NEBRASK \ 



The new /MOM A*yl*m, at Norfolk, U a substantial 

 brick building with mono bailment, 244 feet by 7V 

 It ha* toot toriea, the top of iu main tower being 1 -" 

 feet high. It WM erected at a total cost of * 

 but ha* not been opened at yet for the reception of 



Tbe Stole Ktfarm Sdtool for juvenile offenders. 

 located oa a (arm of 320 acre*, near the city . 

 ncy, in Buffalo county, hat been enlarged by the addi- 

 tion of two new faintly buildings and a workshop at a 

 curt ot ruction and labor uiuler thorough 



discipline, which is that of tin- I'.iinily. the school, the 

 workahop, and the farm, ratlu-r than that of the prison, 

 are the mean* employed for the reformation of those 

 committed to iu charge. Lately, instruction in mili- 

 tary taoticB has been introduced there with good results. 

 Tin- library contains 520 volumes of well-selected books. 

 Besides an abundance of wholesome food for the in- 

 mates, the farm last year yielded a surplus for sale 

 amounting to $800. The total number of youths com- 

 mitted to the care of this in.-titution from its opening 

 in 1883 until 1886 was 208, of which IOC were boys and 

 42irirls. 



The Staff RntiltHtittiy, at Nobesville, is a solid stone 

 structure, containing three tiers of eighty cells each, 

 to which another tier of cells is to be added. Wooden 

 buildings in the prison yard are used for workshops. 

 The prison library contains over 3000 volumes of choice' 

 literature. The total number of prisoners received 

 since its foundation in 1809 is 1146, of which 328 re- 

 mained in prison at the beginning of the present year. 

 Of these 307 were white, 16 colored, and 5 Indians. 



The Nebraska Institute for the Blind is located at 

 Nebraska City, and has now entered upon the twelfth 



nof its existence. During that time 73 blind chil- 

 'have received instruction, and 9 have completed 

 the prescribed course. The enrolment in 1886 was 38. 



A llmr fur thr FrinuUau has been erected at Lin- 

 coln, costing $10, 000, Inn i.- not \,-t open. 



An AtylumfurFeetJ- Mi',,<l.,l Childmi and Adults 

 costing $45,444, has been estahli.-hcd near the city of 

 Beatrice. It is a substantial two-story brick building 

 with stone basement, 141 feet long by 91 feet wide, 

 provided with all modern improvements, and will afford 

 oimfortalile quarters for all of the 014 idiotic and im- 

 becile persons thus far discovered within the State. 



The Iiittitiilffurlhf 1 i"ifn i<d ftinii/t, at Omaha, has 

 been much improved. There are now 144 pupils at 

 this institution, of which s;i are males and 61 females, 



from 7 to -Jl' VIM: 



The llnsiiitnl fur ti at Lincoln, has been 



ited and enlarged, and the grounds around the 

 buildings have lvn greatly beautified by the laying out 

 of drive*, walks, grass-plats, and flower-beds, and many 

 other improvements have been made about the prem- 

 ises ; 747 patients have been received there for treat- 

 ment in lssG-87, and the present enrolment is 374, of 

 which J7 are males and 147 females. A carefully 

 selected library of some 450 volumes has been added 

 to the hospital. 



/Tin- , <!,,! Aifi-i'riilliirnl Cii/fi-ge, at 



Lincoln, has been repaired and remodelled, and a new 

 building of tine proportions has been erected at a cost 

 ot t'2:>,~(> for the use of the industrial and scientific 

 department. A complete equipment marie to order in 

 K.iirupu has been procured for the ( 'hcmical laboratory ; 

 >lumea have IN-.-H added to the general library; 

 the Botanical Library; 1 4'.7 Hpccimcns to the 

 Botanical Cabinet ; I '.Ji.-|'.-iiiienstothe Herbarium; 

 ami I7M2 MM-.-ini.-ns to the < Icoloiriial Cabinet. The 

 fine arts school acquired a valuable collection of casts 

 fnuii the French exhibit at New Orli .m-. The total 

 iniml- -I' which 31 attend the 



college of medicine. I.::, tin: Indostrial and scientific: 

 school, !_''. the Utin school, and 74 the school of fine 



..; 



The Si.iir \,,rin<il Srl,, u ,l. :i i | ', r ,i. has been enlarged 

 ky the addition of a Hubstantial brick Btructure 94 by 



56 feet, two stories high and a basement, and many 

 other improvements have been made at a total cost of 



Its library now contains about ".IN to volumes. 

 Attendance increased from 274 students in 1SS1 to 478 

 in 1S>7 



The appropriations for the current expenses of these 

 State institutions for the years 1S87 and 1888 amount 

 in the aggregate to $2,72:.'. v.i;. 



The Common Schools of the State arc most liberally 



Sroyided for. The total expenditures for these schools 

 uring the years 1885-so. including $2H.o>i on hand 

 at the close of 1886, amounted to $o.:;:,7.r,;j. The 

 permanent common school fund, arising from a munifi- 

 cent endowment in lamN yielding a large sum annually, 

 had increased to $4,9n4.1 1'.i at the close of th 

 1886, and it is estimated that this fund will reach full 

 $20,000,000 when the lands arc all sold. In the 4 lm 

 school districts of the State there are now enumerated 

 2">2 i MM; school children of both sexes, of which 1> 

 arc . arolled with an average attendance of Id'.'.M.'i in 

 hool-houses, valued at $3,821, 317, and provided 

 with $122,675.33 worth of books and apparatus. Dur- 

 ing isso teachers' institutes were hela in GC counties, 

 lasting on an average 11 days each, with an average 

 daily attendance of 4225 teachers out of 5359 enrol- 

 ments, at a total cost of $11,947. Theaverage monthly 

 wages of male teachers is $42.68, and of female 

 teachers, $34.70. 



In 1*43 districts lists of uniform text-books have 

 been adopted which the pupils are required to purchase; 

 422 districts select their own text-books and furnish 

 t linn free of cost to the children, while the remainder 

 of the districts have as yet adopted no settled policy in 

 this respect The uniform experience in the districts 

 which have adopted the free text-book system is. that 

 it saves time and money, that school attendance is in- 

 creased, that children of poor parents are kept at 

 school _longer, that the cost of books has been reduced 

 one third, and that of other supplies about one-half, 

 and that in no case have contagious diseases been com- 

 municated thereby. "Arbor Day'' (April 22) is 

 L'cucrally observed in all the schools as a holiday, de- 

 voted to the planting of trees, wit h appropriate ceremo- 

 nies and discourses on memorable persons and events. 

 Besides these public schools there are a number of col- 

 leges and private schools devoted to higher education. 

 Prominent amoiiir these are Creighton College, a Cath- 

 olic institution at Omaha, for young men alone, and 

 Umwiiell Hall, an F.piscopal Seminary for young ladies 

 alone, also at Omaha ; the Methodist Episcopal College 

 of Ndira.-I.a at York ; the Nebraska Central College, 

 another Methodist institution, at Central City; Gates 

 College, established hy the Cnlumlms Association of 

 Congregational Ministers and Churches, at Neligh ; 

 and I loan, 1 College at the beautiful town of Crete, an- 

 other Con.u'reuational institution and the oldest of tin- 

 kind in the State, baring lx:cii founded in Is7l! ; Mer- 

 rill Hall was added in Is7'.'. Fmswell Observatory in 

 1883, ami Ladies' Hall in 1884. These are for both 

 sexes. Omaha and other towns of the State are also 

 justly proud of their Public Ili-h Schools, where the 

 eight years' course of common school studies is supple- 

 mented by a four years' course of instruction in the 

 higher branches. 



The i-rowtb of churches of all denominations has 

 IM-CH co equal with the general progress of the State, 

 and many fine cdiliecs have been and arc being erected 

 in every city and throughout the country generally. 



Railroaat, The total mimlter of miles op< -rated 

 within the State by t he various railroad companies in 

 1886 was '':'<'} miles, of which K;:!;l miles were com- 

 posed of steel rails and the rest of iron rails. The 

 capital stock of th- -e roads is estimated by the Railway 

 Comini :2, or an average of $21.722 



per mile, and their aggregate debt at $83,122,813. 

 Their gross earnings for the year ending, June 30, 1886, 

 wcre$15,72" ... marmM of $1,571,429.25 orer 



the previous year. Tin: total amount of taxes paid by 



