312 COMPARISON OF COMMON SCHOOLS 



tors but I may be permitted, with all the friends of 

 American science, to regret that any pecuniary difficul 

 ties should be allowed permanently to impede the com 

 pletion of so important and honourable a work, 



In the State of Pennsylvania of which this city, 

 though not the seat of its Legislature, is the centre of its 

 commerce and of its scientific and literary society the 

 numerous German population is a characteristic feature. 

 Hitherto this part of the population has been considered 

 as opposed to progress as badly educated, and unwilling 

 to lend itself to those enlightened legislative measures 

 by which a rapid and energetic advance has been secured 

 in the more northern States. 



Perhaps, as a test of this opinion, it may not be unfair 

 to compare the common school system of this State with 

 that of the State of New York, which bounds it towards 

 the north; and, for the purposes of such a comparison, we 

 may take the populations of the two States, in round 

 numbers, at three and two millions respectively.* Then 

 the following table shows the actual condition of the 

 common schools in the two States : 



NEW YORK. PENNSYLVANIA. 



Three millions. Two millions. 



Number of schools, . . 10,500 7.800 



scholars, . 776,000 360,000 



Average duration of school | 

 teaching, . . . J 



Months teaching for each 100 \ ^ ^ x 



. , , ., , f Z(J l ... /DT&amp;gt; ... 



inhabitants, . . . &amp;gt; 



Paid to teachers, . 1,100,000 dollars. 466,000 dollnrs. 



Paid for each 100 inhabitants, 36 ... 23 ... 



It appears from these numbers 1st. That the sums 

 paid for instruction in the common schools are, in pro 

 portion to the population, one third less in Pennsylvania 

 than in the State of New York. 



2d. That the number of schools to equal populations 



* In 1845, New York State contained 2,604,000 and in 1840, Penn 

 sylvania, 1,724,000. 



