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all such as shall resort to him, to write and read, whose wages shall be paid either by the parents or masters of such children, or by the inhabitants in general, as the major part of those who order the prudentials of the town shall appoint," &c. It is further provided, "that in that in every county town, there shall be set up and kept a grammar-school, for the use of the county, the master thereof being able to instruct youths so far, as they may be fitted for College."

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In 1677, to render the existing law respecting schools more effectual, it was enacted," that every town by the same law ordered to keep a school, that shall neglect the same above three months in the year, shall forfeit five pounds for every defect, and the said fine shall be paid towards the maintenance of the Latin school in their county; all breaches of this law to be taken notice of, and presented by the Grand Jury at every County Court." The following year the number of families in a town, obliged to maintain a public school, was reduced from fifty to thirty. it as has god od It appears that notwithstanding the several penalties for neglect of maintaining schools, the laws on this subject were not universally executed; as in the year 1690, we find an additional statute, which, after reciting in the preamble that there were still "persons unable to read the English tongue, and thereby incapable to read the holy word of God, or the good laws of the colony,"

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among other provisions, contains the following; "that the grand jurymen, in each town, do once a year, at least, visit each family they suspect to neg lect this order [to teach their children and servants "to read distinctly the English tongue'], and satisfy themselves whether all children under age, and servants in such suspected families, can read the English tongue, or be in a good procedure to learn the same or not; and if they find any such children or servants not taught, as their years are capable of, they shall return the names of the parents or masters of said children or servants, to the next county court," &c. The penalty is twenty shillings "for each child or servant whose teaching is or shall be neglected contrary to this order."

In the year 1700, a law was passed, which placed the common schools of Connecticut on the foundation where they continued, with little variation, till the establishment of the present fund. It was then required, that in every town, having se venty or more householders, a constant school should be kept, and when there were less than seventy, a school should be kept half the year. It was likewise enacted, that the inhabitants of every town should pay forty shillings on every thousand pounds of taxable property, estimated according to a rule prescribed by the legislature in their general system of taxation, for the support of the schoolmaster, to be collected with the public or county tax; and if any town failed to provide a schoolmaster according

to law, this sum was to be collected and paid to the county treasury, as a fine upon such negligent town. Where this fund was insufficient to support the school, the deficiency was to be made up, onehalf by the inhabitants of the town, and the other half by the parents or masters of the children. By a subsequent law, towns and ecclesiastical societies were empowered to divide themselves into districts, and to alter the same; and each district was entitled to its proportion of the public money, for the support of its school.

From what is known of the state of the schools, as well as from universal tradition, it appears that the laws were now rigidly executed; a school was brought to every man's door; the poor, and even the slave, were always within the reach of instruction; and hence, for more than a century, in Connecticut, a native of mature age, who in the language of the old statutes, "was unable to read the English tongue," has been looked on as a prodigy,,

It is not therefore surprising, in this state of public sentiment in Connecticut, that whatever funds have been at any time at the disposal of the legislature, have been, with few and inconsiderable exceptions, appropriated to the support of common schools.

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In the year 1733 the avails of the sale of seven new townships in the western part of the colony were divided among the towns; the interest to be applied to the support of common schools for ever.

In the year 1765 certain sums of money, due for excise on goods, were divided in the same manner. But what laid the foundation of the present Connecticut school fund (as it now exists) was money received for lands belonging to that State in the north-western part of the present State of Ohio. The sale of these lands was effected in the year 1795 for 1,200,000 dollars. The interest of this fund, after much debate in the legislature, where several projects of somewhat different kinds were very amply discussed, and after great popular excitement, was finally appropriated to the favourite object, the support of common schools; and so decided has public opinion continued on this subject, that the appropriation, as we observe by an article in the new Constitution of Connecticut, is now made imperative on the legislature. The amount of the school fund is now considerably greater than in the year 1795, when it was first established. In the report of the Commissioner in May 1821, the property of the fund is stated in its gross amount at 1,858,074 dollars, 33 cents,

From the report of the commissioner of this fund to the legislature of Connecticut, in May last, the title of which report stands at the head of this article, it appears that the amount of dividends to common schools the preceding year, that is, in October 1821, and March 1822, was no less a sum than 67,791 dollars, 20 cents. This fund, which enables the State to expend more than 60,000 dollars a year

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on schools, will soon afford 90,000 or 100,000 dollars a year for the same object. In the year 1820 a rule of distribution was adopted, by which the interest of the school fund is now divided among the several districts, according to the number of children in each, between the ages of four and sixteen, and provision was made for an annual enumeration. This rule is the one in force at present.

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As to the manner in which the common schools of Connecticut are managed, the following particulars are all in which our readers can be supposed to take much interest. All the inhabitants living within the limits of ecclesiastical societies, incorporated by law, constitute school societies, elect officers, build school houses, establish school districts, appoint a committee of one for each district, whose duty it is to manage the concerns of the district, and provide an instructor for the school with the assent of the district, and the approbation of the visitors. The visitors are appointed by each school society, whose duty it is to examine instructors, displace such as are incompetent, visit the schools twice at least during each season for schooling; and they may require of the master such exercises of the youth, as will show their proficiency in learning. No person can keep a school until he has been examined and approved by the visitors.

We have not been able to ascertain with the exactness we could wish, the number of district

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