296 CHURCH AND SCHOOL EDUCATION BISHOPRIC. 



sober they are peaceable and easily controlled, but when intoxi- 

 cated violent and quarrelsome. At marriage the husband has the 

 right of taking his wife on trial and of sending her back to her pa- 

 rents after some time if she should not please him, and this, even if 

 she should be pregnant by him. This, however, does not prevent 

 such a female marrying afterwards. If she gives satisfaction, the 

 husband has the ceremony performed by a priest or monk, who for 

 this purpose makes a yearly circuit, and often performs the marriage 

 and a baptism at the same time ! 



Church and school matters, particularly the latter, are provided 

 for in the State of Jalisco in an inferior manner to other parts of the 

 Mexican Republic. A few years ago, there were in the entire 

 State only 113 elementary schools attended by not more than 6,167 

 children. The instruction was limited almost exclusively to read- 

 ing, for of this entire number, according to official accounts, there 

 were not more than 2,092 learning to write. For instruction in the 

 higher branches there were in the entire State only two indifferent 

 institutions located in the capital — one the Seminario Conciliar for 

 instruction of the clergy, with thirteen chairs and a species of acade- 

 my, founded since the revolution, called El Instituto, with chairs for 

 anatomy, modern languages, mineralogy, mathematics, &c. The 

 seminary was attended by 120 boarders and 329 day scholars. The 

 institution had one director, ten professors, two assistant teachers, 

 a secretary, etc.; the available funds of the same consisted, indepen- 

 dent of a fee paid by the wealthier scholars, of scarcely any thing but 

 an addition of two thousand and seventy dollars granted by the 

 State treasury. Jalisco felt deeply, this sad condition of public 

 instruction, and numerous propositions for its amelioration and 

 thorough reformation were made, but money was wanting and fit 

 men for the professorships, and discretion and tact on the part of 

 the authorities, and it is scarcely to be expected that since that 

 time public instruction has been essentially bettered. The "Insti- 

 tuto" since then has been made a university. The State forms a 

 separate bishopric. It was erected in the year 1548, and embraced 

 at that time in like manner the present States of Durango and New 

 Leon. The bishop had his seat first at Compostela ; in 1569 it was 

 transferred to Guadalajara. In 1631 Durango was separated from 

 Jalisco, and in 1777 both were made distinct bishoprics. The 

 episcopal chapter of Jalisco consisted of three dignitaries, four 

 canons and four prebendaries. 



