120 



[Of the conclusions reached by the Commissioners, the fol- 

 lowing are the most practical and suggestive to Americans.] 



Summary of Conclusions. — 1. The common schools of the 

 United States are essentially a national institution ; they are 

 dear to the people, respected by all, created, sustained and 

 enriched by a unanimous spirit of patriotism which for a cen- 

 tury has shown no falling off; in a word, they are deemed the 

 very source of public prosperity, as, par excellence^ the conserv- 

 ative and protective institution in their democratic govern- 

 ment and republican manners. 



2. The school organization is rigorously municipal. The 

 law simply establishes as a principle the necessity of public 

 instruction, leaving to each community to provide for its own 

 needs in its own way. 



8. The higher direction and the inspection of the public 

 schools are confided to elective boards. From this peculiarity 

 arise various results, as, for instance, the frequent renewing of 

 the Boards and Superintendents, the unfortunate influence of 

 political prejudices and local interests, the liability to sudden 

 changes in the school organization, aYid, finally, the necessity 

 imposed on the people to keep themselves informed on school ques- 

 tions, as matters on which they have constantly to vote. 



4. The public schools are in all grades absolutely free : the 

 abolition of fees was in every State the signal of the new birth 

 of the public schools ; it brought into these establishments the 

 children of all classes of the population, and constantly tends 

 to bring them nearer and nearer together. 



5. The public schools are absolutely unsectarian. 



6. Compulsory education, made matter of law in some States, 

 has doubtless aided the development of common school instruc- 

 tion. The results thus far ascertained are not very striking ; 

 and besides it is impossible either to pass or to carry out the 

 measure in the very region where its urgency is most pressing, 

 that is, in the South. In general, the most practical form that 

 compulsion has assumed is the hunting up of vagabond chil- 

 dren or the adoption of various measures to force them into 

 school, to begin with, and then, if need be, to transfer them to 

 reform schools or other special establishments. 



7. Public school instruction in the United States does not 



