1849

common schools is insured, the residue of the school fund shall be appropriated to academies and normal schools. The state legislature, in its first session in 1848, in the act establishing the University of Wisconsin, declared that one of the four departments thereof should be a department of the theory and practice of elementary instruction. The first institution ever chartered in the state as a normal school was incorporated by the legislature at its second session under the title of the "Jefferson County Normal School." This, however, was never organized. The regents, when organizing the university, at their meeting in 1849, ordained the establishment of a normal professorship, and declared that in organizing the normal department it was their fixed intention "to make the University of Wisconsin subsidiary to the great cause of popular education, by making it, through is normal department, the nursery of the educators of the popular mind, and the central point of union and harmony to the educational interests of the commonwealth." They declared that instruction in the normal department should be free to all suitable candidates. Little was accomplished, however, in this direction during the next ten years. In 1857 an act was passed by the legislature appropriating twenty-five per cent. of the income of the swamp-land fund "to normal institutes and academies under the supervision and direction of a board of regents of normal schools," who were to be appointed in accordance with the provisions of the act. Distribution of this income was made to such colleges, academies, and high schools as maintained a normal class, in proportion to the number of pupils passing a successful examination conducted by an agent of the board. In 1859, Dr. Henry Barnard, who had become chancellor of the university, was made agent of the normal regents. He inaugurated a system of teachers' institutes, and gave fresh vigor to the normal work throughout the state. Resigning, however, on account of ill-health, within two years, Professor Chas. H. Allen, who had been conducting institutes under his direction, succeeded him as agent of the normal regents, and was elected principal of the normal department of the university, entering upon his work as the latter in March, 1864. He managed the department with signal ability and success, but at the end of one or two years resigned. Meantime the educational sentiment of the state had manifested itself for the establishment of separate normal schools.

In 1865, the legislature passed an act repealing that of two years before, and providing instead that one-half of the swamp-land fund should be set apart as a normal-school fund, the income of which should be applied to establishing and supporting normal schools under the direction and management of the board of normal regents, with a proviso, however, that one. fourth of such income should be annually transferred to the common-school fund income, until the latter should amount annually to $200,000. This proviso was repealed by the legislature of 1870, and the entire income of one-half the swamp-land fund has since been devoted to normalschool purposes. During the same year proposals were invited for aid in the establishment of a normal school, in money, land, or buildings, and propositions from various places were received and considered. In 1866, the board of regents was incorporated by the legislature. In the same year Platteville was conditionally selected as the site of a school, and as there was already a productive fund of about $600,000, with an income of over $30,000, and a prospect of a steady increase as the lands were sold, the board decided upon the policy of establishing several schools, located in different parts of the state. In pursuance of this policy, there have already been completed, and are now in very successful operation, the Platteville Normal School, opened October 9, 1866; the Whitewater Normal School, opened April 21, 1868; the Oshkosh Normal School, opened September 19, 1871, and the River Falls Normal School, opened September 2, 1875. Each assembly district in the state is entitled to eight representatives in the normal schools. These are nominated by county and city superintendents. Tuition is free to all normal students. There are in the normal schools two courses of study - an

elementary course of two years, and an advanced course of four years. The student completing the former, receives a certificate; the one completing the latter, a diploma. The certificate, when the holder has successfully taught one year after graduation, may be countersigned by the superintendent of public instruction, when it becomes equivalent to a five-years' state certificate. The diploma, when thus countersigned, after a like interval, is equivalent to a permanent state certificate.

It is believed that the normal-school system of Wisconsin rests upon a broader and more secure basis than the corresponding system of any other state. That basis is an independent and permanent fund, which has already reached a million dollars. The precise amount of this securely invested and productive fund, September 30, 1878, was $1,004,907.67, and the sum of $33,290.88 remained uninvested.

TEACHERS' INSTITUTES.

In addition to the work of the normal schools, the board of regents is authorized to expend $5,000 annually to defray the expenses of teachers' institutes. A law of 1871, amended in 1876, provides for normal institutes, which shall be held for not less than two consecutive weeks, and appropriates from the state treasury a sum not exceeding $2,000 per annum for their support. There were held in the State, in 1878, sixty-six institutes, varying in length from one to two weeks. The total number of persons enrolled as attendants was 4,944

GRADED SCHOOLS.

Including those in the cities, the graded schools of the State number about four hundred. The annual report of the State superintendent for 1878 gives the number with two departments as 207, and the number with three or more as 225.

A law of March, 1872, provided that "all graduates of any graded school of the state, who shall have passed an examination at such graded school satisfactory to the faculty of the university for admission into the sub-freshman class and college classes of the university, shall be at once and at all times entitled to free tuition in all the colleges of the university." A considerable number of graduates of graded schools entered the university under this law during the next four years, but it being deemed an unwise discrimination in favor of this class of students, in 1876, in the same act which provided for the tax of one tenth of one mill, the legislature provided that from and after the 4th of July of that year no student, except students in law and those taking extra studies, should be required to pay any fees for tuition. Few graded schools of the state are able as yet to fully prepare students for entrance into the regular classes of the classical department of the university. The larger number prepared by them still enter the scientific department or the sub-freshman class.

THE TOWNSHIP SYSTEM.

In 1869 the legislature passed a law authorizing towns to adopt by vote the "township system of school government." Under this system each town becomes one school district, and the several school districts already existing become sub-districts. Each sub-district elects a clerk, and these clerks constitute a body corporate under the name of the "board of school directors," and are invested with the title and custody of all school houses, school-house sites, and other property belonging to the sub-districts, with power to control them for the best interests of the schools of the town. The law provides for an executive committee to execute the orders of the

board, employ teachers, etc., and for a secretary to record proceedings of the board, have immediate charge and supervision of the schools, and perform other specified duties. But few towns have as yet made trial of this system, although it is in successful operation in Pensylvania, Massachusetts, and some other states, and where fully and fairly tried in our own, has proved entirely satisfactory. It is the general belief of our enlightened educational men that the plan has such merits as ought to secure its voluntary adoption by the people of the state.

FREE HIGH SCHOOLS.

In 1875 the legislature enacted that any town, incorporated village, or city, may establish and maintain not more than two free high schools, and provided for an annual appropriation of not to exceed $25,000, to refund one-half of the actual cost of instruction in such schools, but no school to draw in any one year more than $500. At the session of 1877 the benefits of the act were extended to such high schools already established as shall show by a proper report that they have conformed to the requirements of the law. If towns decline to establish such a school, one or more adjoining districts in the same have the privilege of doing so. The law has met with much favor. For the school year ending August 31, 1876 (the first year in which it was in operation), twenty such schools reported, and to these the sum of $7,466.50 was paid, being an average of $373.32 per school. For the year ending August 31, 1878, eighty-five schools reported and received a pro rata division of the maximum appropriation. The high school law was primarily designed to bring to rural neighborhoods the twofold advantages of (1) a higher instruction than the common district schools afford, and (2) a better class of teachers for these schools. It was anticipated, however, from the first that the immediate results of the law would be chiefly the improvement of existing graded schools in the larger villages and in cities.

SCHOOL OFFICERS.

The school officers of Wisconsin are, a state superintendent of public instruction, sixty-four county superintendents, twenty-eight city superintendents, and a school board in each district, consisting of a director, treasurer, and clerk. The state and county superintendents hold office two years, the district officers three years. In each independent city there is a board of education, and the larger cities have each a city superintendent, who in some cases is also principal of the high school. He is appointed for one year. The county board of supervisors determine, within certain limits, the amount of money to be raised annually in each town and ward of their county for school purposes, levy an additional amount for the salary of the county superintendents, may authorize a special school tax, and may under certain circumstances determine that there shall be two superintendents for their county. The town board of supervisors have authority to form and alter school districts, to issue notice for first meeting, to form union districts for high school purposes, and appoint first boards for the same, to locate and establish school-house sites under certain circumstances, to extinguish districts that have neglected to maintain school for two years, and to dispose of the property of the same. The district clerks report annually to the town clerks, the town clerks to the county superintendents, and the county and city superintendents to the state superintendent, who in turn makes an annual report to the governor.

STATE TEACHERS' CERTIFICATES.

The state superintendent is authorized by law "to issue state certificates of high grade to teachers of eminent qualifications." Two grades of these are given, one unlimited, and the other good for five years. The examination is conducted by a board of three examiners, appointed annually by the state superintendent, and acting under rules and regulations prescribed by him.

TEACHERS' ASSOCIATIONS.

Besides the Wisconsin State Teachers' Association, holding its annual session in the summer and a semi-annual or executive" session in the winter, there are, in several parts of the state, county or district associations, holding stated meetings. The number of such associations is annually increasing.

LIBRARIES.

The utility of public libraries as a part of the means of popular enlightenment, was early recognized in this state. The constitution, as set forth in 1848, required that a portion of the income of the school fund should be applied to the "purchase of suitable libraries and apparatus" for the common schools. The same year the legislature of the state, at its first session, enacted that as soon as this income should amount to $60,000 a year (afterwards changed to $30,000), each town superintendent might devote one tenth of the portion of this income received by his town annually, to town library purposes, the libraries thus formed to be distributed among the districts, in sections, and in rotation, once in three months. Districts were also empowered to raise money for library books. The operation of this discretionary and voluntary system was not successful. In ten years (1858) only about one third of the districts (1,121) had libraries, embracing in all but 38,755 volumes, and the state superintendent, Hon. Lyman C. Draper, urged upon the legislature a better system, of " town libraries," and a state tax for their creation and maintenance. In 1857, the legislature enacted that ten per cent. of the yearly income of the school fund should be applied to the purchase of town school libraries, and that an annual tax of one tenth of one mill should be levied for the same purpose. The law was left incomplete, however, and in 1862, before the system had been perfected, the exigencies of the civil war led to the repeal of the law, and the library fund which had accumulated from the ten per cent. of the school fund income, and from the library tax, amounting in all to $88,784.78, was transferred to the general fund. This may be considered a debt to the educational interests of the state that should be repaid. Meanwhile the single district library system languishes and yearly grows weaker. The re-enacting of a town library system, in which local effort and expenditure shall be stimulated and supplemented by State aid, has been recommended by the State Teachers' Association, and will, it is hoped, be secured, at no distant day, as a part of a complete town system of schools and of public education.

LIST OF STATE SUPERINTENDENTS.

The act creating the office was passed at the first session of the state legislature, in 1848. The incumbents up to the present time have been as follows:

SKETCHES OF Colleges in WISCONSIN.*

Beloit College was founded in 1847, at Beloit, under the auspices of the Congregational and Presbyterian churches of Wisconsin and northern Illinois. In 1848, Rev. Joseph Emerson and Rev. J. J. Bushnell were appointed professors, and in 1849, Rev. A. L. Chapin was appointed president, and has continued such until the present time The institution has had a steady growth, has maintained a high standard of scholarship and done excellent work, both in its preparatory and college departments. Two hundred and thirty-six young men have graduated. Its lands and buildings are valued at $78,000, and its endowments and funds amount to about $122,000.

Lawrence University, at Appleton, under the patronage of the Methodist church, was organized as a college in 1850, having been an "institute " or academy for three years previous, under the Rev. W. H. Sampson. The first president was Rev. Edward Cook; the second, R. Z. Mason; the present one is the Rev. George M. Steele, D. D. It is open to both sexes, and has graduated 130 young men, and 68 young women. It still maintains a preparatory department. It has been an institution of great benefit in a new region of country, in the northeastern part of the state. Receiving a liberal donation at the outset from the Hon. Amos A. Lawrence, of Boston, it has land and buildings valued at $47,000, at Appleton, and funds and endowments amounting to $60,000.

Milton College, an institution under the care of the Seventh Day Baptists, was opened as a college in 1867, having been conducted as an academy since 1844. Rev. W. C. Whitford, the president, was for many years the principal of the academy The institution has done much valuable work, particularly in preparing teachers for our public schools. The college has graduated 38 young men and women, having previously graduated 93 academic students. It has lands, buildings and endowments to the amount of about $50,000.

Ripon College, which was known till 1864 as Brockway College, was organized in 1853, at Ripon, and is supported by the Congregational church. Since its re-organization, in 1863, it has graduated 77 students (of both sexes) in the college courses, and has always maintained a large and flourishing preparatory department. Under its present efficient head, the Rev. E. H. Merrell, A. M., it is meeting with continued success. Its property amounts to about $125,000.

Racine College was founded by the Episcopal Church, at Racine, in 1852, under the Rev. Roswell Park, D. D., as its first President. It was for a long time under the efficient administration of Rev. James De Koven, D. D., now deceased, who was succeeded by Rev. D. Stevens Parker. It maintains a large boys' school also, and a preparatory department. It was designed, in part, to train young men for the Nashotah Theological Seminary. It has property, including five buildings, to the amount of about $180,000, and has graduated ninety-nine young men. Its principal work, in which it has had great success, is that of a boys' school, modeled somewhat after the English schools.

It was

Rev. Joseph

The Seminary of St. Francis of Sales, an ecclesiastical school, was established at St. Francis Station, near Milwaukee, chiefly by the combined efforts of two learned and zealous priests, the Rev. Michael Heiss, now bishop of La Crosse, and the Rev. Joseph Salzmann. opened in January, 1856, with Rev. M. Heiss as rector, and with 25 students. alzmann was rector from September, 1868, to the time of his death, January 17, 1874, since which time Rev. C. Wapelhorst has held the rectorship. The latter is now assisted by twelve professors, and the students number 267, of whom 105 are theologians, 31 students of philosophy, and the rest classical students.

Pio Nono College is a Roman Catholic institution, at St. Francis Station, in the immediate neighborhood of the Seminary of St. Francis. It was founded in 1871, by Rev. Joseph Salzmann,

*The statistics in this division were obtained in 1877. and are for the previous year.