IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA. 



209 



lofty rooms, the furniture, the maps, the books, 

 the scientific apparatus, and the perfect cleanli- 

 ness of the whole building, from the ground-floor 

 to the highest story — strongly confirmed the 

 lady's statement. It was also confirmed by the 

 bright intelligence of the teachers who assisted 

 her. I omitted to make a note of the number of the 

 students, but it is my impression that there were 

 about fifty young men and about a hundred young 

 women. Their ages varied from sixteen to thirty. 

 Some of them were as black as ebony ; here and 

 there I noticed a complexion which indicated that 

 the African blood was not unmixed. When these 

 young men and women have " graduated," most 

 of them will become school-teachers; some of 

 the young men may become pastors of colored 

 churches. I suppose that without exception their 

 parents had been slaves, and most of their par- 

 ents were still poor people. "That young wom- 

 an's mother is a washer-woman," said the vice- 

 principal, pointing to a girl of four or five and 

 twenty ; " and that young woman's father is a 

 barber," pointing to another. How the system 

 is being worked in other parts of the South I did 

 not learn ; but there is not a State in the Union 

 which has not, at least, resolved to establish 

 common schools. 



In the West there has been a most energetic 

 and intelligent effort to reach the New England 

 standard. Guided by New England experience 

 and employing New England teachers, some of 

 the Western States are said to have created a 

 system of schools almost as efficient as those of 

 Massachusetts. Chicago is in the " West " no 

 longer, and can hardly be quoted as an illustra- 

 tion of Western progress ; but the following facts 

 are curious proofs of the progress both of the city 

 and of its educational institutions : In 1810 the 

 first school was opened — a private school. It was 

 taught by Robert A. Forsyth, a lad thirteen years 

 old ; he had one pupil aged nine. In 1816 a pri- 

 vate school was opened by W. L. Cox ; another pri- 

 vate school was opened in 1820 — the name of the 

 teacher has not been preserved ; another in 1829 

 by Charles H. Beaubien; another in 1830 by 

 Stephen Forbes; another in 1833 by John Wat- 

 kins ; in the same year an infant school was 

 opened by Eliza Chappell ; and an English and 

 classical school by George T. Sproat. It is an in- 

 teresting illustration of the spirit of the American 

 people that the names of these early teachers 

 have been published in the report of the Board of 

 Education in order that the benefactors of an 

 earlier generation may not be forgotten. In 1834 

 the first " appropriation " was made by the muni- 



86 



cipality for the support of a public school. In 



1838 the city employed seven male teachers. In 



1839 several of the teachers were dismissed in 

 consequence of financial troubles, but in the same 

 year the city obtained a special charter which 

 laid the foundations of the present school system. 

 In 1S40 only four male teachers were employed. 

 The first public schoolhouse was built in 1844. 

 In 1876 the Board of Education employed 762 

 teachers, of whom 39 were male teachers, and the 

 estimated daily attendance of children was 35,- 

 970. The number of school-buildings was 67 ; 

 the number of rooms contained in these buildings 

 and used for school purposes 667. The Haven 

 School, which was described to me as a fair speci- 

 men of a Chicago grammar and primary school, 

 is one of the best schools that I saw in America. 



Wherever the common-school system has 

 been introduced — and, as I have already said, it 

 has now been introduced into every State in the 

 Union — its introduction has been the act of the 

 State Legislature. The Washington Government 

 has no power to compel any State or Territory to 

 establish a school system of any kind. An at- 

 tempt was made in Congress seven years ago " to 

 compel by national authority the establishment 

 of a thorough and efficient system of public in- 

 struction throughout the whole country," and the 

 proposal received considerable support. It was 

 rejected on the old democratic principle that any 

 interference on the part of the central Government 

 with the interior affairs of the several States is 

 contrary to the fundamental principle of the Con- 

 stitution. The National Bureau of Education, 

 established in 1867, can exercise no control over 

 the educational policy of the States. In the act 

 which created it, the powers of the bureau are very 

 closely defined : it is founded " for the purpose of 

 collecting such statistics and facts as shall show 

 the condition and progress of education in the 

 several States and Territories, and of diffusing 

 such information respecting the organization of 

 school systems and methods of teaching as shall 

 aid the people of the United States in the establish- 

 ment and maintenance of efficient school systems, 

 and otherwise to promote the cause of education." 



The organization of the educational system 

 varies, therefore, in the different States. In Mas- 

 sachusetts there is a board consisting of the Gov- 

 ernor of the State, the Lieutenant-Governor, and 

 eight other persons appointed by the Governor 

 with the concurrence of the Council. The secre- 

 tary of the board performs some of the duties of 



