the cause of education would be behind the age in which we lived, and we were unworthy to transmit to our posterity the institutions which have been handed down to us-and he had met a response in every nook and corner of his county in the warm, hearty assent of the people; and not of those alone who had children, but old bachelors, the most rascally old fellows, who had more dollars than

The Chairman-Children! [Laughter.]

Mr. Stevens-Children, or conscience. They universally said, "Go on with your tax, we are ready for it, all we want is a fair system." He assured the Convention that the people would respond to it, and he believed they would respond to it throughout the State. The concentrated capital in large cities, the immense wealth accumulated in the State, should reach the children in the rural districts, where there was but little money to support Schools.

Mr. Pease had supposed that no argument was necessary to impress the want of Free Schools upon the County Superintendents of the State of California. His little experience showed him conclusively that the rural districts imperatively demanded it. In his county (Tuolumne) they had one district where from. two years' accumulation of the public funds only three months' School could be kept. Some of them seemed to be laboring under the mistake that the State was actually paying a State tax for the support of Common Schools; but as he looked at it, the State of California was a debtor to the County School Fund. In Tuolumne, out of one thousand seven hundred and seventyone children, about nine hundred attended School-not the average, which he thought was less than five hundred. All this resulted from the present system. Parents would not pay, some being poor, some avaricious, and some careless.

Mr. Osbourn said in Butte the tax for Schools was ten cents. on the one hundred dollars up to last January, when it was agreed to raise it to fifteen cents, which the Supervisors said was the best they could do. He recounted some of his difficulties arising from the apathy of the people and unwise economy of the Supervisors, who were always two for and two against any increase, which foiled every effort of his, notwithstanding their promises.

Mr. Hines did not believe we should ever have a prosperous system of education in this State until we had a State tax.

He

could see very clearly how our present system would operate towards demoralization and deterioration. Whenever any interest demanding taxation required to be looked after, the Supervisors were generally found ready to sacrifice the Common Schools. [A voice: "Always."] They would reduce the county tax for Common Schools to build roads and bridges, and it was utterly impossible to have such a thing as uniformity. In the rural districts they needed assistance, and ought to have it. They could beat the cities generally in raising children. How should they accomplish the work? The County Superintendents ought to be led by the State Superintendent, and there ought to be some means adopted by which they could get the voice of the people. He had agitated the question in Solano County, brought it before the Institute there, and they were ready to move in it, even though their views should fail to meet favor in other counties. But uniformity of action was needed. Let a month be set apart to circulate a petition, if necessary.

Mr. Swett-I will occupy one or two moments in answer to the suggestion which has been made by Mr. Hines. I would state that the State Superintendent has taken hold of this mat ter, and intends to put it through in the best way that he can, and by all means in his power. It is his intention to send from the State office all documents which he can gather from the East, as well as to distribute largely and liberally all the pamphlets and circulars which can be issued from the office. Four thousand copies of this Institute circular were sent to Trustees, county officers, Justices of the Peace, etc., and I think the interest taken in this Institute was by that means excited at the primal source-that is, with the Trustees, who constitute the foundation of the whole system. And this will be continued during the year. It seems to me the various County Institutes which will be called may serve as radiating points. Each County Institute will have its proceedings reported in the county papers, and each County Superintendent will call the attention of the people and the Supervisors to it. In that way the movement is started. I must express my surprise that my friend from Nevada, Mr. Chittenden, should see a bear in the way of a State tax. I do not believe for one instant that he would like to see California, the only loyal State in the Union, without a State tax. I cannot see any reason why California should be supposed to be less in need of Free Schools than the other States; and if in all the others a State tax is necessary,

can we in this State, where we have elements that are not altogether favorable to Free Schools, expect education to come up to the high standard which we desire without it?

Mr. Woodruff said he, too, was in favor of a State Tax, for so long as there was a Fund, we invariably had good Schools, and when that Fund became exhausted, the Schools languished. Everybody expressed himself pleased with the Teacher and the progress of the School until the rate bills came to be presented, and then one would say, "I believe I will not send my children' any longer-I do not like the Teacher!" "Well, what is the reason?" Oh, I don't know; he is too strict!" or "too easy." The cause was simply that they were asked to pay.

Mr. Crook said San Mateo had over nine hundred children, of which number perhaps five hundred attended School. The largest districts, drawing the most money, were most slenderly attended. In one, with one hundred and forty scholars, the average attendance was only fifteen, making that district entirely free. In all the rest of the districts except one, parents were obliged to pay more than one half. They were always willing to pay what was necessary for School purposes, but had one terribly bad failing, which was, that they imagined they ought to get a Teacher for about forty dollars a month; and the consequence was that they got Teachers absolutely not qualified. At the outset, sixty dollars was the highest paid in the county. He understood one Teacher was now getting thirty dollars, and another forty-five. He had been around to some of the Schools where he considered the Teachers were doing more harm than good. But the parents said, "anybody can teach a spelling book-we do not want any of your high-flying Teachers at all." He was confident that the State tax movement would receive a hearty support.

Mr. Higbie said he would assume that the State tax was right, and that nobody was opposed to it. But in case they got a State tax there would be no Fund to use for two years, and what was to be done in the meantime? The first thing was to reach the people. Superintendents, in making their rounds, should send word ahead that they were coming, and should get the Teacher to make it public in the district, and ask everybody to come out. If a Teacher had any snap about him, he could get them to come-create, perhaps, a little furore. Then the Superintendent could talk to them on this question. Another way would be to have Public School picnics. He had one in

Napa County last year, with about four hundred in attendance, and it had a most favorable effect on their Public Schools. The State or County Superintendent might give a lecture on the occasion, to prepare the way. At County Institutes the question would be further canvassed, and influence would thus be brought to bear upon the Supervisors, until finally the Legisla ture would pass the law. Trustees had the right to levy a tax, on giving notice for twenty days; by proposing a tax, they could get the people out, at least in numbers sufficient to elect Trustees, if they could get nothing more. In ten districts out of sixteen in a county, they would succeed in getting a tax sufficient, in the meantime, to keep the Schools going at least six months in the year, until they could get the State tax. New York and other Eastern States had seen the folly of the old system, and all adopted the State tax.

Mr. Thompson said each County Superintendent had his own peculiar difficulties to encounter, and must devise his own means of overcoming them. There was no doubt they should all labor as strenuously as possible for a State tax, and further, there was no doubt, if they took it in hand in connection with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, that their object could be accomplished. If each one guaranteed to work as hard as the State Superintendent worked, he (Thompson) would guarantee that it should be brought about. But it would take time. In Calaveras, the Supervisors had been pretty liberal in School matters for the last four or five years, considering their debt and additional liabilities arising from the removal of the County Seat. Their tax was two dollars and seventy cents to two dollars and ninety cents on the one hundred dollars, and the moment anything could be cut off from road taxes, or anything else, it was at once added to the School tax. An important matter, he thought, was the keeping up of a fixed rate bill all the time; by that means all the Schools in Calaveras were kept open six and a half to eight and ten months. It was, also, an excellent rule to require rates to be paid monthly, because people were sure to find fault if the Teacher applied for six, eight, or ten dollars at a time, when, by monthly payments, they would be satisfied. In his county it worked admirably. Let the rate bill run all the time, and the balance be taken out of the County or State Fund..

Mr. Chittenden was sorry that he stood alone in the matter of a State tax, but the difficulty, he believed, was not so

much in the want of funds as in the manner of disposing of them. The last speaker had spoken his own mind very nearly. There was not a single district in Nevada where School was kept open less than six months in the year, while at Nevada City, Grass Valley, and San Juan, it was kept open the year round. At Nevada City, the Primary Teacher, a lady, got sixtyfive dollars a month; the Intermediate School Teacher, one hundred dollars; and the High School Teacher, one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty dollars. The rate bills for the first were one dollar a month, the second one dollar and a half, and the last mentioned two dollars and fifty cents, all payable monthly. By rigid examinations, they had thinned out the ranks of Teachers in that county to such an extent that he was now looking for two or three competent persons from the eity.

Mr. Seymour feared the city would be robbed; he wanted two or three himself.

Mr. Hines moved that the County Superintendents canvass the matter under discussion, as fully as may be, between now and the first of September, and inform the State Superintendent, by letter, of the result of their work. It was necessary that he should be posted with reference to the state of feeling all over the country, and it would be impossible for him to visit every county this summer.

Mr. Thompson suggested that petitions be distributed to the different Superintendents, and by them to the Teachers, to get signers for the passage of a State tax law. The Teachers' pockets were interested.

Mr. Hines accepted the amendment, with the understanding that the State Superintendent should issue printed circulars, so as to supply every district.

He

Mr. Stevens suggested that they get to work before the nominations were made, or before the election, so as to bring their influence to bear upon aspirants for legislative honors. thought they could get them to promise to go into this work. It would save time for each County Superintendent to prepare his own petitions. An interest could be excited in School matters by saying that on a certain day the Superintendent would be present-by inducing the Teachers to magnify his office, to drill the children, and have them pass in review before him, and to get the people out-and when they witnessed such an exhibition as a competent Teacher would be sure to have on an occa