PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 53 



The system of Free-school education in the Eastern States 

 does not appear to have been fairly estimated by some British 

 travellers. Mr Stuart, in chapter xiv. of &quot; Three Years 

 Residence in America,&quot; states, &quot; the general plan of education 

 at the public Free-schools, is not confined to merely reading, 

 writing, arithmetic, and book-keeping, and the ancient and 

 modern languages, but comprehends grammar, mathematics, 

 navigation, geography, history, logic, political economy, and 

 rhetoric ; moral and natural philosophy ; their schools being, 

 as stated in the printed regulations, intended to occupy the 

 young people from the age of four to seventeen;&quot; and in 

 chapter xvi. he takes the same view when conversing with 

 President Jackson. Captain Basil Hall and Mr Hamilton 

 seem to consider them charity-schools, and consequently 

 objectionable to an independent people. 



The public Free-schools, or what are called &quot; common 

 schools,&quot; and maintained by public funds, are managed in each 

 district by twelve directors, chosen by the people, at which 

 children are taught gratis, the parents furnishing books. The 

 funds being inadequate to provide teachers during the whole 

 year, men are engaged to teach in winter, and women, wha 

 are engaged at a cheaper rate, to teach during the summer. 

 The period of teaching varies according to the extent of 

 funds, which are managed with economy, and seldom exceeds 

 nine months throughout the year, and in some States only 

 six months. In one or two States, there is also a Free gram 

 mar-school in each county town. 



It has been formerly stated, that an opportunity of exami 

 ning the common schools of New England did not occur. 

 I, however, saw the scholars of upwards of twenty of them in 

 the school-houses, and on the play-ground. I also saw several 

 of the teachers. None of the scholars, who, in summer, are 

 chiefly girls, seemed above twelve years of age, and the teachers 

 were invariably females. From this circumstance, it appeared 

 to me that Mr Stuart had confounded the district common 

 schools with the grammar-schools of the county towns ; and 

 many of the natives, to whom I showed his account of the 

 schools, readily agreed in this view. Indeed, to state that 

 little children and female teachers in the woods of America 



