REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION. CHAPTER I. EXECUTIVE STATEMENT. Time Covered by the Statement-Work of the Division of Records-The Division of the Library and Museum-The Division of Statistics-Plan of the Present Report-Recent Publications of the Office-Opinions Respecting the Same-Education in Alaska Reviewed-The Colony at New Metlakahtla-New Regulations and Amendments-Changes in the Territorial Board—Increased Appropriations for Alaska Needed—Change in School-Books Desirable-The Centennial of the Ohio Valley-Estimates for 1890-91— Quarters for the Office-Opinion of the National Educational Association—Description of a Suitable Building—Printing Done for the Office. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF EDUCATION, SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this Office during the year ending June 30, 1888. Its work has been conducted substantially in accordance with the principles indicated in my first and second Annual Reports, modified in such directions as further experience showed to be desirable. The assignment of employés to three divisions, and their regular occupations with the duties required by law or by the usage and regulations of the Department, have proved eminently satisfactory. THE DIVISION OF RECORDS. The management of the written and printed correspondence of the Office, and the care of its records, are confided to the Division of Records. During the year under review, 15,197 written letters and 240,000 copies of documents were sent out, besides more than 14,000 statistical inquiry forms; while 11,096 written letters, 12,000 statistical returns, 44,000 acknowledgments, and 6,913 documents (books and pamphlets) were received. One copy of each of these publications was sent to the library of the Office, and the others distributed to such correspondents as the character of the documents rendered proper. 1 In addition to these, the Office received from the Government Printing Ofice 172,799 copies of the reports and circulars of information printed for its use. Continning a practice established under my predecessor, the laborers assigned to this Bureau have two-thirds of the watchmen's duty, rendered necessary by its separate quarters, since the Department furnishes only one of the three watchmen between whom the twenty-four hours are divided. When the very low rate at which these faithful employés are paid is taken into account, I think that this arrangement requires more of them than corresponding employés in other offices are expected to do. THE DIVISION OF THE LIBRARY AND MUSEUM. The library of this Office contains one of the most valuable pedagogical collections in the country. The card catalogue has rendered the contents of this collection available, and, in consequence, the library is growing more and more useful every year. Its value is already known to educationists of every grade, and it has been used during the year by many persons engaged in the investigation of educational subjects. Inquiries upon these subjects are frequently made by correspondents, not only in the United States, but in foreign countries, for information which is nowhere else so readily obtained. In response to these inquiries, over five hundred cards giving references to investigators on various subjects have been prepared. Some of these cards were the result of much careful study, coupled with elaborate research. The library now, contains over twenty-one thousand volumes and eighty thousand pamphlets, besides many thousand duplicates, which are used for exchange or distribution. Of these duplicates about ten thousand have been disposed of during the year. Some were exchanged for books needed in the library, but the greater part of them were distributed among school and college libraries in various parts of the country. During the year two thousand volumes and twenty thousand pamphlets have been added to the collection. The volumes have been catalogued and placed on the shelves and the pamphlets indexed and filed. The books in the library have been classified, rearranged on the shelves under subjects, and a Finding List of them prepared. The preparation of this list, which began June 16, 1888, necessitated the writing of about twenty thousand cards, the copying of fifteen hundred pages of manuscript, and the handling of all the books in the library. In the foreign section of the library the books and pamphlets of thirty-one different countries have been classified, arranged on shelves, and catalogued. This work included the making of ten thousand cards, representing fifteen different languages, and the copying and composing of six hundred and fifty pages of manuscript. The French and German books have been classified and arranged on shelves, but some revision of this list may be necessary before it can be copied. The list of the English books is about ready for the copyist. In view of the importance of the library to the work of the Office, and the convenience which a catalogue of all of the books upon its shelves would afford, not only to the employés of the Office, but to those interested in educational literature throughout the country, it is important that this catalogue should be printed. The appropriations for the use of the Office are not sufficient for this purpose, and following the precedent which has obtained in regard to the libraries of other bureaus in the departments, I respectfully suggest that an appropria tion be made by Congress for the purpose of printing and publishing the catalogue of this library. The collection of college catalogues is the largest and most complete of any in this country, and constitutes a valuable part of the library. Many of these catalogues have been arranged chronologically by decades, or half decades, and prepared for the bindery. Over four hundred volumes have already been bound, while many more await completion preparatory to binding. The importance of binding and preserving these catalogues becomes a matter of great interest to educators, when it is remembered that many of our leading colleges do not possess complete sets of their own publications. Colleges frequently apply to this library for catalogues, or other publications to complete their sets. The Museum of the Office has been enriched during the year by the accession of many articles, notable among which are a set of Langls' wall views of famous buildings, and a series of casts from antique gems illustrating the literature and history of Greece and Rome. Collections of this kind would be very valuable adjuncts to all instruction given in American schools and colleges. In making additions to the Museum, I have been guided in all cases by the advice of eminent men actually engaged in the work of educa tion, and personally cognizant of the contents and deficiencies of the collection. If this Bureau were housed in a building suitable to its work, and capable of storing its collections adequately, I would urge the propriety of making its library a depository for every native book, and its Museum the depository of every native map, chart, engraving, print, or apparatus intended for use in schools or bearing upon educational subjects, and I should be pleased to have you consider the propriety of recommending to Congress such an extension of the patent and copyright laws as will require proprietors of such works to deposit copies in this Office for preservation as above indicated. While the Office remains in temporary and inconvenient quarters, or exposed to the chance of removal to others yet less suitable for the discharge of its duties, this proposition is impracticable. But I feel it my duty to suggest it now and here, in order to bear my personal testimony to what this Bureau might become if treated with the consideration that its objects and methods justify. THE DIVISION OF STATISTICS. To the Division of Statistics is confided the duty of preparing such parts of the Annual Reports and other publications of the Office as do not require the constant personal attention of the Commissioner. When the general plan of a document has been settled in detail, the collection of facts, the construction of tables, the composition of text, and the correction of proof may be devolved on a corps of trained employés working in the charge of a competent chief, who is always in consultation with the head of the Office. I have insisted ever since I took charge of the Bureau, that before all other duties, it must prepare an Annual Report upon the condition of education in this country. Consequently, the preparation of a very large part of the Annual Reports has been the principal labor of this division. Two employés have been constantly occupied in the preparation of the Special Report on Education in Fine and Industrial Art, of which a description is given below. In addition to the preparation of these documents, the employés of the Statistical Division have read the proof of all reports and circulars issued by the Bureau since my assumption of the Commissionership. Whenever necessary, they have also prepared the tables of contents and indexes necessary thereto and have thus added much to their prac tical usefulness. I can not conclude this brief account of the division and their work without stating briefly the idea upon which I have proceeded. I have always believed that every piece of work, suited to the ability of the performer, and honestly accomplished, is directly educative in its influence, and I have therefore tried in assigning workers and work to produce an improved condition among the employés under my direction, and I have good reason to believe that they have been personally benefited by my course in this matter, much to the profit of the service. PLAN OF THE PRESENT REPORT. The general features of this volume resemble those of the document for last year. I have thought it advisable, however, to transfer the subject of public high schools from the chapters respecting secondary instruction to those which relate to city school systems, in order to make the treatment of public school affairs more complete and systematic. If the same course is pursued hereafter, public kindergartens will eventually be treated with other public schools. The very full classified statistics of public libraries in the last Report are omitted from this volume, as is, also, the subject index to the earlier |