has been already collected without any expense to the Department.

2. Condition of Public Schools in the District of Columbia.

In pursuance of a Joint Resolution of Congress, approved March 29, 1867, the Commissioner instituted an exhaustive inquiry as to the number of children of the ordinary school age; the number of the same in any school, public or private; the number and character of each grade of school, with the condition of the places where the schools were kept, the number and character of teachers, text-books and other material aids of instruction; and to form an intelligent opinion of the relative efficiency of the school systems in force in the District, and what additional legislation was necessary to secure the advantages of the best system to all the children, as he is instructed to do; he has had conference with school officers, and obtained by correspondence information respecting the organization, regulation, courses of instruction, mode of employing and training teachers, school-houses, and system of inspection, in nearly all the capitals and other principal cities of the several States.

In explanation of the delay in presenting this document to Congress, the Commissioner would give not simply the magnitude, as well as the variety of details, embraced in the investigation and discussion, but the condition of his own health, which at the time he hoped to complete his work, became seriously impaired. As the information called for in the Resolution required a visit to every family and every school in the District, and at the same time made no provision for collecting and collating such information beyond the small clerical force provided for the general purposes of the Department in the Act; and as further information respecting the present population, and its distribution in different parts of the District, not expressly called for, was desirable for any intelligent legislation by Congress in respect to a system of public schools, application was made to the municipal authorities of Washington and Georgetown, and the county, for their coöperation in taking a complete enumeration of the inhabitants, including the statistics required by Congress, and a small appropriation in aid of the work was asked for. This coöperation and aid to the extent specified was extended, as is duly acknowledged in the Report referred to; but the expense of taking the enumeration was not fully met by such aid, and for the balance (about $600) an appropriation is respectfully asked.

3. Constitutional Provisions respecting Schools and Education. Owing to the fact that Conventions to revise or frame the Constitution or fundamental law, were to be held in thirteen States within. the year, numerous letters were received from delegates and others, for information respecting the operation of provisions already existing in the Constitutions of other States, and for suggestions on the subject. In answer to these inquiries, and to give the fullest information as to the action of every State, a document was prepared, intended to embrace every provision found in the successive Constitutions of each State respecting Education, Literature and Science. This document was printed in Official Circulars, Nos. IV and V, with a circular addressed to the Superintendent of Education in each State, inviting his attention to any omission, and asking his views on the operation of the existing educational clause in the Constitution of his State, in giving authority, direction, stimulus or restriction to legislative or municipal action, as well as on the desirableness of securing any or all of the following features (7 and 8 are slightly modified) of a school system in any future revision of the same.

1, The authority and duty of the Legislature to establish, aid, support, and supervise schools of every grade, and all institutions and agencies of Education, Science, and the Arts.

2, The security against diminution or diversion of all educational funds and benefactions.

3, The certainty of a minimum rate of taxation, increasing with the population, sufficient every year to secure the elementary instruction of all children within the State who shall apply, by teachers professionally trained, and in schools legally inspected and approved.

4, The distribution of all State appropriations derived from taxation or funds, on such conditions and in modes as will secure local taxation or individual contributions for the same purpose, a lively municipal or public interest in the expenditure of both sums, the constant cooperation of parents at home in realizing the work of the school, and the regular attendance of pupils.

5, A State Board of Education, having supervision of all educational institutions incorporated or aided by the State, and constituted in such way as to secure literary, scientific, and professional attainment and experience, freedom from denominational or party preponderance, sympathy with the wants of different sections and occupations, and independence of local or special influence.

6, A system of inspection, administered by the State Board, intelligent, professional, frequent, and independent of local or institutional control, with the widest and fullest publicity of results.

7, State Scholarships, securing free instruction in any higher institution incorporated or aided by the State, conditioned on fitness to enter and profit by the same, ascertained by open competitive examination.

8, A Retiring Fund, for teachers of public schools, made up of an annual allowance by the State, and an equal payment by those who register to secure its benefits, conditioned on prolonged service in the business of teaching.

9, An obligation on parents and guardians not to allow children to grow up in barbarism, ignorance and vagrancy; and the exercise of the elective franchise, or of any public office, conditioned on the ability of the applicant to read understandingly the Constitution and the laws, and forfeited by any parent or guardian of children who neglects to secure the formal instruction of such children between the ages of 6 and 14 years, for at least eight months in the year, or to pay for their maintenance, if sent to a prison or reformatory, while minors.

4. Legislation respecting Systems of Elementary Instruction.

In answer to inquiries from abroad respecting the legal organization of our public schools, and from States in our own country engaged in framing new laws or revising old ones on the subject, a