PATENTS FOR SCHOOL-FURNITURE, ETC.—TABLE XXII. The United States Patent-Office contains a record, year by year, of an interesting measure of educational progress. I am indebted to General M. D. Leggett, Commissioner of Patents, for the list issued under this division during the past year. The total number reached 143, of which Damber there were, from California, 2; Connecticut, 1; Georgia, 3; Illinois, 5; Indiana, 7; Kentucky, 3; Louisiana, 1; Maine, 1; Maryland, 1; Massachusetts, 18; Michigan, 3; Minnesota, 4; Missouri, 3; New Hampshire, 1; New Jersey, 6; New York, 49; Ohio, 14; Pennsylvania, 11; Texas, 1; District of Columbia, 6; Canada, 2. Of these patents there were, respecting desks and seats, 21; pens, pencils, and cases, 24; paper fasteners, files, and holders, 12; ink and inkstands, 12; ventilation and construction of buildings, 9; handstamps, &c., 6; slates, &c., 6; book-cases, stands, and holders, 6; blackboards, &c., 5; chart-holders, 4; copying-presses, 4; erasers, &c., 4;. and 21 are for improvements in miscellaneous articles. EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATIONS.-TABLE XXIII. It would be useful, in noting the annual progress of education in the country, if an exact statement could be made of the new or revised textbooks published in the year. This can not yet be done. But this report has a more complete list of these publications up to date than ever before made, as will be seen by the following summary of Table XXIII: Number of firms reporting. Number of books in table. Number of readers.. Number of spelling-books. 66 447 22 7. Number of geographies. Number of histories Number of arithmetics, algebras, &c.. Number of drawing-books Number of books in ancient languages. Number of books in modern languages.. Number of books on theology. Number of books on law.... Number of books on medicine... Number of dictionaries, books of reference, &c.. LIBRARY OF THE BUREAU. 13 50 28 17 18 12 36 31 9 15 189 The library of this Bureau has continued to increase in size and r value, both by purchase and donations, and now numbers about 1,700 bound volumes and 5,500 pamphlets. CIRCULARS OF INFORMATION. During the year the demand for elaborate treatment of special subjects has greatly increased. In view of this large demand, and the value of the material coming into our hands, with which we are enabled in a measure to answer the public inquiries, I have deemed it important to recommend for publication, by your order, several Circulars of Information, and three thousand copies of each of the following have been issued since the date of the last report: (1.) Methods of School Discipline, pp. 14, November, 1871. (2.) Compulsory Education, pp. 17, December, 1871. (3.) German and other Foreign Universities, pp. 43, January, 1872. (4.) Reports on the Systems of Public Instruction in Greece, the Argentine Republic, Chili, and Ecuador, with statistics of Portugal, and an official report on technical education in Italy, pp. 77, February, 1872. (5.) I. An Inquiry concerning the Vital Statistics of College Graduates. II. Distribution of College Students in 1870-'71. III. Facts of Vital Statistics in the United States, with tables and diagrams, pp. 86, March, 1872. (6.) The Relation of Education to Labor, pp. 125, April, 1872. (7.) Education in the British West Indies, pp. 22, June, 1872. (8.) The Kindergarten, pp. 62, July, 1872. Also a pamphlet of six pages, "Suggestions for a Free-School Policy for United States Land Grantees." 'The view of the public, and especially of the educators of the country, upon these points, may be seen by the action of the National Teachers' Association in the adoption of resolutions "congratulating the country on the great usefulness of the National Bureau of Education, and recommending to Congress the furnishing of increased facilities for the publication of Circulars of Information, and the issue of a much larger edition of the annual report for distribution among the teachers and school-officers of the country." 1 DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS. Publications of the office to the amount of 5,000 volumes and 23,000 pamphlets have been distributed during the year, and nearly 6,500 publications of States and cities have been distributed to libraries, associations, and prominent educators. OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE. From November 15, 1871, till November 15, 1872, about 2,300 letters have been received at, and 3,500 have been written by, this office, an increase of more than one hundred and fifty per cent. in this branch of the office business. The permanent records of correspondence, &c., alluded to in my last report, have been kept up and improved during the year. An extensive correspondence has been carried on with presidents of quiversities and colleges, scientific and professional schools, State, city, and county superintendents of schools, as well as with mayors of cities and chiefs of police of cities, wardens and chaplains of penitentiaries and jails, superintendents of alms-houses, reformatories, and others. Six thousand schedules of inquiries and 6,000 printed letters have been sent to the various educational, reformatory, and other institutions and persons interested. The results of the labor will be found in the papers and tables accompanying this report. As illustrative of the character of the inquiries and communications coming to this office, I can instance only the following from letters received: A professor who wishes to aid his students in obtaining an insight into the objects and efficiency of the various school systems, writes as follows: I am about to print a work in which I shall desire to compare the efficiency of the several systems of popular education, viz: 1. Where every parent is left to provide for his children such instruction as he can, without governmental interposition. 2. Where the Government undertakes to assist the indigent alone, leaving the rest of the community to shift for themselves. 3. Where the Government gives partial aid to all, leaving each some additional expense to bear in the shape of a tuition fee or otherwise. 4. Where the Government provides, at the common charge, for the elementary instruction of all classes. Can you assist me? An influential member of the public press desires aid from this office in collecting facts relative to 1. Youthful vagrancy. 2 Compulsory State school laws. 3. Truancy ordinances. 4. Penal reformatory institutions for the young in cities. 3. Industrial schools, not governed by trades-union principles. From John E. Toole, county school commissioner, La Grange, Georgia: From your report of 1870 I have gathered much valuable and important information, which would have been otherwise unattainable. That volume alone, generally circulated, would do much, in my judgment, to arouse a spirit of confidence in the public mind as to the success of a well-regulated common-school system; especially would it have such an effect here in the South, where so comparatively little is even known of the great system of popular education. Our people are becoming alive to the necessity of schools for all, but entertain misgivings as to the ways and means of their support. The information contained in your report establishes the fact most clearly that, while a public-school system is a plant of slow growth, it nevertheless is certain to yield an abundant crop of pure, ripe, and healthful fruit, the beneficial effects of which will continue to increase with every passing decade. From Feodor Thurm, secretary of the central committee of the German-American Teachers' Association : HOBOKEN, New Jersey. There is in this country a wide-spread tendency toward the improvement of schools, and the liberality of our people in endowing schools, and especially normal and professional schools, is worthy of all praise. There are also many native teachers who are theoretically acquainted with the excellences of the Pestalozzian system and with Froebel's "kindergarten" idea, and who are desirous of becoming thoroughly versed in its practical application in normal and model schools. * * There is among your fellow-citizens of German birth quite a number of "rational teachers" of the best epoch, who feel they could exemplify their science and art, and thereby raise the standard of general education in this their chosen country, and thus help to confer a benefit and lasting token of gratitude to the same. Their hope in this respect rests in you and your noble efforts to improve our schools. From J. E. L. Smith, curator of Berkshire Athenæum : Should your circular of inquiries be repeated another year, I hope to be able to reply by full detail. It must furnish aid, instruction, and encouragement to officers of institutions like ours. Their recognition by a Government Bureau gives both to the library and the museum a diguity which they would not otherwise have in many eyes. From Count de Broel-Plater, of Russia: The immense development of public instruction, (in the United States,) this basis of the wealth and peace of nations, makes us follow all the movements of the Republic with the closest attention. We wish to become better acquainted with those admirable institutions which have been founded by the most generous patriotism of those citizens who, with so much courage and perseverance, work for the power and glory of their country. * * * * # The Republic perhaps possesses a complete history of all the donations made by generous citizens. If there is such a work, which can tell future generations of the services rendered to their country by Peabody, Vassar, Cornell, Bussey, Walker, S. Van Rensselaer, Thayer, Bowman, Adams, Gray, Hooper, and many others, I would be delighted to get it. If no such work exists, these few words might possibly be the cause of producing a book of this kind. Nothing would be more honorable for America, more instructive for Europe and for the future civilization of all nations. From J. M. Muñoz, consul-general of Bolivia: The government of Bolivia, desirous of re-organizing the general educational system of the républic on the most perfect basis, especially the rural and primary schools, bas instructed this consulate to obtain all possible information respecting the organization, management, and methods of teaching which have brought the school system of the United States to its present state of efficiency. I therefore take the liberty of requesting from you a copy of your valuable "Report the Secretary of the Interior" for the year 1871, as well as the synopsis on school legislation referred to in said report. From João Antonio Coqueiro and others to W. H. Evans, esq., United States consul at Maranham, Brazil: The committee of the society "Onze d'Agosto" in acknowledging the receipt through you, sir, of the report written by the Commissioner of the Bureau of Education in the United States of America, in answer to their letter of inquiry about modes of teaching, and of your accompanying dispatch, cannot but express themselves gratefully thankful for the masterly manner in which the entire “school machinery" is there so beautifully developed and explained. * * * * They, therefore, would feel obliged by your conveying to the Hon. John Eaton, esq., Commissioner of Education, the expression of their most sincere thanks for the attention and care with which he acceded to their wishes. From Émile de Laveleye, professor of the University of Liège: I take the liberty to send you a volume on popular instruction, as a token of my sincere admiration for your interesting report on education. I would ask you to send me in future, through the Belgian legation at Washington, all the reports you publish. From Jugoi Arinori Mori, chargé d'affaires of Japan: * * The article on education which has been sent to me from your office I have read with great pleasure, and I propose to print it without delay for circulation in Japan. Taken as a whole the article will be read with great interest, and will do much good, and I thank you very cordially for the labor you have bestowed upon it. From Count D. Tolstoi, imperial minister of public instruction, St. Petersburg: It has given me a real pleasure to receive the reports of the United States Bureau of Education for the years 1870 and 1871, for which I beg you to accept my best thanks as well as the assurance of my highest esteem. The imperial ministry of public instruction will willingly instituto an exchange of its publications with those of the Bureau of Education of the United States. I regret only that I can offer but a very limited collection of the publications of preceding years, which will be sent to you at once. From Hon. James R. Partridge, United States minister, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: I return you my thanks for having sent me these very interesting and valuable reports, &c., which I will at once transmit to the "Sociedade Auxiliadora da Industria Nacional," and to Professor José Manoel Garcia, who will be delighted with them and take the greatest pleasure in securing for them the most available use. The society above mentioned has established free night schools for adults in this city with great success, and it will be by their example, and, as I do not doubt, through the influence of these volumes that a new impulse will be given to the cause of general and common-school education in Brazil. It is very agreeable to know that they look to the United States to find the model and examples for their success. INTERESTING INCIDENTS. In the history of the work of the year many incidents of great interest have occurred. I must not omit to record one or two of these. Some months since his excellency Senhor Borges, minister to the |