REPORTS OF COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS.

ADAMS-JOHN H. BLACK.

The interest of the people as regards educational matters, seems to be increasing. There is a general disposition to employ good teachers and pay fair wages; many of our district schools are furnished with everything necessary for their success, and the comfort and convenience of the pupils and teachers are not overlooked. But the people in some localities are not yet thoroughly awake to the subject. Some are willing to employ poorly qualified teachers because they can get them cheap, and because their children are not far enough advanced to require much education in their teacher. It is hoped this sentiment will not long prevail. have a goodly number of live, practical teachers, who take a lively interest in everything pertaining to their calling.

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The standard of qualification for teachers has been raised, to some extent, and every effort is made to prompt teachers to a thorough discharge of their duties. Since my appointment as county superintendent, there have been one hundred and sixty applicants for certificates; of these eleven received certificates of the first grade, one hundred and two received certificates of the second grade, and forty-seven were rejected.

The duties devolving upon our school officers are not always performed in a satisfactory manner; not that they are chargeable, except in rare cases, with ignorance or culpable neglect, but the true difficulty seems to be this: that the time necessary to thoroughly understand and discharge these duties is greater than they are willing to devote to that purpose. Men whose private business demands the greater part, if not all, of their thought and energy, and especially, many of the school officers of the rural districts, who have large families whose demands are first and last upon their time, are not likely to spend the time necessary to a thorough discharge of their school duties. Besides, many think that many things required of them in the way of reports, are useless, and complain that they should be. compelled to the requirements in such matters, under penalty of Vol. I-62

the forfeiture of the funds. In one aspect our school system is both cumbersome and tyrannical; cumbersome in requiring too many officers, and tyrannical in compelling them to spend their time without compensation. Let the entire school business of each township be transacted by a board of one, three, or five members, and let them receive a reasonable compensation for their services; then, and not till then, can we expect school officers to devote the time necessary to insure the greatest prosperity of our schools.

Under the present plan, if any district officer is required to understand thoroughly his duties, and appreciate their importance, it is, by all odds, the clerk of the board of directors. Upon his promptness and accuracy depends, in a great measure, the financial success of his district. If there is a man in the district who is, more than any other, interested in educational matters, he should be elected clerk, and if he prove competent, and does not neglect his duties, he should be continued in the position as long as he can be induced to accept it.

It ought to be confessed, that moral instruction and training do not receive the attention in our schools which should be given them. The children of our schools ought to be trained according to the immutable principles of right-doing. By every available expedient, we ought to try to implant deeply in their hearts and minds, sentiments of regard for the feelings of others, fearlessness in the maintenance of truth, and unswerving rectitude of purpose. Since an educated bad man is a thousand times more dangerous than an ignorant one, moral instruction should be given greater prominence than it has heretofore occupied-that kind of moral instruction which is conveyed, not so much by illustrations, as by the constant daily example of the teacher-by that silent influence of the mind and character which every teacher must exert, to a greater or less extent, for good or evil.

As I was appointed to the office of superintendent last fall, my report of what has been accomplished must, necessarily, be short. It is not an easy matter for a superintendent to show upon paper his work for a year, when much of it has consisted of cares and attention given to a thousand little matters which have demanded his care and occupied his time. A written description of all his attentions to minute particulars, would fill a large volume; but far the greater portion of his time is taken up in attention to details which make but little show in the history of a year. Figures are sometimes very inadequate representatives of labors performed, of cares exercised, of the hundreds of miles traveled, of the visits made, of the hundreds of letters written, of the applica tions for advice and information, and applications for teachers, and made by teachers for situations; these and a thousand other items make up a round of unceasing labor.

BOONE.-WM. H. DURHAM.

The school interest in this county is generally very good. I have but little to report, different from two years ago. One encouraging feature of our schools, is the willingness of the teacher to improve. Teachers' institutes and other educational meetings are well attended. There is a very large increase of attendance in our graded schools. Young ladies who teach in the summer, attend school in the winter. Our young ladies are generally better qualified than the gentlemen. The demand for energetic, wideawake, practical teachers is far greater than the supply. One drawback to our school interests is, the apparent indifference of parents. Neither teacher nor scholar can be expected to labor with ardor and perseverence, when they find no sympathy where they have the best right to expect it. They permit their children to be irregular in their attendance, and almost entirely neglect to visit their school. They do not seem to think that in some cases schools may be useless, and in others, a positive nuisance. A kind look, an encouraging word, helps to stimulate both teacher and pupil. A great change has taken place in this county during the past two years, in school buildings and furniture. Capron has just completed the most convenient house for a small graded school, that there is in this part of the country. Poplar Grove and Caledonia schools are doing well. They are very well supplied with blackboards and outline maps, and in the most of the schools we have a uniformity of text-books. I would insist upon the township system of schools, as explained by our worthy State Superintendent. If there was a law passed to that effect, the school interest would be increased more than by any changes that has been made for years.

BBOWN.-JOHN P. RICHMOND.

The writer of this communication is, nominally, in the language of the law, the county superintendent of schools in Brown county. It is a misnomer as to the practical duties assigned to the incumbent of the office. In reality, the law, as applicable to the county, inhibits the exercise of the functions implied in the designation, without authority from the board of supervisors or county court,and that authority has not been given. The presumption is, under the circumstances, concomitant with its enactinent, that the intention of those who concocted the act, entitled "An act regulating the duties of county superintendents of schools of Brown and Schuyler connties," passed the 16th day of April, 1869, without the approval of the Governor, was to prevent the visitation of schools altogether, and also the examination of teachers in the ordinary manner, as

provided in the general law. It is undeniable that such have been its results. It is maintained by the writer of this report, that no culpability is properly chargeable to the county board in omitting to assume the responsibility of empowering the county superintendent to visit schools, after the law-making power forbade him to do so, without their permission. The passage of the law forbid. ding the visitation of schools without permission from the county authorities, implied a very forcible doubt by the legislature as to the propriety and expediency of the performance of that labor by the county superintendent. If, as is contended by some, and among them by the representative from Brown county, who introduced the bill prohibiting it, and who claims a re-election upon the transcendent merits of the achievement, that the visitation of schools is not beneficial, but productive of evil, why should the legislature fail to abolish the system in the whole State, excepting the counties of Brown and Schuyler? Was it deemed by the representatives of other counties that those two counties had pre-emi. nent claims to be exempted and blessed, and should not have the infliction upon them? Or was it deemed that school supervision is a blessing which they would circumscribe to their own counties to the exclusion of Brown and Schuyler? Or was it the judgment of the law-making power, that those two counties were so far in advance of the rest of the State in education as not to need the or dinary appliance of school visitation? If that was the conviction cf the general assembly, that honorable body was justifiable and commendable in passing the special law, and in wounding and crippling the common school system, and in leaving the general law bleeding and debilitated in the most vital parts of its body. If that was the view of the legislature, the counties of Brown and Schuyler ought to accept the proud distinction, and to stand upon the glorious pinnacle and look down in commiseration, if not with contempt, upon the ignorant counties of Cook, Peoria, Sangamon, Morgan, Adams, etc., etc., and to exhort them to renewed energy in the ennobling cause of education, and to employ the proper instrumentalities to enhance the intelligence of their people, until they also climb to the lofty and grand position occupied by Brown and Schuyler, and be free from school supervision and all other imposit ons and small devices invented and put into operation by educators and legislatures! As it is, the county superintendent of Brown county is under no necessity of visiting and supervising the schools to ascertain their progress, improvement, and proficiency; he leaves such small and despicable work as that to the superintendents of McDonough, Knox, Ogle, McLean, and all other counties in the State, always excepting his noble compeer of Schuyler. He feels panoplied and authorized, by a special act of the legislature of the magnificent State of Illinois, to proclaim to all mankind that the schools in his jurisdiction are beyond the reach of cavilers. Is it a non sequitur to declare that in