cide to have no school during the year, provided there is not enough money to run one for three months.

County Examiner How Appointed. The county examiner is appointed by the county judge.

He must be of good moral character and of scholarly attainments. He is required to hold a first-grade certificate.

Duties. It is made his duty to examine applicants for certificates to teach, and to grant licenses to those who pass a satisfactory examination, if he is satisfied also as to their moral qualifications; to hold examinations quarterly and publicly, after having given twenty days' notice thereof. However, before a teacher is entitled to a certificate he must present a receipt for $2 from the county treasurer, and must declare his belief in a Supreme Being. The examiner may, for good cause, revoke any teacher's certificate, within and for his county.

Other Duties. It is his duty also to encourage the inhabitants of his county to have school districts organized, and qualified teachers employed; to direct the attention of teachers and patrons to the best methods of instruction for the promotion of mental and moral culture; to labor to create among the people a living interest in public education.

Reports. He shall, annually, transmit to the state superintendent an abstract of the reports of the directors of the county, to contain the data for the superintendent's report. The examiner is liable to a forfeiture of $25 for a failure to make this report promptly. Compensation. The examiner's remuneration is fixed. by the county court, but cannot exceed the amount of the fees paid in by applicants for teachers' certificates. Supervision. The county examiner is not required or

expected to supervise the work of the teachers in the county. The salary is so inadequate that he cannot afford to do so. Many people think that it would be

far better to abolish this office and create the office of county superintendent, with an adequate salary, and large supervisory powers and duties. What do you think and why?

Superintendent of Public Instruction. (See state officers.)

CHAPTER III.

THE TOWN OR TOWNSHIP.

Origin. The township is the oldest and yet the simplest form of government known to man. Before fields were tilled, or cities built, tribes composed of groups of families wandered over the earth in search of subsistence. The people of the tribe elected their own chief and made their own rules of government democracy pure and simple obtained. The Greek ecclesia, and the Roman comitia were open popular assemblies, essentially the same as the New England town (ship) meeting at present. Our ancestors, while living on the continent of Europe, previous to their invasion of England, were wont to build their houses in groups. For defense they surrounded them with fences or hedges called tuns (toons) and the name tunscipe or township was given the village and surrounding country.

In the English township the meeting of the people was known as the tungemot, tun (town) and gemot (assembly). They made the rules and regulations for

the management of their affairs. These rules were called by-laws — by being an old Norse word meaning town.

THE NEW ENGLAND TOWN.

Origin. The people came from England to this country, not singly, but as a rule in congregations. A minister and his flock came together. The pioneers of New England usually formed themselves into compact settlements. Why? They came to this country so that all the people might have a voice in the management of ecclesiastical affairs. Near the center of the settlement stood the meetinghouse, and the surrounding country was, and is still, known as the town or township.

Annual Meeting. Annually all the male inhabitants over twenty-one years of age meet at this meetinghouse. At this gathering all measures pertaining to the public affairs of the town are discussed. (It is important to bear in mind that in New England the word town is used in the same sense as our word township.) In the adoption or rejection of every measure, each person present has a vote.

Officers. At this meeting the town officers are elected. They are as follows: selectmen (from three to nine), town clerk, treasurer, constable, assessor, school committee (three or some multiple of three), surveyor of highways, field-drivers, pound-keepers, fence-viewers, and surveyors of lumber.

The selectmen are the executive officers of the town and have the general management of its business. The clerk keeps the town record of names of candidates, of marriages, deaths, births, etc.

The treasurer is the keeper of the town's money, receives and disburses it. The constable serves warrants, arrests criminals, and performs various other duties. The office of constable is an ancient and honorable one. The assessor prepares the tax lists. The school committee looks after the schools of the town. The field-driver takes estrays to the pound, and the pound-keeper feeds and cares for them. The fence-viewer settles matters of dispute relative to partition fences. The surveyor of highways has charge of the roads and bridges. The surveyor of lumber measures and marks the lumber offered for sale, and a surveyor of wood measures and marks the wood.

THE ILLINOIS TOWN.

Annual Meetings. The male inhabitants of each town meet annually for the election of officers, and the transaction of other business relative to the town. Those present at nine o'clock A. M. on the first Tuesday of April elect a moderator. The moderator, the supervisor, and the assessor act as judges of the election, which is conducted by ballot. The town clerk is clerk of this meeting. At two o'clock P. M. the polls are temporarily closed and the moderator calls those present to order.

The matters acted upon at this meeting relate to taxes, lawsuits, Canada thistles, fences, trees, stock, public wells, public health, road tax, and the reports of the town officers.

Officers. The officers of the town are as follows: supervisor (usually one, sometimes more, depending on the population), clerk, assessor, collector, highway

commissioners (three), justice of the peace, and constable:

The supervisor is the chief officer, and looks after the funds and lawsuits, and after the paupers of the town. He is also a member of the county board the legislative and executive department of the county. The clerk makes and cares for the records of the town meetings. The assessor values the property of every person. The collector collects the taxes and pays them over to the proper officers. The highway commissioners attend to the roads, bridges, and drainage. The justice of the peace is the judicial officer. His duties are practically the same, as those of the Arkansas justice of the peace, which will be described later. The constable is the officer of the court and executes its mandates. There are also town boards, as the board of auditors, the board of health, the board of equalization.

"Township" Defined. The term township in Illinois is used in two senses: (1) The Congressional township is a tract of land six miles square. This is the same in every state and territory where the United States survey system obtains. It is not a political division and has no officers. (2) The school township is a political division for the sole purpose of administering school affairs. So far as territory is concerned, the school township coincides with the Congressional township. It has four officers three school trustees, and one town treasurer. The counties also are divided into towns, which coincide with the townships, except in cases of fractional ones. The township election (for school trustees) and the town election (annual town meeting) are held on the same day. This has led to