INSTITUTES AND TEACHERS' CERTIFICATES 231

duty imposed a large amount of labor upon the Board, and especially upon the superintendent.

TEACHERS' INSTITUTES.

The Institute law of 1855 imposed upon the superintendent of public instruction the duty of holding a number of teachers' institutes each year, and of making all necessary provisions to render these of practical value in the preparation of instructors for the public schools. The law of 1877 increased very largely the labors of the superintendent in this direction; and subsequent enactments have added still further requirements.

STATE TEACHERS' CERTIFICATES.

The law of 1867, creating the county superintendency, authorized the State superintendent to grant certificates, on any evidence of fitness satisfactory to himself, licensing the holders to teach in any of the public schools of the State, the certificate being valid until revoked by him. This law was repealed in 1875.

In 1879 an act was passed empowering the Board of Education to grant State certificates after thorough and critical examination of candidates. This act, revised and amended, still remains in force.

QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS' EXAMINATIONS, ETC.

By an enactment of 1879 the State Board of Education was directed to "prepare questions suitable for the examination of teachers for the various grades of certificates provided by law to be given to teachers of the State," and the

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State superintendent was instructed to furnish these questions to all officers authorized to examine teachers.

The intent of this act was to make an approach toward uniformity in the examination of teachers throughout the State; but, unfortunately for this purpose, the examiners were not required to use the questions so prepared, and many of them did not do so.

An amendment to the county examiners' law, made in 1887, directed the superintendent of public instruction to prepare all examination questions and send them under seal, to the examining officers. The inplication is that such examiners must use these questions and no others. Slightly changed in form, this provision is still in force. In all matters pertaining to their official duties, the county commissioners are subject to rules and regulations prescribed by the superintendent.

The establishment of additional normal schools, and the natural growth of the educational system of the State, have very largely increased the labors and responsibilities of the Board of Education and of the Department of public instruction. For many reasons the enlargement of the board by the addition of two members would be desirable.

CHAPTER XVIII.

SPECIAL INSTITUTIONS OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION.

Only brief sketches of these institutions will be given, enough to indicate their purposes and character.

THE STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

The State Agricultural College, the pioneer institution of its kind in the United States, is usually and properly classed among the institutions of higher learning; but during the early period of its history a considerable portion of its courses of instruction, aside from what was purely professional, fell within the province of secondary education. The terms of admission prescribed at first, were that applicants "should pass a good examination in the branches embraced in a common school education, namely, arithmetic, geography, grammar, reading, spelling, and penmanship."

The original purpose was to have a close connection between the rural schools and the college, and the same purpose is still kept in view. A recent statute requires the college to admit, without further examination, students who have a diploma or certificate signed by the county commissioner of schools, certifying that they have completed satisfactorily a course of study prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction for district schools, which course must include the studies required for a third grade teacher's certificate. This creates an organic connection between these

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ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COLLEGE

schools and the college, and obliges the college to make provisions for some secondary instruction.

The college was established in obedience to a requirement of the constitution of 1850, and the act providing for its organization bears date of February 12, 1855. The institution is located on a farm of six hundred and eighty-three acres, situated about three miles east from the capitol in Lansing. At first the management of the college as stated elsewhere was committed to the State Board of Education, but since 1861 it has been under the control of the State Board of Agriculture.

The first buildings were dedicated, with appropriate services on the 13th of May, 1857, and the first term opened immediately afterward. When established the college had no endowment fund, and for several years depended for its support entirely upon legislative appropriations, sometimes granted grudgingly and after much debate. The Congresgressional act of 1862 donated to Michigan 240,000 acres of public lands for the endowment of an agricultural and mechanical school. The proceeds of the sale of these lands have created a trust fund, which, on the 30th of June, 1900, amounted to about $850,000. The income of this at present is about $70,000. The college, also, received during that year, $25,000 from the United States government. It has now a larger permanent endowment than any other educational institution in the State. The influence of the institution has been largely increased by a system of farmers' institutes, conducted each year by members of the faculty under the general direction of the board of agriculture.

The value of the grounds, buildings, apparatus, library, etc., was estimated at $800,000 in the year 1903. The num

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235

ber of Professors and other teachers was 66; the number of students, 960; the number of graduates, 62; and the number of volumes in the library, 23,000. The successive Presidents of the College have been Joseph R. Williams, Theophilus C. Abbot, Edwin Willits, Oscar Clute, Lewis G. Gorton, and Jonathan L. Snyder. Lewis R. Fiske, and George T. Fairchild were each for a time acting President.

THE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF.

The present constitution directs that institutions "for the benefit of the deaf, dumb, and blind" shall be fostered and supported. Two years prior to the adoption of this constitution the Legislature passed an act to establish an asylum for the deaf, dumb, and blind. Under the provision of this act the deaf and blind were educated in the same institution up to the year 1880, from motives of economy, as there is no natural relation between the methods of instructions and management of the two classes. The school was opened at the City of Flint in 1854, occupying, for a time, a small rented building. The first regular building for the institution was not ready for use until 1856. During the first term twelve children were received, eleven deaf and one blind; the number increased during the second term to seventeen deaf and four blind.

The Principals of the school, in succession, have been Mr. B. M. Fay, Mr. E. L. Bangs, Mr. J. W. Parker, Mr. Thomas MacIntyre, Mr. F. A. Platt. The chief officer, since 1882, has been designated Superintendent, and the Superintendents have been Mr. D. H. Church, Mr. M. T. Gass, Mr. Thomas Monroe, and Mr. Francis D. Clarke, who has filled the position since 1892.