corrections Charities and to remove or even correct a superintendent, a treasurer or a Feeble-minded steward. The power, therefore, which they should have is lackand epileptic ing, and the superintendent, protected by his board of managers, becomes an autocrat in the administration of his duties. But one result can follow such a system-extravagantly managed institutions, with constant demands for improvements not warranted nor justified... I recommend, therefore, that for the boards of managers there be substituted a visiting board for each district, to be appointed by the governor annually and to report to him; that the powers now vested in the present boards of managers be lodged in the State Commission in Lunacy, thus centralizing all authority in a commission that has been constitutionally created, which precedent has decreed must be nonpartizan and which is remunerated for the services performed." N. Y. Odell, 1 Ja 02, p.5-8 "The law very justly requires that insane and epileptic persons now in the county infirmaries shall be cared for by the state on or before June 1, 1903, in her hospitals... In order to meet this requirement of law, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the state hospitals."... 0. Nash, 6 Ja 02, p.10-11 State Hospital for the Insane. S. C. McSweeney, 14 Ja 02, p.38-40 Water supply at the Southwestern Insane Asylum. Tex. Sayers, 6 Ag 01, p.4 State insane hospitals. "In my opinion it would be the part of economy for the state to establish separate places for the care of the idiotic and the hopelessly insane patients, thus leav ing more room in the wards of our asylums for the treatment of those whose cure can be effected." Va. Tyler, 4 D 01, p.16-17 Va. Montague, 20 F 02, p.3 Fire at the Eastern Hospital. Feeble-minded and epileptic. Expenditures for the support of pauper idiots have increased from $75,058.44 in 1892 to $138,937.46 in 1901..." A very large per cent of those now on this pension list do not deserve to be there, and those who do could easily be taken care of by the counties in which they reside."... Ky. Beckham, 7 Ja 02, p.11 During the past year the state has had 32 beneficiaries at the various institutions for feeble-minded in other states. R. I. Kimball, 7 Ja 02, p.14 "It is not necessary to present extended reasons for the es- Education tablishment of separate institutions for the dependent epileptics, most of whom are now being cared for in our state hospitals for the insane... A building to accommodate dependent and helpless epileptics could be erected and operated at far less cost than buildings to accommodate the same number of insane... It is an admitted fact that epileptics should neither be placed in poorhouses or hospitals for the insane... A report was made to the Legislature at the session of 1897-98 by a committee appointed at the session of 1895-96, and much valuable information can be gotten from the report, to which I respectfully call your attention."... Va. Tyler, 4 D 01, p.17-18 ... Education "For many years past the funds collected by taxation for the support of the schools in any given year have had to be applied almost entirely to the payment of teachers for work done the year before, thus leaving but little to support the schools for the current year... In my last annual message I suggested what I believe to be a solution of the problem. I advised that a change be made in the mode of raising revenue for the support of our free schools so as to divide the burden between the state and the counties. I said, and I now repeat, that it will be found on investigation that Georgia pays a larger percentage of her total revenue to the support of her common school than any other state in the Union, while local communities, with the exception of our cities and some of the larger towns, contribute nothing to this purpose. Counties, with two or three exceptions, and most of the towns, pay nothing, but look to the state for everything... In New England, the cradle of common schools, where they have reached their greatest perfection, the mudsill of the system is local taxation supplemented by state aid... Under the present law counties may impose on themselves taxes to aid in the support of schools, but they do not do it because the law is not compulsory, but merely permissive. It is not right for the state to bear all of this burden, neither is it expedient. The law should require a part of it to be borne by the counties.'... Each county should be required, before it receives its share of the state school fund, to raise by local taxation for the support of its Education schools an amount not less than 50% of its state apportion- 66 In the matter of education in the state there is room for Superintendent of public instruction. Ky. Beckham, 7 Ja 02, p.9 "The public school system of the state is, on the whole, in a highly satisfactory condition. The act of 1900, reorganizing the county school boards, and providing for the bipartizan management of county school affairs, has done much to eliminate partizan influence and make the schools more efficient."... ... State superintendent of public education. "This office was created by act of the General Assembly of 1900, and while the work of the office at first was largely regarded as experimental, it has been found that the service of the present superintendent has resulted in great benefit to the school system of the state."... Md. Smith, 1 Ja 02, p.12-14 "Of 334,913 persons returned by the school census as coming within the compulsory age limits of 7 and 14, 87% were included in the public school enrolment; the rest, with few exceptions, in the private school enrolment. The total expenditure by the commonwealth and municipalities for the public schools was $14,179,947, of which $11,134,934 was for support and $3,045,013 for school buildings. The cost for each child in the average membership of the public schools was $34.91... On the public schools more than on any other public agency depends the wel fare of the commonwealth. Their contribution to this welfare justifies the large sums annually expended on them." Mass. Crane, 2 Ja 02, p.17-18 "After a most careful consideration and repeated consulta. Education tions with school authorities... the commission appointed by me to revise the school laws of the state submitted a bill which, with some amendments, became a law at the session of 1900... The wisdom of its passage was demonstrated by the increased efficiency, economy and thoroughness that soon began to mark the new administration of school affairs... Its constitutionality, however, was soon attacked by those refusing to be governed by its provisions, and at the last term of the Court of Errors and Appeals the whole law, if we read aright the opinion of the court, was declared invalid. So important and wide reaching was this decision and so disastrous in its consequences that the attorney general at once applied for a rehearing... I would therefore recommend that the exact nature of the objections of the court be ascertained, if possible, and be removed by new or supplementary legislation." N. J. Voorhees, 14 Ja 02, p.14-15 "It is not too much to say that the people are enthusiastic over education, and that great progress has been made. A year ago at this time there were 682 schools open. Now there are 875. Then there were enrolled 30,000 pupils; now there are 43,000. Last year there were 721 teachers, this year there are 934. Thirty-two school houses have been constructed at a cost of $132,243.43, and a normal school is nearing completion to cost $37,000 more. By provision of the laws of last winter 45 young people are also being educated in the United States at an annual cost of $15,000. There are 45 children from Porto Rico in the Carlisle Industrial School while 129 more have been received by generous institutions of learning, making a total of 219 students studying in the United States under the direction of the Department of Education. Where a people seek education so assiduously the government must and will leave nothing undone to afford school facilities. More night schools are advised.”... P. R. Hunt, 2 Ja 02, p.2-3 ..." Public opinion depends for its enlightenment very largely on the free common schools, and the efforts of the state should be directed principally to the improvement and perfection of its system of common school education, for it is to the common schools that the great majority of the children must look for their education. This should not interfere with our system of Education higher education... The ideal system is one properly articulated from the common school to the high school, the college and the university... The average school term for the past year for the white schools, according to the state superintendent's report, was 21 weeks, exactly the same as the one for the year previous; for the negro schools the term was 14 weeks, one week less than for the previous year... Total expenditure for the year for whites, $726,825.44; for negroes, $211,287.56. Some provision should be made to secure more permanent boards of trustees and county boards of education. The tenure of office in the boards of trustees is two years... County boards should be elected by the people in such a way as not to change entirely at one time; and the boards of trustees should be elected on a somewhat similar plan. The state superintendent calls attention to a plan for securing better schoolhouses."... S. C. McSweeney, 14 Ja 02, p.16-21 "The condition of the public schools is most gratifying and encouraging. During the four years of the present administration the appropriations for public schools have increased $162,235.27. The present enrolment of pupils exceeds that of 1897 by fully 7000; about 300 new schools have been opened, and the value of school property has increased more than a half million dollars. In many communities school libraries have been established, and everywhere the people are taking more interest in the success of the public school system." Va. Tyler, 4 D 01, p.16 School fund. "It is a well known fact that the drift of popu lation cityward has resulted in an increase to the cities of their proportion of the free school fund, and a corresponding decrease in that apportioned to the rural schools. The present distribution of this fund is therefore in an inverse proportion or relation to the actual needs of the state. I would suggest that the basis of apportionment be changed so that the moneys be distributed on some basis recognizing the ability of the localities to maintain their own schools, or that a portion of the free school fund be set apart, and that the superintendent of public instruction be clothed with authority to distribute it to the weaker districts of |