ons and alms houses, dwelling houses, farm houses and churches; that they have shared in the support of the State and the United States governments; that in most cases they have provided families with the prime necessities of life-food and clothing—and that they have paid, even within the last ten years, about $11,523,417 by way of rate bills for instruction, and taxes for the erection of school houses and for their repairs; that, in short, they have been taxed heavily for improvements incident to a comparatively new and partially developed country; and that it is not strange that they have not been willing to take up the burden of taxation necessary to build and properly furnish good and substantial school houses.

Even in our cities and large union districts, where better buildiugs have been erected, and where capital is not wanting, school accommodations do not keep pace with the growth of population. The school houses of New York and Brooklyn are not capable of seating all the children that apply at their doors for admission. The cost of sites, and of labor and materials, and the want of money, have induced the authorities to postpone from year to year the erection of new buildings, until the deficiency of room and the crowd of pupils will admit of no further delay.

The school house should be the handsomest and most pleasantly situated building in the district. It should be conveniently arranged and comfortably seated, ample in size, well ventilated and warmed. It should have, where possible, a good yard and play ground, not less than half an acre in extent, planted with shade trees, and surrounded with a substantial fence.

The little commune of Winterthen, in the Swiss canton of Zurich, with only 5,000 inhabitants, has within the past three years built three school houses, situated in the midst of gardens, and at a cost of $100,000. Such taste in the selection of sites and erection of buildings shows a just appreciation of the value of schools and knowledge. It would be a high privilege to be a citizen of Winterthen. We may be sure that a traveler visiting Winterthen would have nothing to say of beggars, paupers and criminals. It is the abode of industry, plenty and intelligence.

The contrast of what is with what ought to be, in thousands of cases, is discreditable to the State. Our citizens should be awakened to their duty in this respect. If a regard for the comfort and health of the children is not motive sufficient to rouse

them, there are economic considerations which ought to prevail. No really good teacher will engage to teach in a district with a wretched, uncomfortable shell of a house, and the employment of an incompetent teacher is a waste of the money of the State and of the parents, and of the precious time of the children. The cost of warming and repairing such a house is greater. An unsightly structure, unpainted, without blinds, with loose clapboards and doors without hinges, standing unfenced by the highway, is a fair mark for snowballs and stones from every idle and mischievous boy. Nobody cares enough about it to guard it from injury and demolition. A really beautiful house would be an object of interest and pride, would be attractive to teachers and pupils, and would enlist the care and protection of trustees and inhabitants.

If anything is to be done there is a way to do it, and I suggest for your consideration :

First, that the general school law shall be so amended that School Commissioners shall have power to cause alterations and repairs to be made on district school houses, at an expense not exceeding $200 in any one case, and that increased power be given to the School Commissioner and supervisor in the matter of condemning school houses unfit for use, so that districts owning such condemned school houses may be compelled to expend a moderate sum in building new ones.

Second, in case the additional power proposed to be given to the Commissioner and supervisor be not deemed sufficient to supply a want' so apparent, that a town Board of Education, composed of the supervisor, town clerk, and one trustee of each school district, the school house of which is within the town, be created with full powers to build, repair and furnish the school house with all needful school apparatus, and that a percentage of the expense be borne by the districts, the towns, and the counties, and by the State, in equitable proportion, to be determined by law.

Third, the creation of a State fund to encourage the building and furnishing of school houses, to be so used that those districts and cities which have already erected suitable school houses and appurtenances, and furnished the former with needful apparatus, shall participate in its distribution.

The law enacted at the last session of the Legislature, "authorizing the appraisal of, and acquiring title to, lands taken for or in addition to sites for district school houses," is meeting a great

public want, and is already accelerating the erection of new and tasteful school edifices upon commodious and well chosen sites. It is suggested that it should be made applicable to cities and incorporated villages.

LIBRARIES.

The number of volumes in the district libraries was:

The value of all the public school libraries in the State, as reported by the trustees, is $652,156.

The amount of money reported as having been expended for

The entire sum expended for libraries and apparatus during the year was $214,194.13.

The appropriation from the United States Deposit Fund, for library purposes, was apportioned to the cities and rural districts according to their population, as follows:

To the cities

To the rural districts.

Total

$20,187 08

34,812 92

$55,000 00

The number of districts reported as having bookcases for their libraries was 8,572.

It is believed that the district libraries in the rural districts have lived beyond the day of their highest usefulness. The his. tory which the American people have been writing for themselves during the last six years, has almost entirely absorbed the public mind, and drawn the eyes of the young and the old to the daily and weekly newspaper, and other periodical literature of the day, so that the district libraries fail to receive their just share of attention. As an evidence of this it may be stated that about one-half of the sum annually apportioned to the rural districts for this purpose, is applied to the payment of teachers' wages.

CHILDREN AND TEACHERS.

The number of children reported between the ages of five and twenty-one years, was:

In the rural districts a census of the children of school age is taken annually, and the figures for them are supposed to be correct. In several of the smaller cities, also, an annual census of the children is taken, but in the larger cities an estimated number is given. The number of children between five and twenty-one years of age in the several counties and cities, forms, however, a percentage of the entire population in each so nearly uniform, that the figures given may be tested by census tables. Thus they have been found to approach very nearly to accuracy. Of the number of children reported, 919,309 are reported as having attended public schools during some portion of the year. The number reported as having attended school during the year 1864-65, was 916,617. The whole number of days' attendance at school of all the children, was:

The average daily attendance, excluding fractions, was:

This shows an increase during the year, of 11,699.

Total.

407,316 3.95,617

The number of free schools, including union free schools, and schools in the cities and in some of the villages made free by special acts, was 761. The number of these schools is steadily increasing from year to year, which shows the growing tendency of the public mind towards a system of free schools for the entire State.

The number of private schools reported is 1,394, with an aggregate attendance of 61,754 pupils.

The whole number of pupils attending the academies during the year, is 36,465, and the average attendance for each of the several terms, was 21,835. No record is kept of the average daily attendance of pupils in the academies, and hence the average by terms is the only one which can be obtained. Of the

number registered, 15,252 were academical students, and 21,213 were in the preparatory departments.

The following summary shows the number of pupils as distributed among the colleges, academies, private schools and common

The per cent which the number of pupils of each of these classes of schools forms of the aggregate number of pupils in all the classes above stated, is as follows, viz:

In the colleges, a little more than fifteen hundredths of one per cent. (.00151).

In the academies, a little more than three and a half per cent. (.03578).

In private schools, a little more than six per cent. (.06060).

In the common schools, a little more than ninety per cent. (.90211).

These figures demonstrate the paramount importance of the common schools, and show us on what we must rely for giving to the masses that intelligence which, coupled with virtue, is the only security of a free government.

The average time the schools were in session during the year

was:

In the rural districts, thirty weeks and two days.

In the cities, forty-three weeks.

The whole number of teachers employed was:

These numbers include all properly qualified teachers who have been employed for any time during the year, consequently the "number of teachers employed at the same time for twenty-eight weeks or more," will more nearly represent the number required to supply all the schools at the same time.