STITDIKS ON MUSKUMrt AND KINDRED INSTITUTIONS. 398 



perhaps, most resenibles the "'Universite clc Franco," founded h^' 

 Napoleon in 1808. It is trj'ing to solve the universal problem of 

 extending culture, and has supervision in the State of New York over 

 34 universities and academic- high schools (colleges of liberal arts), 76 

 professional technical schools, 139 academies, and 559 high schools 

 (that is, secondary schools) with 101,630 scholars, over 183 libraries, 

 museums, and the like, as well as over 5'23 organizations which are 

 affiliated with it — that is, over 1,514 in all. " Its activity embraces not 

 only the lield of work of academies, colleges, univiu-sities, professional 

 and technical schools, but also that of libraries, nuiseums, courses of 

 lectures, and the like." It is governed b}^ nineteen unpaid regents 

 (who are elected in the same manner as Senators of the United States, 

 and who are the only life-tenure officers in the State of New York), 

 together with the governor, the lieutenant-governor, the secretary of 

 State, and the superintendent of public instruction, with a chancellor 

 and vice chancellor at the head, who are likewise elected and serve 

 without pay. 



The university confers degrees after examinations, as well as 

 licenses to practice medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine in the 

 State of New York. It annually aids the institutions named to the 

 extent of $250,000, provided each of these institutions raises a similar 

 sum for the same purpose, and it aids public libraries to the extent 

 of $50,000, on the same condition. Its annual budget amounts to 

 $500,000 (1899). Like other States of the Union, the State of New 

 York has a department of public instruction which directs the 

 elementary schools (free common schools), and nine-tenths of all the 

 children attend these schools; but no other State of the Union has a 

 department which attends solely to the interests of higher instruction. 

 As such this department exercises jurisdiction over the institutions 

 which are placed under its control. It holds annually a congress for 

 higher instruction, which is attended by delegates from other States 

 and universities, and whose proceedings are published.'^' It was latel}^ 

 proposed to establish in the State of New York a department of 

 education, which was to embrace the university and the department 

 of public instruction, \vith the chancellor of th(> universit}' as respon- 

 sible, executive, and administrative head. Init the project has so far 

 not been carried out. 



The universit}' is organized into six departments: Administration, 

 colleges, high school, home education, lil)rary, and nuiseum. It has 

 its offices in the capitol. The administrative department incliKh^s the 

 executive, the general supervision, the finances, and the duty of 

 making reports.^ The college department conducts the examinations 



" For example, Thirty-seventh University Convocation of the State of New York, 

 June 27-29, 1899, in Ucgnih' UnlUlm No. 48, October, 1899, pp. 209-i:',l. 



^8ee Annual Regents' Reports beginninji with 1787, Procfeilings of llu' convocation 

 l)eginnin;t; witii 1S90, in 47 iuiihIkts. 



