During the past year, commodious and beautiful school buildings have added to the attractions of the Washington schools, white and colored, and have contributed to their increased success.

This has been done without any assistance from Congress. Indeed, the District schools have not been favored by any grant of public lands, or other national aid, though subjected to peculiar demands from the large floating population drawn from other places, paying no taxes here, and not even claiming the District as their legal residence.*

In New Mexico, although the agitation upon educational subjects has increased, very little, practically, has been accomplished. In Arizona important improvements have been made. †

plan of the distribution of public moneys. It is recommended that either the districts be consolidated, or that a different plan of distribution be adopted.

Practically the children of all citizens are now free to attend the public schools. The statute yet discriminates against the children of colored citizens, but by decision of the supreme court, rendered in January last, the section excluding negroes was declared unconstitutional.

The superintendent urges immediate and careful attention to the interests of the university and agricultural and mechanical college. The small number in the State likely to seek an advanced education does not seem to justify the immediate establishment of the institution under the provisions of the national grant of lands.

An academy, or preparatory department, is, however, a desideratum, and would doubtless achieve immediate success, and largely advance educational interests in the State. It is recommended that it be open to pupils of both sexes. It is a gratifying' fact that generous offers of sites and buildings for the university, from different parts of the State, have already been received by the board of regents.

It is considered of the highest importance to make some provision for the normal instruction of those desiring to prepare themselves for teachers. On account of the smallness of the population, the immediate establishment of a State normal school is deemed impracticable. An appropriation is asked to support a certain number of pupils in the normal school at San José, California.

The superintendent recommends that the powers of county superintendents be enlarged, that a State board of examiners be provided for, and that first-class State certificates and normal-school diplomas be recognized as valid testimonials of fitness for the profession of teaching, and that the issuance of county certificates to the holders of such be authorized.

*The statistics of private institutions in the District have been compiled by T. C. Grey, esq.

A most wise movement has been set on foot in Georgetown, by the superintendent, to harmonize the use of certain private benefactions with the action of the public-school authorities. This will, it is hoped, result in the erection of a much needed school building, in the establishment of a high-school department, and the opening of a library and laboratory for the use of the young.

A considerable increase in the number of trustees in charge of the colored schools of Washington and Georgetown has been authorized by act of Congress, in response to a recent expression of public opinion.

+ The following interesting extract from a letter from the governor of the Territory, to whom great credit is due for his educational labors, contains the latest information:

"You will observe by the amended law, that the tax for schools has been fixed. I found, when left optional with boards of supervisors, that there was constant danger that the money would not be raised, and consequently the schools would have to stop.

Alaska lies entirely outside of all organized efforts for education, and presents the singular fact of being an integral part of the boasted most progressive nation in the world, and yet without the least possible provision to save its children from growing up in the grossest ignorance and barbarism. No report has been received by the office from the two schools which the Fur-Seal Company is bound by its contract to support among the Aleutians.

In different parts of Washington, Wyoming, and Idaho Territories, very commendable advancement is reported. In studying the difficulties existing in the Indian Territory and Utah, it is very surprising that profound statesmanship has paid so little attention to education as the most efficient means for their solution.*

The legislature, in addition to the revenue provided for in this law, appropriated $6,500 out of the general fund, and divided it equally among the counties of the Territory, for school purposes. I anticipate that, with the money on hand, and what we shall realize from the taxation provided for in this law, we shall raise for school purposes in the next two years about $40,000, and with this sum we can support a few schools for at least six months each year in every school district in the Territory. "Very respectfully, yours,

"A. P. K. SAFFORD, Governor."

*By the courtesy of Hon. J. P. C. Shanks, chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs of the House of Representatives, I have received, in advance of publication, some interesting facts in reference to the education of the Indians in the Indian Territory.

Among the Choctaws it is stated that schools have been in operation more than fifty years. Manual-labor schools were instituted among them by the missionaries long before their removal from Mississippi. Their educational system at the present time, as stated by their superintendent, provides for neighborhood schools, in which the elementary branches are taught, and for academies and seminaries for more advanced pupils. There is also a law providing for sending certain more advanced pupils from these higher schools to finish their education in the States.

A school superintendent and a district superintendent are elected by the national council, and each neighborhood elects a local trustee.

The higher schools are under the immediate supervision of the council.

There has been no enumeration of children of school age since about four years ago, at which time there were 2,220, of whom only about three-fourths were attending any school. The superintendent states that when he entered upon his duties there were a good many primary schools but no academies. He observed that the great need was more money for school. purposes; that the establishment of two large schools had reduced the number of primary schools; that the schools were formerly kept ten months annually, but now, on the average, only about five months.

There is no tax levied for school purposes, all expenditures for education being from the income of school funds.

The schools among the Chickasaws were also introduced by the early missionaries, when they met with great opposition from the Indians, though education is now much favored by them. The great want now is sufficient money to support the schools. They teach chiefly the primary branches in what are called neighborhood schools, which are kept open for ten months of the year.

The legal school age is from 6 to 25, but the usual age of attendance is from 6 to 18. From ten to fifteen of these schools are reported as in operation, in which the English is the language of instruction. The teachers are paid so much per capita for the pupils in attendance. The available funds for educational purposes amount annually to

A FREE-SCHOOL POLICY FOR UNITED STATES LAND GRANTEES.

C

A letter received by this office from Rev. George H. Atkinson, D.D., of Portland, Oregon, containing suggestions for a free-school policy for United States land grantees, and afterward printed in circular form by order of the Secretary of the Interior, has been forwarded to the different railroad corporations in the country possessing land-grants from Government, with a letter requesting their opinion of the policy suggested. Mr. Atkinson's letter sets forth the importance of the early establishment of free graded schools in the growing cities and towns of the West, and strongly urges upon railroad corporations owning lands granted by Government, the policy, both upon patriotic and pecuniary grounds, of setting apart school lands in all new cities and towns laid out by them.

Replies to this circular and letter received from United States land grantees and others to whom it was sent, all express a cordial sympathy with the plan proposed, and state that their practice has heretofore been in accordance with it. The president of the Iron Mountain and Cairo and Fulton Railroads says that these corporations "not only give lots for school-houses and churches, but also aid the people in erecting the buildings by furnishing transportation for material at reduced rates or entirely free." The Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad Company “has uniformly granted the application of school districts as well as of all religious denominations for sites for school-houses and churches." This company "will be pleased to harmonize its action in this direction with any suggestions which would improve the course it has pursued." This company, it is stated, also permits the free use of their emigrant receiving-houses (which they have established in all the principal towns) as public school-houses during the winter months when they are not needed for the use of emigrants. A response from Jay Cooke & Co. states that the Northern Pacific Railroad pursues the policy of making ample provision for sites for churches, schools, and seminaries, as fast as towns and cities are laid out by them, and adds that "there will be no difficulty in carrying out, under certain restrictions, all and more than all you hint at in your publication."

The president of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company approves the policy suggested, and adds: "It will afford us pleasure to coöperate with some organized plan for its accomplishment."

EDUCATION IN CITIES.-TABLE III.

The tendency to concentration of population in cities adds special interest to all investigations into facts connected with their educational $40,000 or $50,000. Some 60 pupils are receiving instruction in the States, at an annual cost of $21,000.

The children of the freedmen in this nation are entirely without any provision for education, save as made at the expense of their parents. The testimony shows a similarly deplorable condition of facts among the children of the colored people in the Choctaw Nation.

progress. It will be noticed that there are in this country 326 of these centers of population that may be classed as cities. Their total population, according to the census of 1870, was 8,036,937, or more than onefifth of the entire number of inhabitants in the United States. Of these only 295 reported the number of their school population, these having a total of 2,121,889 persons of school age.

Only 318 of these cities reported their enrollment in the schools, giving 1,215,897 as under instruction.

In looking at the question of enrollment it should be noted that 102 cities admit pupils between the ages of 6 and 21; 8 between 6 and 20; 10 between 6 and 18; 2 between 6 and 17; 2 between 6 and 16; 1 between 6 and 15; 100 between 5 and 21; 27 between 5 and 20; 12 between 5 and 18; 3 between 5 and 16; 19 between 5 and 15; 17 between 4 and 21 ; 12 between 4 and 20; 1 between 4 and 18; 6 between 4 and 16, and 4 do not report the school age. It appears that 125 of these cities do not admit pupils under 6 years of age, and from the foregoing summary it will be noted that 121 report 41,445 children enrolled under 6, so that practically we have the number of children under 6 years of age in the public schools of 246 of these cities.

The school age in 31 cities terminates at 16, and 205 give the number enrolled over 16 at 29,750; so that practically we have the age at which school attendance ends in 236 cities.

The average attendance is given in 298, cities as 787,860; 292 report the number of schools as .7,917, and 315 report the number of teachers as 21,194; and the number of scholars in 306 is 1,026,634.

Special attention is invited to the following

tables of cities, found in the appendix:

summary, drawn from the