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EDUCATION. 81 
PublicSchoolSystemin St. Louis. 
By W. T. HARRIS, 
Superintendent St. Louis Public Schools. 
Not less rapid than the growth of the city has been the system of 
Public Education. Indeed for some time past there has been a 
decided gain in the percentage of the population attending school. 
This increase may be seen by comparison of the present status 
with that of thirty years ago. The statistics of public and private 
schools, and of the population at the close of each decade, com- 
mencing with 1831, is as follows: 
Estimated Per cent, 
: Enrolled in Enrollment of entire 
bai ai Sasa Public Schools. in Private | Population 
Schools. 
1841 20,826 350 700 5 
1851 83,439 2,427 2,300 6 
1861 163,783 13,380 7,800 13 
1871 325,000 31,087 17,500 15 
Facilities of education are of three kinds: 1st. The Public 
School System ; 2d. The Parochial Schools and Colleges; 3d. The 
‘Schools and Colleges founded by private enterprise. In each direc- 
tion the development has been very rapid during the past five 
years. The Public School System has provided for its annual 
increase by the erection of three or more buildings, each 
accommodating 700 pupils. These buildings are supplied with all 
the modern improvements, and are neat and tasteful in their con- 
struction. Different religious organizations have been very active 
from the beginning in providing means of education. Several 
very fine structures have been erected during the present year 
(1871-72) by the Catholic Church, exclusively for schools purposes. 
The matter of education has received the most careful attention 
of late years on the part of all classes of society, and the conviction 
i$ general that material prosperity is indissolubly connected with 
the fostering of intelligence by the establishment of free schools. 
As far back as 1812, Congress passed an act setting apart certain 
vacant lands in the Territory of Missouri, situated in or adjoining 
St. Louis, St. Charles, and other settlements, for the support of 
schools in those ‘‘towns and villages.’’ Other acts amendatory 
and supplementary to this were passed in 1824 and 1831. Out of 
these grants a large school fund has accumulated for St. Louis, 
amounting to upward of $2,000,000. Adding to this the value of 
property in use for school purposes, we have a total of $3,500,000 
permanent investment for the city schools, which are under 
the management of the corporate body known as the ‘‘ Board of 
President and Directors of Public Schools in St. Louis.’’ This 
Board has not only the sole and exclusive control of the public 
schools and the school fund, but it possesses also the power of levy- 
ing and collecting a city tax not exceeding one-half of one per 
cent. With these ample means at its disposal, it has built up a 
magnificent system of schools, furnishing free education to the 
youth of the city in all the branches required, from the lowest 
primary grades up to the finished education for the men of busi- 
ness. In all they number over fifty schools, including a central 
High School, four Branch High Schools, one Normal School for the 
training of female teachers, six schools for colored children, and 
forty-three district schools. In most of the schools German is 
taught by competent teachers, so that pupils of German parentage 
may attend the public schools without the danger of losing the 
knowledge of their native tongue while they acquire the English. 
A flourishing Public School Library, containing upward of 
twenty-eight thousand volumes, is a novel feature in the system, 
but is a great practical success. Not merely the how to study is to 
be taught in this School System; but the what to study. The result 
proves that pupils become attached to the Library during their con- 
nection with the schools, and in after life they continue their mem- 
bership in it, and thus make their education perpetual. 
A system of Evening Schools commences operations in the 
month of October, and holds a session of four months, four eve- 
nings each week. In connection with this is the O'Fallon Poly- 
technic Institute, in which are taught the elementary studies of a 
Polytechnic education. These schools are free to all engaged in 
useful employments during the day. Over 4,000 youth and adults 
of bothsexes availed themselves of the privileges of these schools 
during the winter of 1871-2. Those who were regular in attendance 
were awarded free memberships in the Public School Library. 
The following is a Table of Historical Statistics exhibiting the development of the St. Louis Schools for the past fifteen years: 
Wrote Numser . 8/8 ei § Averace Cost PER § EXPENDITURES. 
ENROLLED. 2 8 g “ye 3 4 ScHoLar. 
* ae 2 
& 8 | gs “aio 18 f 2 
S| 2) a | lege le Kae] ld 3 
$47 RES aaly| 3 3 B é ; 
YEAR, Bi So + 8} eel sales 2a| 8 z 2 : g 5 3 
| 2] | Sh) ee/ 28 Be! § § 5 3 
=] <3 sh = Sg} 8 14: | ss] S 8 4 es a 
e 2 ~ 2 © 2 sy : Bel & z % § £2 o 
| #1 8 + esl ee 2) So $1814 ssl 4 5 
ge) al al €] F128 | fags el) sel 2) 3) diez] e| 3 FE cs 4a : z 
om ° > > 3s Ss =] °o >) ou = i) 
a6. a ea 21S ik be. Lele e|/Stelg bale e 4 = Ss) e 
1857-58..... 5,058_| 4,711 | 9,769 || 5,814 | 5,361 | 92 5 | 47 | 123/550 75 |\$xx 65 | $2 95/$14 60|| 13 | 10 | 6,773 || $160,220 20 || $ 67,742 21 | $ 55,554 59 | $ 28,211 54 | $160,220 26 
1858-59... 5,342 | 4.769 |10,111 || 6,253 | 5,7. 92 45 | 140 583 51 || 13 29 87| 17 16 || 23 3 | 9,289 || 167,974 54 83,074 96| 55,228 71| 29,670 87| 167,974 54 
1859-60... 5,933 | 5.409 |11,342 || 7,576 5 45 | 158 [583 20 || 12 35] 14 51 || 22 2 | 9,441 || 162,733 36 92,141 35} 45.733 OX] 24,859 00 | 162,733 36 
1860-61... 6,347 | 5,819 |12,166 || 8,716 | 7 92 6r 409 52 9 65| 1x 83] 1x 48 22 2 I 102,124 36 ‘ 3 13,556 86} 20,1 ‘ 
1861-62... 2,909 | 2,878 | 5,787 || 3,654 | 3,364 | 93 8 8 605 64 || 12 59 40] 14 00|| 21 t | 8,945 7,446 73 6,028 78} 13,570 33| 47,845 80] 107,446 73 
1862-63..... 4.116 | 3, 8,105 || 5,688 | 5,101 | gx 58 $0.8) 30405 6S, [lawns] | en II 19 os 8,664 115,410 31 5K, BEG OF | sisters -oeccoene §2,556 41 | 115, 84 
1863-64..... 6,139 | 6,210 |12,340 || 8,229 | 7,489 | 91 7 | 48 | 162/532 35 || 11 17| 2 49] 13 66)| 2 . 8,976 || 197,480 45 88,078 54 7,098 38 | 154,816 g 
1864-65. 6 6,966 {13,926 || 9,877 | 8, * go 58 48 657 04 || 13 31 | 3 86) 17:17 22 I 9,916 207,065 91 126,023 42 20,914 14| 122,889 68| 269,827 24 
1865-66..... 7,256 | 7,300 |14,566 ||10,454 | 9.597 | 91 61 4 204/712 77|| 15 15] 3.98] 19 13 25 5 | 11,055 333,076 95 153,232 30 7,811 106,650 26 | 331,694 36 
866-6 7,830 |-7,461 |15,291 | |T1,641 |T0, 93 66 | 47 | 200/725 77|| 14 85| 1 99] 16 84|} 26 3 | 13,57 5,076 35 6 go} 157,573 36} 85,729 or | 410,437 27 
1867-68. 46 | 9,214 |18,460 | |13, 3923 | 9 64 | 46 | 2781713 00)| 15 st} 213/17 64/| 27 | 1 552 522,381 15 72 80 1227 21| 118,354 90| 480.554 91 
1868-69... 5757 |10,429 |21,186 ||15,282 |14,218 | 93 67 340 |711 84 || 15 86| 2 03] 17 89 34 6 | 18,000 561,370 38 249,228 25 514 8 82,383 3 577,071 19 
869-70..... 12,175 |12,172 |24,347 | |x8,908 |17,358 | 92 67 411 |704 98 || 16 85| 2 05) 18 38 IO | 20,105 || 637,405 7 497 45 | 241,256 42] 118,104 33] 663,768 70 
1870-71... 13, 13,899 |27.587 ||19,884 |18,428 | 93 | 67 | 46 | 487/748 50|| 1833) 2 48 20 44 7 | 23,222 || 676,942 56|| 373,674 55| 241,716 82) 137,244 37| 752,635 74 
1871-72..... 15,215 |15,079 |30,204 | |22,010 |20,479 | 93 46 | 534 |765 56| 2 28) 20 84/| 49 6 | 23,750 || 759,983 00|) 420,530 00 | 202,503 00) 134,580 00 | 757,622 oo 
