96 



CALIFORNIA. 



Finances. The balance on hand June 30, 1898, 

 in the general fund was $2,001,093. The aggregate 

 valuation of real estate of the counties this year 

 was $007,722,881; the value of improvements on 

 real estate, $204,881,957; of personal property, 

 $104,070,020; of money and solvent credits, $50,- 

 094,940; the value of railroads as assessed by the 

 State Board of Equalization, $40,394,275; total 

 valuation, $1,193,704,073. The original assessed 

 value of mortgages was $100,800,992; the assessed 

 value of university and other State mortgages, 

 $1,249,000. The rate of State taxation is 00.1 

 cents. The funded debts of the counties amount 

 to $3,003,400; and their floating debts, with the 

 estimated interest, $110,840. The State has claims 

 against the General Government aggregating 

 more than $4,000,000, for furnishing, equipping, 

 and paying volunteers during the civil war. 



Education. The number of children between 

 five and seventeen years of age entitling towns 

 to receive State school money is 347,024; the 

 amount apportioned for the semiannual payment 

 in January was $2,044,029.12; the amount for 

 each child, $5.88. The number of children has 

 increased during the year by 0,072. In July 

 $1,032,443.28 was apportioned, giving $2.97 for 

 each child. 



The regents of the university proposed to 

 charge tuition fees in order to avoid the annual 

 deficit of about $50,000, but afterward decided 

 upon a -registration tax; but in July it seems to 

 have been finally concluded to do away with the 

 tax altogether. Dr. Benjamin Ide Wheeler was 

 chosen president in June, and accepted on the 

 condition that the regents should recognize the 

 president's right to make all appointments in the 

 faculty; to be the sole means of communication 

 between the faculty and the regents; to recom- 

 mend all professors and instructors for promo- 

 tion; and, especially, his entire power in the mat- 

 ter of salaries; also, that when the regents shall 

 have decided upon any measure by a majority 

 vote the board shall give its entire support to 

 the measure without factional opposition. Dr. 

 Wheeler took charge at the opening of the col- 

 lege year, and was inaugurated Oct. 25. The first 

 prize of $10,000 for plans for the buildings which 

 it is hoped will some time arise on the university 

 grounds was awarded to Architect Benard, of 

 Paris. The other four prizes were won by Ameri- 

 can architects Howells, Stokes & Hornbostel, of 

 New York; Desphanelles & Stephen Codman, of 

 Boston ; Howard & Cauldwell, of New York ; and 

 Lord, Hewlett & Hull, of New York in the 

 order given. M. Benard's plans show " a hall 

 for every art and science, two gymnasiums, and 

 a splendid amphitheater for races and games. 

 Toward the bay, where the grounds are now en- 

 tered through the botanical garden, are two large 

 open spaces or parks, which give a fine and airy 

 appearance to the design. One of these vast 

 squares is in front of the main educational build- 

 ing, devoted to pedagogy, philosophy, jurispru- 

 dence, and half a dozen other departments of in- 

 tellectual work. Toward the south are the gym- 

 nasiums, one for men and one for women, and 

 the tribunes for the athletic sports. These 

 tribunes are so planned that crowds may easily 

 be handled, two streets and an entrance through 

 the gymnasium serving as outlets. The military 

 building and the parade ground are set off above 

 the portion sacred to athletics. On the hill above 

 the general building are placed all the natural- 

 history buildings, with an isolated infirmary at 

 the farthest edge of the grounds. The dormi- 

 tories and clubhouses are near the gymnasium, 

 while the public parts of the university, the 



museums, lecture rooms, and the two auditori- 

 ums, are placed where they will be conveniently 

 accessible to the public. The portions of the 

 university with w r hich the general public has 

 little to do are placed behind these other por- 

 tions farther up the hill, while on the highest 

 ground of all, crowning the entire scheme, stands 

 the observatory. A thing that won special favor 

 in Benard's plan was the fact that the French 

 architect made notable use of all the natural 

 advantages of the site, which he never has seen. 

 He has preserved in a remarkable degree the 

 creeks and forests of the grounds. This was 

 one of the things specially desired, and in the 

 Benard plan the oaks, the creeks, and the hills 

 are left almost unchanged." 



Stanford University received from Mrs. Stan- 

 ford, in May, personal property in stocks and 

 bonds to the market value of $10,000,000, and 

 real estate in different parts of California amount- 

 ing in value to $317,000. At the meeting of the 

 trustees at which the deeds were given Mrs. 

 Stanford made an address, in which she expressed 

 her wishes as to the future management of the 

 university. She wished the number of women 

 allowed to attend to be limited to 500. The 

 percentage of woman students has been steadily 

 increasing. In 1891-'92 there were 559 students, 

 of whom 25.4 per cent, were women; in 1898-'99 

 the total was 1,153, and the percentage of women 

 was 41. This provision caused great surprise, 

 and the president of the university gave the fol- 

 lowing explanation: 



" This action of Mrs. Stanford simply follows 

 the original plans of the construction of the uni- 

 versity, and is in no sense a criticism of the 

 scholarship or character of the young women 

 attending here. The presence of young women 

 has never kept away any young man whose at- 

 tendance was desired. It was Mrs. Stanford's 

 idea before the university opened that about one 

 fourth of the students would be women. This 

 was the percentage during the first years of col- 

 lege, but the number has gradually increased, 

 showing that Mrs. Stanford did not foresee how 

 popular the university would become with women 

 students. 



" I have no sympathy with the view that the 



Eresence of women lessens college spirit. Col- 

 ige spirit that will not show itself before girls 

 is not a desirable additional feature of college 

 life. There is no foundation for the statement 

 that any legitimate activity in athletics is 

 checked by the presence of women. 



"In all probability, there will be no occasion 

 for taking any action in this matter for a year 

 or so. There are now about 400 women in the 

 university, and the number who have just gone 

 out will about balance the number entering next 

 September. The probable solution of the matter 

 will be that women will be admitted to the upper 

 classes only. 



" I wish to emphasize again the fact that this 

 action is in no way meant as a criticism of the 

 women students, but is simply the carrying out 

 of Mrs. Stanford's wish that the university be, 

 primarily, for men." 



Charities and Corrections. The Reform 

 School for Boys, at Preston, provides for 141 in- 

 mates, at a yearly cost for each of $338. 



The managers of the Stockton Asylum for the 

 Insane have leased 324 acres of reclaimed land 

 for a farm to be worked by such of the patients 

 as are strong enough and are not dangerous. 



Serious scandals have arisen in regard to the 

 management of some of the State institutions, 

 in reference to which the Governor was reported, 



