Early in the session of 1861, Hon. John Conness introduced a bill into the House, which was passed, providing for the sale of the 16th and 36th sections of school lands, and that the proceeds should be paid into the State School Fund. Thus, after many years of impracticable legislation, in which each successive Legislature tinkered on a township land bill, a plain and practicable law was passed, under the provisions of which in less than a year nearly 200,000 acres were sold, and the proceeds applied to the State School Fund.

In 1863, the total amount of proceeds from the sale of school lands was $475,000; but the amount, instead of being invested in seven per cent. bonds, had been used by the State for current expenses.

Superintendent Swett secured the passage of an Act providing for the gradual funding of the indebtedness of the State to the School Fund, which amounted at that time to $475,520.

Under authority of an Act, approved May 3d, 1852, providing for the disposal of the 500,000 acres granted to this State by Act of Congress, for the purpose of internal improvements, and reserved by the State Constitution for school purposes, it was made the duty of the State Treasurer to convert the proceeds "into bonds of the civil funded debt of the State, bearing seven per cent. interest per annum, and to keep such bonds as a special deposit in his custody, marked School Fund,' to the credit of said School Fund."

This provision was never complied with, for payments were made in depreciated scrip or Controller's warrants; the scrip paid in was cancelled, and to this extent the School Fund was used by the State to defray the ordinary expenses of government. The State, therefore, owed to the School Fund the sum of $475,520, derived from the sale of 237,760 acres of land sold prior to April 23d, 1858.

The State has always recognized this debt by appropriating annually for school purposes a sum equal to the interest at seven per cent. per annum upon the amount of this indebtedness. But the school department was placed completely at the mercy of the annual general appropriation bill; and if no appropriation was made, as was the case in 1861, there was no redress.

The Act approved April 14th, 1863, provided for the gradual funding of this unfunded debt to the School Fund, by requiring that whenever State bonds were redeemed, such bonds to such amount as should thus be redeemed with the sum of $575,520, should not be cancelled, but should be kept as a special deposit in the custody of the Treasurer, marked "School Fund," in the same manner and for the same purposes as the bonds directly purchased for said School Fund..

This was an important measure. Under its provisions the entire indebtedness of the State to the School Fund has been converted into State bonds at seven per cent.

The total amount of the State School Fund invested in State bonds is $725,000.

The total sales of the 16th and 36th sections to date of October 23d, 1867, stands as follows:

Surveyed lands.........

Unsurveyed lands.

Total

$246,958

260,444

$507,402

Grant of 500,000 acres was all sold. Seminary lands, 72 sections, 46,080 acres, all sold. Agricultural College, 150,000 acres, unsold.

The proceeds of the seminary lands, prior to 1863, instead of being invested in bonds marked "Seminary Fund," have been incorporated into the common School Fund, subject to action of the Legislature when the fund may be wanted.

The amount invested in seminary bonds stands as follows:

About $35,000 are thus shown to be due from the School Fund to the Seminary Fund.

The total amount of school lands in California, under the grant of the 16th and 36th sections, including the mineral sections, would be 6,755,000 acres; but the question is yet undecided whether in the mineral regions. these sections can be set apart for school purposes.

THE INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS.

The County Superintendent is required by law to visit each school in his county at least once a year. In some counties, the salary of the Superintendent is so small and the distance to be travelled so great, that even this one annual visit cannot be made. It is evident that a formal visit, once a year, can be of little value to a school. A few counties only pay a salary sufficient to enable the Superintendent to make a thorough supervision of the schools. Placer County pays a salary of $1,800; El Dorado, $1,400; Sonoma, $1,400; enough to secure a fair supervision of the schools.

It

The County of Santa Clara, which has 44 school districts, 4,608 census children, which expends annually $49,023 03 for public schools, pays its County Superintendent only $900 a year. The travelling expenses of the Superintendent, were he to visit the schools as often as a thorough supervision requires, would amount to more than half this sum would be good economy for this county to pay a Superintendent $1,800 a year, and then require him to give his whole time to the schools. Nevada County pays only $600 a year, one half of which would barely pay the travelling expenses of the Superintendent were he to devote ono day to visiting each of the 25 districts in the county.

San Joaquin pays only $1,250 a year for the supervision of her 55 school districts, less than the salary of a first class teacher; and yet the able and earnest Superintendent has devoted his whole time to the work of his office for the past four years.

Alameda County, with 27 districts, pays only $600 a year, one half of which ought to be expended in travelling.

Solano County, with 30 districts, pays only $450, in county scrip, to one of the best Superintendents in the State. It is an honor to Mr. Simonton that he has consented to hold the office and to do the work without pay, and a disgrace to the county that he has not been paid a fair compensation for his labor.

Sierra County, with 20 districts, pays only $400; and Siskiyou County, with the same number of districts, only $600.

It is useless to expect school supervision without paying for it. The smaller counties of course cannot afford to pay a salary sufficient to require the Superintendent to devote his whole time to the office. office must be held by some person who shall make its duties incidental to some other occupation. But in at least 12 counties in the State it would be the wisest economy to elect competent teachers to the office, pay them fair salaries, and require them to devote their whole time to the supervision of the schools. The common sense of the people in most of the counties leads them to the opinion that this office should be held only by professional teachers. Both political parties at the last election recognized this plain principle by very generally nominating teachers for this office. It now remains only to increase the salaries of County Superintendents, so that they can devote their whole time to the schools.

Examining teachers, drawing warrants, keeping the books, and making an annual report, constitute the least important part of the duties of a County Superintendent. The efficiency of the school system of the State depends, in a great measure, on the manner in which he discharges his duties. They must see that teachers adopt the State course of study, and that they enforce the rules and regulations of the State Board of Education. He must secure good teachers for the schools, and exclude those who are found on trial to be incompetent. He must aid young and inexperienced teachers to organize their schools. A single visit of a day by an intelligent and skilful officer may change the character of a school for the whole term. He ought to visit the districts and address the people on the subject of education, and on the wants of the schools. It is idle to expect to secure talented and able teachers for this office when the salary is less than that of a second rate teacher.

Hon. J. M. Gregory, of Michigan, in his able report for 1863, makes the following suggestions concerning the duties of a good school visitor, which I quote for the benefit of the Superintendents who are paid enough to be expected to do their full duty:

"1st. He should look narrowly to the character and condition of the schoolroom. He may not be able to secure a repair of its broken walls or ruined floor, nor to get it properly ventilated and warmed; but he can sometimes procure a re-arrangement of its seats to make them more convenient; and at any rate, he can by a few kind but earnest words of advice, urge the teacher to keep it clean and in order as a necessary condition of an orderly school.

"2d. Let him have a keen eye for the indication of good government, the order and system maintained by the teacher, and the prompt and quiet obedience of the pupils. In a well governed school, not only will there be a general quiet throughout the room, but the work of the school will go on with system and regularity. Each class will have its regular hour, and will, at the signal, rise promptly, and move in order to the place of recitation. The exercises will not be broken in upon by the calls of pupils outside of the class, nor by the efforts of the teacher to

repress mischief and restore order in the other parts of the room. The teacher will neither scold nor threaten, and the pupils will sit and work in a cheerful and easy quietude, as far from the constrained and awkward silence of fear, as it is from the lawless license and riot of ungoverned disorder. Reflecting that good government is the first and fundamen al condition of a good school, the skilful visitor will wisely counsel with the teacher as to any faults he may have observed, and seek to aid him in the introduction of better rules, by the recommendation of some more systematic arrangement and order in the school work. The force of perfect system is mightier than the force of the rod, in the government of a school.

"3d. The methods of teaching will receive the most earnest and careful attention of the wise visitor. There is a lazy and shiftless way of teaching, fallen into by many teachers, which consists in a mere unthinking reading of the questions in the book, in their order, to the member of the class taken in one invariable round, and patching out the mumbled and mutilated replies; and then, after assigning the next lesson, dismissing the class. Such an exercise is almost utterly useless. The aim of a good recitation is threefold: 1st, to ascertain that the class have thoroughly studied the lessen both in its form or language and in its substance or thought. 2d, to drill them by rapid and varied questionings in the facts, formulas and operations contained in it; and 3d, to awaken their minds to the subject, and lead them to a thorough understanding of it. A good class exercise will be clear, distinct, thorough, lively to eagerness, interesting, and generally short, to avoid flagging and weariness. More questions will be asked out of the book than in it, and will never be given to the pupils in the order in which they sit or stand. No replies will be accepted that are not clear and correct, and Do hints to start with, or patching at the close, will be offered by the teacher. The pupil will be required to stand on his own knowledge of the lesson, and to exhibit independently just how much he knows of it. "To correct errors here, and to introduce new and happier methods, the experienced visitor will give his best efforts. His largest knowledge of schools and of teaching will be needful to enable him to detect the defects that exist, and to offer the remedies required.

"4th. The moral condition of the school, as exhibited by the conduct and language of the pupils, on the playground as well as in the school room, is another point demanding the careful attention of the inspector. If the pupils are quarrelsome and profane, or excessively rude and vulgar in habits-if they are indolent, untidy, untruthful, or eye servants, negligent of duties and disobedient to authority, then the school is indeed sadly defective, and full of deadly peril both to the character of the pupils and to the peace of society. The cure of these disorders is often difficult, and to be accomplished only by long and patient efforts; but the teacher who suffers such evils to exist, and does not labor earnestly and by all proper methods to eradicate them, is unfit for his place, and should be speedily dismissed. The chief forces available for the moral education of a school are: 1st-A good government, which maintains and teaches good order and obedience to rightful authority and to duty; 2d-Neatness of rooms and of persons, inspiring self-respect and decency of habits; 3d-A general politeness and courtesy of manners and address maintained between the teacher and pupils, and among the pupils themselves. aiding to soften down the temper and to promote kindly feelings; 4th-The reverent reading of the Bible at the opening of school, accompanied by prayer, if the teacher chooses, to cast the influence of its high

sanctions on the conscience of both teacher and pupils; 5th-The reading frequently to the school of stories of the virtuous and hercic deeds of noble men and women, to inspire like sentiments in the susceptible mind of childhood; 6th-The clear explanation to the school, and, as much as practicable by question, leading the children themselves to the discovery of the nature and wrongfulness of each vice, and of the obligation and benefit of every virtue; 7th, and finally, the administration of proper penalties for the faults, and of proper approval for the right doing of the pupils themselves. Learning loses all its higher values when linked to vice, and the thoughtful visitor will count it his highest duty, both to the school and the State, to watch narrowly the moral influences that are at work in the schoolroom.

"5th. The condition and use of apparatus, blackboards, and maps, will also attract the attention of the visiting Inspectors. The power of visi ble illustration is difficult to be overstated. The pupil of the eye is the only pupil never addressed in vain. The introduction of the blackboard has revolutionized modern teaching, and the teacher skilled in its use can scarcely fail as an instructor.

"6th. Let the visitor also examine the daily roll or record of the school, both to ascertain its condition and its correctness in manner, and also to learn from it the degree of regularity in attendance. Often the young teacher can be aided by a few suggestions, to better methods and greater accuracy in keeping the register.

"7th. As the Inspector is entrusted with the oversight of all the educational machinery of the districts, he should examine also into the condition and general usefulness of the district or township libraries. He should advise as to the selection of books, and as to the general management, and urge the teacher to promote their wider use. An inspection of the librarian's record will tell him how extensively the books are loaned and read.

"The best time for visiting schools will be found to be shortly after the term has opened. Two or three weeks may be allowed in which to get the school organized and show the effect of the teacher's plans. A visit then will enable the Inspector to judge of the value of the work that is being done, to nip in the bud any evil practices or errors which are likely to mar the usefulness of the school, and to offer any suggestions needful for its improvement. A visit made near the opening of the term is of twice the utility of any made at the middle or latter end. It would be better still if a second visit could be made near the close, to observe the progress made, especially if both teacher and pupils were looking forward to such second visit from the time of the first.

"The Inspector will do well to secure, if possible, the presence and co-operation of the District Board in his visits. Not only will the district officers be brought, by this means, into a closer acquaintance and clearer knowledge of their school, but the Inspector will secure the opportunity of counselling with them as to the improvements desirable to be made, and urge upon them the wants and necessities of the school."

From the report of Hon. Newton Bateman, of Illinois, 1866, I quote the following eloquent appeal for liberal salaries :

"I ask for these faithful and devoted men a fair compensation for their services. If any are not faithful, devoted, and competent, it is not the fault of those who are, and the latter should not be judged by or suffer for the ill deserts and shortcomings of the former: the law presumes all