EDUCATION. 77 
EDUCATION. 
By HON. JOHN MONTEITH, 
State Superintendent Missouri Public Schools. 
The design of the present article is to give an outline of the 
The sub- 
I. The Public School 
educational means employed in the State of Missouri. 
ject naturally divides itself into two parts: 
system. II. Particular institutions. 
I. The Public system may be treated with respect to— 
1. The main feature of its organization ; 
2. The Officers of the system ; 
3. The Public School fund. 
I.—THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE ORGANIZATION. 
The various territorial divisions over which official responsibility 
extends, are the State, the county, and the township. 
The State is divided into one hundred and fourteen counties ; 
each county is divided into townships of six miles square, or frac- 
tional townships. 
The organization of the school system recognizes the congres- 
sional township as the topographical and organic unit. The town- 
ship is the school district. The township is further sub-divided into 
two or more sub-districts, each of which is supposed to contain a 
single school, unless the existence of more than fifteen colored 
children requires a special school for their benefit. 
The township division into sub-districts is in some instances 
modified by the establishment of 
CENTRAL GRADED SCHOOLS, 
in which case the sub-district schools are either consolidated, or 
are supplemented by a school with higher grades. 
Another modification is effected by 
CITY AND TOWN ORGANIZATIONS, 
where one or more sub-districts, usually embraced in a populous 
village, join together and vote themselves into a special school dis- 
trict with special privileges, as provided by the law authorizing this 
_ change. 
Most of our village, town and city graded schools are organized 
in this way. In some cases the school system of towns and cities 
is organized under special charters granted by the General Assembly, 
as e. g. the schools of St. Louis and St. Joseph. 
There is nothing peculiar in the character or arrangement of 
either the town or country schools in the State. The power to 
establish and maintain them resides in the voting population within 
the school boundaries already described. By the organic law the 
State is committed to a comprehensive and impartial free school sys- 
tem. The Constitution says: ‘‘ The General Assembly shall 
establish and maintain free schools for the gratuitous instruction of 
all persons in this State between the ages of five and twenty-one 
years.’’ In regard to compulsory attendance the Constitution 
provides as follows: ‘‘ The General Assembly shall have power 
to require by law that every child of sufficient mental and physical 
ability shall attend the public schools during the period between 
the ages of five and eighteen years, for a time equivalent to sixteen 
months, unless educated by other means.’’ The Constitution fur- 
ther provides that after the first day of January, 1876, every per- 
son who was not a qualified voter prior to that time, shall, in addi- 
tion to the other qualifications required, be able to read and write 
in order to become a qualified voter. 
Colored schools form a supplement to the school system as now 
arranged. 
The law provides for the separate education of this class, by 
requiring the sub-district boards to establish a colored school when 
the number of colored children of school age within their jurisdic- 
tion exceeds fifteen. In case the children are scattered so as not to 
reach this number except by gathering the children from more than 
one sub-district, then it is the duty of the township board to act 
in the premises. In case the proper local authorities fail or refuse 
to do their duty in this respect, the State Superintendent has 
authority to levy a tax and otherwise to act in the place of the local 
boards. 
The number of school sub-districts reported in 1871, is 7,048 for 
the whole State. 
The entire school population upon which the apportionment of 
school moneys was based, March 31, 1872, is 667,557. Of this 
number 37,173 are colored. 
Il.—THE OFFICERS OF THE SYSTEM. 
The officers of the Public School system of Missouri, corres- 
ponding to the topographical divisions already stated, are the State 
Superintendent of Public Schools, the County Superintendent, the 
Township Board, City and Town School Board, the Sub-District 
Board and the Teacher. 
The supervision of the State is devolved upon the State Board of 
Education, composed of the State Superintendent of Public 
Schools, the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General. 
The Executive Officer of this Board is the 
STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 
who is elected by the people, at the general election, for a term of 
four years. 
Through this officer are introduced such advanced measures, 
methods, and educational ideas as conspire to unify, and promote 
the growth and efficiency of the whole system. 
His further duties are : 
To render decisions affecting the local application of the school 
law ; 
To keep a record of all the school funds, and annually to dis- 
tribute to the counties the income of the State school funds ; 
To supervise the work of County Superintendents ; 
To encourage and aid teacher’s institutes, to deliver lectures, 
distribute educational information and visit schools, and to grant 
certificates of high qualifications ; 
To make an annual report to the General Assembly of the con- 
dition and necessities of the schools. 
He is materially aided in all this labor by the Assistant Superin- 
tendent, who is appointed by the State Superintendent and con- 
firmed by the Governor. 
