NEW MEXICO. 



Australia, Scandinavia, Germany, Italy, Switz- 

 erland, France, Sweden, and Austria. En- 

 couraging reports were made of the growth of 

 the Church in Canada and the United States. 

 The report of the committee on the fund of 

 the theological seminary stated that the re- 

 ceipts for the year had heen $844.70, and the 

 expenditures $679.25. The entire property be- 

 longing to the fund was valued at $31,371.72. 

 The Board of Church Extension presented a 

 report showing progress. The sum of $1,035.- 

 50 had been spent in support of mission-work 

 during the year. The report of the Board of 

 Publication showed that $8,000 had been sub- 

 scribed during the year toward the fund of 

 $50,000 which the board was trying to raise 

 for defraying the expenses of carrying on its 

 work. Including the compendium of the the- 

 ological writings of Swedenborg, 3,000 volumes 

 had been published during the year. The 

 Committee on Ecclesiastical Affairs were in- 

 structed to confer with the Committee of the 

 New Church Conference in England in rela- 

 tion to a new translation of the Bible. 



NEW MEXICO. Education in New Mexico 

 has labored under many difficulties. The iso- 

 lated situation of the Territory, subject to In- 

 dian incursions, and other causes, and the 

 character of the population, have retarded the 

 progress of intelligence. The latest report, 

 for the year 1875, is by W. G. Eitch, Terri- 

 torial Secretary, and bears date February 1, 

 1876. According to this document, education 

 in New Mexico dates its first permanent estab- 

 lishment from the organization of the "Acad- 

 emy of our Lady of Light " (Sisters of Loretto), 

 in Santa Fe, in 1852. This school, started in 

 small and unpretentious rented quarters, with 

 seven boarders and a few day-scholars and 

 with two teachers, now numbers ten teachers 

 and 165 pupils, with an extended curriculum 

 of English, Spanish, and classical studies, in- 

 cluding music and fine arts, and occupying 

 commodious buildings, with broad grounds 

 and delightful surroundings. 



From the organization and establishment of 

 this school for home education, other private, 

 academic, and parochial schools of various re- 

 ligious denominations have since been located 

 and established in the various centres of popu- 

 lation. With the thirst for knowledge thus 

 introduced, the people through their legislative 

 assembly of 187l-'72 reversed their decision at 

 the polls of ten years previous, when they 

 voted down a public-school law by a nearly 

 unanimous vote, for the reason that the tax 

 for their support was deemed oppression, and 

 authorized by law the public-school system in 

 force to-day, giving one or more free schools in 

 nearly every precinct in the counties reported. 



The law is crude in character, as school laws 

 are usually estimated ; the best, however, that 

 could be then or since obtained. It leaves the 

 details and management of the schools and of 

 the school -funds entirely to a Board of Super- 

 visors and Directors of the Public Schools, to 



be elected by each county respectively. The 

 school system of each county is thus inde- 

 pendent of any other. 



Unfortunately, the school boards in most of 

 the counties are composed of persons inexpe- 

 rienced in any school system whatever, and all 

 without the instruction or advice of a central 

 authority, often giving but little personal at- 

 tention, and not unfrequently under the con- 

 trol or composed in part, or whole, of the 

 clergy. In a majority of the counties, to-day, 

 the school-books and church catechism, pub- 

 lished by the Jesuits, and generally in Spanish, 

 constitute the text-books in use in the public 

 schools; while in at least five counties public 

 schools have been placed in direct charge of 

 either the Jesuits or other religious orders, or 

 members thereof kindred in character. The 

 somewhat limited amount of the school-fund, 

 the disbursement of considerable portions of 

 it for illegal or illegitimate purposes, and the 

 attempt to accommodate the demand for schools 

 in every neighborhood, very naturally make 

 the school-term short, the compensation of 

 teachers small, and, as a rule, commanding in- 

 competent or indifferent talent. 



Nevertheless, there are signs of encourage- 

 ment in an awakening public sentiment. In 

 1875 there were, so far as reported, 138 pub- 

 lic schools, with 5,151 pupils and 147 teachers 

 (132 male and 15 female); average length of 

 schools, 6.6 months ; school-fund from all 

 sources. $25,473.46; disbursements, $18,890.- 

 83. Of the schools 97 were for boys, 8 for 

 girls, and 33 mixed ; 86 were Spanish, 7 Eng- 

 lish, 38 mixed, 7 unreported; 10 were under 

 the control of religious orders or societies. 



There were 33 parochial and private schools^ 

 including 7 Pueblo Indian schools, 12 Roman 

 Catholic, 8 Protestant, and 6 others ; number 

 of teachers, 81 (41 male and 40 female) ; aver- 

 age attendance of pupils, 1,259. There were 

 6 girls' schools, 6 for boys, and 21 mixed. The 

 assessed value of property in the Territory was 

 $7,808,084; annual tax levy thereon for school 

 purposes, one quarter of one per cent. The 

 last Governor's message was transmitted to the 

 biennial session of the Legislature,- commencing 

 December 6, 1875. He represents the Indians 

 as peaceful throughout the Territory. He 

 recommends a new apportionment of the mem- 

 bers of the Council and House of Representa- 

 tives, the adoption of the system of local self- 

 government by means of town incorporations, 

 and a small appropriation to be expended 

 under direction of the Librarian to assort, 

 label, and preserve the ancient archives of the 

 Territory; He says: "I am satisfied that 

 great injustice is frequently done to the poor 

 by those who are in charge of our irrigating 

 canals. In the first place the land-owners 

 ought to keep the acequias in repair. In the 

 second, the water should be equally and im- 

 partially distributed. I advise a revision of 

 the acequia laws, and to make it a criminal 

 offense for any person to offer or receive 



