1004 
contract was entered into between the Ohio 
Company and the Board of Treasury of 
the United States, on the 27th of July, 
1787, whereby lot 16 in every township 
was given for the maintenance of public 
schools and not more than two complete 
townships were given perpetually for the 
purpose of a university, the land to be ap- 
plied to the purpose by the legislature of 
the State. * 
The most important act, after that of 
1787, was that of 1862, granting land for 
the endowment of colleges for teaching agri- 
culture and the mechanical arts. It is to 
be noted that by this act the responsibility 
was. thrown entirely upon the States, and 
that, so far as the administration of the 
fund was concerned, it was State, not na- 
tional, education. 
The total grants of lands aggregate 
about 13,000,000 acres, or 20,000 square 
miles. Of this 2,500,000 acres, or 4,000 
square miles, were for the establishment of 
higher institutions of learning. This land, 
divided among thirty States and Territories, 
gives an average of a little more than 80,- 
000 acres, or about 130 square miles. For 
technical schools, called ‘Colleges for the 
benefit of agriculture and the mechanical 
arts,’ Congress has granted to forty-five 
States 10,500,000 acres, or about 16,000 
square miles. This is an average of 230,- 
000 acres, or about 360 square miles. Con- 
gress now grants annually to each of the 
forty-five States $25,000, + a total of more 
than a million dollars, all of which is 
expended under the direction of State 
boards. 
The Government maintains, and has 
maintained since 1802, an academy for 
training its army officers ; also, since 1845, 
*Bancroft, ‘History of the Constitution,’ N. Y., 
1882, Vol. II., pp. 4385, 436. Also Geo. B. Germann, 
‘National Legislation concerning Education,’ New 
York, 1899, pp. 19, 20. 
ft Act approved August 30, 1890. 
Large, Vol. 26, p. 417. 
Statutes at 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Vou. XIII. No. 339. 
an academy for training its naval officers. 
The Government does not maintain and 
never has maintained any institution for 
training its civil officers. 
The policy of the Government, as gathered 
from its acts, has been to relegate the di- 
recé control of education to the States, 
aiding them in this work by grants of land, 
and in the case of technical education by 
grants of money also. 
PRESENT POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT. 
Turning, now, to the question, What is 
the present policy of the Government? we 
have just seen that aid is given by grants 
of land, and in the case of the experiment 
stations by grants of money. As to the 
use of its literary and scientific collections 
by students its policy was defined by a 
public resolution of Congress approved 
April 12, 1892, which reads as follows: 
Whereas large collections illustrative of the various 
arts and sciences and facilitating literary and scientific 
research have been accumulated by the action of Con- 
gress through a series of years at the national capital ; 
and. "1 
Whereas it was the original purpose of the Govern- 
ment thereby to promote research and the diffusion of 
knowledge, and it is now the settled policy and pres- 
ent practice of those charged with the care of these 
collections specially to encourage students who devote 
their time to the investigation and study of any 
branch of knowledge by allowing to them all proper 
use thereof ; and 
Whereas it is represented that the enumeration of 
these facilities and the formal statement of this policy 
will encourage the establishment and endowment of 
institutions of learning at the seat of Government, ° 
and promote the work of education by attracting 
students to avail themselves of the advantages afore- 
said under the direction of competent instructors : 
Therefore, 
Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United Statesof America, in Congress assembled, 
That the facilities for research and illustration in the 
following and any other Governmental collections 
now existing or hereafter to be established in the city 
of Washington for the promotion of knowledge shall 
be accessible, under such rules and restrictions as the 
officers in charge of each collection may prescribe, 
subject to such authority as is now or may hereafter 
